KATOWICE – It was 2014 and a little-known twenty-four-year-old, Michael Kwiatkowski, he won the world championship. That edition took place in Ponferrada, Spain. The Spanish lineup was still the formidable one of Valverde, Purito, Luis Leon Sanchez... Suffice it to say that they left out, not without some controversy, a certain Contador. It was said that the course wasn't tough enough for him.
In those years, when Belgium was not so strong and Holland did not have Van der Poel, there was still the game of "flammero" between Italy and Spain precisely: You shoot! No, it's your turn! And in this little game of roles, that little-known boy pulled off an unparalleled feat.
Kwiatkowski attacked with six kilometers to go. He didn't seem particularly strong, but he was pushing a very long gear. At the time, he looked like a modern-day rider. Result: they saw him again at the finish line.
Well, the World Championship that will start in a few hours is very reminiscent of that edition, at least in terms of the approach for “Kwiato”. Even though that track was tougher.
Hold on tight
Kwiatkowski has arrived at the Tour of Poland with the formidable leg of the Tour de France. Until halfway through the race the engine was still set “for the revs” of the Grande Boucle.
Then there was a slow but inexorable change of direction: the down phase., as his staff described it. Michael's condition isn't perfect, and he's started to slip a bit. This was evident in the fifth stage, won by Van den Berg. It's true that the Dutchman is a sprinter, but he was clearly the more brilliant.
But this does not and cannot clip the wings of those who are used to fighting. To earn every result with extreme effortIt was like that in that 2014 World Championships, it was like that in the last Tour de France when he won on the Grand Colombier… And all in all he didn't do badly in the Katowice time trial either.
«This Tour of Poland meant a lot to me – the Pole said several times – I gave it my all. After the Tour, I didn't run, obviously, given what awaited me. I paid attention to rest and diet. Above all, I tried to get plenty of sleep."
Under escort
The World Cup is a goal. But this time the rider of the Ineos Grenadiers he will run alone. Poland has dropped in the national rankings, being thirty-first, and therefore can only field one athlete.
"Kwiato," Cioni explains, "is motivated for the World Championship. Of course he's thinking about it. In the end, after the Tour and after this race, it comes quite naturally to him to continue straight there. He's going to Scotland to do well. It's certainly not easy."
"I'm easy going," Kwiato told us the morning before the Katowice time trial. "I'm easy going for both the time trial and the World Championships. Of course, it'll be a bit tough to get there. Time is tight. Poland, between one thing and another, finishes at 7:30 pm, and I have a plane to Scotland at 9 pm."
Think that Kwiato, after speaking with Lang, the patron of the Tour de Pologne, obtained a police escort to reach the airport in time.
«I think I have everything under control. Honestly, I don't see any big problems with this very short time interval between Poland and the World Cup. It's a matter of mental and physical attitude, you just have to plan everything».
In Glasgow alone
Kwiatkowski is very good at riding on wheels. He knows how to handle himself well in the race. By the way, the crash in the final stage doesn't seem to have left any traces. His staff, but also other riders, tell us that Michal is a senator of the group. Being alone in the team doesn't seem like a problem for him then.
"I don't think too much, I don't stress myself out. I just focus on what I do best. So I sleep, I think about recovery, my diet... I will experience this Saturday a bit like the rest day of a great Giro."
«There will be no great tactics. True, I will run alone, but maybe this will allow me to focus better on myself. I'll give it my all... as always. I think that with a bit of luck and the ability to be in the right place at the right time, we can have a good race."
