Despite going into the race as a domestique, Rafal Majka (Tinkoff-Saxo) managed to come away from the Tour de France with another stage win. Now he sets his sights on the Vuelta a Espana where he will be the Tinkoff-Saxo leader.

"This is only my second Tour de France, but I see that this is certainly the biggest race in the world. Thousands of fans, media, the level of competition – all at the highest level. Amazing experience," he wrote on his personal website.

"As for me, I think I made a good performance. I worked for Alberto at key moments and won a mountain stage when I got a free hand. I do not think that a different strategy would have enabled Alberto to win – the rivals were simply too strong, and he hadn`t had enough rest after the Giro. As a result, he lacked the freshness to attack, but I think that a fifth place is a good result. For sure we were visible in the Tour this year, we tried and that is what counts too.

"I want to thank all the fans for cheering me during the Tour. Your voices of support came to me from all sides and it was very important for me.

"Now I am waiting for my moment of rest, then a short block of training and the next goal – the Vuelta a España."