Michael Rogers has only been back racing for two weeks after being cleared of doping charges against him, yet he has been thrust into the hardest Classic in the world, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and now the hardest Grand Tour, the Giro d’Italia.

And all of this suffering will be done to make sure he is at his best to help Alberto Contador in the Tour de France in July.

“I did 220 kilometres of Liege, died a thousand deaths on La Redoute, but that was the decision we took.” In the Giro, “I’d like to focus on getting through the first part, and keep a little bit in the tank to give me the ability to work hard in the last half, which is where I really need to work for the Tour.”

Despite not having the best preparation in 2014 to race, Rogers says he is fully focused on getting to Trieste and finishing the race.

“I just need racing days, really. I’ve done a lot of training, haven’t missed a day there, but the racing condition isn’t really there yet.”

“It’s just getting back into the rhythm of things, there’s nothing better than racing, that’s the best training, you can’t get the levels of fatigue otherwise. So that first half I’ll be taking on the day by day, then we’ll see.”

Rogers has excelled in the Giro before, finishing 8th on GC in 2009 with HTC-Highroad, although he was a DNF in 2006.

“It’s a nice Grand Tour to do, much less stressful than the Tour, and it’s great to be up here in Belfast too. It’s been a very relaxed start, which is ideal. I’m just glad to be here.”

As soon as he was cleared of his charges, the team decided straight away he would be on the startline in Belfast to ride for Nicholas Roche and Rafal Majka.

Rogers says he is back with a point to prove in 2014. Whether he can begin to prove the point in Italy is unclear but he will need to be at his best to prove it in France, where the Tour is his main goal.

“[My main goal] is the Tour, anyway, and I think [team leader] Alberto [Contador] is angry because last year [in the Tour, where Contador was fourth] he didn’t do what he wanted to do, he saw things from a different perspective and he was on the receiving end of what he’s usually handing out and maybe he is better this year because of that.”

The Giro will be hard for Rogers with so little racing done in 2014 but he is prepared to give his all for his leaders, just like he will do in July.

“I’ve been doing this for 14 years, you know, being nervous doesn’t change anything. First of all I am super-happy to be back, and I realise what a fantastic life [as professional bike riders] we have. Not all cyclists always appreciate it and I realise that and I’m happy to be back doing what I love.”