Rafal Majka discussion thread

[Gloin22]

DS Dan Frost: Tomorrow Majka is ready to ride till he can taste blood!!

Moment of truth, i´ll hope he will do well, but can he beat Betancur which is his goal? Guess it will be a matter of freshness.

He said his goal is good GC, not white specifcally few days ago I believe. Getting good GC does not have to be corresponding with winning white imo considering how strong Betancur is so far, Top 3 climber imo of the Giro.

Saxo needs as many WT points as possible with Contie points not counting.

 

[thehook]

As a Saxo/Bert fan. Great to see Rafal doing well. I love the Giro. And his ride this year is making it even better to watch.

 

[xrayvision]

He said his goal is good GC, not white specifcally few days ago I believe. Getting good GC does not have to be corresponding with winning white imo considering how strong Betancur is so far, Top 3 climber imo of the Giro.

Saxo needs as many WT points as possible with Contie points not counting.

I didn´t say his goal is the white, his goal is to beat betancur, his nearest rival in the GC, the white is just a bonus if he succeeds as he says. Betancur have been in top form for quite a while now, 4 weeks is normally the limit to hold your top form, it´s Majka´s chance, and he´s supposed to top in week 3 him self.
Let´s see if he can.

 

[Red Rick]

Tough day for Majka today. Was it the weather that did it today or was 2 GT's in one year just too much?

Why was he riding anyway? Just to get points?

 

[Damiano]

Tough day for Majka today. Was it the weather that did it today or was 2 GT's in one year just too much?

Why was he riding anyway? Just to get points?

Well, he did perform in bad weather during the Giro, so probably because it is his second Grand Tour this season.

 

[Netserk]

A combination. He also didn't do well on stage 14 in the Giro.

The fact that it was his second GT (at age 23) this season probably made him more vulnerable. A few days ago one of his teammates said that he looked tired.

 

[search]

the fact that he is one of the worst descenders around propably did not help, but seeing where Pinot and Pozzovivo finished the stage it can not be the only reason. So, yeah, he propably just isn't up yet for doing a 2nd grand tours

 

[LaFlorecita]

Sadness but anyway a good season for Majka the bee but I was hoping for some more points for the cq game.

 

[trevim]

Even a seasoned pro like Basso had problems today so I'm not too disappointed with Majka. He's done very well this season, it seems it was just a day off.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

The fact that Marianne Vos is racing in the women's peloton, while Basso is racing in the men's is one of the most striking inequities in pro cycling.

 

[roundabout]

A combination. He also didn't do well on stage 14 in the Giro.

The fact that it was his second GT (at age 23) this season probably made him more vulnerable. A few days ago one of his teammates said that he looked tired.

Wasn't that a stage where he allegedly punctured/had a mechanical/had to changed bikes shortly before the last climb?

 

[Jelantik]

Majka is probably too young to compete 2 GT and expect to be competitive. He'll be back stronger in the years to come. Today's he did great helping Roche to escape. Not too shabby.

 

[hfer07]

This is the case a good prospect to lead "week long races" - not GTs at the moment- I see he lacks the engine built-up in combination with the inexperience where lapses of concentration appear in key moments. Time will tell if he develops into a GC rider, but at the moment, im afraid he isn't there yet

 

[greenedge]

He will emerge stronger next year- i think he is more of a GT rider (but I could be wrong).
I think Henao has been hurt by riding 4 GT's in two years and is older, but all Saxo have to do is let Majka ride one GT as leader or 2- with one as a domestique.

 

[murali]

Majka was damn good yesterday. he did the team's bidding, and when he had finished his job, he still attempted to hang on with the likes of pinot, samu. At the end of the day, he lost only @ 4 min to winner and only about a min to the leaders. Proof that he is extremely dedicated, and motivated.

I think that he should focus on just one GT next year, and probably go for the 1-week stages, than ride a second GT.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Majka confirms he will start the Giro as co-captain with Roche. Target is GC top 5.

More in article on CN:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/majka-ready-for-more-pain-at-the-giro-ditalia

Looking forward to it.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Go Rafał

 

[karlboss]

Majka confirms he will start the Giro as co-captain with Roche. Target is GC top 5.

More in article on CN:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/majka-ready-for-more-pain-at-the-giro-ditalia

Looking forward to it.

So Uran, Quintana, Porte, Rodriguez....5th seems like a solid goal.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

So Uran, Quintana, Porte, Rodriguez....5th seems like a solid goal.

Very tough goal imo, the Italians ain't going to like the proposed group.

 

[trevim]

It wasn't the fact that he climbed so well but specially his 3-week consistency that impressed me this year. I hope he can do it again this year with a stage win along the way. Also with some of his trademark "wrong time/wrong place" attacks

 

[Jelantik]

Rafal is officially 'the bee' (the new kit confirms it)

 

[greenedge]

So Uran, Quintana, Porte, Rodriguez....5th seems like a solid goal.

I presume you are purposefully leaving out Evans

 

[karlboss]

I presume you are purposefully leaving out Evans

I listed the 4 who if they turn up, barring disaster will almost certainly beat Majka. This then means that for Majka to get 5th he needs to beat Evans, Roche, Pozzovivo, Basso etc. Meaning 5th is optimistic in my opinion. However when setting goals for an event you have to be optimistic.

 

[Cimber]

 

[trevim]

I listed the 4 who if they turn up, barring disaster will almost certainly beat Majka. This then means that for Majka to get 5th he needs to beat Evans, Roche, Pozzovivo, Basso etc. Meaning 5th is optimistic in my opinion. However when setting goals for an event you have to be optimistic.

All those are targeting the Giro but I doubt all of them will reach it in top shape. Realistically, with some freedom to attack, he may get it.