"Ever since they announced that, this has been a super big goal for me. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for cyclists to have the Tour's start.
And also the first two stages suit me really well so that makes it even more exciting.
I hope it brings a lot of fans to the start and inspires a lot of Swiss people to ride their bikes when they see us having fun on the bike."
The home atmosphere presents both an opportunity and a focus challenge for the returning rider.
"It's crazy, actually," said Rüegg about the surrounding media attention.
"I need to make sure to not get too excited and also to take some moments for myself to calm down.
But I would say, it's like 110 percent motivation and excitement coming up."
Teammate Nina Berton reflected on the opportunity to compete on legendary mountain passes featured in historical Tour coverage.
"I'm excited about everything," said Berton. "The Tour de France is the most iconic stage race, in my opinion.
I grew up watching it, so I'm just excited that I know I'm doing what little me was hoping to do, so that's just super exciting."
Berton emphasized the historical evolution of women's cycling to include iconic climbs like Mont Ventoux.
"Getting to ride up Mont Ventoux where I used to watch as a kid, it's just epic," said Berton.
"I mean, as a kid, you don't realize that you are not allowed to race with the men, and then later you get disappointed because the race doesn't exist for you.
