Why does Argos-Shimano get so much love from race organizers?

[theyoungest]

Do you have any evidence to back this up? He was a very big TT talent, but had gotten out of the picture a bit due to injury.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

2010 was the last year before argos scooped him up and he had major results there. includign third in the u23 world championships itt, he wasn't out of the picture at all. he rode with thuringer team, which is the absolute top of gemran u23, like rabobank.

 

[theyoungest]

Last year was my final one as an Espoir, so it wasn’t possible to ride again…beside, I was happy with that bronze.

I had an injury in the spring of last year and never really got in to good shape until the end of the season – so it was good to finish with a Worlds medal.

He didn't have a lot of results that year. Also, I guess teams thought he was a bit one-sided, time trials and nothing more.

 

[El Pistolero]

They'd be blind then, he was leading out Degenkolb as well.

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

Nobody - nobody! - expected Kittel to become a sprinter of the quality he now has. He seemed to be a nice ITT'er (but not as good as Martin or Gretsch), and that's it. I was happy to see him picked up by Skil-Shimano in the fall of 2010 because there weren't any other big teams interested in him. The first half of 2010 he missed out mainly due to knee problems. Only later his form got better. There was no money to draw him to Skil - that's just nonsense. He had hardly been paid more than minimum wage in his first year.

 

[theyoungest]

Skil signed him as a rouleur. Nothing more. Only in training camp and Langkawi they (and Kittel himself) found out that he was in fact an excellent sprinter.

He tried to leadout Van Hummel, it didn't work out, and then Hummel led him out to show him how to do it. The rest is history.