Etixx-Quick Step manager Patrick Lefevere has admitted Michal Kwiatkowski will leave the team. "Because I asked him not to aim for GC." The world champion is likely to join Sky.

At the start of the Tour, world champion Michal Kwiatkowski admitted that he had an offer from Sky but made it clear that he would like to stay with Etixx-Quick Step.

But according to manager Patrick Lefevere, he has decided to leave.

"Two years ago Kwiatkowski completely cracked in order to be eleventh in the Tour. That's why I advised him not to go for GC. He was pretty mad at me," he told Sporza.

"That's one of the reasons that Kwiatkowski will leave us. But a rider is like a car. You can have a big engine but you also have your body. If he is 10 kilograms heavier than the real climbers, Quintana will always drop him."

Etixx-Quick Step started strongly with three stage wins in the first week (Stybar, Martin and Cavendish) and a yellow jersey for Martin. But in the second week, the team was rather quiet.

"But I am especially proud because we always had two riders in the break. In the Alps we hope for Uran but his form is not at its best I have not seen many miracles in the Tour, especially not in the third week. But he has to keep trying."