John Degenkolb says he can combine with Alberto Contador at 2017 Tour de France
By Matt Westby
Last Updated: 25/10/16 6:28pm
John Degenkolb is confident there is room for both himself and Alberto Contador in Trek-Segafredo’s team at next summer’s Tour de France.
Both riders will join the American squad this winter and are targeting July's Tour, Contador for overall victory and Degenkolb because the race starts in his home nation of Germany.
Contador said last week that he expects Trek to "focus everything on the overall", but Degenkolb, who is a sprinter and one-day Classics specialist, believes his own ambitions can also be accommodated.
Speaking at the Abu Dhabi Tour, where he was racing last week, he told Sky Sports: "There won't be a problem to combine us both and go together to the Tour. Especially next year, the Tour starts in Germany, so I definitely want to be there.
"The Classics are the most important for me, but after the Classics I will look to the Tour and we will find a way to go together and race like a good team there.
"For me, winning Classics is the biggest joy, but of course, in the Tour, when you see how important it is, you want to be successful."
Degenkolb will join Trek after five fruitful years with Giant-Alpecin in which he won Paris-Roubaix, Milan-San Remo, Gent-Wevelgem and 10 stages of the Vuelta a Espana.
However, the 27-year-old believes he can still improve and be even more successful in the coming seasons.
He added: "I'm very excited about the new team, the new team-mates, the new bike. If you change the team and everything is new, you really can feel the excitement.
"The environment is completely different. It's kind of sad to leave a lot of friends behind me in the team, but on the other hand, I believe that the range of my potential is bigger in Trek and I can be a better rider there.
"I wanted to have more support in the Classics, but I didn't really get the support that I was asking for at Giant anymore, and that also made me make a decision."
