PEZ recently spoke to World Champion Michal Kwiatkowski about his objectives for the season and his change of program, where he will ride Paris-Nice over Tirreno-Adriatico and will race less days so he is in a better peak for the Tour de France.

Kwiatkowski says he enjoyed a good winter break to recover from a dream season, which saw him go from future challenger in the Ardennes to one of the stars of the current peloton.

“As always I had my five weeks break and I chose this time to be available to the media and to use this time to show what we achieved this season. I started my training on the 10th of November, as normal, but maybe faster than last year with more kilometers, so everything has gone well and I’m healthy, that’s important and I’m happy with what I have done this winter up to now.”

He explained his calendar for the season and that he has swpped Tirreno-Adriatico for Paris-Nice to help him be fitter for Milan-Sanremo, where he aims to help Mark Cavendish or ride for himself, like Zdenek Stybar was able to do last year.

“I started with San Luis, like two years ago. It’s a good race to start the season, the weather there is always good to make some racing kilometers, and it’s a good way to start the preparation. For the first part of the season my main aim is a good result in the Ardennes, because I just love those races. My next race will be the Tour of Algarve and then I change my program; instead of Tirreno I will be going to Paris-Nice and Milan-Sanremo and then again in Vuelta Pais Vasco. I think that little change with Paris-Nice will help me to be in shape and recover for Milan-Sanremo, as you know for the last years I couldn’t even finish Sanremo. I think with that experience, with the team we have changed a little bit for a better path.”

He isn’t focusing to much on winning in the Rainbow Jersey in 2015, rather just on developing himself as a rider and continuing to be at the forefront of the biggest races in cycling, like he did last year. He is aware the Rainbow Jersey may act as a target and his opponents will be watching him more closely next season.

“I know that there is pressure on me now to be up there in the front. But, at the end of the day, when I am going out training and I am thinking about it, I’m just trying to be a better person and a better rider. That is my motivation. Of course it’s nice to be a World champion, but at the end of the day I’m just trying to be a better rider and I hope that’s going to be enough to be present in every race in 2015.”

“Of course it will be more difficult now, as I will be easily recognized, but I never attack at the beginning of a race or by surprise, I try to win races during the hardest part of the race. If I’m recognized more now, then that isn’t going to help. Actually it’s going to be a new feeling, lets hope I can handle it.”

One of Kwiatkowski’s career highlights will be getting to ride the Tour de France in the Rainbow Jersey, which he says he is looking forward too so much.

“That will be incredible racing in the Rainbow Jersey. I’m looking at the first week up until the ninth stage; it’s going to be like a Classic every day, which I always like. I don’t know what I can do there, but I will try to be in the best shape, of course, for the Tour. The preparation for the Tour; we will change it a little, I will go to the Tour de Suisse instead of the Dauphine, so I have more time to recover from the first part of the season and more time for training, which will help me. It’s still a learning process because I still don’t know my limits yet. I think the Tour is the race to move your limits up or forward. I hope to do something there, but I’m not really aiming for anything, but I know that the first week is really hard. like a Classic every day, so lets hope it’s going to be successful for Etixx – Quick-Step.”

After the Ardennes and the Tour de France, a third goal in the young Pole’s season will be his World Championships title defence in Richmond, Virginia. He hasn’t checked the course out yet but he says the Polish Federation will do so soon and give him some details.

“I’ve not checked the course yet, but I think with the Polish Federation we will go there in the middle of May, sometime round then, to try and check the course. You know when you have something you want to defend, then that is going to be great motivation in the last part of the season to defend the Rainbow Jersey. But now I am thinking about the first part, it’s still a long way to Richmond.”

Kwiatkowski is kept gouned by his two Polish teammates, Michal Golas and Lukasz Wisniowski, who he sees as close friends rather than countrymen.

“It’s just really important to have friends like them because I always spend time with them, we live in the same town, we train together and I get a lot of support from them. Also from my countryman; Marek Sawicki who is a soigneur here. So it is really important, but you see more and more Polish riders in professional teams and let’s hope that is going to be normal.”