Etixx – Quick-Step had another successful season in 2015, with 54 road wins alongside 69 other podium places. Over the next weeks we will look back on the 10 biggest moments for the team in the 2015 season. Our previous moments focused on Niki Terpstra taking the Tour of Qatar and Mark Cavendish winning Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. Our next next best moment is Michal Kwiatkowski's triumph in Amstel Gold Race.
On Sunday, April 19th, Michal Kwiatowski became the fourth World Champion to win Amstel Gold Race, following in the footsteps of Eddy Merckx (1975), Jan Raas (1980) and Bernard Hinault (1981). It was the maiden Classic for the 24-year-old Pole, who was protected throughout the day by his teammates, before powering to victory ahead of Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Michael Matthews (Orica-GreenEdge).
As expected, the race exploded on the Cauberg, the last climb of the day, where Belgium's Philippe Gilbert surged into the lead with his trademark attack, only to see that Matthews was stuck to his wheel. At the top of the hill, the two of them had a couple of seconds in their hand, but on the plateau leading to the finish they were caught by a strong group which included also Kwiatkowski, who was riding his third Amstel, after finishing on both of the previous occasions in the top five.
A reduced sprint followed, and the rider of Etixx – Quick-Step – who stayed composed in all the tough moments of the Classic, despite struggling as the finish approached – proved to be the fastest on the line, overhauling his rivals and nabbing his first victory in the rainbow jersey and his first ever World Tour one-day success, after 258 arduous kilometers and 34 short and intense climbs.
"This was a great day for me, the hard work paid off," Kwiatkowski said. "I'm really thankful that my teammates were so amazing today. I was always in the top 20-25 positions. I could relax the whole day. We had Tony in the important breakaway and that was crucial. Of course I was suffering in a race with so many climbs. The second-to-last time up the Cauberg I said to Gianni Meersman 'you know, I'm not feeling so good.' But he said to me straight away that everyone is suffering with 34 climbs at this race and I have to make it. That gave me a lot of motivation before the last time up the Cauberg. I'm really thankful they believed in me until the last moment. For the sprint I was able to sit in the slipstream and breathe a little bit, and that was important to recover from the effort on the Cauberg. I was able to get some energy back to go full gas in the select group sprint and win. It's really special to get this win at the opening race of the Ardennes Classics. For sure, winning Amstel Gold Race in the Rainbow Jersey means a lot to both me and the team, and it is another example of how strong we are as a collective. I built up really well for this race and I really cannot describe my emotions", the Etixx – Quick-Step cyclist concluded after becoming the first Polish winner of the Dutch race.