Also in his third year at BMC, Rick Zabel delivered good performance and achieved a number of top results, even though there was no win like there had been in 2015.

"I am happy with the season. I have not been as consistent as I was this year. I often played a role in the finals. Only a victory was missing," Zabel told radsport news.com about his year which he started with 52nd place at the Cadel Evans Road Race in Australia.

His best results were a third place in a stage at the Tour of Utah (2.HC) and fourth place at the Volta Limburg Classic (1.1) in the Netherlands. The highlight was the Giro d`Italia, where the 22-year-old sprinted into the top ten (two seventh and two ninth places) on four stages and also reached the finish line in Turin. "This made me proud and satisfied," Zabel said about the performance in his second Grand Tour. During the season, he was in the top 10 twelve times. "I think this is quite good," says the BMC ride.

On the other hand Zabel could not show his skills at the German Championships. Due to a nasal sinusitis, he had to cancel his start in the road race in Erfurt. It was a disappointment not only from a sporting point of view because "I went to the sports school in Erfurt for four years,” as he exclaimed.

After three years at BMC, he now moves to Katusha-Alpecin, licensed in Switzerland, who was also increasingly active on the German transfer market because of the new co-sponsor. "German team-collegues, German influence, I'm really looking forward to the first team meeting, I felt very comfortable," says Zabel, who wants to go again a great country round trip as well as the spring classics.

"I want to develop further, to be an important helper for Alexander Kristoff and to drive more WorldTour as well, I want to be at the world's biggest cycling races, and if I can go for my own account, I will use it." Zabel's goals for 2017.