Michał Kwiatkowski

Michał Kwiatkowski ( , born 2 June 1990) is a Polish professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam .

Kwiatkowski is seen as a strong all rounder, with good sprinting, time-trialling and climbing abilities allowing him to win both stage races and one day classics. His talent was shown early in his career, winning the World Junior Time Trial Championships in 2008. In 2014, Kwiatkowski became the world elite road race champion, and he was also a member of the team that won the 2013 World Team Time Trial Championships. In 2017 he won his first 'Monument', Milan–San Remo, while in 2018, he won Tirreno–Adriatico and the Tour de Pologne. He is a two-time winner of two of the most prestigious non-Monument classics, the Amstel Gold Race and the Strade Bianche.

Career

Early career

Kwiatkowski is a double European junior champion, winning the road race in 2007 and the individual time trial in 2008. In 2009 he became national road champion in the under-23 category, and he also won a stage of the Okolo Slovenska. He turned professional in 2010 with and in 2011 joined , and placed third overall in the Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen, the Three Days of De Panne and the Tour du Poitou-Charentes.

Omega Pharma–Quick Step (2012–2015)

2012

Kwiatkowski moved to for the 2012 season. He impressed in his first year with the team, winning the prologue of the Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen. He also finished second overall in his home race, the Tour de Pologne, and eighth overall in the Eneco Tour.

2013

Kwiatkowski began the 2013 season in excellent form, placing second overall in the Volta ao Algarve. He then finished fourth overall in Tirreno–Adriatico, and won the young rider classification, after proving one of the strongest climbers in the race. He finished fourth at the summit finish of Prati di Tivo to take the overall race lead from team-mate Mark Cavendish, before surrendering it the next day. Kwiatkowski then rode a strong classics campaign, placing fourth in the Amstel Gold Race and fifth in La Flèche Wallonne. In June, he won the senior National Road Race Championships for the first time.

Kwiatkowski's excellent form saw him selected to ride the Tour de France. He wore the white jersey – of young rider classification leader – in the first week after coming third on Stage 2 and fourth on Stage 3, both reduced bunch sprints. On Stage 7 he came in fourth again. On Stage 9 (a high mountain stage) he reached the podium once again. With a strong time trial, he was able to regain the white jersey of the young rider classification on Stage 11, but lost the lead shortly after to Nairo Quintana. Even though he lost the white jersey, he still managed to finish 11th in his Tour debut.

2014

In 2014, Kwiatkowski won the Italian Classic Strade Bianche. He followed a strong attack from Peter Sagan with to go and the pair cooperated well until Kwiatkowski dropped Sagan on the final climb to Siena. He placed on the third step of the podium in Liège–Bastogne–Liège as well as in La Flèche Wallonne and fifth in the Amstel Gold Race.

In September, he grabbed the leader's jersey of the Tour of Britain by winning the fourth stage in a select group sprint of 6 riders. Overall he placed second in the general classification and first in the points classification.

Later that same month he became the first Polish cyclist to win the UCI Road Race World Championships. Kwiatkowski made a solo attack about from the finish line on a downhill section. Despite a late chase, he was able to hold the lead and coast across the finish line, winning the rainbow jersey. After the race, Kwiatkowski posted his winning ride on Strava, which helped determine his statistics for the event. He climbed and burned during the course of 6:29:45, producing an average power of 240 watts with an average heartbeat of 148 beats per minute. He rode his first race in the rainbow jersey at Il Lombardia and finished 77th.

2015

Being reigning world champion, Kwiatkowski tended to start the 2015 year with a less aggressive approach than 2014 for the bigger race later on in the year. He used the Volta ao Algarve and Paris–Nice as warm up races to prepare for the classics campaign, finishing second overall in both events. In April, Kwiatkowski earned a prestigious victory at the Amstel Gold Race. After the last climb of the Cauberg, he had to work to join a small group led by Philippe Gilbert. Before the finish line, a regrouping of about fifteen riders formed and Kwiatkowski outsprinted them to add the Dutch classic to his palmarès.

He abandoned the 2015 Tour de France during Stage 17.

Team Sky (2016–present)

2016

On 27 September 2015, announced the signing of Kwiatkowski for the 2016 season.

