| Michał Kwiatkowski | |
| Fullname: | Michał Kwiatkowski |
| Nickname: | Kwiato, Kwiatek[1] |
| Birth Date: | 1990 6, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Chełmża, Poland |
| Weight: | 680NaN0 |
| Discipline: | Road |
| Role: | Rider |
| Ridertype: | All-rounder Climber Puncheur Classics specialist Time trialist |
| Amateuryears1: | 2009 |
| Amateurteam1: | MG Kvis–Norda Pacific |
| Proyears1: | 2010 |
| Proyears2: | 2011 |
| Proyears3: | 2012–2015 |
| Proteam3: | [2] [3] |
| Proyears4: | 2016– |
| Proteam4: | [4] [5] |
| Majorwins: | Grand Tours
2 individual stages (2020, 2023) 1 TTT stage (2016)Stage races Volta ao Algarve (2014, 2018)One-day races and Classics World Road Race Championships (2014) National Time Trial Championships |
Michał Kwiatkowski (born 2 June 1990) is a Polish professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam .[6]
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.
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.
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.
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.[7] Even though he lost the white jersey, he still managed to finish 11th in his Tour debut.[8]
In 2014, Kwiatkowski won the Italian Classic Strade Bianche. He followed a strong attack from Peter Sagan with 20km (10miles) to go and the pair cooperated well until Kwiatkowski dropped Sagan on the final climb to Siena.[9] 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.[10] Overall he placed second in the general classification and first in the points classification.[11]
Later that same month he became the first Polish cyclist to win the UCI Road Race World Championships. Kwiatkowski made a solo attack about 7km (04miles) 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.[12] After the race, Kwiatkowski posted his winning ride on Strava, which helped determine his statistics for the event. He climbed 5106m (16,752feet) and burned 6338kcal during the course of 6:29:45,[13] producing an average power of 240 watts with an average heartbeat of 148 beats per minute.[14] He rode his first race in the rainbow jersey at Il Lombardia and finished 77th.[15]
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.[16] 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.[17]
He abandoned the 2015 Tour de France during Stage 17.[18]
On 27 September 2015, announced the signing of Kwiatkowski for the 2016 season.[19]
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 30km (20miles) remaining.[20] He was named in the startlist for the Vuelta a España,[21] 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.[22] 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.[23]
On 4 March 2017, Kwiatkowski won the Strade Bianche after attacking from a group of four race favourites with around 15km (09miles) 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.[24] 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.[25] 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.[26]
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 .[27]
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.[28] In March, Kwiatkowski again took a leader's jersey from Thomas on the fourth stage at Tirreno–Adriatico. Thomas suffered a mechanical issue 1.5km (00.9miles) 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.[29] Kwiatkowski held on to win the race overall.[30] 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.[31] 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.[32]
He rode in the 2023 Tour de France, where he won stage 13.[33]
| Grand Tour general classification results | ||||||||||||||
| Grand Tour | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giro d'Italia | 136 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Tour de France | — | 11 | 28 | DNF | — | 57 | 49 | 83 | 30 | 68 | — | 49 | 54 | |
| Vuelta a España | — | — | — | — | DNF | — | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Major stage race general classification results | ||||||||||||||
| Stage races | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Paris–Nice | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Tirreno–Adriatico | — | 4 | 18 | — | 8 | 27 | — | — | 51 | — | 90 | 98 | ||
| Volta a Catalunya | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NH | — | DNF | — | — | |
| Tour of the Basque Country | — | — | 2 | 8 | — | 30 | DNF | DNF | — | — | — | DNF | ||
| Tour de Romandie | DNF | — | DNF | — | DNF | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Critérium du Dauphiné | — | DNF | DNF | — | DNF | 43 | 49 | 29 | DNF | 68 | DNF | — | 32 | |
| Tour de Suisse | — | — | — | 71 | — | — | — | — | NH | — | — | 29 | — |
| Monument | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milan–San Remo | — | — | DNF | DNF | 67 | 40 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 139 | 54 | |
| Tour of Flanders | DNF | — | 40 | — | — | 27 | — | 28 | — | 54 | — | — | — | — | |
| Paris–Roubaix | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NH | 70 | 77 | — | — | |
| Liège–Bastogne–Liège | — | DNF | 92 | 3 | 21 | 36 | 3 | 29 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 100 | DNF | DNF | |
| Giro di Lombardia | DNF | — | DNF | 77 | 54 | — | DNF | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Classic | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Strade Bianche | — | — | — | 1 | — | 20 | 1 | 30 | — | 12 | DNF | — | 18 | DNF | |
| Dwars door Vlaanderen | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | NH | — | — | — | — | |
| E3 Harelbeke | — | 41 | 82 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | DNF | — | ||
| Gent–Wevelgem | 75 | — | DNF | — | — | — | — | — | — | DNF | — | — | DNF | — | |
| Brabantse Pijl | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | DNF | — | |
| Amstel Gold Race | — | DNF | 4 | 5 | 1 | DNF | 2 | 31 | 11 | NH | 8 | 1 | 72 | 35 | |
| La Flèche Wallonne | — | DNF | 5 | 3 | 33 | — | 7 | 57 | 16 | 6 | 23 | 92 | 115 | DNF | |
| Clásica de San Sebastián | — | — | DNF | — | — | 107 | 1 | — | — | NH | — | — | — |
| Event | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | Road race | NH | 60 | Not held | 62 | Not held | 11 | Not held | |||||||
| Time trial | — | 14 | — | ||||||||||||
| World Championships | Road race | 31 | — | DNF | 1 | 8 | — | 11 | DNF | — | 4 | 36 | — | DNF | |
| Time trial | 48 | — | 24 | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| National Championships | Road race | — | 16 | 1 | 21 | 57 | 25 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 10 | |
| Time trial | 21 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | 1 |