Marcel Kittel (Etixx-Quickstep), winner of two stages and the second maglia rosa of the Giro d'Italia, will take his leave from the Italian Grand Tour to recover for the rest of the season before the stage 9 time trial, the team announced on Saturday.
"I'm sad to leave the Giro. I really like the atmosphere I have found here in Italy and I love the support of the Italian fans, but now I feel like I need to recover after a long first part of the season," Kittel stated. "This year I kicked-off my campaign very early in order to come back after a very difficult 2015 and the season will be even longer than usual for me because of the Worlds in Qatar. It's not every year that the sprinters get such an opportunity.
"Considering from where I came it's very important for me to pay attention to my fitness level. The Giro has been a tough and demanding race so far, even in the stages book marked for the sprinters. Now I feel that I need to rest before the future goals of the season," he added.
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Kittel thanked the team and staff, and made a promise to the race organisers: "I want to assure them that in the future I will come back at the start with the goal of trying to get a victory on Italian soil, something which I'm still missing."
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