John Degenkolb (born 7 January 1989) is a German professional

road bicycle racer Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common ...

, who currently rides for

UCI WorldTeam A UCI WorldTeam (2015–present), previously UCI ProTeam (2005–2014), is the term used by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to name a cycling team of the highest category in professional road cycling, the UCI World Tour or UCI ProTour ...

. His biggest wins to date are the 2015 Milan–San Remo and the 2015 Paris–Roubaix, two of cycling's five

monuments A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

. He is a winner of stages in all three

Grand Tours In road bicycle racing, a Grand Tour is one of the three major European professional cycling stage races: Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, and Vuelta a España. Collectively they are termed the ''Grand Tours'', and all three races are similar in ...

, with ten stages and the

points classification The points classification is a secondary award category in road bicycle racing. Points are given for high finishes and, in some cases, for winning sprints at certain places along the route, most often called ''intermediate sprints''. The points cl ...

at the

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...

, one stage of the Giro d'Italia, and one stage in the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

. In 2010 he won his first stage race, the

Thüringen Rundfahrt der U23 Thüringen Rundfahrt der U23 was a bicycle road race held annually in the German state of Thuringia. It was a stage race reserved to athletes under the age of 23. Since 2005, it was organized as a 2.2U event on the UCI Europe Tour. After the 201 ...

, and finished second in the under 23 race at the

UCI Road World Championships The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the (UCI). The UCI Road World Championships consist of events for road race and individual time trial, and a mixed team relay. Events ...

. Degenkolb also took victory in the 2014 Gent–Wevelgem, the 2013 Vattenfall Cyclassics and was the overall winner of the

2012 UCI Europe Tour The 2012 UCI Europe Tour was the eighth season of the UCI Europe Tour. The 2012 season began on 29 January 2012 with the Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise and ended on 21 October 2012 with the Chrono des Nations. The points leader, based on t ...

Professional career

HTC–Highroad (2011)

In 2011, Degenkolb turned professional with the

UCI World Tour The UCI WorldTour (2009–2010: ''UCI World Ranking'') is the premier men's elite road cycling tour, sitting above the UCI ProSeries and various regional UCI Continental Circuits. It refers to both the tour of 38 events and, until 2019, an annual ...

squad, following in the footsteps of other notable sprinters such as

Mark Cavendish Mark Simon Cavendish (born 21 May 1985) is a Isle of Man, Manx professional Road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . As a Track cycling, track cyclist he specialises in the Madison (cycling), madison, po ...

and

André Greipel André Greipel (born 16 July 1982) is a German former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2002 and 2021. Since his retirement, Greipel now works as a directeur sportif for UCI Continental team . Born in Rostock, East ...

. In his debut season in the professional ranks he won stages at the

Volta ao Algarve The Volta ao Algarve (Portuguese; en, Tour of the Algarve) is a road bicycle racing stage race held annually in the Algarve, Portugal. Since 2017, it has been organised as a 2.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race became part of the new UCI ...

, the

Three Days of West Flanders Dwars door West-Vlaanderen is a road bicycle race through the Belgian province of West Flanders. History The race was originally created unter the name Omloop der Vlaamse Ardennen (''English'': Tour of the Flemish Ardennes) in 1945 as a one-day ...

and the Bayern–Rundfahrt before winning two stages of the

Critérium du Dauphiné The Critérium du Dauphiné, before 2010 known as the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, is an annual cycling road race in the Dauphiné region in the southeast of France. The race is run over eight days during the first half of June. It is part ...

. He also won the Eschborn–Frankfurt – Rund um den Finanzplatz one day race.

Project 1t4i / Giant–Alpecin (2012–2016)

2012

Following the disbanding of the HTC team at the end of 2011, Degenkolb moved to

UCI Professional Continental The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to expand cycling around the world. The five circuits (representing the continents of Africa, the ...

team, . Degenkolb won the overall classification of the

Tour de Picardie The Tour de Picardie was a professional multi-stage cycle road race that was held between 1936 and 2016 in Picardy, France. In its last twelve editions, it was organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a se ...

, where he prevailed in the first and third stages of the 3-stage race. The time bonuses helped him secure the overall win. On 19 August, Degenkolb took his first stage win on a

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...

, stage 2 of the

concluding in Viana. On the slightly rising finish, he crossed the line before Allan Davis of and 's

Ben Swift Benjamin Ian Swift (born 5 November 1987) is a British professional track and road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Swift won the scratch race at the 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Championships and the men's elite road ...

. He repeated the exploit on

stage 5 Stage 5 (or, originally, "Stage V") is an unofficial stage at the Walnut Valley Festival, an annual bluegrass festival in Winfield, Kansas, United States. Set up in the Pecan Grove campground, the informal stage began in 1987 when camper Russe ...

