Andre Greipel has put his difficult year at Arkea Samsic behind him and said he remains as passionate about the sport as ever after prematurely breaking his contract to move to the Israeli startup nation for 2020.

The German sprinter will return to the World Tour next season after his Arkea experiment ended with a single win during the 2019 season. Greipel left the team in October in the middle of a two-year contract and said he is excited about the fresh start.

"Exactly, I'm always excited [at the beginning of the year]," he told Cycling News at the Israel Startup Nation team presentation. 'That's why I'm wearing the jersey. That's why I'm wearing the jersey. I'm really happy to be part of this project."

The project is a new incarnation of the Israeli team Israel Cycling Academy, founded in 2015.

Greipel was one of 17 new faces who attended the team training camp in Tel Aviv, Israel, and said he felt immediately comfortable joining the team, a sentiment widely shared by his new teammates.

"From the first moment I felt really comfortable because there are so many familiar faces on the team. Yes, I feel at home."

"I didn't have to talk about the offer, but as soon as I could speak the same language as Kjell [Carlström, team manager], it was easy to decide [to join]. Being on the same team as Nils [Pollitt] and Rick [Zabel] was also a good start.

"Cycling is hard enough as it is, but if you can ride with a lot of familiar faces, it helps. My main goal was to enjoy the race. That's the most important thing."

The 37-year-old lives in the same town as Pollitt, near Cologne, Germany; the two are training partners and their close relationship should make next season's cobbled classics interesting.

Pollitt is 12 years younger than Greipel and finished fifth and second in last season's Tour de Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, respectively. Meanwhile, Greipel has also had a number of impressive performances on the cobbles over the past few years, including a top 10 finish in Roubaix in 2017.

"When I don't need to make big power on the road, my role is to take care of him and let him brake a bit," Greipel laughs.

"He needs to learn a few things, but on the other hand, his riding style helps me in the classics. Certainly, I will be by Nils' side a lot, supporting him as much as I can throughout the year. We'll see what happens."

Greipel's own ambitions are still high despite his off year at Alcare.

With 22 Grand Tour stages to his credit, including 11 at the Tour de France, Greipel could be among the top speedmen again next year. He did not discuss calendar details.

"Nothing has changed [in terms of ambition]," Greipel said.

"I have confidence in my management. There are a lot of other fast players out there, so it doesn't have to be me, it can be other players. It's really important for the team to work together like that."

"I start in January and everything else is open. I asked the team to do that. That way I can easily decide when the season starts and see how it goes."