'Hopefully I can find joy from riding my bike’: Michał Kwiatkowski will skip next race after disappointing Tour de France
The Team Ineos rider admits he has struggled this season


Michał Kwiatkowski will skip his next race after struggling through the 2019 season, which resulted in a disappointing performance at the Tour de France.
The Team Ineos all-rounder, a Monument winner who has been one of the team’s most valuable assets in recent Tours, hasn’t won a race this year.
Kwiatkowski was unrecognisable at this year’s Tour de France, being dropped early on the climbs where he had previously been an engine for Team Ineos deep into mountain stages.
>>> Still not clear when Wout van Aert will race again after Tour de France crash
He will now skip his home race, the Tour of Poland, saying this season “has not been what he dreamed of.”
The 29-year-old said: “I’m not a guy who likes to change his plans but unfortunately this is one of those moments.
“As much as I love the Tour of Poland and cherish from last year, I will not participate in this year’s edition. Straight after finishing the Tour de France I know now that my body has needed to recover for a long time.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
“So far this hasn’t been the season I was dreaming of and this is a good time for reflection and thinking about my preparation.
“Hopefully soon I will be able to find a joy from riding my bike and I’m sure that from there on I will win some big races again.”
Kwiatkowski, who won the 2018 edition of the Tour of Poland, said he thinks the combination of heavy racing last season and the training to improve on his results in 2019 may have contributed to his poor performance this year.
>>> Tom Dumoulin’s departure from Sunweb ‘far from settled’
The former world champion had been consistently stepping up in recent years, winning Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo in 2017 before focusing on stage races in 2018, winning the Volta Ao Algarve, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of Poland.
Kwiatkowski hopes to become a Grand Tour contender, having led Team Sky at last year’s Vuelta a España, but only finishing 43rd overall.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
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.
-
UPDATE: 'We are on, until we are not' - Mid South Gravel thrown into chaos as area wildfires force evacuations
Local authorities and race officials continue to monitor the situation, urging participants and spectators to stay informed and prioritise safety
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
'It was a bit worse than this but the outcome was the same’ - Brutal day out at Paris-Nice leaves Mads Pedersen reminiscing about World Championships win
Former world champion reflects on a hard day of racing on the Côte d'Azur
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Could a TotalEnergies deal be the end of Ineos Grenadiers as we know them?
Reports suggested this week that Ineos could be close to signing a deal with the French petrochemical firm
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'They’re racing with their hearts again' - Robbie McEwen on Ineos Grenadiers' bright start to 2025
The British squad have already won four times in 2025
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers are entertaining so far this year, but how long will it last?
The British WorldTour squad have won four times already in 2025, but more than that, they have been fun. Is this the new dawn?
By Adam Becket Published
-
Caleb Ewan says he was put in a 'bad situation' by Jayco AlUla before he joined Ineos Grenadiers
Ewan joined Ineos Grenadiers in January after spending just one year with Jayco AlUla
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'There's no bull****, that's what I've always liked' - Geraint Thomas's first BC coach Rod Ellingworth on the retiring Welshman
The 2018 Tour de France winner will step away from professional cycling at the end of the season
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'It is time to change goals' - Egan Bernal's coach confirms Ineos Grenadiers exit
'I want to thank all the cyclists I have had the opportunity to coach over the past ten years' Xabier Artetxe says in LinkedIn post
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Geraint Thomas represented 'all the best things about the golden era of British Cycling' - tributes paid to retiring rider
Former and current teammates and other figures from within pro cycling react to the Welshman’s decision to retire at the end of the current season
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers win first pro race in 226 days as Michał Kwiatkowski triumphs at Clásica Jaén
It was the Pole's 32nd professional victory, and his first since 2023
By Adam Becket Published