, a flat affair in

Logroño Logroño () is the capital of the province of La Rioja, situated in northern Spain. Traversed in its northern part by the Ebro River, Logroño has historically been a place of passage, such as the Camino de Santiago. Its borders were disputed b ...

. Degenkolb came around

Daniele Bennati Daniele Bennati (born 24 September 1980) is an Italian former road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2002 and 2019 for the , , , , , , and squads. Specialising in fast sprint finishes, Bennati turned professional in 2002, when ...

, who had opened a decent gap in the last , and crossed the line with a slight margin over the rider. With the points classification jersey on his shoulders, he took his third win on stage 7, which came to an end with a lap around the Motorland Aragón race circuit. After what he qualified as a pretty mellow race on stage 10, Degenkolb came out as the victor again in

Sanxenxo Sanxenxo (; in Spanish ''Sangenjo'') is a municipality in Galicia, Spain in the province of Pontevedra. It is situated in the southern part of the O Salnés region 15 kilometres west of the city of Pontevedra and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean ...

, sprinting hard on the uphill false-flat, edging Frenchman

Nacer Bouhanni Nacer Bouhanni (born 25 July 1990) is a French professional racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . A sprinter, he was the winner of the 2012 French National Road Race Championships. Although his first Grand Tour was in 2012, his r ...

of . He finished the Vuelta with five victories, including the coveted last stage in Madrid, where he concluded his second participation in a Grand Tour with another win. Degenkolb followed these successes with another sprint victory at the

Grand Prix d'Isbergues Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and commu ...

and a fourth place in the hilly

in Valkenburg, behind winner

Philippe Gilbert Philippe Gilbert (born 5 July 1982) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer, who is best known for winning the World Road Race Championships in 2012, and for being one of two riders, along with Davide Rebellin, to have won the three ...

of Belgium.

2013

Degenkolb's credentials in 2013 started in May with a stage victory at the Giro d'Italia, his first win in the Italian Grand Tour. For the

, Degenkolb acted as a lead-out man for his teammate

Marcel Kittel Marcel Kittel (born 11 May 1988) is a German former racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2011 and 2019 for the , and squads. As a junior, he specialised in time trials, even winning a bronze medal in the World Championships for cycl ...

, who won four stages. Degenkolb then went on to win the

Vattenfall Cyclassics The Hamburg Cyclassics (currently known as the Bemer Cyclassics for sponsorship purposes) is an annual one-day professional and amateur cycling race in and around Hamburg, Germany. Although the route varies, its distance is always around 250 ...

World Tour race in his homeland, beating

to the line. In October, Degenkolb won two races on French soil in less than a week,

Paris–Bourges Paris–Bourges is a French road bicycle race. The race originally started in Paris and ran to the town of Bourges in the Région Centre. However, in recent year with the length of races shortened it has become impossible to link the two cities a ...

and then the 1.HC

Paris–Tours Paris–Tours is a French one-day classic road cycling race held every October from the outskirts of Paris to the cathedral city of Tours. It is a predominantly flat course through the Chevreuse and Loire valleys; the highest point is 200 m, ...

2014

In 2014, Degenkolb most notably won the Belgian classic

Gent–Wevelgem Gent–Wevelgem, officially Gent–Wevelgem – In Flanders Fields, is a road bicycle racing, road cycling race in Belgium, held annually since 1934. It is one of the classic cycle races, classic races part of the Flemish Cycling Week, run in late ...

ahead of Arnaud Démare and

Peter Sagan Peter Sagan (; born 26 January 1990) is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Sagan had a successful junior cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing career, winning the junior cross-country race at the 2008 ...

. During the

Paris–Nice Paris–Nice is a professional cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the Col d'Èze overlookin ...

stage race, he won stage 3 from a bunch sprint, temporarily taking over the race lead, and went on to win the overall points classification. He also earned the points classification and 3 stages of the

Tour Méditerranéen Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed b ...

and 4 stages of the

. The first stage he won contained two categorised climbs and was raced in oven-like heat. The second one was a massive sprint where FDJ rider

complained he had been unfairly pushed to the barriers by Degenkolb, who still retained the victory. The third success was a 'crazy finish' according to Degenkolb, who had the better of second placed

Tom Boonen Tom Boonen (; born 15 October 1980) is a Belgian former road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional between 2002 and 2017 for the and teams and a professional racing driver who currently competes in Belcar, having previously competed in ...

. The fourth victory came on Stage 17 and saw him edge Michael Matthews for the line. Right after the Vuelta and conquering the points classification jersey, Degenkolb had to be hospitalized for a lymphatic infection.

