"Immediately upon my return into competition, I was able to achieve good results in the Tour de Romandie and Eschborn-Frankfurt last month, even though I was not yet at a good level after eight months without racing and only a few weeks of training. In May I joined the team's altitude training camp in Andorra where I managed to work on all training aspects: building the base, raising the threshold, improving my VO2 Max and reducing my weight. The training conditions were good, and the team atmosphere was great. In addition to our training sessions, we spent a lot of time together in the evenings. Since my return home on Monday I have an excellent feeling in training. I am therefore looking forward to the Critérium du Dauphiné, where I hope to show the progress I have made in my build up. We are lining up with a strong team, which can shine in each stage. Hugo Page will be our protected rider on the sprint days, while Louis Meintjes is our leader for the general classification. In the mountains, I want to stay by his side for as long as possible. Personally, if the opportunity arises, I would like to fight for a stage win, for example in a breakaway."
