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Cape Town - Etixx-Quick Step has agreed to a two-year contract with German rider Marcel Kittel, who is considered one of the best sprinters of the peloton.
Kittel joins Quick Step after Giant-Alpecin released him. He will effectively replace Mark Cavendish who has signed for SA team MTN-Qhubeka.
Kittel built an impressive palmares at 27-years-old, in just a few years time: Eight Tour de France stage victories, three Scheldeprijs victories, five stage wins at Tour de Pologne, and two Giro d'Italia stage wins.
Kittel will wear the team colours for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
"We are thrilled about the arrival of Marcel," CEO Patrick Lefevere said.
"In the last years he showed incredible pure speed, which makes him one of the best sprinters in the history of the sport. As a team we will do our best to put him in the right condition, building a group of riders around him. He showed his potential in just a few years time, with dominating performances among his palmares. We are sure that, together, we can achieve more big goals, and that we have yet to see the best of Marcel Kittel."
"I want to thank the team for the faith they've put in me, and that they will support me in this new chapter of my career," Kittel said.
"I am looking forward to the new challenges of Etixx-Quick Step, a team, I consider as one of the best teams in the world. This team has one of the best, well organised structures around its riders. Etixx-Quick Step offers me a great, highly professional environment, where I can continue to develop and improve. I am also happy that I have a few friends on this team already, including Tony Martin. Tony is one of my best friends in cycling. We rode together when we were younger, and I can't wait to do it again at the professional level."
