Despite suffering a discouraging start to the 2014 season marred by crashes and injuries, Philip Deignan is highly motivated to use unexpected opportunities that were opened after Team Sky decided to pull Richie Porte out of the Giro d’Italia and targets a stage victory in the coming Italian grand tour event.

Deignan participated in only three stage races this season, since the 30-year old Irishman has broken his collarbone in a training crash in the middle of February, but hopes for a good showing in the Italian grand tour as the absence of Richie Porte or other prominent Team Sky riders will provide usually less privileged riders from the British squad with an opportunity to chase their own success.

“Our plan has changed completely because Richie Porte won’t be there,” Deignan explained Stickybottle.com.

“If Richie had been going it would have been all about me staying with him in the mountains and trying to help him whatever way I could. But now without him, we have more guys that are going to go for GC, like Henao and Kennaugh.”

However, Porte not only skips the season’s first grand tour race but some may question his ability to make it to the Team Sky Tour de France roster, following his recent performances, which are leaving us with a feeling of making a huge understatement while calling then only ‘below-par’.

The 30-year old Irishman also pointed out that even though Team Sky squad for the Giro d’Italia may not appear as the most formidable one, is consists of the in-form riders eager to leave their own marks in the biggest races of the cycling calendar.

“I saw [Sebastian] Henao in Coppi Bartali and I was really surprised how strong he was and I think he will definitely surprise a few people.”

“He’s still very young so I think he’ll be around a good few years yet and the team won’t put too much pressure on him. I think he can definitely be up there for the young riders’ jersey.”

“And with Pete I think he’s shown how strong he was in Bartali and in the Tour last year so I think he’ll try to see how far he can go and see if he can be consistent for three weeks.”

“Obviously we won’t be outright favourites. But they can maybe do a top 10 and then we have guys like Ben Swift and Edvald Boasson Hagen who can go for stage wins as well.”

Aware that a hectic first week of competition may be a bit too much with less than 14 days of racing clocked this season, Deignan plans to set himself into a survival mode and chase his own success in the latter parts of the Italian grand tour.

“And for me, the team have been pretty good. They’ve told me because I’m coming into the race with only five or six days of racing I’m going to be underdone.”

“So it’ll be about trying to ride through the first week or 10 days and get up to speed. So I’ll do what I can for the guys but have no pressure. And then in the last week go for breaks and get in a successful move to make it to the finish.”

“That will mean me losing time in the first 10 days, sitting up and losing time and going in grupettos. I’ll be trying to save my energy and picking three or four days that I think the break will go and stick.”

“That’s the plan for the moment but that could change and we’ll find out before the race. But for the moment that’s what I’ll be doing and that’s what I’m thinking.”