Michal Kwiatkowski targets second career Monument glory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2019
The Team Sky all-rounder has a clear vision for the new season
Michal Kwiatkowski at the 2018 Vuelta a España (Sunada)
Michal Kwiatkowski is targeting a second Monument to add to his already glowing palmarès at this year’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
The Polish national champion has been consistently strong in the Ardennes throughout his career and is hoping to improve on his past podium finishes.
As well as a strong Classics showing, Kwiatkowski is also looking ahead to the Tour de France and the Yorkshire 2019 World Championships, where he hopes to compete for a second rainbow jersey.
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The 28-year-old Team Sky all-rounder said: “My main goal for the first part of the season is to be in the best shape possible for the Ardennes.
“Let’s hope I can be up there amongst the best riders to win Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
“There are some races which you chase for a very long time and want to win, like Liège-Bastogne-Liège, which I still want to win one day.
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“It was the same with Milan-San Remo until I won it in 2017 and it was the same situation with the Tour of Poland.”
Kwiatkowski has shown his versatility in recent years, with wins in Milan-San Remo, Strade Bianche and San Sebastian in 2017, followed by general classification wins at Tirreno-Adriatico, the Tour of Poland and Volta ao Algarve last year.
He has also been a powerful asset for Team Sky at the Tour de France, supporting Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas to yellow jersey triumph.
In 2018, he was given his first chance at GC leadership during the Vuelta a España, holding the red jersey for three days before crashes hampered his overall hopes.
Kwiatkowski said: “On reflection, the 2018 season was amazing for me, winning three stage races, which was a big thing for me.
“Winning stage races was not my main goal, but it was great to get such great results and get the first wins for Team Sky.”
The 2014 World Champion will start his 2019 season slightly later at the UAE Tour in February, followed by Paris-Nice and Pais Vasco.
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Kwiatkowski said he would also be keen to race the Tour de Yorkshire in May ahead of the Worlds later this year.
He said: “It’s in my race programme to do the Worlds in Yorkshire, and looking at the World Championship course, which is nearly 300km, I would like to be in the best shape to compete with the best riders in the world.
“I know it’s going to be a difficult race and the weather at that time of year in that part of England can play a big role.
“One of the possibilities would be to race the Tour de Yorkshire to prepare, but coming so soon after the Ardennes – and with me wanting to be fresh for the Tour de France – it depends how the season goes to whether it fits in around my spring programme.”
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.