The German Giant-Alpecin Team hooes for an early contract extension with classics ing John Degenkolb. "John is the DNA of the team. We should not wait too long," team boss Iwan Spekenbrink said on Thursday at the presentation at the Italian Embassy in Berlin, according to radsport-news.com

Degenkolb's contract expires at the end of the year. The Frankfurter who celebrated his 27th birthday on Thursday, finds it realistic that he will stay in his current.  "I'm still happy with the team and the environment. We have some very good discussions," said Degenklb who is the leader of the team after the departure of sprint star Marcel Kittel.

Given the terrorist attacks in Paris, Degenkolb looks with anxiety to the next Tour de France finale in the center of the French capital. "Just the Champs Elysées where the family and friends are... It is scary to think of what can happen."

"When I saw it on TV, it made by blood run cold," Degenkolb said to the attacks in Paris on November 13 when 130 people were killed. At the Tour finale, the French boulevard is lined with hundreds of thousands of spectators.

Degenkolb won the cycling monuments Milan-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix last year. The spring classics are again the main aim. He will start his season on February 3 in Dubai.