Blazin’ Saddles: Old hand Michal Kwiatkowski shows the Ineos Grenadiers new generation the way

History repeated itself with another photo finish deciding the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday, but this time Ineos Grenadiers came up trumps with Michal Kwiatkowski awarded the win over Benoit Cosnefroy by a tyre’s width – one year after teammate Tom Pidcock was denied by Wout van Aert by a matter of millimetres. It was Kwiatkowski’s first classics win in over five years and his first success of any kind since that memorable Ineos Grenadiers one-two at La Roche-sur-Foron when the Pole crossed the line arm-in-arm with teammate Richard Carapaz in Stage 18 of the 2020 Tour de France.

Ad/> Back then, in the midst of a global pandemic and internal Ineos strife following the withdrawal of defending Tour champion Egan Bernal, Kwiatkowski’s race-saving victory for the British team seemed like a symbolic moment: Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz, representing the future of the team, contenting himself with the polka-dot jersey while allowing one of the loyal Sky servants of old secure what was, astonishingly, his first ever Grand Tour stage win. Tour of BritainHayter and Kwiatkowski to lead strong Ineos Grenadiers team for Tour of Britain30/08/2021 AT 14:01 It was a reminder, perhaps, of what the Pole may have achieved individually over the years had he not been shoehorned into a collective unit.

Kwiatkowski arrived at Team Sky from Etixx-QuickStep at the height of both his – and Chris Froome’s – powers. The former world champion had notched 13 pro wins at his former team including Strade Bianche and, his last triumph, Amstel Gold.

Both races displayed Kwiatkowski’s armoury to a tee: the ability to climb and sprint, here was a slight yet persistent and powerful puncheur in the mould of Alejandro Valverde. A supreme talent, in short, who