In his début year at Vacansoleil-DCM, Tomasz Marczynski (28) proved to be a revelation.

Nothing suggested that the big races were unknown territory for him, because the Pole brazenly worked his way in between the big names in the front of many races. At Vacansoleil-DCM everything fell into place for him. 'I am having an excellent time there. It is an open team, where I can find the motivation to build on my career and to grow into a top rider.'

In the next season he would like nothing more than to continue that line on the largest cycling stage of the world: the Tour de France. 'To ride the tour is my big ambition', Marczynski is not shy to admit. 'It is a boyhood dream. I will do what the team demands of me. Whether that means riding as a 'domestique', riding for GC, or attacking to win a stage.'

The thirteenth place in the Vuelta give him the confidence to believe a good Tour is within his reach. 'It was a challenging and 'And according to Valverde, there was not such a big difference with the Tour.'

The former national champion will start the cycling season in the Tour Down Under and will use the Australian stage race as a flying start. 'I want to be in very strong form in March and April, and then I want to take some rest in May. Otherwise I will be too tired for the Tour in July. After the Vuelta, I rode a good late season last year. Hopefully this means I can still ride the Tour de Pologne, after the Tour de France. Poland is my country, and the people in Poland support me. I always enjoy being back there, and it would be fantastic to ride it with a strong performance in the Tour behind me.

According to sport director Aart Vierhouten the Polish rider was already strong at the December training camp: "While analyzing the data of Tomasz we saw that he was already in great condition with quick recovery and high power."

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