Deceuninck-QuickStep's Remco Evenepoel previewed two key stages of this year's Giro d'Italia while in Italy for a team training camp. The 20-year-old Belgian will compete in the three-week race from October 3-25 and is considered a potential GC threat despite it being the first Grand Tour of his career.

Evenpoel, who is currently in the Italian Dolomites for an 18-day high-altitude training camp based at the Val di Fasso ski resort with his Dečuninck-QuickStep teammates, spent last Friday and Saturday in Conegliano to Valdobbiadene and found time to scout the route for the stage 14 individual time trial and stage 15, which starts at the Revolt Air Force Base in Codroipo and ends with a summit finish at the Piancavallo ski resort.

"I was able to run two stages that were important for me and the team, and I got an early look at the menu for the third weekend of the race.

"To be honest, the route is difficult, but I know it well now and this information will be useful in October.

"Even with the bad weather, the roads are really good and it felt good to be back on my Specialized Shiv [time trial bike]. [The two time trials took place at the Vuelta a San Juan in Argentina in January and the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal in February, and the current European time trial champion won both of these stage races overall.

Depending on his form after two weeks of racing, Evenepoel will be one of the favorites to win the 33.7km long Valdobbiadene time trial on October 18. [The stage includes three climbs - Serra Chianztan, Forcella di Monte Resto, and Forcella di Para Valzana - with a fourth climb to finish at the ski resort of Piacavallo.

This will be Evenpoel's first Giro, but he will be able to count on both an experienced team and the knowledge he has gained from two stage reconnaissance rides.

"I rode the Piacavallo stage on Friday and a day later the time trial between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. The 2km time trial refers to the Treviso to Valdobbiadene stage of the Giro five years ago, which was won by Team Sky's Vasil Kiryienka.

"We scouted many of the roads and tricky descents from five years ago. For Lemko, it was a useful test because it allowed him to look at the course and see what the main obstacles would be."