Saxo looking to young Pole for Giro spark

PARIS (AFP) –

Poland’s Rafal Majka of Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank leads the pack at the Japan Cup cycle road race in Tochigi prefecture, on October 21, 2012. The Saxo team are hoping the young Polish rider will finish in the top 15 in the Giro d’Italia which gets underway on May 4 in Naples.

The Saxo team are hoping highly-thought-of young Polish rider Rafal Majka will finish in the top 15 in the Giro d’Italia which gets underway next Saturday in Naples.

Saxo, one of three teams to announce their line-ups on Saturday, expect great things of their 23-year-old rider, who will be a serious contender for the best young rider title.

“Even if he is very young, we think he is capable of finishing in the top 10-15 overall,” the team said.

Teams:

Saxo: Rory Sutherland (AUS), Mads Christensen (DEN), Matti Breschel (DEN), Karsten Kroon (NED), Daniele Bennati (ITA), Manuele Boaro (ITA), Rafal Majka (POL), Bruno Pires (POR), Evgeny Petrov (RUS)

Euskaltel: Samuel Sanchez (ESP), Jorge Azanza (ESP), Egoi Martinez (ESP), Ricardo Mestre (POR), Miguel Minguez (ESP), Ioannis Tamouridis (GRE), Pablo Urtasun (ESP), Gorka Verdugo (ESP), Robert Vrecer (SLO)

Lotto: Lars Bak (DEN), Dirk Bellemakers (NED), Francis De Greef (BEL), Kenny Dehaes (BEL), Gert Dockx (BEL), Adam Hansen (AUS), Olivier Kaisen (BEL), Tim Wellens (BEL), Frederik Willems (BEL)