2015: Milan–San Remo and Paris–Roubaix double

Roubaix - Paris-Roubaix, 12 avril 2015, arrivée (B41)

In 2015, Degenkolb won his first race at the

Dubai Tour The Dubai Tour is an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Dubai, which began in 2014 as part of the UCI Asia Tour. History The race was classified as a 2.1. in 2014. The race is organized by the Dubai Sports Council in partn ...

, the third stage of the race, beating

Alejandro Valverde Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (born 25 April 1980) is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist, who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . Valverde's biggest wins have been the Vuelta a España in 2009, Critérium du Dauphiné in 2008 and 2009 ...

up a 17 percent gradient final climb. He also moved into the lead of the general classification, but lost it on the final day to

, finishing the race in second overall. He grabbed the biggest victory of his career at that point in March at

Milan–San Remo Milan–San Remo (in Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance of 298 km (~185.2 miles) it is t ...

, where he won the sprint in front of

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

winner

Alexander Kristoff Alexander Kristoff (born 5 July 1987) is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He won the Norwegian National Road Race Championships in 2007 and 2011. His biggest victories have been the 2014 Milan� ...

. In April, he finished seventh at the

Tour of Flanders The Tour of Flanders ( nl, Ronde van Vlaanderen), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and organi ...

, before winning the much coveted classic

Paris–Roubaix Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the 'Monuments' or classics of the ...

just a few days later. In the final kilometres, he bridged the gap to two escapees and eventually won a group sprint of seven riders in the

Roubaix Velodrome The Roubaix Velodrome (officially Vélodrome André-Pétrieux) is a velodrome in Roubaix, Nord, France. It was opened in 1936 and has hosted the finish of the one-day " monument classic" cycling race Paris–Roubaix since 1943. The race moved to ...

. He became the first German to win the race since Josef Fischer won the inaugural edition in

1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wil ...

, and the first rider to win Milan–San Remo and Paris–Roubaix in the same year since Sean Kelly in 1986. In May, Degenkolb took two stage victories at the Bayern–Rundfahrt, winning the points classification. During the

, Degenkolb replaced an unfit Kittel as Giant–Alpecin's main sprinter and team captain. He would go on to describe his Tour as "satisfactory, yet not exactly what I had dreamed about", after placing in the top ten at eight different stages without winning one of them. This included a second-place finish on stage 4, which featured cobbled sections suiting the Paris–Roubaix winner. Degenkolb was seen at the front of the pack following attacks by

Vincenzo Nibali ), The Nibbler , birth_date = , birth_place = Messina, Sicily, Italy , height = , weight = , currentteam = , discipline = Road , role = Rider , ridertype = Climber , proyears1 = 2005 , proteam1 = , proyears2 = 2006–2012 , protea ...

over the ''pavé'' sections, but was ultimately beaten by a late attack of compatriot Tony Martin. At the

, Degenkolb was elected as his team's captain. During the first two weeks of the race, stage wins eluded him, finishing high on several stages, including top three positions in stages 3, 5 and 10. When his teammate

Tom Dumoulin Tom Dumoulin (; born 11 November 1990) is a retired Dutch professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . He has won nine stages across the three Grand Tours, five medals in three different World Championships and two Olympic s ...

unexpectedly challenged for the overall win, Degenkolb worked for the Dutchman, including an "astounding" performance during stage 19. On the mountainous terrain, he was able to stay with the top twenty riders of the pack until the end, setting up Dumoulin for an attack at the cobbled ascent to the finish line in

Ávila Ávila (, , ) is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Ávila. It lies on the right bank of the Adaja river. Located more than 1,130 m abov ...

. Degenkolb received praise for his performance, with

directeur sportif A ''directeur sportif'' ( French for sporting director, although the original French term is often used in English-language media; plural ''directeurs sportifs'') is a person directing a cycling team during a road bicycle racing event. It is se ...

Christian Guiberteau calling it "phenomenal". Degenkolb was able to win the last stage to

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, beating riders like Danny van Poppel in a bunch sprint. Late in the season, Degenkolb targeted the road race at the

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, being named in a leading duo with fellow sprinter

. He was considered by many to be able to challenge for the title. In the race itself, Degenkolb was placed at the front of the field for the better part of the latter laps of the race. On the cobbled climb up Libby Hill on the last lap, Degenkolb was the first to follow an attack by

Zdeněk Štybar Zdeněk Štybar (; born 11 December 1985) is a Czech professional cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . While best known as a cyclo-cross racer, in 2011 Štybar began his professional road career while continuing to race cyclo-cross. ...

, but he was unable to follow the subsequent pace set by a group containing

Niki Terpstra Niki Terpstra (; born 18 May 1984) is a Dutch racing cyclist, who rides for UCI ProTeam . He is the brother of fellow racing cyclist Mike Terpstra. He is the third Dutch cyclist to have won both of the cobbled Monument spring classics, Paris–R ...

and

Greg Van Avermaet Greg Van Avermaet (born 17 May 1985) is a Belgian professional cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Considered one of the most versatile riders of modern cycling, Van Avermaet is a specialist of the classic cycle races, but has also ...

