Sylwester Szmyd

Sylwester Szmyd
	Sylwester Szmyd (2008)
To person
Date of birth	March 2, 1978
nation	Poland
discipline	Street
Team (s)
2001–2002 ; 2003 ; 2004 ; 2005–2008 ; 2009–2012 ; 2013–2014 ; 2015–2016	Tacconi Sport ; Mercatone Uno-Scanavino ; Saeco Macchine per Caffè ; Lampre ; Liquigas ; Movistar ; CCC Sprandi Polkowice
	Last updated: February 15, 2017

Sylwester Szmyd (born March 2, 1978 in Bydgoszcz ) is a former Polish cyclist .

Career

Szmyd became a professional in 2001 with the Italian cycling team Tacconi Sport-Vini Caldirola . Between 2002 and 2013 he took part in a total of 22 Grand Tours , all of which he was able to complete. He was considered one of the best helpers in the world and was part of the Saeco Macchine per Caffè and Liquigas teams when they won the Giro d'Italia in 2004 and 2010 with their respective captains Damiano Cunego and Ivan Basso .

His greatest individual success came with the victory on the fifth stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré 2009 on the Mont Ventoux , which was given to him by the later overall winner Alejandro Valverde after they had escaped together.

After Szmyd was unable to meet expectations as Valverde's helper after health problems in 2013 and 2014 with the Movistar Team and did not receive a new contract, he switched to the Polish Professional Continental Team CCC Sprandi Polkowice in the 2015 season . He ended his cycling career at the end of 2016.