Etixx - Quick-Step Q&A;: Michal Golas!

We asked our fans on Facebook to submit questions to Polish rider Michal Golas, as part of our Etixx - Quick-Step Q&A, last weekend. After gathering some of the questions, we then sat down with Golas for his answers!

Aurélien Vitet How do you see your future in the Polish national team when you have riders like Kwiatkowski or Majka?

I don't want to talk as much about myself as the entire national team, but I think the team's future is going to be bright because our leaders are so young. I see that every year they really improve. Michal Kwiatkowski, whom I ride with as my teammate on Etixx - Quick-Step and the national team, I still see progress in him even as UCI World Road Champion. He's only 24-years-old. You see he is still improving. With the rest of the team, a new wave of riders is coming and I see a lot of potential. I think where will be a lot of nice moments in the future.

Karol Cholewiński Organizujecie z Kwiatkiem jakiś wspólny trening w Polsce? Jeżeli tak to kiedy? (Will you organize a community training in Poland with Kwiatkowski? If so, when?)

It's always easy to find us two in Calpe. We will be there in the next weeks. While we don't really organize one day of training while we are there, I think after the first part of our season we will make time to train together in Torun, where we both live. We will find time for fans and like we always do, we'll organize some action in May when we will have a few days at home.

Ayrton Lambrechts If you had one race you want to win what race is it ?

I think we'd like to have the Polish National Champion jersey back in Etixx, so it would be nice to win the championship and wear it maybe to the Tour de France and the Tour de Pologne. A dream would be to win a stage of Tour de Pologne in the National Champion jersey. I would love for a chance to do that, but of course you can't predict anything in cycling.

Craig Broughton What are your best training tips?

I think people forget about rest, and this is important. Everybody tries to beat everybody else in training, and they just keep going harder and faster. I think as important as this is, so is rest. So my main training tip is that when you rest, that is when you get to the higher level of condition. Don't just overdo it and forget about that gains happen in recovery.

Michał Pater Connolly Do you like any other sport discipline??

I like sports in general. I watch football and also ski jumping, which is very popular in Poland. I also like biathlon. For me it's a strange sport. It's a nice combination and a bit unusual. I like to watch it because it is thrilling and an interesting combination of an emotional final and an endurance sport. It's unique and fun to watch for me.

Adam Fryer How would you describe your racing style ?

I have become a defender, I play on defense! For years I was the rider who attacked on the smaller teams. But everybody knows how many champions we have on our team and we need some helpers. So I became a guy who always stays with leaders and take care of them in all kinds of situations on the road. That is my job in the team and I think that is why I am appreciated on Etixx - Quick-Step.

Peter Flecken Whats the best part of being a pro cyclist?

I think it is a job where you can see so much. You see different cultures and sites in all parts of the world. In cycling you travel a lot and can not only learn about cultures, but meet all kinds of people too. It's not so common in other jobs. Even in our teams we have so many nationalities that you can meet a diverse group of people. I think this is a big benefit for your life when you can get this kind of experience. That is what I appreciate most about my job.

Daniel Duda Michał dlaczego zawsze jesteś uśmiechnięty? (Why are you always smiling?)

I try to be always optimistic and to find the bright sides of every circumstance. So I can't help but to smile all the time with this attitude and I try to also bring this kind of morale to my team. I try to make everyone happy and in the same good mood. I'm just an optimistic guy and I like to share that with others.

Laddie Williams What is your favorite race terrain?

I like hilly races. Now I try to work harder in the mountains. Hilly races like the Ardennes Classics are my favorite terrain and I feel the best there. But I also try to be flexible. I need to work in every terrain however so I try to be sure I can race on any kind of parcours. If I work with Mark Cavendish I need to find myself in the right condition to help in the sprints. If I work with Rigoberto Uran I need to be able to help with the high mountains. If I work with Kwiatkowski I need to be able to ride in the medium mountains. But I will admit that the medium mountains suit my skills best.

Matias Christiansson What is your frame size?

I have a frame size that is pretty average, actually. I ride a 54cm frame.

Question received by e-mail Why do you think cycling is so popular in Poland right now, and the fans are so passionate about Polish riders?

It's always winning that makes people enthusiastic. I still think that cycling has nice roots in Poland. In the 1960s and 1970s we had great riders. So, it is still somewhere in our blood that we love the sport. But in the past 15 years we didn't have so much success and you wouldn't know it. Now the recent success of Polish riders, the audience comes back and people start to love the sport again. Now the Polish public is enthusiastic about races. That's how it works here. Success makes people pay attention. But it isn't out of nowhere. There is a cycling history there that is connected with the current popularity and I think that is something to respect and appreciate.