, among others. He eventually finished 29th, 15 seconds down on winner

. Degenkolb said after the race: "Of course, I am very disappointed. When Peter Sagan attacked at the penultimate climb, I had nothing left to react." Degenkolb rounded up his 2015 season with a victory at the Saitama Criterium in Japan, beating local

Fumiyuki Beppu Fumiyuki Beppu ( ja, 別府史之; born 10 April 1983) is a Japanese former professional road bicycle racer, who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . His older brother is the cyclist Takumi Beppu. Career Team Discovery (2005–2007) Beppu turned profess ...

() and Tour de France winner

Chris Froome Christopher Clive Froome ɹɪs fɹuːm (born 20 May 1985) is a Kenyan/British Road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He has won seven Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours: four editions of the Tour de ...

() in a sprint finish. Following the race, Degenkolb said: "It was a very great race, with so many spectators. They are super emotional, especially in the final the crowds were so loud and you can almost compare it to the Champs Elysees from the atmosphere and the noise on the said of the road .. Now the season is really finished for me and now the preparation for the new season starts."

2016

On 23 January 2016, while training in Calpe, Spain, he was one of six riders who were hit by a car which drove into on-coming traffic. All riders were in stable condition. Degenkolb himself suffered cuts to the thigh, forearm and his lips, as well as coming close to losing his left index finger. He was treated in Valencia and Hamburg, but missed the spring classics season. He returned to competition at the Eschborn–Frankfurt – Rund um den Finanzplatz in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

on 1 May. Even though he did not finish the race, he said that he was "satisfied" with his performance and called the race an important first step in his recovery. He then attended the

Tour of California The Tour of California (officially sponsored as the Amgen Tour of California) was an annual professional road bicycle racing, road cycling stage race on the UCI World Tour and USA Cycling Professional Tour that ran from 2006 to 2019. It was the ...

, where he secured two top-ten stage finishes, declaring that he was happy with his progress, even though his injured finger was still a nuisance during sprints. He showed further improvement at the

, his first World Tour event of the year, finishing eighth on stage 4. Degenkolb started in the

in July, aiming particularly at the 16th stage ending in

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

. Eventually he came fourth in the mass sprints both on stages 14 and 16, his best results of the season up to that point. On 8 July, Degenkolb announced he would leave and join a new team for 2017 – with an announcement expected during the first rest day of the Tour de France. In August, his new team was confirmed to be . He took his first win of the season on 14 August in the final stage of the Arctic Race of Norway, also securing victory in the race's points classification. He followed this up with a second place at the

EuroEyes Cyclassics The Hamburg Cyclassics (currently known as the Bemer Cyclassics for sponsorship purposes) is an annual one-day professional and amateur cycling race in and around Hamburg, Germany. Although the route varies, its distance is always around 250 ...

in Hamburg, coming in behind Caleb Ewan in the bunch sprint. At the

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the coun ...

, Qatar, Degenkolb was part of the German team for the road race. Having initially succeeded in staying in the front group after an attack by the Belgian squad split the field early on in the race, a flat tyre forced Degenkolb to fall back into a second group. Here, Degenkolb tried to lead his team captain

back to the front, an effort disrupted by Belgian riders left his group, leading to Degenkolb at one point spraying water from his bidon on

Jens Debusschere Jens Debusschere (born 28 August 1989) is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer, who most recently rode for UCI ProTeam . He was named in the start list for the 2015 Tour de France. In May 2018, he was named in the startlist for the 2018 Gi ...

's face in frustration. Speaking about the incident after the race, Degenkolb declared: "Oh, Jens asked for refreshment and I granted his wish." After retiring from the race due to exhaustion with to go, Degenkolb summarised his season: "That was a shit season this year. But I am still alive, life goes on." He then ended his season at the

Abu Dhabi Tour The Abu Dhabi Tour was a men's cycling stage race that took place in the United Arab Emirates, held annually between 2015 and 2018. In 2019 The Abu Dhabi Tour merged with the Dubai Tour to become the UAE Tour. History When inaugurated, it was p ...

, where he came second to

Giacomo Nizzolo Giacomo Nizzolo (born 30 January 1989) is an Italian racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Leopard Trek (2011–18) Nizzolo took his first win at UCI World Tour level in August 2012, on stage 5 of the Eneco Tour. He launc ...

on stage one.

