Rafal Majka and Tinkoff-Saxo enjoyed a good Team Time Trial in Belfast yesterday that will set the young pole up for a top 10 and an improvement on last year’s 7th place overall.

The 24 year old is co-leader of the team with Nicolas Roche but sees the fact that he is not an out and out leader as an advantage.

“I think Nicolas is very strong and that’s good. We can help each other – if he attacks, rivals will have to chase him and I can sit on their wheel and counter. And vice-versa – when I attack, he can counter. We have a strong team, with some experienced riders like Michael Rogers, that’s vital. We are riding as a team and winning as a team.”

Majka witnessed Dan Martin crash out yesterday and is looking to just keep himself safe in the following two days in Ireland.

“I have to be focused and stay at the front all the time. Team time trial is the key – there are nine of us, with weather conditions like this we have to avoid making mistakes and crashing on a slippery roads. I have ridden the last 40 kilometers of stage 2, the road is quite wide, we just have to stay at the front.”

Majka is a good climber and will hopefully not lose too much time there but he will have to perform will in the two individual time trials. After finishing fourth in the Tour of Poland after a weaker time trial denied him the win, he says he has been working on his skills over the winter.

“Of course, I can see the progress. I cannot tell you the exact numbers, but yes, there are more watts this year, when you look at the data. I think I have improved. It was not bad in Romandie, here at the Giro we have 41 kilometers of time trial and it’s not a flat one. It’s better for me, if the route is hilly, it suits me better.”

As for the TT on Monte Grappa:

“I like the profile, I raced there once, when I was in U23 category. I know the climb, believe me, it’s hard.”

Majka was seventh last year in the Giro and sees a top 10 as goal for both himself and Roche. He hopes that his experiences last year can help him achieve higher than seventh in Trieste this year.

“I think I can do better than last year. I am prepared and motivated, I was training for this race and I won’t give up. We will take the race day-by-day. I came here to fight for top places, so I cannot be afraid of any mountain. I have to give it everything I have, fight for 21 days. I know that it’s going to be hard, a moment of crisis may come, but I won’t give up. Not even for a second. This is the goal of the season and I have to be focused.”