Team manager Bjarne Riis brought Majka to the team in 2011 and is very pleased with how he has grown.

"I’m very happy to announce that we’ve extended Rafal Majka's contract. He still had one year left of his contract, but he deserved to get an extension after his efforts this year, including during the Tour. He has developed solidly and quickly during the latest seasons. I know how hard Rafal has worked during the season and he definitely deserves a spot on the team," Riis explained.

24-year-old Rafal Majka has proved his skills as a climber and GC-rider by winning the mountains classification and two stages in this year’s Tour de France and by finishing 7th and 6th in the latest two editions of Giro d’Italia. Riis believes Majka's full potential has yet to be unleashed.

"The way Rafal (Majka) performed during the Tour de France coming out of a hard Giro d'Italia shows that it’s realistic for him to aim for the podiums in the Grand Tours. He is still young and he can still improve and become even better but he will be a key rider for us," Riis explained.

Russian team owner Oleg Tinkov is happy with Majka's contract extension because he has been monitoring how the winner of the Tour's mountains classification has improved under the supervision of the team’s sporting staff, including Riis.

"Rafal is one of the youngest and most talented riders in the peloton. He obviously has a great future ahead of him. It’s a pleasure for the team to possess a skilled rider like Rafal for the next three years. He’s capable of winning Grand Tours some day and I’m absolutely sure that our team is the best place for him to develop further and to get experience," Tinkov commented.