Tadei Pogachar made headlines earlier this year when he ran up the Col de Late in southeastern Spain and broke the fastest time recorded on Strava. Just a few weeks later, that time was beaten by a rider not known for his climbing: Victor Campenaerts.

Pogachar's record is perhaps better contextualized by Campenaerts, but the Belgian, who continues to camp at sea level altitude outside of Denia, emphasized his form.

Lot Soudal's riders are preparing for the classics with an extended stay at the Sniklosfera Hotel, founded by former pro Alexandre Kolobnev.

In between nights at altitudes of over 2000m, they test themselves in the inland mountains of the region, training hard at sea level.

Pogachar won the Strava "KOM" record on January 9 in a friendly but competitive race with young teammate Juan Ayuso, clocking 24:50 for the entire 9.71 km.

However, Kampenaerts shaved 13 seconds off that time over the weekend. According to Strava's files, he averaged 413 watts and a heart rate of 192 bpm as he climbed a 6.6% grade at 23.7 km/h.

"I went full throttle on the climb. When I got to the top, the doctor told me I was more tired than after the world hour record," Kampenaerts said, according to Het Laatste Nieuws.

However, he was keen to point out that one should not draw many conclusions from a single Strava effort.

"I never want to think or say that I am a good climber, let alone a stage racer.

"If you analyze Taddei's effort closely, he lost a lot of time on a gravel road that he probably didn't know well. So I made the difference and held up well on the steep uphill sections. I am convinced that Tadej could take back the KOM if he wanted to, but it would be impossible for a good junior or novice.

"What does this KOM mean to you? Nothing. My trainer told me to run 20km twice "as hard as I could" and I chose that climb for the second time in that exercise. I had a good time and knew I was in good shape for the opening weekend. And most importantly, I can go to sleep tonight feeling blissful. The mental side of things is great."