Joao Almeida seeks to extend his winning streak in the Tour de Suisse

Usually, the favorites for the Tour de France split their participation between the Critérium du Dauphiné, which has been taking place since last Sunday, and the Tour de Suisse, which will be held between next Sunday, June 15, and Sunday, June 22, just two weeks before the start of the Grande Boucle. A demanding race marked by the characteristic mountainous terrain of the Swiss territory.

Favorites to win the Tour de Suisse 2025

With the participation that has gathered this year at the Critérium du Dauphiné, the other usual prelude to the Tour de France, this Tour de Suisse 2025 has been quite lackluster in terms of big names. However, the top favorite for the final victory is once again a rider from UAE Team Emirates, in this case Joao Almeida, who this season has taken a step forward in his performance as a stage racer, winning both the Itzulia and the Tour de Romandie. Now, the Portuguese rider faces his last race with full freedom where he will seek to round off an exceptional start to the year before focusing on the Tour de France where he will have to support Tadej Pogacar.

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Beyond Almeida, it is difficult to name a rider who can compete with the level shown by the UAE Team Emirates cyclist. The next contender to consider in the fight for the general classification should be the Irishman Ben O'Connor, who is also aiming for the Tour de France at the Tour de Suisse.

One step below, it is worth mentioning riders like Marc Hirschi, who benefits from racing at home, or Pello Bilbao, who is well-suited to the Swiss terrain. However, both have shown themselves far from their best form in the previous races.

It will be interesting to see what Movistar is capable of, as they bring a team of luxury with riders like Pablo Castrillo, Javi Romo, or Pelayo Sánchez.

Route of the Tour de Suisse 2025

8 stages make up this Tour de Suisse 2025, starting with three medium mountain stages to get a feel for the Swiss roads. All of them have a tricky profile that can provide a lot of excitement. The first stage includes a second-category climb. The second stage has a constantly uphill finish and the last 50 kilometers feature 4 small climbs; and the third stage finishes uphill after climbing two more climbs in the last 15 kilometers.

Without much respite, the 4th stage offers the first contact with high mountains, a stage with a single climb up the Splügen Pass, almost 9 kilometers at 7.4% average gradient. A very consistent climb typical of the Alps that connects Switzerland with Italy and is crowned at 2,114 m, which will surely allow us to see the first skirmishes among the favorites.

A preview of the 5th stage, the queen stage of the race where 4 first-category climbs are ascended to finish at the top. After this, only a flat stage the next day will remain to decide the Tour de Suisse, another medium mountain stage in the 7th stage, but with a very interesting finish with a 2nd category climb 15 km from the conclusion and a finish uphill. As a dessert, the riders will have to measure their strength against the clock, although the just 10 km of this time trial, despite being constantly uphill, should not lead to major changes in the general classification.

How to watch the Tour de Suisse 2025

After years without being able to enjoy the Tour de Suisse on television in Spain, Eurosport will once again broadcast this race through its conventional channels and the Max platform, where the self-proclaimed House of Cycling is integrated.

The broadcasts will start around 14:50 and will last beyond 17:30 when the stages of the race are scheduled to finish.