Lemko Evenepoel will be riding light races and high-altitude roads in the Giro d'Italia, just as he did when he won the Vuelta a España last summer.

The world champion had already announced that he would start his campaign at the Vuelta a San Juan in Argentina later this month, but he announced a more detailed program at the Soudal-Quick Step team presentation in De Panne on Friday The team announced the program in more detail at the team presentation.

His schedule for the Giro includes only four races, with an equal number of training camps at high altitude.

After the Vuelta a San Juan, Evenepoel will continue with the UAE Tour in late February, the Volta a Catalunya in late March, and the Liege-Bastogne-Liege in late April. 22 days of racing until the Giro opens on May 6.

Before and after these races, Evenpoel will spend time training at altitude, with "big trips" scheduled before and after Catalunya. After Liège, there will be a shorter final tune-up camp before moving on to Italy for the Giro.

"I need a lot of training, a lot of high altitude camps, but last year I saw that it works for me.

"For me, having a fairly calm period and a block of more stressful races works for me. When you go to a race, there is a lot of pressure to win or to get a result. Combining that with a training camp where there is no pressure and you just get the job done helps me deal with the stress. I can put all my energy into my goals."

Evenpole emphasized that his chosen race was not just a stepping stone, but a true goal.

"I do every race with the idea of getting on the podium or at least winning a stage. There aren't many races, but with the exception of Argentina, they are all at the highest level."

As for training camps at altitude, Evenpoel visited Livigno, Italy last summer to great effect, but the next few months will see a change of scene, with the well-maintained roads of Tenerife's volcanic Mount Teide welcoming the 22-year-old Evenpoel.

"The weather is not good at the moment in places like the Sierra Nevada and Liviño," he notes.

"Right now, the first camp is in Tenerife, and the other one, I don't know at the moment, is in the sun.

Evenpoel expects Liège-Bastogne-Liège to play a similar role to the 2022 Clasica San Sebastián after the prestige of the three one-week stage races.

That was when he returned from two summer high altitude training camps, crushed his competitors in the Spanish Classics, and set the stage for victory in the Vuelta and then the World Championships.

And with the incentive of returning as the defending champion, Liège was also the stage where Evenpoel won his first Monument title last spring, another solo run.

"We want to race at a high level after the training camp, just like we did last year in Saint Sebastian. Liège is much colder, so it will certainly be different, but we'll see what happens when we come down from the mountains."

"I want to get a good result in Liège for my head and morale. With the rainbow jersey and number 1, it will be a special day.

Evenpoel's schedule is now up to the Giro, and the rest will depend on the results in Italy. If all goes well, the Belgian Tour and Belgian National Championships will be in late June, the Clasica San Sebastian again in late July, and the World Championships in Glasgow in August.