“I did 32,000 metres of climbing around Teide during a two-week camp last month and, by the time we finish this latest fortnight, I will have done another 32,000 metres,” he said.

“From April 1 this year to the day I line up for the Tour de France prologue on June 30, I will have done 100,000 metres of high-quality climbing. There is no other environment that can beat Mount Teide. We ride our bikes, get a massage, eat and then sleep. The we get up and do it again. And again. We have altitude, heat and virtually empty roads most days. Everything is geared to one thing, achieving the fitness and form required to win the Tour de France.

“I’m not nervous about the Tour anymore, just excited. I’ve learned to be a team leader, which I struggled with initially. Being the focus of a big team and the individual so many amazing riders are working their butts off for is not easy. I could only be comfortable with that once I had been able to prove to them with big race results, and setting the tone in training, that I am worthy of their support. I have done that now and I am confident in my fitness. I know what I am capable of.”