The 89th Tour de Suisse begins on Wednesday 17 June in Sondrio, Italy, and finishes four days later in Villars-sur-Ollon, packing around 634km, and over 4,000m of climbing on the final day alone, into a five-stage format that replaces the traditional eight-day race. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) all appear on the preliminary startlist for what is, on paper, the strongest Tour de Suisse field in years.
The reduction to five stages removes any real transition day. Three hilly road stages, a 23.7km individual time trial and a queen stage with three laps of a circuit over the Col de la Croix mean GC contenders face immediate pressure from Stage 1. João Almeida, who won the 2025 edition across eight stages at an average speed of 43.5km/h, is the reigning champion, but he has just abandoned the Tour Auvergne Rhône-Alpes after returning from illness and will not be tking part here.
Race Stages
5 Stages • 459.4km total
| Stage | Date | Route | Distance | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jun 17 | Sondrio | 109.3 km | Road Stage |
| 2 | Jun 18 | Locarno | 105.3 km | Road Stage |
| 3 | Jun 19 | Bad Ragaz | 120.8 km | Road Stage |
| 4 | Jun 20 | Aarburg | 23.7 km | Time Trial |
| 5 | Jun 21 | Villars-sur-Ollon | 100.3 km | Road Stage |
Key stages and pressure points
The opening stage should test the legs of the riders early as the Tour de Suisse starts in Italy for the first time in the race's history. The riders will roll out of Sondrio and take a largely flat first third of the day before heading onto the climbs with the final 90km loaded with climbs. The Buglio in Monte (3km at 10.1%, with early ramps around 17%), Triangia (4.3km at 7.3%) and two category 3 efforts inside the last 20km. A 1.1km wall at 12.2% before a plunge to the finish line makes for a tough opener. The forecast for Sondrio on Wednesday points to a high of 31°C with a 70% chance of showers and variable wind, adding complexity on the exposed climbs and technical descents. A day where Tadej Pogačar will likely immediately take yellow.
Stage 2 hugs the Swiss/Italian border for much of the day with the start and finish near the shores of Lake Maggiore. It isn't as tough as stage 1 but still packs a punch with the Monte Ceneri (5.2km at 6.4%) and the late climb of Via Consiglio Mezzano cresting with 8km to go. Both days favour punchy climbers and explosive finishers over conventional sprinters.
The third stage is the only day any sprinter on the startlist will get for a possible stage chance with a largely flat final 57km. However, two category 1 climbs in the first 60km will sting any fast men's legs.
Stage 4 is a flat and technical time trial with a short kicker of 560m at 3.9% around Aarburg. The 23.7km effort will be a good show of where GC riders are going into the deciding major mountain stage on the final day.
The fifth and final stage is the main GC focus of this year's race with three laps of a brutal circuit that covers the climbs around Villars-sur-Ollon with over 4000 metres of climbing. They take on the Col de la Croix three times with the full climb being taken on twice at 19.1km at an average gradient of 7.1% with the final ascent to half way up the climb to Villars-sur-Ollon being 9.6km at 8% where the final victor will be decided.
Tour de Suisse 2026 Startlist
Contenders
Pogačar is the clear favourite. Almost every stage suits the world champion with a superb line-up including Brandon McNulty, Mikkel Bjerg, Nils Politt and Felix Großschartner expected to be riding in support of their great leader.
After him, the secondary leaders are led by Roglič who will hope the short punchy climbs early on and the time trial can be used to full effect for him to get a gap on his rivals. But he may struggle to beat the top names with the form he has shown this year.
Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) was commonly considered a podium contender in the weeks before the race, however on the morning of June 16 his team announced he would not be competing on account of an infection.
Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) brings pure climbing strength, while Antonio Tiberi and Lenny Martinez give Bahrain Victorious a dual card that allows one to pressure the hilly stages while the other protects GC. Bahrain Victorious also bring Afonso Eulálio after his amazing Giro d'Italia exploits. But don't expect the young Portuguese rider to be up there in this race after a long a tough Grand Tour.
Other riders to watch for the GC are Andrew August (Netcompany-Ineos), Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché) who is returning from injury, Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal-QuickStep), Clement Champoussin (XDS-Astana) as well as many more besides.
Van der Poel, who won stages 2 and 3 at the Tour de Suisse in 2021, has not raced since Paris-Roubaix. His targets here are stage wins, and Stage 1's punchy finale and Stage 2's reduced-group finish both suit his capabilities. Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek) makes his comeback at this race, while Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Intermarché), Corbin Strong (NSN), Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Orluis Aular (Movistar) will look for opportunities on the punchier finishes.
Prediction
The route and format both point to Pogačar. He can absorb the punishment of Stages 1 and 2, gain time on Stage 4 and finish the job on the Col de la Croix circuit. Roglič is the likeliest challenger, with the time trial giving him a credible path to stay within reach. Tiberi could take a podium spot if he finds the legs to match the top two on the final day.
Cover image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com
