Tinkoff-Saxo’s team captain Rafal Majka will enter his domain, when the road kicks up in today’s decisive mountain stage at Paris-Nice. The 10km-finishing climb to Croix de Chaubouret in the Massif Central offers plenty of opportunities to create a selection among the GC-competitors – something Rafal Majka bids welcome.
 
Before the start of the race, Rafal Majka, noted that he felt confident before starting his endeavors in the mountains backed by a group of dedicated teammates.
 
“I feel good going into the climbs today. I’m excited to enter a terrain that suits me very well. The last climb to Croix de Chaubouret can prove decisive but I wish it were a bit steeper. I’ve come to Paris-Nice to ride my chances in the mountains and now is the time after several days in flat terrain”, says Rafal Majka, who’s currently 37 seconds off race leader Michael Matthews after having lost time on the initial flat prologue.
 
“My teammates have protected me very well during the race and I’ve hardly been exposed to any wind. I want to show my appreciation by doing a good job today. It’s going to be difficult, we know that, because there’s some very strong riders here at Paris-Nice. I need to take time on my rivals, but I’m sure this will be difficult, however we need to try even though the all-rounders will also have a chance on a climb like this”, adds Rafal Majka.

Stage 4 presents the riders with 204 undulating kilometers, where the parcours toughens up with 70k to go. The last 10km of the stage to the top of Croix de Chaubouret situated above Saint-Etienne kicks up with an incline of 6,7%, which should be enough to create a selection, according to Tinkoff-Saxo’s sports director Sean Yates.
 
“This part of the race is really what we’ve been waiting for, and also what Rafal has come for. Our guys are all ready to offer their support to him and guys like Chris Anker and especially Robert Kiserlovski, who’s in good shape, can play an important role. It’s the only uphill finish of the race excluding the final time trial, so I expect to see a tough race”, says Sean Yates, who adds:
 
“We have to take time on some of the strong time trialists - that’s not really a secret. But the likes of Geraint Thomas and Michael Kwiatkowski are also very capable on a climb like this. We will follow our race strategy and hope that Rafal is able to finish the job on the final part of the stage”.