A one-organisation man, Märkl joined the Sunweb development squad in 2018 and has grown into one of the most dependable engines in the Dutch team's sprint train. The tall German from Queidersbach does his work in the wind, kilometres before the cameras find the finish line, delivering Bittner to the 200-metre mark.
Palmarès
- Youngster Coast Challenge winner (2019)
- Istrian Spring Trophy prologue winner (2019)
- Ninth season in the Sunweb/DSM/Picnic PostNL organisation (2018–2026)
Cut-out factCycling is the family business: his grandfather, father and older brother all raced, and Niklas has been riding seriously since the age of six.
The squad
Riding the 2026 Tour with Warren Barguil, Frits Biesterbos, Pavel Bittner, John Degenkolb, Robbe Dhondt, Julius van den Berg, Frank van den Broek — see the full Picnic PostNL team page.
Portrait: AI paper-collage render (gpt-image-2) after a reference photograph — source: Wikimedia Commons, author: Chris Auld, license: CC BY-SA 4.0.
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