John Degenkolb voted German Rider of the Year

John Degenkolb (Argos-Shimano) has been elected German Rider of the Year by the readers of RadSport magazine, according to the German Cycling Federation (BDR). The sprinter, whose Europe Tour winning performance in 2012 was a big part of Argos-Shimano’s successful promotion to the WorldTour, held off a strong challenge from 2011 winner, World time trial champion Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), and fellow sprinter André Greipel (Lotto-Belisol).

Degenkolb took 12 victories in 2012 - actually one less than compatriot and teammate Marcel Kittel - but the result appears to have been swung his way thanks to five stage wins in the Vuelta a España and a convincing performance in the World championships, where he finished fourth.

Although Martin retained his World title in Limburg, Netherlands, in September, he missed out on Olympic gold partially thanks to a fractured wrist sustained in the Tour de France. Greipel took more wins than anybody in 2012, with 19, but, even though he took three stages of the Tour, these would have been less fresh in the voters' memories than those of Degenkolb.

The women’s award went jointly to World and Olympic team sprint champions Kristina Vogel and Miriam Welte. London 2012 appears to have figured highly in the voting for the women’s prize since Judith Arndt (Orica-AIS) who, like Martin, retained her World time trial title but had to settle for silver, took second place. Mountainbiker Sabine Spitz was just unable to defend her Olympic title from Beijing four years ago, took the silver medal in London, which earned her third place.

Male Rider of the Year
1. John Degenkolb (Argos-Shimano) 338pts
2. Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) 317
3. André Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) 289

Female Rider of the Year
1. Kristina Vogel/Miriam Welte 460pts
2. Judith Arndt (Orica-AIS) 423
3. Sabine Spitz 297

Young Rider of the Year
1. Maximilian Schachmann 317pts
2. Jan Brockhoff 284
3. Pascal Ackermann 216