The Tour de Suisse consists of eight stages. On the opening day a flat time trial over ten kilometres is planned. From stage two onwards the riders will have to face a number of Swiss hills. On the penultimate day a race against the clock awaits the riders. The Tour ends with a tough mountain stage with an altitude of 2000 metres.

Memories
It’s not Oomen’s first participation in the Tour de Suisse. “I have been able to ride this race a number of times. Switzerland is a beautiful race country. I cherish some great memories, but at the same time I’ve also suffered quite a bit there. For example, in 2016 I saw stars at the top of the Rettenbachferner. In the 2018 edition, I finished seventh in the general classification. I remember that I was in good shape at the time, just after I had ridden a grand tour. I hope to return home with a good feeling again this year.”

Shape
Oomen’s free role in this year’s eight-day stage race seems to suit him. “I don’t know exactly how good my shape is at the moment. We have had a good training camp with the team. I think my form is fine. We’ll just have to wait and see how my body reacts after the altitude training. I need race rhythm to achieve good performances.”

The citizen of the Dutch city of Tilburg has settled in well with the team. “I feel like a fish in the water with this team”, he says. “From day one it feels familiar. I have already experienced some beautiful moments. Hopefully I can add another memorable event to that in the coming week. I don’t want to expect too much in advance because, as I said, it is difficult to say exactly what I am capable of at the moment. I’m going to give everything and make the best of it.”

Dumoulin returns
After an absence of several months, Tom Dumoulin will return to the peloton in Switzerland. The Dutchman is looking forward to his first race in a long time. “It’s quite an exciting experience. It feels a bit like going to school for the first time as a little boy. This race is not a peak moment for me. I do think I can have a few good days in Switzerland. The most important thing for now is that I can prepare myself in optimal conditions for the Olympics. The two time trials on the programme are a good test. I want to get back the feeling of a rider who is in the middle of the race. The feeling of pinning on a number, riding from start to finish as much as possible. I hope to experience that in Switzerland and where possible to improve myself.”

In addition to Oomen and Dumoulin, Mike Teunissen, Nathan Van Hooydonck, Antwan Tolhoek, Gijs Leemreize and Chistoph Pfingsten will also ride in Switzerland.