After an excellent showing in the Tour of Britain, Michal Kwiatkowski goes into the World Championships road race as a dark horse and strong outsider. Having taken time to recover after the Tour de France, the Pole claims to be much stronger than he was 12 months ago.

2013 was a breakthrough year for Michal Kwiatkowski. The versatile Pole finished 4th in Tirreno-Adriatico, in the top 5 of two of the Ardennes classics and 11th in his first Tour de France. Those results made him a strong outsider for the World Championships in Florence whose hilly course suited the Pole down to the ground.

In the end it came to nothing for Kwiatkowski. At the end of a long, hard season, he was tired and he abandoned the race. One week later he also left Il Lombardia prematurely to put an end to a long and testing season.

This year Kwiatkowski is again regarded as an outsider for the World Championships. Another excellent season that saw him win Volta ao Algarve overall and the one-day Strade Bianche race as well as finishing on the podium in both Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege have again put his name high up on the list of favourites in a race that seems to suit him well.

To avoid last year’s failure, Kwiatkowski has taken the needed time to rest after the Tour de France. The French grand tour never panned out as he had hoped for and he was clearly tired in the final week. This time, however, he avoided the temptation to go back to racing too early and instead he went back to Poland to rest.

The new strategy seems to pay off. When he returned to competition in the GP Plouay, he played a key role by being part of a late breakaway that nearly made it to the finish. One week later he rode a very strong Tour of Britain where he won a stage and finished second overall.

“I am way better,” he told CyclingQuotes on the eve of the time trial when asked to compare his form to the one he had 12 months ago- “Last year I restarted after the Tour in Hamburg. Then I went to Plouay. Then I think I did small races in Poland and then I went to Canada where I couldn’t finish the first race and I crashed in Montreal.

“It was a difficult time for me with lots of travelling. I couldn’t really find the time for rest which is necessary at this time of the year. Now I really feel strong and that is the most important thing for September.”

Last year Kwiatkowski did all three races at the Worlds. He was part of the winning Omega Pharma-Quick Step team in the team time trial and finished 24th in the time trial before he abandoned the road race.

This year he again did the team time trial where he contributed to the bronze medal performance of his Belgian team but again he be focused on his recovery. There will be no time trial for Kwiatkowski who will focus on the road race where he is the leader of a formidable 9-rider Polish team on a hilly course that could suit him well.

“I will skip the time trial this year,” he said. “I have always done the individual time trial and I think that can help me this year. I will try to prepare for the road race in a different way.

“9 Polish guys will ride this race. That is amazing. We have never had such a big and strong team before. I am ready to represent Poland.

“I think the way I did the preparation after the Tour was really good this year. I took a proper break and I did some good training and could start the Tour of Britain without any pressure. I am in really good shape. I am really looking forward to the road race.”

On paper the hilly course in Ponferrada could suit Kwiatkowski. Much has been said about the route that has made both climbers, classics specialists and sprinters confident in their chances and so nobody really knows how the race will pan out. However, Kwiatkowski has a clear idea about how he hopes the race will evolve.

“I really like classics,” he said. “I made a big step forward in the classics. If the race goes like Amstel, Fleche or Liege, it would be perfect for me. I will be happy with a sprint from a small group. Anything can happen in Liege, anything can happen in Amstel. I hope the road race is going to be the same.”

After the road race, Kwiatkowski will go for classics one more time before he puts an end to his season.

“I think I will start in Lombardy and then it will be the end of my season,” he said.

Kwiatkowski is probably the most versatile athlete in the peloton. He is a strong contender in stage races, is one of the best in the Ardennes classics, has shined on the cobbles in the Tour of Flanders, is an excellent time triallist and has a fast sprint. That makes it hard for him to choose his schedule for the season as almost every race presents an opportunity.

At the moment, he prefers not to specialize himself too much and expects his season to be more or less similar to the one he had in 2014.

“I made a big step forward in the classics,” he said. “What I can say about next year for the moment is that I should race a little bit less to be fresher in the middle of the season which I wasn’t this year.

“At the moment, it is hard to say more about my goals for next year. I think my season will be similar. It depends on where I want to make steps forward, in the classics or in stage races. I am in OPQS. I really feel great here. We will decide together what’s the best way.”

This year’s Tour de France was no success for Kwiatkowski who dropped out of GC contention and struggled on the climbs. However, he doesn’t rule out the possibility that he will one day become a grand tour contender.

“I am 24 years old,” he said. “At the moment, it is all about gaining experience. We are looking at the best way for me.”