Cycling-Kittel swaps Belgium's Quick Step for Katusha Alpecin

The 29-year-old, who joins world time-trial champion Tony Martin at Katusha, said he was looking forward to the new challenge.

"For me, this moment is exciting," Kittel told the team's website. (teamkatushaalpecin.com) "With this step, I also hope to get new inspiration. I find all the requirements in the team that I need to be strong in the sprint finals."

Kittel, who won five stages at the Tour de France this year and wore the points leader's green jersey for 12 days before a crash forced him to abandon the race, will be replaced by Team Sky's Elia Viviani at Quick Step-Floors.

The Italian will join his new team in January and will be hoping his departure from Sky, who are more focused on Grand Tours and one-day races, can lead to more success at a sprint-oriented outfit. (Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru)