A year ago, Michal Kwiatkowski won the elite men's road race at the Worlds and became the first Polish wearing the rainbow jersey. The Etixx-Quick Step rider will try to do the same performance in Richmond, Virginia. Interviewed by the UCI website, he told that the World hampionships race is always a lottery.

"You have a group of favourites that can win this race, and I was one of them last year. I checked the course already", he told. "The last five kilometres are also pretty tricky this year. Let’s hope I can be up there with the favourites. I would love to see myself up there fighting to defend the rainbow jersey. It would be amazing but I know how hard it is to get that. It was hard last year so it will be even harder this year."

The length of the Richmond circuit is 16,2 kilometers and has a total elevation of 103 meters. All road races will take place on a challenging, technical and inner-city road circuit. "It’s a really long race, almost 260km. And for sure the strongest rider is going to win this race, because the last five kilometres really suit the puncheurs, and the last straight to the finish suits the sprinters."

"I think you really need to have a good day and really save your energy till the last lap to have the possibility to fight on the last straight when,of course, it’s not a typical race for the sprinters. So I would say many all-rounders, many puncheurs will be able to compete there."

Kwiatkowski described the feeling of winning one of the most coveted jerseys in the cycling world: "It changed my life. People everywhere started to recognise me. In Poland it was really huge. I get a lot of support from the fans. They really were enjoying this victory with me. And in Europe… all over the world, when I was racing, I got a lot of support from the people. They were always coming back to this victory in Ponferrada. All of the season they were cheering me on, and that’s what I needed during the cycling races."

"When they scream your nickname and surname during a hard uphill or a really tough moment of the race, that always gives you a lot of motivation. So I was really happy about it, that I could represent cycling with the rainbow jersey. That was an amazing year. I was happy to wear it. It’s a big responsibility, but I was trying to do my best."