Alberto Contador fights on as Rafał Majka dedicates Tour stage win to Spanish rival

Alberto Contador’s Tour de France title defense received a morale boost on 15 July 2015 when teammate Rafał Majka took stage 11 in Pra-Loup.

What happened on stage 11?

Majka attacked with 45 seconds of daylight after following an earlier move. His sport director gave the nod and the Pole soloed to the line. In the post-stage press conference he called the win a team lift after abandonments from Ivan Basso and Daniele Bennati. Majka also dedicated the victory to his wife and family.

Why it matters for Alberto Contador

Majka made clear he came to France to help Alberto Contador. He called the Spaniard a big rider with a good head who always fights. The Pole added he hopes Contador can still double up Giro and Tour in 2015. Majka also pointed to his own 2014 Tour form and Michał Kwiatkowski’s 2014 rainbow jersey as drivers of a 40 % jump in Polish licensees.

What comes next

Majka warned the race still has two long weeks left. He said he’ll only know more after stage 20. The Tinkoff-Saxo train will now regroup around Contador for the Alps and the final push to Paris.