100 Best Road Riders of 2017: #7 Michal Kwiatkowski
Polish pro Michal Kwiatkowski drops in at number seven in our 100 Best Road Riders of 2017 countdown
Michal Kwiatkowski
Nationality: Polish
Date of birth: June 2, 1990
Height: 176cm
Weight: 68kg
Team: Team Ineos
Twitter: @michalkwiatek
2014 world champion Michal Kwiatkowski is one of several Polish riders at the top of the WorldTour, as the nation enjoys a stunning cycling resurgence in recent years.
Along with Rafal Majka, Przemysław Niemiec, Bartosz Huzarski and Marcin Białobłocki, Kwiatkowski is leading a new generation of Polish riders on the world stage. But the Team Ineos rider is the best of the current crop, having performed consistently in a variety of races and taken wins at Milan-San Remo, Strade Bianche, Amstel Gold Race and Volta ao Algarve.
An impressive 11th in his debut Tour de France in 2013, Kwiatkowski went on to better things in 2015 with a more focused programme. Attacking the spring Classics, he won Strade Bianche by riding away from Peter Sagan before placing top five in all three of the Ardennes classics.
>>> Michal Kwiatkowski: my year as world champion
Kwiatkowski made a mockery of the so-called curse of the rainbow jersey in 2015, winning the Paris-Nice prologue en route to the young rider’s jersey, followed by fourth in the Tour of Flanders and victory in the Amstel Gold Race, finishing a respectable eight in the World Championship road race, three seconds behind Peter Sagan.
In 2017, Kwiatkowski enjoyed his biggest win to date, claiming Milan-San Remo ahead of Sagan after winning Strade Bianche for a second time earlier in the season. The Pole went on to regain his Time Trialling national jersey as he smashed the Polish national championships for the first time since 2014.
2018 also was a successful year, with wins at Tirreno-Adriatico, the Tour de Pologne and Volta ao Algarve. He also played an important role in Thomas’ win in the Tour de France.
Whilst 2019 hasn’t seen as dazzling results, there has still been much to celebrate, with the Pole often being seen at the pointy end of the race during the TdF, with teammate Bernal taking the overall victory.
Major results: 2017 Milan-San Remo | 2017 Strade Bianche | 2015 Amstel Gold Race | 2015 Paris-Nice prologue | 2014 UCI road world championship | 2014 Strade Bianche | 2014 Volta ao Algarve
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Michal Kwiatkowski aims to follow Geraint Thomas's path into Grand Tour leadership
After a successful 2017 season, Polish rider Michal Kwiatkowski has hinted at taking on one-week stage races in 2018, with a final goal of Grand Tours.
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Michal Kwiatkowski to ride for Team Sky until at least 2020 after signing new contract
Star Tour de France domestique Michal Kwiatkowski will stay at Team Sky until at least 2020 after signing a new three year contract with the British team.
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Michal Kwiatkowski's stellar season reflected in his rise up the WorldTour ranking
After his San Sebastian victory, Michal Kwiatkowski moves up to second in the latest UCI WorldTour ranking behind Greg Van Avermaet
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Michal Kwiatkowski wins Clásica San Sebastián 2017
Former world champion Michal Kwiatkowski finished off a perfect performance for Team Sky with victory in the Basque Country at the Clásica San Sebastián
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Michal Kwiatkowski: 'Froome thanks me a couple of times a day at the Tour de France'
Former world champion Michal Kwiatkowski has proved to be one of Chris Froome's most invaluable domestiques during the 2017 Tour de France
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Team Sky's Michal Kwiatkowski smashes course to win Polish time trial championship title
Michal Kwiatkowski beat Marcin Bialoblocki by over a minute to claim his second national TT jersey
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Michal Kwiatkowski rues bad positioning in finale of Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Milan-San Remo winner Michal Kwiatkowski placed third in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, saying that he was 'too far back' as winner Valverde attacked
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Michal Kwiatkowski ahead of Liège-Bastogne-Liège: 'This is the race of my dreams'
Milan-San Remo winner Michal Kwiatkowski says he feels in great shape heading into the year's fourth Monument, Liège-Bastogne-Liège
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Philippe Gilbert beats Michal Kwiatkowski to victory at Amstel Gold Race
Philippe Gilbert continues his fine 2017 with a fourth victory in the Dutch Classic Amstel Gold Race
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Michal Kwiatkowski and Sergio Henao headline Team Sky line-up for Tour of the Basque Country
Tao Geoghegan Hart the only Brit among the eight-man line-up for Team Sky at the Tour of the Basque Country
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Team Sky now getting the best out of struggling riders, says Tim Kerrison
Riders who have struggled with injury or adapting to training are finally delivering the goods for Sky, says coach Kerrison
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Polish commentators completely lose it over Michal Kwiatkowski’s Milan-San Remo win (video)
Sports commentators are meant to be an unbiased bunch, but try telling that to these Polish commentators who cheered with joy at Kwiatkowski's San-Remo win.
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Michal Kwiatkowski’s Strava stats show the incredible power it takes to win Milan-San Remo
If you were under any doubt how good Michal Kwiatkowski was at Milan-San Remo, then his Strava stats (including power data) tell the story.
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Team of the week: Michal Kwiatkowski, Peter Sagan, Tom Dumoulin, Coryn Rivera and more
Our pick of the week's riders shaped by strong performances in Milan-San Remo, Tirreno-Adriatico and Trofeo Alfredo Binda
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Michal Kwiatkowski: 'Some riders think Sagan's from another planet but I know he's beatable'
Team Sky's Michal Kwiatkowski draws inspiration from his time in the junior ranks to beat Peter Sagan in a sprint finish in Milan-San Remo 2017.
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Analysis: Peter Sagan provides the thrills despite coming up short at Milan-San Remo
Peter Sagan lit up Milan-San Remo but once again lost out to his personal bogeyman Michal Kwiatkowski
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This is how close Peter Sagan was to beating Michal Kwiatkowski at Milan-San Remo
Peter Sagan came within half a wheel of beating Michael Kwiatkowski in a very narrow photo finish at the 2017 edition of Milan-San Remo.
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Brilliant Michal Kwiatkowski edges out Peter Sagan to win Milan-San Remo 2017
Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky) took a brilliant victory in the 2017 Milan-San Remo, edging out Peter Sagan in a three-up sprint finish.
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This is what it takes to win Strade Bianche: Michal Kwiatkowski's ride on Strava
Michal Kwiatkowski's fine ride at Saturday's Strade Bianche is now on Strava, so you can cast your eye over the numbers needed to win such a race
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Team of the Week: Michal Kwiatkowski, Adam Yates, Elisa Longo Borghini and more
Outstanding performances in Strade Bianche, Paris-Nice and Le Samyn shape this week's pick of the best riders
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Michal Kwiatkowski: 'I needed to perform well...I'm not a machine'
Former world champion Michal Kwiatkowski says he didn't necessarily need to win Strade Bianche on Saturday, but demanded a good performance from himself
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Five talking points from Strade Bianche 2017
Catch your breath and recap on an exciting day of racing at Strade Bianche
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Michal Kwiatkowski takes sensational victory at Strade Bianche 2017
Michal Kwiatkowski recaptured his old form by beating Greg Van Avermaet, Tim Wellens and Zdenek Stybar to the line of Strade Bianche in Siena
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FC Porto score summit finish victory at Volta ao Algarve as Primoz Roglic wins overall
Amaro Antunes netted the victory on stage five of the Portuguese race as Primoz Roglic safely held his advantage in GC
