“One of the most difficult Ardennes I ever did" - Michal Kwiatkowski struggles to recover from Gent Wevelgem concussion
Cycling
INEOS Grenadiers Michal Kwiatkowski has admitted that his Ardennes campaign didn't go the way he would have liked and the Polish rider has blamed a concussion he suffered in a Gent Wevelgem crash as the reason why.
"One of the most difficult Ardennes I ever did," the 32-year-old revealed in a post on his official Instagram account. "Tried to help the team as much as I could, but never really bounced back after the crash and concussion in Gent-Wevelgem. Time to refocus."
Since crashing out at Gent Wevelgem, Kwiatkowski has also failed to finish at both Brabantse Pijl and the more recent Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Alongside placings of 72nd at the Amstel Gold Race and 115th at La Fleche Wallone it's been a below-par April for the former world champion.
INEOS had previously denied that the Pole had suffered a concussion in his Gent Wevelgem crash but now Kwiatkowski has set the record straight and explained his poor form. Showing his class however, he concludes the post with a message of congratulations to riders one and two at Liege-Bastogne-Liege. "Hats off to Remco Evenepoel for another championship ride & our fighter Tom Pidcock."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- Noted. But I had to appease his fans.MajorPayne19-10-2026
- I wonder if he'll race Challenge Mallorca
Rafionain-Glas19-10-2026 - Head to head time-splits: Jay Vine vs Remco Evenepoel: 10.5 km - Vine lost 45 seconds to Evenepoel 34.2 km - Vine lost a further 1:10, and was caught in the vicinity of that checkpoint. Note: I remember Vine getting caught before the second checkpoint, and ProCyclingStats log supports that, however, the gap at the second checkpoint was less than 2 minutes. 45.4 km - Vine lost only 16 seconds Of course, Vine lost less time in the middle section than the early section, but at the final segment rate, he'd have lost 15 seconds in the opening section and and 34 seconds in the middle. It is possible that Vine paced himself very well but that seems unlikely. In comparison with Stefan Küng: Kung lost: 26 seconds at T1. A further 1:11 by T2. A further 40 seconds by the finish. Relative to Evenepoel, Küng did slow down by the end. Maxime Decomble: Lost 47 seconds at T1. A further 1:20 by T2. A further 26 seconds by the finish. Mikkel Bjerg: Lost 37 seconds at T1. A further 1:34 by T2. A further 46 seconds by the finish. It is not concrete evidence that Vine cheated though it certainly doesn't absolve him. However, watching the race, I am 100% sure that Vine did not pull over and follow a different line when Remco passed him. Remco pulled away quite quickly, but the gap did not balloon and Vine definitely got aero assistance.Rafionain-Glas19-10-2026
- That ship has sailed years agovappaxbipmv19-10-2026
- He doesn't have to. I'd be perfectly happy if he loses SB if he then wins everything elsevappaxbipmv19-10-2026
- Please don't put Remco in the same sentence as Tadej. It's disrespectful to Tadej. Please make a note of this.KissinKate19-10-2026
- ....and you just described how americans are fleecing american fans as well. We don't even get the eurosport coverage you get. What you see on yurrup HBO is not available in this country. Trust me, being a cycling fan sucks everywhere.KissinKate19-10-2026
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- This is classic EF Pro Cycling: where other WorldTour squads see risk and injury recovery as a liability, Jonathan Vaughters sees high-ceiling potential and an opportunity to build a custom runway for a rider's resurgence. While Richard Carapaz's high salary and health setbacks made a traditional Grand Tour victory unlikely against today's dominant talents, EF smartly maximized every ounce of his ability by pivoting toward high-visibility targets like a Tour de France stage win, the Yellow Jersey, and the King of the Mountains title. Now, with Carapaz moving on, Tao Geoghegan Hart’s ceiling when healthy is undeniable, and after a tough couple of years recovering from his Giro crash, EF's patient, culture-first approach might be the exact environment he needs to find his magic legs again. EF has consistently proved that they do not need the largest budget in the peloton to extract elite value and deliver memorable performances. By giving Tao the time and tactical freedom to rebuild without overwhelming pressure, this move could easily pay huge dividends and shock a lot of people in the coming seasons.wambo19-10-2026
- The article makes it sound like a great thing and something to be applauded. The reality is is gives the Americans another 6 years to fleece European cycling fans or force them to hunt around Europe with VPN’s for free feeds. Not something to be celebrated in my book. Before someone points out that coverage of this depth costs money, yes, I agree but not £30+ per month a fee I will wager will gradually increase now this deal has been cemented.Paul53119-10-2026
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