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Michal Kwiatkowski claims Strava KOM on Poggio on way to Milan-San Remo win

Team Sky rider averaged an astonishing 443 watts for 5 minutes 47 seconds on decisive climb

Michal Kwiatkowski didn’t just come just come away from Milan-San Remo with a thrilling victory in yesterday’s race – he also bagged the Strava KOM on the race’s final climb, the Poggio.

Team Sky’s former world champion followed a move on the ascent from the man who succeeded him in the rainbow jersey, Peter Sagan of Boara-Hansgrohe, with Quick Step Floors rider Julien Alaphilippe completing the trio who contested the win.

The 108th edition of the Monument produced an astonishingly close finish – and taking a close look at the photo above, we can’t help wondering whether that dropped chain on Sagan’s bike as he sprinted for the line was the difference between victory and defeat for the Slovak.

Milan-San Remo Kwiatkowski Strava full race.jpg

Kwiatkowski’s power output on the climb was an astonishing 443 watts for 5 mins 47 secs with the speed, power and heart rate graphs below clearly showing the moment he put a huge effort in to bridge across to Sagan.

Milan-San Remo Kwiatkowski Poggio details.jpg

Kwiatowski's Poggio effort

Kudos, indeed.

It's Kwiatowski's second big win in Italy in a fortnight following his victory earlier this month at Strade Bianche, which he also posted to Strava.

> Kwiatkowski posts his winning ride at Strade Bianche to Strava

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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10 comments

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Liam Cahill | 7 years ago
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Article has been amended with the correct figures, not Strava's estimates. 

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ajd | 7 years ago
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His power curve is available on Strava.

https://www.strava.com/activities/905223228/power-curve

 

6:40 mins@443W and his watts per Kg (6.63) suggest he weighs 68Kg - which sounds about right.

Pretty awesome.

Did you notice his average power up to the Cipressa was 154W ! Barely turning the pedals over, and probably pretty boring to be in the peleton, but then it all kicks off and he averaged 290W for the last 40 mins.

 

 

 

Avatar
rnick | 7 years ago
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Strava Watts - can you tell if these are real watts, from a power meter or strava calculated watts based of speed / weight?  I was out for spin today & it was rather windy, so into the wind, strava have me down as 150W weakling, but with a following breeze I'm showing a  multiple of this.

Avatar
CXR94Di2 replied to rnick | 7 years ago
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rnick wrote:

Strava Watts - can you tell if these are real watts, from a power meter or strava calculated watts based of speed / weight?  I was out for spin today & it was rather windy, so into the wind, strava have me down as 150W weakling, but with a following breeze I'm showing a  multiple of this.

Sky use Stages power meters, well they used to. Unless you're using a recognised PM then calculated power is pretty much guess work.

Are you using a power meter?

Avatar
Jackson | 7 years ago
5 likes

Yeah I don't get how sharing your power data could give your rivals any kind of advantage. Like they're going to be all hunched over Strava going "So that's how he's done it! He's been pedalling harder than us this whole time!"

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nadsta | 7 years ago
0 likes

Funny how the  Velon TV data overlay was blanking out  Geraint Thomas's power on the Tirenno Adriatico TT but Kwia can post his Strava data. 

Avatar
CXR94Di2 | 7 years ago
3 likes

Looking at his Strava he averaged 443W up he Poggio and peaked 934W at the point he had to chase Sagan up the latter part of the Poggio

He averaged 234 W for the whole race. These are realistic figures.

Here is a screenshot

Avatar
check12 | 7 years ago
1 like

I imagine Sagan put out more watts as he's heavier and climbed it in approx the same time. 

But yes both are pretty astonishing wattages. 

Avatar
Jackson | 7 years ago
2 likes

Regarding the 536W, something looks screwy there since if you look at his power curve or under the analysis tab it looks more like 440 to 450W.

536W for 4 minutes would get you close to Jack Bobridge's Individual Pursuit world record, so you'd be doing well to hold it for 2 minutes longer, and after 290kms of racing. 

Avatar
HalfWheeler | 7 years ago
2 likes

Sagan is seen as peerless (true in many ways) but Kwiatkowski has talent to spare too. He's only 27, already has a rainbow jersey and a monument under his belt and is tactically more savvy than Sagan. Would be great for the sport to see them duke it out in the classics for the next few seasons.

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