After the final block of training in Spain, where he stayed at Alexander Kolobnev's high-altitude hotel and raced with Mathieu van der Poel, Remco Evenepoel is in taper mode for the Vuelta a España. [The 22-year-old Belgian, who won Liège-Bastogne-Liège in the spring, ran the Tour de Suisse in June and spent the summer in Livigno, high in the Italian Alps, for a long high-altitude training camp to lay the foundation for his second Grand Tour.

He was clearly in good form when he took his second solo win at Clasica San Sebastián on July 30. Since then, the Belgian prodigy has been putting the finishing touches on the Vuelta a España.

Immediately following his victory in San Sebastián, Evenpoel traveled south through Spain for an 11-day training camp in the Alicante region near the Mediterranean coast.

He stayed at the Syncrosfera Hotel, run by former professional Alexandre Kolobnev. The hotel has become increasingly popular among professional riders because of its altitude control room, where air pressure can be adjusted to mimic the red blood cell boosting effect of thin air at high altitudes.

Altitude control rooms, which also include the more widespread use of tents, are banned by anti-doping regulations in certain countries, including Italy, and riders are prohibited from even using them abroad.

For most athletes, however, they can sleep high during training at sea level, where oxygen is plentiful and the height can be adjusted according to recovery.

"Let's say you sleep high and train at sea level. That way you can train with a little more intensity."

The day after San Sebastián, Evenepoel's first outing was a 40 km recovery ride, followed by a relatively gentle 66 km outing.

Full training began on August 2, with a reconnaissance of the important 30 km time trial on stage 10 of the Vuelta.

He then spent a 126 km "effort day" with Greg Van Avermaet. They finished the first block with a 200+ km ride before a 55 km "recovery" ride on time trial bikes.

The second block started with a hilly 153 km ride before returning to the Vuelta time trial route.

After recovering on the TT bikes, the riders took on Van der Pol and the final two rides, climbing 7300 meters in elevation over the two days and dropping the Tour de Flanders champion.

Accompanied by a full-time Quick-Step Alphavinir soigneur, Evenpoel rode more than 1,400 km in 11 days, spending more than 44 hours on the bike.

He will return to Belgium to be with his family before heading to the Netherlands next week for the start of the Vuelta in Utrecht on the 19th.

"I can really relax for a few days at home. It would be nice to have a barbecue or something. I'll also train on the back of a scooter," Evenpole said.

"My legs won't be fresh, but my head will be.