Despite stage wins in the Tour Mediterraneen and Paris-Nice and the victory at Gent-Wevelgem, 2014 seemed to be a year of second places for John Degenkolb (Giant-Shimano). A total of 15 times occupied the 25-year-old finished second no less than 15 times in the past season.

But in the second half of the year, Degenkolb finally bucked the trend. From late August to early October, he took five wins, four of them in the Vuelta a Espana where he also won the green points jersey.

"I am very happy with my season. I was successful from the beginning to the end and that makes me proud," the German told radsport-news.com about his performance that included a total of 30 podium finishes.

From the long string of successes, Degenkolb's win in Gent-Wevelgem and his second place at Paris-Roubaix stand out. "I have won my first classic and I was close in my favourite race," he said, referring to the two spring classics.

The classics specialist experience his only big disappointment at the Tour de France where he narrowly missed out on the win in two stages where he finished second. "What I missed in 2014 was a stage win in the Tour de France," said Degenkolb who was one of the favourites for the Worlds in Ponferrada after his great performance in the Vuelta.

However, Degenkolb had a wound from a crash in the Vuelta and it resulted in a swollen lymph node in the lumbar region. This was followed by several days in the hospital that made his participation in the Worlds doubtful for a long time.

Ultimately, the German captain won the fight against time but despite an impressive performance, Degenkolb had to settle for ninth. Due to his less than ideal preparation, it was a decent result. "I don't see the Worlds as a disappoinment. I was just happy to be at the start. We had great harmony in the team and I will have the chance to win the Worlds title again," he said.

Degenkolb who won 10 races in 2010, did not only impress with his fast sprint but proved that he has also improved his climbing. "I don't have to be afraid of the moderately hard stages and one-day races," he said confidently.

The successful combination of 2014 - good climbing skills and a fast sprint - will also make it possible for Degenkolb to achieve numerous victories in 2015. "I have many goals. Of course, Roubaix is ​​on my list. But I also want to be successful at Milan-San Remo, the Tour de France and the Worlds," he announced.