A major overhaul of the Giro di Lombardia 2015 parcours hasn’t made the last monument of the season any less challenging. Tinkoff-Saxo is set to embark on the “Race of the Falling Leaves” from Bergamo to Como headed by Rafal Majka, who enters the race after netting a 2nd place in the dress rehearsal of Milano-Torino. “We want to fight for a top result”, says the team captain.
 
Giro di Lombardia stars Rafal Majka in a leading role for the Tinkoff-Saxo squad and the Polish captain notes that he has tried to carry on his shape from Vuelta a España.
 
“Giro di Lombardia is the last big race of the season for me and I’ve tried to keep my shape from the Vuelta. I haven’t had any rest because I wanted to keep the momentum. I went to the Worlds in Richmond and I’ve followed my training program. Together with the DS’s we agreed that I should do Milano-Torino and skip Gran Piemonte to give me some days to adjust after returning from USA. I didn’t have good sensations in Milano-Torino, I probably still had jetlag, but I was 2nd and that was for me a confirmation that my condition is good. I hope I have a good day Sunday because I want to fight for a top result”, says Rafal Majka before adding:

“Giro di Lombardia is a long and hard race. There are many big favorites and the competition will be hard. I have to wait and save energy for the last part and then we will see if I have the legs on the day to make the difference. Pawel Poljanski and Chris Anker were both strong in Milano-Torino, so I have a lot of confidence in my team for Sunday”.

Giro di Lombardia has undergone a radical change ahead of the 109th 2015-edition with the parcours now finishing in Como instead of featuring the city as the starting point of the challenging autumn classic. With iconic climbs such as the Madonna del Ghisallo and the ultra-steep Muro di Sormano still playing a main role, Bruno Cenghialta, Tinkoff-Saxo sports director, underlines that Rafal Majka stands a chance of claiming a top result.
 
“Rafal Majka is our clear captain in Il Lombardia. It is a very, very hard race and totally different from what the riders have had to deal with during the last races. It’s a real monument, 245km with a lot of altitude gain, and the new parcours is very demanding. It all depends on the shape and legs on the day. If you don’t have the legs, it’s ciao-ciao and you’re dropped. We have to wait for the last climbs to take the opportunity. After 200km, it’s never certain how you feel and there is no doubt that the strongest will compete in the end”, comments Bruno Cenghialta.
 
“It’s a new parcours, but I think that the real race will start around the Muro di Sormano. Rafal made several attacks on the final climb in Milano-Torino to test himself, we were satisfied with the outcome, but there is no doubt that you only get to make one decisive attack in Lombardia. Astana is the strongest team overall right now and they will have to take charge. There are many serious contenders, but we feel that Rafal has good support in riders like Chris Anker, Pawel Poljanski and Jesper Hansen when the road gets steep. Rafal’s motivation is high and the squad is ready for one last big push”, concludes Cenghialta.
 
Tinkoff-Saxo fields Rafal Majka, Pawel Poljanski, Chris Anker Sørensen, Jesper Hansen, Bruno Pires, Jesús Hernández, Daniele Bennati and Robert Kiserlovski.