Trek–Segafredo (2017–2019)

2017

Degenkolb took his first victory of the 2017 campaign on 2 February at the third stage of the

, edging out Reinardt Janse van Rensburg and

Sonny Colbrelli Sonny Colbrelli (born 17 May 1990) is a retired Italian professional road bicycle racer who most recently rode for UCI WorldTeam . Career Born in Desenzano del Garda, Colbrelli has competed as a professional since the start of the 2012 season, ...

in a bunch sprint. He finished the event in third position overall. During the spring

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

season, Degenkolb took over the leading role at from

Fabian Cancellara Fabian Cancellara (born 18 March 1981), nicknamed "Spartacus", is a Swiss cycling executive, businessman and former professional road racing cyclist who last rode for UCI ProTeam . He was born in Wohlen bei Bern, Switzerland. Cancellara began r ...

, who had retired at the end of 2016. He eventually had strong results, but failed to win a race. He was dropped during the climb of the Poggio at

, finishing seventh on the line. At

E3 Harelbeke E3 Saxo Bank Classic, previously known as E3 BinckBank Classic, E3 Harelbeke, Harelbeke–Antwerp–Harelbeke and E3-Prijs Vlaanderen, is an annual road cycling race in Flanders, Belgium. The race starts and finishes in Harelbeke, covering 203 kil ...

, the team was not present in the breakaway group, hurting its chances for a high finish, with Degenkolb finishing in 13th place. After finishing fifth at

and seventh at the

, Degenkolb entered

. Trek–Segafredo had a strong race, placing three riders in the top ten, with Degenkolb eventually in tenth position. However,

heavily criticised him after the race for shadowing him, saying: "To me, he rode the most cowardly race of his life." Degenkolb finished third at his home race, Eschborn–Frankfurt – Rund um den Finanzplatz at the beginning of May, having been delayed by a mechanical problem for leadout man

Jasper Stuyven Jasper Stuyven (born 17 April 1992) is a Belgian professional racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Juniors Born in Leuven, Stuyven had a successful career as a junior rider. In 2009, at age 17, he won the UCI Junior W ...

during the final sprint. At the

Tour de Suisse The Tour de Suisse ( en, Tour of Switzerland) is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France ...

, Degenkolb was supported for sprint victories by his team, coming third in stage 3. He voiced his frustration after stage 5, when paced him towards the finish, only for Degenkolb to be forced to brake hard behind

Matteo Trentin Matteo Trentin (born 2 August 1989) is an Italian professional road cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Professional career In 2014, Trentin took a prestigious victory on Stage 7 of the Tour de France, where he won the spri ...

, eventually finishing only in 12th position. He was included in the lineup for the

, enjoying a number of high sprint finishes, including a second place behind Marcel Kittel on stage 10. Later in the season, Degenkolb started the

, but dropped out due to illness in the opening days. He was scheduled to lead the German squad for the road race at the

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

, but pulled out of the competition one week beforehand, citing his ongoing health issues.

2018

Degenkolb returned to racing in late January 2018 at the Challenge Mallorca, where he won two of the four races in bunch sprints, sitting out the other two. He then competed at

, but withdrew with bronchitis, which also forced him to sit out

. Degenkolb endured a difficult spring campaign without any major results. A crash at

forced him to be off the bike for three weeks. He returned to racing in June with the Hammer Series and then the

. In Switzerland, he was unable to make an impact in the first stages, while trying to find his form to make it into the squad for the

. At the

German National Road Race Championships The German National Road Race Championship is a cycling race organized by the German Cycling Federation. The event was established in 1910, with the women's championship starting in 1968. No competitions were held in 1914–1918, 1926/1927, 192 ...

on 1 July, Degenkolb finished second behind

Pascal Ackermann Pascal Ackermann (born 17 January 1994) is a German cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Born in Kandel, Ackermann joined the team in 2013, and spent four seasons with the team. In August 2016 announced that Ackermann would ...

. At the Tour de France, Degenkolb had a strong opening few days, including finishing third on stage 8 to

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

. The following day, stage 9 included several cobbled sections on the road to

Roubaix Roubaix ( or ; nl, Robaais; vls, Roboais) is a city in northern France, located in the Lille metropolitan area on the Belgian border. It is a historically mono-industrial commune in the Nord department, which grew rapidly in the 19th century ...

, site of Degenkolb's 2015 Paris–Roubaix victory. from the finish, he followed an attack by

Yves Lampaert Yves Lampaert (born 10 April 1991) is a Belgian road racing cyclist, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Lampaert practiced judo from the age of six, earned a black belt, but at the age of 17 started training in cycling. He rode at the 2014 ...

and

over the Camphin-en-Pévèle cobbled sector. The trio stayed clear until the end of the stage and Degenkolb outsprinted yellow-jersey wearer Van Avermaet to take his first Tour de France stage win, and his first UCI World Tour success after his accident in early 2016. A visibly emotional Degenkolb dedicated the victory to a late family friend, who he described as his "second father" and who had died the previous winter. Later in the season, Degenkolb secured second-place finishes at both the

Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen (Championship of Flanders) or Koolskamp Koerse is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in September in Koolskamp (part-municipality of Ardooie), West Flanders, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a ...

and the

Münsterland Giro The Münsterland Giro is a cycling race annually held in Münsterland, Germany. It was first held in 2006 as a 1.2 race of the UCI Europe Tour, becoming a 1.1 race in 2007 and a 1.HC race in 2015. The race became part of the new UCI ProSeries ...

