Having finished 11th in last year's Tour de France, Michal Kwiatkowski has been tipped as one of the favourites for the white jersey. However, the Pole plays down expectations and says that he is mainly in the race to support Mark Cavendish.

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team met with the media on Thursday for a press conference prior to the 101st edition of the Tour de France. The following text are comments made by Michal Kwiatkowski.

On his objectives

Of course it would be nice to wear the white jersey during the race as I did last year. But honestly, I want to focus on continuing my growth as a rider at a grand tour. This is my second Tour de France. I came here to specifically help Mark Cavendish and gain experience. That's my goal.

I’m not a sprinter, but I know how to sprint. A lot of GC guys expend energy just being at the front, whereas I can expend some of mine helping Mark, which I’m very happy to do.

I think it worked well with Peter Velits last year. To have the whole team behind you on GC you have to really deserve it, and it’s too soon for me for that. Having Golas in the team does give me a lot of potential support though.

On the atmosphere

I'm really excited before the start. This is my second Tour de France, the biggest grand tour in the world. Starting for OPQS is something special. We were a successful team last year and hope we can be the same this year. We are all really motivated.