For Van Aert, this is his first time at the start of the Tour de Suisse. He has often used the Critérium du Dauphiné as a preparation race for the Tour de France, but this season he is taking a different approach. "The Tour de Suisse is a race I'd like to explore. I am curious to see how it will turn out", Van Aert said.

The 28-year-old Belgian got off to a fast start on the flat course but could not carry this into the second half of the race. "I can still be happy with it. I'm close, and the legs are fine”, Van Aert reflected. "Looking back, I think I started a bit too fast. I was hoping to accelerate in the last two kilometres, but I just lacked some hardness. All in all, it was a good time trial."

Sports director Marc Reef agreed. "Wout pulled out all the stops, especially the first part of his time trial was solid. He tried to have a bit left at the end, but it wasn't enough to make the difference."

Van Aert aims for a stage win in Switzerland and sees immediate opportunities tomorrow. "It could be a nice stage. It remains to be seen if the real sprinters survive the climbs, but I'm ready to fight with them."

Wilco Kelderman could not show any immediate GC ambitions in and around Einsiedeln. He lost 52 seconds to Küng and finished 56th. "I gave it my all, and my feeling wasn't bad either", the Dutchman said. Reef: "A time trial is fair. Wout and Wilco have just come down from the mountains and trained well there, and such a first effort is sometimes tricky. We shouldn't read too much into the differences."