On 25 March 2016, Kwiatkowski won his first cobbled classic, E3 Harelbeke, by outsprinting Peter Sagan after the pair broke away from an elite group with remaining. He was named in the startlist for the Vuelta a España, After Team Sky won the opening time trial, Kwiatkowski took the race leader's red jersey after finishing fourth on stage 2. However, he lost the race lead to the 's Rubén Fernández the following day, and abandoned on stage 7 with a back injury. This marked a culmination of a difficult season for Kwiatkowski, after illnesses earlier in the year had wrecked his Ardennes classics campaign and led to him missing out on selection for the Tour de France.

2017

On 4 March 2017, Kwiatkowski won the Strade Bianche after attacking from a group of four race favourites with around remaining and he was able to solo away to the race victory in Siena. By doing so, he became the second rider, after Fabian Cancellara, to win multiple editions of the race. Later that month, Kwiatkowski won Milan–San Remo in a three-up sprint finish ahead of world champion Peter Sagan () and rider Julian Alaphilippe after the trio broke clear on the race's final climb – the Poggio di San Remo. This was his first victory on one of the Monuments. On 16 April, Kwiatkowski took second place in the Amstel Gold Race after being defeated by Philippe Gilbert () in a two-up sprint finish.

He was selected for Sky's Tour de France squad thanks to his recent successes, fulfilling his goal since joining the team of getting to ride the Tour with team leader Chris Froome. He finished 8th on the opening stage in Düsseldorf as well as 2nd in the final time trial in Marseille. However, it was his selfless efforts in support of Froome that gained him much praise from fans and media as a "super-domestique", especially shown on stage 14 to Rodez where he set up his team leader perfectly for the final run-in and on stage 15 to Le Puy-en-Velay, surrendering his back wheel to Froome when he had a mechanical on the ascent of the Col de Peyra Talliade. On 29 July he won Clásica de San Sebastián, outsprinting Tony Gallopin, Bauke Mollema, Tom Dumoulin and teammate Mikel Landa in a five-man sprint finish. Over a week later, he signed a 3-year contract extension with .

2018

At the Volta ao Algarve in February 2018, Kwiatkowski, whilst sitting second overall behind teammate Geraint Thomas, was part of a 31-man breakaway which went clear in the opening kilometres of the final stage. Kwiatkowski held on to win the stage on the Malhão to take overall victory by 1 minute 31 seconds over Thomas. In March, Kwiatkowski again took a leader's jersey from Thomas on the fourth stage at Tirreno–Adriatico. Thomas suffered a mechanical issue from the summit of the final climb to Sarnano–Sassotetto, that resulted in him losing 34 seconds and the overall leader's blue jersey to Kwiatkowski. Kwiatkowski held on to win the race overall. In July Kwiatkowski again played a supporting role for at the 2018 Tour de France, helping Thomas to win the race overall and Chris Froome to finish third overall. One week after the Tour de France, in early August, Kwiatkowski rode his home race, the Tour de Pologne. He won stage 4, with a steep uphill finish in Szczyrk, and successfully defended his lead in the following stages to win the race overall.