. On 20 October, he won the criterium race of the

Japan Cup The is one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan. It is contested on the last Sunday of November, post time of 15:40 at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters (about miles) run under weight for age conditions with ...

, beating out

Cameron Scott Cameron Scott (born 7 October 1999) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a er for Hull F.C. in the Super League. Scott has spent time on loan from Hull at Doncaster in Betfred League 1, and the Dewsbury Rams, York City K ...

in a sprint finish.

2019

Degenkolb took his first victory of 2019 on 17 February, winning stage 4 of the

Tour de la Provence The Tour de la Provence is an early-season Road bicycle racing#Stage races, bicycle stage race in the Provence region of France. It is organized by southern French newspaper La Provence, which serves as the race's title sponsor for its first three ...

. He placed second at

on 31 March, behind

. Degenkolb was left out of his team's squad for the

, but performed well enough at the

Tour de Pologne The Tour de Pologne (Polish: ''Wyścig Dookoła Polski'', English: ''Tour of Poland'', official abbreviation TdP,) is an annual, professional men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in Poland. It consists of seven or eight stages ...

to earn a place at the

Lotto–Soudal (2020–21)

On 22 August 2019, announced that they had signed Degenkolb on a two-year contract, beginning in 2020. Degenkolb was named in the startlist for the

2020 Tour de France The 2020 Tour de France was the 107th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours. Originally scheduled to start on 27 June 2020, it was postponed until 29 August 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in F ...

; he finished outside the time limit on the opening stage – failing to reach

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

for the first time – after crashing heavily on a wet descent. On 17 September 2020, he won stage 3 of the

Tour de Luxembourg The Tour de Luxembourg is an annual stage race in professional road bicycle racing held in Luxembourg. The Tour de Luxembourg is classified as a 2.Pro race, the highest rating below the World Tour, by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the ...

Team DSM

In August 2021, Degenkolb signed a three-year contract with , from the 2022 season.

Private life and family

Degenkolb is married and has two children with his wife Laura. The family lives in

Oberursel Oberursel (Taunus) () is a town in Germany and part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area. It is located to the north west of Frankfurt, in the Hochtaunuskreis county. It is the 13th largest town in Hesse. In 2011, the town hosted the 51st Hes ...

, a small city close to

. Degenkolb is a trained policeman. John Degenkolb - plaque secteur pavé (2)

In October 2018, he became the first official ambassador for "Les Amis de Paris–Roubaix", a volunteer group which acts to preserve the course and nature of the

classic race, which Degenkolb won in 2015. In early 2019, Degenkolb launched a

fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

campaign to save the existence of the

Paris–Roubaix Juniors Paris–Roubaix Juniors (or Le Pavé de Roubaix) is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in April in northern France for junior cyclists (aged 17 and 18) ahead of the senior Paris–Roubaix classic race. It is organised by the Vélo-Club d ...

race, the edition of Paris–Roubaix for riders under 19 years of age. In less than 24 hours, €11,500 were collected, ensuring the continuation of the event. For this effort, the organisers of Paris–Roubaix decided to honour Degenkolb the following year. The pavé sector at d'Hornaing à Wandignies-Hamage, the longest cobbled sector of the race, carried his name from 2020 onwards, and he became the first non-French rider to have a sector named in his honour.

Career achievements

Major results

;2006 : 1st Stage 2b ( ITT)

Giro della Lunigiana Giro della Lunigiana is a four-day road bicycle race for junior men (age 17 and 18) in the historical territory Lunigiana (currently the provinces of La Spezia and Massa Carrara), Italy. The race, class 2.1 MJ on the UCI calendar, counts as a big ...

: 3rd

Time trial In many racing sports, an athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. The format of a time trial can vary, but usually follow a format where each athlete or team sets off at ...

, National Junior Road Championships ;2007 : 1st MaillotAlemania

, National Junior Road Championships :

UCI Juniors World Championships The UCI Juniors World Championships were a set of UCI World Championships events for junior bicycle cyclists in 2005 to 2009. In 2010 it was divided into: *The Junior men's road race at the UCI Road World Championships *The UCI Juniors Track Worl ...

