Michał Kwiatkowski

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 Caja Rural and in 2011 joined Team RadioShack, 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 Omega Pharma–Quick-Step 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 wearing the white jersey of young rider classification leader at the 2013 Tour de France; Kwiatkowski held the classification lead for ten days during the race, and finished third in those standings behind Nairo Quintana and Andrew Talansky.

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]

Kwiatkowski on the podium after winning the 2014 UCI World Road Race Championships

In 2014, Kwiatkowski won the Italian Classic Strade Bianche. He followed a strong attack from Peter Sagan with 20 kilometres (12 miles) 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 7 kilometres (4.3 miles) 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 5,106 metres (16,752 feet) and burned 6,338 kilocalories (26,520 kilojoules) 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]

Kwiatkowski, wearing the rainbow jersey as the incumbent world champion, at the 2015 Tour de France

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, Team Sky 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 30 kilometres (19 miles) 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 Movistar Team'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]

Kwiatkowski winning the 2017 Milan–San Remo by narrowly outsprinting Peter Sagan and Julian Alaphilippe on the Via Roma.

On 4 March 2017, Kwiatkowski won the Strade Bianche after attacking from a group of four race favourites with around 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) 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 (Bora–Hansgrohe) and Quick-Step Floors 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 (Quick-Step Floors) 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 Team Sky.[27]

Kwiatkowski at the 2018 Tour de France.

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 1.5 kilometres (0.93 miles) 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 Team Sky 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]

• International Flandrien of the Year: 2014[33]
• Gold Cross of Merit (Krzyż Zasługi): 2014[34]