Career achievements

Major results

;2007
: UEC European Junior Road Championships
::1st Road race
::2nd Time trial
: 1st Overall Course de la Paix Juniors
::1st Points classification
::1st Young rider classification
::1st Stage 1
: 10th Overall Giro della Lunigiana
::1st Stage 2
;2008
: 1st Time trial, UCI Junior World Championships
: UEC European Junior Road Championships
::1st Time trial
::9th Road race
: 1st Overall Trofeo Karlsberg
::1st Stage 1
: 1st Overall Course de la Paix Juniors
;2009
: 1st Road race, National Under-23 Road Championships
: 1st Stage 2 Okolo Slovenska
: 4th Memoriał Henryka Łasaka
: 4th Gran Premio della Liberazione
: 7th Giro del Mendrisiotto
: 10th Trofeo Edil C
: 10th Coupe des Carpathes
;2010
: 4th Overall Szlakiem Grodów Piastowskich
: 7th Overall Volta ao Alentejo
: 10th Gran Premio de Llodio
;2011
: 3rd Overall Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen
: 3rd Overall Three Days of De Panne
: 3rd Overall Tour du Poitou-Charentes
: 6th Grand Prix de Wallonie
;2012
: 1st Prologue Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen
: 2nd Time trial, National Road Championships
: 2nd Overall Tour de Pologne
: 8th Overall Eneco Tour
;2013
: 1st Team time trial, UCI Road World Championships
: National Road Championships
::1st Road race
::2nd Time trial
: 2nd Overall Volta ao Algarve
: 4th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
::1st Young rider classification
::1st Stage 1 ( TTT)
: 4th Amstel Gold Race
: 5th La Flèche Wallonne
: 5th Grand Prix de Wallonie
: Tour de France
::Held after Stages 2–7 & 11–14
;2014
: UCI Road World Championships
::1st Road race
::3rd Team time trial
: 1st Time trial, National Road Championships
: 1st Overall Volta ao Algarve
::1st Stages 2 & 3 (ITT)
: 1st Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana
: 1st Strade Bianche
: 1st Prologue Tour de Romandie
: 1st Stage 1 ( TTT) Tirreno–Adriatico
: 2nd Overall Tour of Britain
::1st Points classification
::1st Stage 4
: 2nd Overall Tour of the Basque Country
::1st Points classification
: 3rd La Flèche Wallonne
: 3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
: 5th Amstel Gold Race
: 7th Trofeo Ses Salines
: Tour de France
::Held after Stages 8–9
;2015
: 1st Amstel Gold Race
: UCI Road World Championships
::2nd Team time trial
::8th Road race
: 2nd Overall Paris–Nice
::1st Young rider classification
::1st Prologue
: 2nd Overall Volta ao Algarve
: 4th Dwars door Vlaanderen
: 8th Overall Tour of the Basque Country
: Tour de France
:: Combativity award Stages 2 & 12
;2016
: 1st E3 Harelbeke
: Vuelta a España
::1st Stage 1 ( TTT)
::Held after Stage 2
: 2nd Trofeo Pollenca-Port de Andratx
: 2nd Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana
: 8th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
;2017
: 1st Time trial, National Road Championships
: 1st Milan–San Remo
: 1st Clásica de San Sebastián
: 1st Strade Bianche
: 2nd Overall Volta ao Algarve
: 2nd Amstel Gold Race
: 3rd Team time trial, UCI Road World Championships
: 3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
: 5th Overall Tour of Britain
: 6th UCI World Tour
: 7th La Flèche Wallonne
;2018
: National Road Championships
::1st Road race
::3rd Time trial
: 1st Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
: 1st Overall Tour de Pologne
::1st Points classification
::1st Stages 4 & 5
: 1st Overall Volta ao Algarve
::1st Points classification
::1st Stages 2 & 5
: Critérium du Dauphiné
::1st Prologue & Stage 3 ( TTT)
: 4th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships
: Vuelta a España
::Held after Stages 2–4
::Held after Stages 2–6
::Held after Stages 2–4 & 6
:: Combativity award Stage 14
;2019
: 3rd Overall Paris–Nice
::1st Points classification
: 3rd Milan–San Remo
: 4th Time trial, National Road Championships
: 10th Overall UAE Tour
;2020
: 1st Stage 18 Tour de France
: 4th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
: 4th Gran Trittico Lombardo
: 6th La Flèche Wallonne
: 6th Brabantse Pijl
: 10th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
;2021
: 1st Stage 3 ( TTT) Tour of Britain
: 2nd Overall Étoile de Bessèges
: 3rd Overall Tour de Pologne
: 8th Amstel Gold Race
;2022
: 1st Amstel Gold Race

General classification results timeline

Classics results timeline

Major championships timeline

Awards

* International Flandrien of the Year: 2014
* Gold Cross of Merit (Krzyż Zasługi): 2014

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kwiatkowski, Michal
1990 births
Living people
Cyclists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Cyclists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Cyclists at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Polish Tour de France stage winners
Olympic cyclists of Poland
People from Chełmża
Polish male cyclists
Sportspeople from Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship
UCI Road World Champions (elite men)
21st-century Polish people
20th-century Polish people