::2nd

::5th Road race : 4th Overall Trofeo Karlsberg ::1st Stage 2 ;2008 : 1st Stage 2

: 2nd Overall

Tour du Haut-Anjou The Tour du Haut-Anjou was a road bicycle race held annually in France. It was organized as a 2.2U event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of ...

: 2nd ZLM Tour : 3rd Bronze medal blank

Road race, UCI Under-23 Road World Championships ;2009 : National Under-23 Road Championships ::2nd Road race ::2nd

: 3rd ZLM Tour : 3rd

Ronde van Vlaanderen U23 Ronde Van Vlaanderen Beloften ( en, Tour of Flanders U23) is a Flanders Classics road bicycle race. It is the version of the Tour of Flanders for under-23 riders and is usually contested a week after the Ronde van Vlaanderen. Ludovic Capelle L ...

: 6th Overall

Le Triptyque des Monts et Châteaux Le Triptyque des Monts et Châteaux is a Belgian cycling road race. It was first held in 1996. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 2.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing compe ...

: 8th Overall

;2010 : 1st MaillotAlemania

Road race, National Under-23 Road Championships : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

::1st Stage 3 : Tour de Bretagne ::1st Stages 4 & 5 :

Tour de l'Avenir Tour de l'Avenir ( en, Tour of the Future) is a French road bicycle racing stage race, which started in 1961 as a race similar to the Tour de France and over much of the same course but for amateurs and for semi-professionals known as independents ...

::1st Stages 1 & 5 : 1st Stage 3

Tour Alsace The Tour Alsace (or Tour d'Alsace) is a 6-day road bicycle race held annually in Alsace, France. It was first held in 2004 and it is a 2.2 rated event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing Roa ...

: 2nd

Road race, UCI Under-23 Road World Championships : 2nd

La Côte Picarde La Côte Picarde was a professional cycling race held between 1986 and 2015 in Picardy, France. It was held as part of the UCI Europe Tour from 2005 onwards, in category 1.ncup, meaning it was part of the UCI Under 23 Nations' Cup The UCI Under ...

: 4th Overall

: 6th

Ronde van Vlaanderen Beloften Ronde Van Vlaanderen Beloften ( en, Tour of Flanders U23) is a Flanders Classics road bicycle race. It is the version of the Tour of Flanders for under-23 riders and is usually contested a week after the Ronde van Vlaanderen. Ludovic Capelle is t ...

: 9th Overall

FBD Insurance Rás FBD may refer to: Science and technology * Flange back distance * Free body diagram * Fully Buffered DIMM * Function block diagram, a graphical language for programmable logic controller design * Functional block diagram, a block diagram in sys ...

::1st Stages 6 & 8 ;2011 : 1st Eschborn–Frankfurt – Rund um den Finanzplatz :

::1st Stages 2 & 4 : 1st Stage 2

: 1st Stage 1

Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen Dwars door West-Vlaanderen is a road bicycle race through the Belgian province of West Flanders. History The race was originally created unter the name Omloop der Vlaamse Ardennen (''English'': Tour of the Flemish Ardennes) in 1945 as a one-day ...

: 1st Stage 2 Bayern–Rundfahrt : 2nd

Trofeo Cala Millor The Challenge Vuelta Ciclista a Mallorca ( en, Tour of Majorca, ca, Challenge Volta Ciclista a Mallorca) is a series of four (five until 2012) professional one day road bicycle races held on the Spanish island of Mallorca in late January or ear ...

: 2nd

: 3rd Road race, National Road Championships : 4th

: 10th Trofeo Magaluf–Palmanova ;2012 : 1st Overall

UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to expand cycling around the world. The five circuits (representing the continents of Africa, the ...

: 1st

Overall

::1st

Points classification ::1st Stages 1 & 3 : 1st

::1st Stages 2, 5, 7, 10 & 21 : 1st Stage 7

: 3rd Overall

Four Days of Dunkirk The Four Days of Dunkirk (french: Quatre Jours de Dunkerque) is road bicycle race around the Nord-Pas de Calais region of northern France. Despite the name of the race, since the addition of an individual time trial in 1963, the race has been h ...

::1st

Points classification ::1st Jersey white

Young rider classification ::1st Stages 1 & 2 : 3rd Binche–Tournai–Binche : 3rd

: 4th Road race,

: 4th

: 5th

: 6th

: 7th Eschborn–Frankfurt – Rund um den Finanzplatz ;2013 : 1st

: 1st

: 1st Stage 5 Giro d'Italia : 2nd Overall

Tour de l'Eurométropole Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...

::1st Stages 2 & 4 : 2nd Brussels Cycling Classic : 2nd

: 3rd Road race, National Road Championships : 4th Eschborn–Frankfurt – Rund um den Finanzplatz : 9th

: 10th GP Ouest–France ;2014 : 1st

: 1st

::1st

Points classification The points classification is a secondary award category in road bicycle racing. Points are given for high finishes and, in some cases, for winning sprints at certain places along the route, most often called ''intermediate sprints''. The points cl ...

