Evenepoel looking to test himself on "things that are all new to me" with brutal week in Suisse

Remco Evenepoel is putting himself to the test this week at the Tour de Suisse, with a very complicated stage-race set to put everyone in difficulties. It is an important goal for the Belgian rider who has talked about his ambitions.

"Against men in good shape, who go from here to the Tour de France. That means that I also had to make sure that I was very close to top form," Evenepoel said. Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl have a team to support him in the mountains, but nevertheless he has to contest with the likes of INEOS Grenadiers and BORA - hansgrohe who come with large depth.

His ambitions are very clear, and to no surprise for anyone: "A good result in the standings is of course the goal. The final time trial and the final classification are marked with a dot.” On the opening day the Belgian went on the attack, albeit unsuccessfully. However with the likes of Daniel Martínez, Gino Mäder and Ion Izagirre loosing time, it was still a positive balance.

He detailed his tactics for the week aswell, confirming that "it always comes down to details. But top-5 or top-3, I do believe in that. Especially with that time trial at the end, that's quite interesting for me and ensures that I can race defensively for the first few days. Be smart, save the first five days, and then start the closing weekend full of energy."

The real challenges will come in the mountains late in the race, where long Alpine ascents will take over from the explosive racing in the first half of the week. “Long stages, with long climbs. Often above 2,000 meters altitude. Those are things that are all new to me, and good to discover this week," he said. This will serve as testing aswell for his stage-racing abilities in the high mountains, as for the upcoming Vuelta a España where he will be focusing on the GC.