As of this year, the Suisse rider has been part of Team Jumbo-Visma Women. “My first months with the team were delightful and special. I have enjoyed every day. It’s even more fun than I expected, although I didn’t know what to expect as it’s my first year as a pro rider. There is a family atmosphere and everyone is involved and caring. The races have gone well, and I’ve already learned a lot. I’ve grown as an athlete, but also as a person.”
The 21-year-old Rüegg is looking forward to racing on home soil. “This is the only big race in Switzerland, so it’s great that I can participate. It’s special to be able to cycle on familiar territory; that’s not the case for the rest of the year. It’s extra nice that my family is coming to support me; I’m looking forward to that. The return of the Tour de Suisse Féminin (in 2021) is a nice development for Swiss cycling. The sport is growing in my country.”
According to Rüegg, the Tour of Switzerland contains something for everyone. “Every day will be different. We’ll start with a kind of criterium, then a time trial. On the third day, a hilly stage awaits and we will finish with a mountain stage. Especially the first and third stages suit me well. That’s what I’m going to focus on. I’ll go all the way in the first stage and then we’ll see. I’ll try to take it one day at a time.”
“We start without a real leader for the general classification”, Rüegg clarified. “We’re going to race with an open mind. Anyone can take their chance and we want to work well together. We will try to ride aggressively, for example, by going along in a breakaway. Hopefully, that will lead to good results on the day.”
The Tour of Switzerland starts in Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein. The opening stage is a short 46-kilometre criterium, with a hill in each lap. On day two – also in Vaduz – a 25.6-kilometre individual time trial is on the programme. During the third stage, the peloton leaves Vaduz and the riders ride a hilly route. The race ends with a mountain stage with more than three thousand altimeters, which arrives in Lantsch.