::1st Stages 4, 5, 12 & 17 :

::1st

Points classification ::1st Stages 1, 2 & 3 :

::1st

Points classification ::1st Stage 3 : 2nd Road race, National Road Championships : 2nd

: 2nd Eschborn–Frankfurt – Rund um den Finanzplatz : 2nd

: 2nd

Binche–Chimay–Binche Binche–Chimay–Binche (also known as Memorial Frank Vandenbroucke) is a single-day road bicycle race held annually between Binche and Chimay, in Wallonia, Belgium. The race is rated as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race was origin ...

: 3rd Overall

Étoile de Bessèges The Étoile de Bessèges () is an early-season five-day road bicycle racing stage race held annually around Bessèges, in the Gard department of the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France. First organized in 1971 as a one-day race, it became a ...

::1st

Points classification : 4th

Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise Grand Prix Cycliste La Marseillaise, formerly known as the Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise, is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in February around the city of Marseille, France. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event ...

: 9th Road race,

;2015 : 1st

: 1st

Gouden Pijl Gouden Pijl ( en, Golden Arrow), is an elite men's and women's professional road bicycle racing criterium held annually in Emmen, Netherlands, Emmen, the Netherlands. The first edition was in 1976 and since 2003 the event also includes a women's ra ...

: 1st Stage 21

: Bayern–Rundfahrt ::1st Jersey blue

Points classification ::1st Stages 2 & 5 : 2nd Overall

::1st Stage 3 : 2nd

Sparkassen Giro Bochum The Sparkassen Giro Bochum is a road bicycle race which is annually held for both men's and women's around an urban circuit in the German city of Bochum, Germany. Since 2005 the men's race is part of the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Cir ...

: 7th

;2016 : 1st

: Arctic Race of Norway ::1st Jersey green

Points classification ::1st Stage 4 : 2nd

: 5th

Bretagne Classic The Bretagne Classic, also called Bretagne Classic Ouest–France, is an elite cycling classic held annually in late summer around the Breton village of Plouay in western France. The race was originally named Grand–Prix de Plouay and, from 198 ...

;2017 : 2nd

Grand Prix of Aargau Canton Grand Prix of Aargau Canton (german: Grosser Preis des Kantons Aargau) is a semi classic European bicycle race held in Aargau canton, one of the more northerly cantons of Switzerland. The race consists of fifteen laps around the Swiss town o ...

: 3rd Overall

::1st Stage 3 : 3rd Road race, National Road Championships : 3rd Eschborn–Frankfurt – Rund um den Finanzplatz : 5th

: 7th

: 10th

Grand Prix de Fourmies The Grand Prix de Fourmies is a bicycle race held in the Fourmies commune of France. Since 2005 it has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which we ...

;2018 : 1st Trofeo Campos, Porreres, Felanitx, Ses Salines : 1st Trofeo Palma : 1st Stage 9

: 2nd Road race, National Road Championships : 2nd

: 2nd

: 4th

;2019 : 1st Stage 4

: 2nd

Eschborn–Frankfurt Eschborn–Frankfurt, previously Rund um den Henninger Turm Frankfurt, is an annual semi classic cycling race in Germany, starting in Eschborn and finishing in Frankfurt. The event, sometimes referred to as the Frankfurt Grand Prix, is held annua ...

: 2nd

: 8th Trofeo Palma ;2020 : 1st Stage 3

: 4th

Three Days of Bruges–De Panne 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...

: 6th

: 9th

: 10th Overall

BinckBank Tour The Benelux Tour (previously known as the Eneco Tour and the BinckBank Tour) is a road bicycle racing stage-race that is part of the UCI World Tour. The race was established in 2005 and was originally known as the Eneco Tour, named after the ori ...

;2021 : 2nd

: 3rd Ronde van Limburg : 6th Tro-Bro Léon : 6th

: 7th

Le Samyn Le Samyn is an annual single-day road bicycle race in Belgium, held usually in late February or early March. The event was created in 1968 as ''Grand Prix de Fayt-le-Franc'', named after the former municipality where it started and finished. In 1 ...

;2022 : 4th

Omloop van het Houtland Omloop van het Houtland ("Circuit of Houtland") is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in Lichtervelde in the region of West Flanders, Belgium. Since 2007, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. In 2002 it was held ...

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Classics results timeline

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Degenkolb, John 1989 births Living people Sportspeople from Gera People from Bezirk Gera German male cyclists Cyclists from Thuringia Cyclists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic cyclists of Germany German Tour de France stage winners German Vuelta a España stage winners German Giro d'Italia stage winners 2014 Vuelta a España stage winners 21st-century German people