Also in his second year as a professional Nikias Arndt (Giant-Shimano) managed to take a win. However, the German managed to raise the bar significantly as he won a stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné, the WorldTour race that serves as a main preparation for the Tour ed France.

Hence, the 23-year-old drew a positive balance in an interview with radsport-news.com. "I really had a good season and with the success at the Dauphiné, I made it perfect." His racing schedule which suited him perfectly, also contributed to his feeling of satisfaction. In the spring, he did the entire WorldTour program on the cobbles except E3 Prijs and in the late summer he returned to the Vuelta a Espana after having made his debut in 2013.

In the last grand tour of the year, however, the German vice-champion in the time trial, although could not ride for himself and so he was unable to achieve a spot on the podium as he did in 2013. Instead he was an important domestique for John Degenkolb who won four stages and the points jersey. "The Vuelta was my personal highlight. Altogether we have had four very funny, successful and personal weeks with the team. The atmosphere was brilliant and winning four stages with the team is a great feeling," the sprinter said.

But Arndt did not only impress in the big races. In the Vuelta a Andalucía (2.1) in February and the Four Days of Dunkirk (2.HC) in May, he sprinted to second places in stages. He added an impressive performance at the end of June at the German Championships in Baunatal where he won the silver medal in the time trial behind the dominant reigning champion Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step).

For the coming year, Arndt has made the goal that he want to win a bit more."Two wins are definitely my goal and I hope once again to have an important race like the Dauphiné among them, said the German who also wants to improve in the spring classics. "I want to show that I have developed and can do a good job for the team in the races."