Rafal Majka went into the Tour de France as a key domestique for Alberto Contador but after the Spaniard crashed out of the race, he suddenly got the chance to ride for himself. Hence, it came as a great surprise when he took his first professional win on the biggest scene of all.

As Rafal Majka crossed the finish line on top of the finishing climb of Risoul, Tinkoff-Saxo’s Tour de France was resurrected. Following Alberto Contador’s crash and exit, the team has raced aggressively in an effort to conquer new goals. The winner of the hardest stage in the Alps, Rafal Majka, dedicated his win to his teammates.

“This win is for my teammates and for Alberto, because I know how hard it has been for us all. But today we showed that we weren’t going to give up. I think that we’ve been very active during the last four stages and it all paid off today”, says Rafal Majka after crossing the finish line on top of the HC-climb to Risoul.

Rafal Majka has been especially active in the two tough stages in the Alps. The 24-year old Pole came in 2nd on the stage to Chamrousse and today he took the win by keeping the GC-favorites behind him after many kilometers in the breakaway.

“I like the Alps and especially when there are several climbs in the same stage. The long hard stages suits me well and I showed that I had enough power left in the tank to keep the GC guys behind me. I’ve been on training camp here at Risoul so I know the climb and how to adjust to the incline”, adds Rafal Majka.

During the Tour, Majka has been forced to adjust from a dedicated supporting role of Alberto in the mountains to creating results on his own.

“I came to help Alberto and now suddenly I’ve won the first Tour de France stage of my life. It’s really big but also totally unexpected. My sport directors told me to take it slow during the first week to stay fresh for the mountains and today it proved to be a good idea”, finishes Rafal Majka.

"This is my first pro victory. I was always coming second, third, etc. I needed to win some big stage at the Tour de France.

"The assertion that I didn't want to ride the Tour de France is not a true story. [Team manager] Bjarne Riis and my directeur sportif Fabrizio Guidi told me: ‘You'll do the Tour but you'll take it easy in the first week.' The plan was to help Alberto Contador in the mountains but we had bad luck. Since his accident, we try to win a stage.

"It's also wrong to think that I'm doing the Tour because Roman Kreuziger isn't. Had he been able to start, we would have both been part of the team.

"My team-mates and Bjarne said this morning that, shall I go in the breakaway, I'd win the stage. I think we had 1.10 lead at the bottom of the last climb. I attacked and dropped Rodriguez and a Cannondale rider [Alessandro De Marchi] off. I tried to do it alone and I fought for winning."