The Tour de Suisse may have a reputation as the lesser of the two main Tour de France tuneups, but things are looking up for the race in 2026. Just as the former Critérium du Dauphiné has decided to throw away its brand in favor of the multi-hyphenate monstrosity that is the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Tour de Suisse organizers have shaken up their event and lured two of cycling's biggest stars to make their returns to racing after lengthy breaks.
Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel are both set to tackle the Tour de Suisse this week, and both riders should get their chances to shine in a race that has been shortened from eight stages to just five. With all the action condensed into that compact package, we should be in for an entertaining few days – and even if the entertainment doesn't materialize, at least it won't be a long, drawn out affair.
Here's what you need to know ahead of the race.
There shouldn't be any boring stages
The dearth of pure sprinters on the start list – many are racing elsewhere at the Copenhagen Sprint last weekend and this week's Baloise Belgium Tour – tells you everything you need to know about the route of the Tour de Suisse, which will throw at least a few challenges at the peloton every day. We may still get fast finishes, but all four mass-start stages will be hard enough to make things interesting. As the race website boldly declares in all caps, the Tour de Suisse will show "NO MERCY FROM START TO FINISH."
Okay, that's a bit hyperbolic, but it's true that there should be intrigue every day. The first two stages both feature late Cat. 3 climbs that will break things up, and the third stage has two early Cat. 1 climbs that could whittle down the bunch before a flat final 60 km.
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