After a great 2012 season which included a 2nd place on a Giro d'Italia stage, Bartosz Huzarski had a more difficult 2013 season. After a bad start, he turned things around towards the end when he finished 3rd on a stage of the Vuelta a Espana and he has now set his sights on a third consecutive top three finish on a grand tour stage in 2014 when a Tour de France berth could be on the cards.

Bartosz Huzarski may not have many victories on his palmares but the versatile and strong Pole is one of the driving forces on the NetApp-Endura team. His experience and solid riding are some of the aspects that have helped the team get selected to a grand tour in both 2012 and 2013.

In the past season, Huzarski was once again one of the main protagonists on his German team but he failed to reach the same heights as he did in 2012. In that season, he finished 2nd in the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali, 6th in the Tour of Britain and 9th in the Vuelta a Murcia but the result that really put him in the spotlight was his 2nd place behind Joaquim Rodiguez on the steep wall in Assisi in the Giro d'Italia, his first ever grand tour.

After a mediocre start to the season, Huzarski showed his talent towards the end. He rode a fine Tour de Pologne, finishing as the most aggressive rider, before being selected for his second grand tour in the Vuelta. He rode a really good race, being of valuable support for young Leopold König in the mountains, and took his own chance in a breakaway on stage 16, finishing 3rd behind Warren Barguil and Rigoberto Uran in the summit finish.

He kept his shape all the way to the end, being the final rider from the early breakaway to get caught in the world championships road race and finishing 24th in Il Lombardia. However, those results cannot make up for his disappointing start.

“My year in cycling was average,” he told Radsport News. “That’s mainly due to the first half of my season, which I am not proud of.”
 

Having mostly excelled in stage races, Huzarski got a big chance to show his potential in the Criterium du Dauphiné to which his team earned a wildcard. However, he had a bad race and ultimately had to abandon.

“At the Critérium du Dauphiné, I don’t know what was wrong with me,” he said. “That was not me. After that, I recovered and did a good Tour de Pologne. And then I was able to hold my good shape until the end of the season.”

Huzarski was praised by the Polish media for his long breakaway in the world championships road race. Keeping hit feet on the ground, he doesn't understand the big hype that surrounded what was just another unsuccessful escape attempt.

“Honestly, I do not understand the big media hype after the world championships,” he said. “It was a normal breakaway attempt. I was in good shape, I felt good, and the rain helped us. It was just my typical role. But most of them [in other races] may not be remembered as well.”
 

With Vacansoleil, Euskaltel and Sojasun all folding, more spots appear to be open for the Tour de France than it has been the case in recent years. This year, NetApp-Endura was one of the final teams in the battle for one of the wild card invitations and the team has a big chance to get that elusive berth in the world's biggest race in 2014.

If the team is selected, Huzarski hopes to be part of the roster. Having already finished in the top 3 on stages in the Giro and Vuelta, he would love to complete the triple in the French grand tour.

“That is missing from the palmarès," he said. "It would really be great to start the Tour de France, but I know exactly where my strengths are and what I can do. I would be really happy if I could get a hold of a top three placing in a stage for the third consecutive time in a grand tour.”
 

Huzarski will stay at NetApp-Endura in 2014 and will ride alongside new signing Tiago Machado and Sam Bennett in the German team.