Rui Costa has won the Tour de Suisse twice in a row and this week the world champion will be back in the national tour in a quest to make it three in a row. Being the Lampre-Merida leader at the Tour de France, he will also use the race as important preparation for his main target.

In the last two years, Rui Costa has proved his great stage racing potential by winning the Tour de Suisse before going on to play a support role in the Tour de France. This year he will again use the Swiss race as his final preparation but this time he is gearing up for his first leadership job in a grand tour.

Prior to the season, Costa joined Lampre-Merida to get the chance to be a leader in the world's biggest race and after a period of training, he is now approaching the most important event of his season. Before getting to the Tour, however, he will try to make history by taking a third consecutive victory in the Swiss race.

He will be supported by a strong team that contains climbers Jose Serpa and Rafael Valls who are both expected to play a key role in the Tour de France, and Mattia Cattaneo who is coming out of the Giro in good condition. In the flat stages, he can count on his compatriot Nelson Oliveira to keep him out of trouble.

Another part of the team will focus on the sprints, with Sacha Modolo hoping to find back to his winning ways after a great start to the season. He will be supported by lead-out man Maximilano Richeze and fast rider Andrea Palini.

Before doing the Swiss race, the same 8 riders will line up in Switzerland's biggest one-day race, the GP Gippingen, on Thursday.

"Being the captain of a WorldTour team is an honor, but it also gives responsibility," Costa said. "This season I have had good results with this role. I hope to continue at this level also in the Tour of Switzerland, which has always given me a lot of satisfaction. The GP Gippingen is a good approach to the WorldTour race.

"I will have riders at my side that will help me achiving my goals and I don't forget that the Tour of Switzerland is a very important event on the road to the Tour de France.  Switzerland has so many of my fans and also many Portuguese. I ask them to support me and Lampre-Merida with their great passion."
 

The race starts on Saturday with a short time trial.