While most of Jumbo Visma's Tour de France contingent is competing in this week's Criterium du Dauphiné with Jonas Vingegaard, Wout Van Aert has chosen a different approach, making his debut in the Tour de Suisse, which opens on Sunday.

Van Aert's choice is partly due to his desire to train at altitude for a longer period of time, with both the Tour and the World Championships in Glasgow in August in mind.

Another notable aspect of Van Aert's Tour preparation was his gravel ride training in the Swiss Alps with teammate Wilco Kelderman.

"At an altitude of 3,000 meters, I wanted to get some inspiration that I wouldn't get anywhere else," Jumbo-Visma coach Mathieu Heyboer told In de Leiderstrui.

Van Aert had already trained in the Sierra Nevada in May, but the Belgian encountered plummeting temperatures and snow during his most recent training camp in Diavolezza, 3,000 meters above sea level. Heyboer argued that the benefits of the altitude and the change in approach offset any concerns about conditions.

"There is certainly an idea behind it. Wout is someone who likes to seek new challenges and situations. He said early on that he wanted to be in the Tour but prepare in a different way, because he is not motivated by the same pattern every year," Haiboer said.

"He had already run 3,000 meters in 2021 for the World Championships in Belgium and wanted to repeat that. He wanted to do it not only to stimulate him at high altitude for the Tour, but also because he wanted to do well at the World Championships afterwards.

"That's why his high-altitude training was extended by a week. We are always looking closely at how it fits into the overall picture. The main goal is for him to be in the best shape possible to participate in the Tour and we think this approach is very effective."

The first test of Van Aert's approach will be the Tour de Suisse. The Belgian is expected to shine in the short time trial around Einsiedeln on the first stage, but the favorite there will undoubtedly be his compatriot Remco Evenpole, who is returning to competition after being cut from the Giro d'Italia challenge at COVID-19 ( Soudal-Quickstep) would be the man to beat.