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Born in 1989 in Germany, John Degenkolb is a professional rider who has been a member of the Lotto Soudal cycling team since 2020. What is his professional career? What's his track record on the road? Zoom in on John Degenkolb, a German sprinter adept at one-day races.
Who is John Degenkolb
A sprinter at heart, the 32-year-old German celebrates his ten-year professional career this year with a well-packed list of achievements.
On the clock, he records two stage wins in grand tours, including ten in the Vuelta, his favorite playground. Winner of the UCI Europe Tour in 2012, John Degenkolb can also boast of having won the four most prestigious classics for sprinters:
Vattenfall Cyclassics (2013);
Paris-Tours (2013);
Ghent-Wevelgem (2014);
Milan-San Remo (2015).
Already the German junior time trial champion in 2007, Degenkolb rode as an amateur for the Thüringer Energie team from 2008 to 2010.
Professional cycling career
In 2011, he took the professional turn with flying colors when he joined the HTC-Highroad World Tour team. By winning the Grand Prix de Francfort and two stages of the Critérium du Dauphiné, John Degenkolb began to make a name for himself in the professional peloton.
The following year saw a change in team. With Argos-Shimano, the German sprinter scored his first grand tour victory by winning the 2nd stage of the Vuelta. At the world road race championships, he crossed the finish line just five seconds after winner Philippe Gilbert, earning him a respectable fourth place.
John Degenkolb continued his assault on grand tours by competing in the Giro d'Italia for the first time in 2013, with a Giro stage in his pocket as a bonus. This is also the season of his first win on a classic on the UCI World Tour, the Vattenfall Cyclassics.
A talented sprinter
While no longer in need of proof, his sprinting skills were nevertheless rewarded when he participated in the 2014 Tour of Spain. Leader of the points classification, he awarded himself the green jersey ahead of cycling greats Alejandro Valverde and Alberto Contador.
In 2015, the cyclist emerged victorious in two monuments: Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix. A great feat and a brilliant season!"
Injured in 2016, he signed with the Trek-Segafredo team for three seasons. In 2018, he won, among other things, his first stage victory in the Tour de France.
In 2020, John Degenkolb joined the cycling team Lotto Soudal. Thus, he rides alongside leaders such as Philippe Gilbert, Caleb Ewan, Thomas De Gendt or Tim Wellens.
