After a successful first year with Etixx-Quickstep that saw him win the Dubai Tour GC, Scheldeprijs and three Grand Tour stages, Marcel Kittel insists he is only looking forward to next season rather than looking ay what he has achieved.

“This has been a good year, really, and I’m very happy with my first year at Etixx,” he told Cyclingnews. “I had a great start with the team at the Dubai Tour and immediately felt harmony with my new teammates. At all the targeted races we had this year we won and that was important for me after a difficult 2015.”

Kittel says he hasn’t learned anything major this year other than the fact that he can always improve. He says his big goal is just to maintain a high level.

“Next year I just need to keep working. I don’t think I’ve learnt anything majorly new but I’ve just kept on improving. So areas like the leadout, and that was maybe one of the lessons we learned from the Tour de France, you can still improve. For myself I just need to keep my condition high.”