Newcomer Marcel Kittel and Tom Boonen already work well together in the Etixx-QuickStep team. "The chemistry between us was good right from the start," Kittel told radsport-news.com after the first training camp in Calpe (Spain) 

"Tom's attitude is very professional," says the German. Despite a total of eight Tour stage victories he can certainly learn more from Boonen who has won Paris-Roubaix four times and celebrated six stages wins at the Tour de France.

The Belgian star will certainly not give up his own ambitions yet. "Tom is still one of the best sprinters in the world," said Kittel who will start do his first race for Etixx-QuickStep AT the Dubai tour in early February.

Before the Tour where he wants to get his revenge after an illness-plaged, catastrophic failure in 2015 , Kittel will be at the start of Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-San Remo and the Giro d'Italia.

His goal: "To win as much as possible!"