News

The two main races traditionally used as preparation for the Tour de France are the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Tour de Suisse, both because they are close on the calendar and because their demanding routes make them perfect testing grounds for those who will face the challenge of the Tour. This Sunday, the Swiss race takes over from the French one and marks the start of the final competition week for riders aiming for the most important race of the year.

Tadej Pogačar (1200), Jonas Vingegaard (1200), and Remco Evenepoel (1200) are currently racing in the Critérium du Dauphiné, so none of the top favorites for the Tour de France will be at the Tour de Suisse. However, the provisional start list still includes several notable riders.

 
Route

The race features an eight-stage route with a notable number of summit finishes (stages 2, 3, 5, and 7). The general classification is expected to be decided in the two mountain stages (4 and 5) and the final day’s uphill time trial in Stockhütte (9.2 km at 9%). Stages 1 and 6 are more favorable to sprinters.

 
Favorites

Without Tadej Pogačar (1200), João Almeida (1200) will lead UAE Team Emirates and is the main favorite for the overall win. Ben O’Connor (1000), Felix Gall (1000), Alexandr Vlasov (1000), Pello Bilbao (800), Jay Vine (600), Matthew Riccitello (400), and Geraint Thomas (800) are also GC contenders.

For the sprint finishes, Arnaud De Lie (800), Jordi Meeus (600), Danny Van Poppel (600), Pavel Bittner (400), Madis Mihkels (400), Paul Lapeira (200), and Michael Matthews (600) are among the fastest.

Additionally, riders like Roger Adrià (400), Jan Christen (400), Alberto Bettiol (400), Julian Alaphilippe (600), Tiesj Benoot (400), Stefan Küng (600), Matej Mohorič (600), and Marc Hirschi (800) could aim for stage wins on intermediate-profile days.

 
Photo: © Sam Buchli / Tour de Suisse