Top Banana: Tour de France stage 15 – Michal Kwiatkowski

Top Banana: Tour de France stage 15 – Michal Kwiatkowski

The Polish domestique de luxe and his quick hands saved the day and the yellow jersey for Chris Froome

Racing Top Banana

“Never a dull moment in this year’s Tour,” Chris Froome quipped after stage 15 of the 2017 Tour de France.

Too right. The combination of Ag2r La Mondiale’s mob-handed pressure, the rolling Massif Terrain central and Froome’s mechanical misfortune 37 kilometres from Le-Puy-en-Velay could have ended his spell in the yellow jersey.

But again, when it mattered, Michal Kwiatkowski was there at the right place, right time. When Froome pulled over to the side of a road with a broken spoke, his guardian angel effected a wheel change in the blink of an eye. 

You can’t plan for some things in the Tour. Or can you? Given how deftly he did it, perhaps Team Sky had Kwiatkowski practising pit stops on Teide.

The Pole’s switcheroo on the road to Le-Puy-en-Velay capped his work over the race’s second week. He has often served as Froome’s wheel to follow on hilly terrain and notably trimmed the lead of the Contador-Landa breakaway on stage 13.

For versatility and calibre of domestiques de luxes, it’s tough to be beat a Milan-Sanremo winner and former world champion. It’s easy to forget that the 27-year-old finished 11th overall in the Tour as a debutant in 2013. 

After that wheel change, Kwiatkowski sank like a stone, finishing 169th, 26 minutes down on stage winner Bauke Mollema, at the back of the gruppetto.

But his quick thinking and fast hands marked the beginning of a comeback that saved Chris Froome’s yellow jersey. The later work done by Sky team-mates Henao, Nieve and Landa was eye-catching and important, but it could all have been damage limitation had Kwiatkowski not acted so fast. 

Tour de France 2017: Rouleur Top Bananas
Stage 1 – Taylor Phinney
Stage 2 – Tony Gallopin
Stage 3 – Juraj Sagan
Stage 4 – Guillaume Van Keirsbulck
Stage 5 – Stefan Küng
Stage 6 – Frederik Backaert
Stage 7 – Reinardt Rense van Rensburg
Stage 8 – Lilian Calmejane
Stage 9 – Dan Martin
Stage 10 – Julien Vermote
Stage 11 – Maciej Bodnar
Stage 12 – Steve Cummings
Stage 13 – Alberto Contador
Stage 14 – Warren Barguil

 

The post Top Banana: Tour de France stage 15 – Michal Kwiatkowski appeared first on The world's finest cycling magazine.

Racing Top Banana


READ MORE

'British Cycling has done everything for me' - Dani Rowe: From a talent ID programme to Olympic gold

'British Cycling has done everything for me' - Dani Rowe: From a talent ID programme to Olympic gold

Speaking after being inducted into the British Cycling Hall of Fame, Rowe tells Rouleur about her journey to the top of the sport

Leggi di più
Will Mark Cavendish return to the Tour de France in 2025?

Will Mark Cavendish return to the Tour de France in 2025?

We know the Manxman well enough now that we should never count him out when it comes to racing

Leggi di più
‘Cycling is my home… but it’s less fun nowadays’: Simon Geschke on 16 years as a professional

‘Cycling is my home… but it’s less fun nowadays’: Simon Geschke on 16 years as a professional

The German rider reflects on how the sport has changed over his career as a pro cyclist

Leggi di più
‘Our budget is 10 times higher’ - Canyon//SRAM manager Ronny Lauke on the changing economics of women’s cycling

‘Our budget is 10 times higher’ - Canyon//SRAM manager Ronny Lauke on the changing economics of women’s cycling

The German team boss on increased salaries, how the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift has impacted his team and acquiring a new sponsor in...

Leggi di più
‘I hope I’ve inspired the next generation’ - Laura Kenny on a career of Olympic stardom

‘I hope I’ve inspired the next generation’ - Laura Kenny on a career of Olympic stardom

Part of our series of articles on British Cycling's Hall of Fame inductees, Laura Kenny reflects on her career, and how track cycling can keep developing

Leggi di più
Opinion: The 2025 Tour de France Femmes will be the hardest yet

Opinion: The 2025 Tour de France Femmes will be the hardest yet

The composition of the women's peloton next season combined with a varied and challenging route should set the stage for another historic battle for yellow

Leggi di più

MEMBERSHIP

JOIN ROULEUR TODAY

Independent journalism, award winning content, exclusive perks.

Banner Image