Pogacar, Van der Poel, Pidcock, and Roglic meet at the revamped 2026 Tour of Switzerland

The 2026 Tour de Suisse kicks off on Wednesday, June 17 with a completely revamped edition that promises to become one of the last major tests before the Tour de France. The historic Swiss race reduces its duration from eight to five stages, focuses on more concentrated routes, and has managed to gather a top-level participation led by Tadej Pogacar.

Tour de Suisse 2026: Pogacar leads a luxury lineup in a revolutionary edition that is reduced to just five stages

The event, which will take place between June 17 and 21, will cover 634.5 kilometers between Italy and Switzerland, starting in Sondrio and finishing in Villars-sur-Ollon. A shorter but very intense format that aims to attract the top contenders for the Tour de France and offer more explosive races.

A new Tour de Suisse to attract the stars of the Tour

The organizers have decided to completely transform the race for 2026. The main change is the reduction from eight to five days of competition, a measure designed to make it more compatible with the preparation of riders whose main goal is the Tour de France.

Additionally, all stages will start and finish in the same location, favoring greater contact with fans and a more compact format. The organization defines this new model under three concepts: innovation, interaction, and Swiss essence.

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Despite losing three stages compared to previous years, the route retains the classic ingredients of the race: mountains, broken terrain, and a decisive individual time trial.

Tadej Pogacar leads a spectacular participation

The main attraction of this edition will be the presence of Tadej Pogacar. The world champion will compete in Switzerland as part of his preparation for the Tour de France and will start as the main favorite for the general classification.

However, the Slovenian will not be alone. Among the most notable names are Primoz Roglic, Tom Pidcock, Lenny Martinez, and Sergio Higuita.

They will be joined by riders capable of fighting for sprint stages like Arnaud De Lie and Matthew Brennan, as well as classics specialists like Alberto Bettiol.

Also present, though not yet officially confirmed, will be Mathieu van der Poel, who had already confirmed his intention to compete in the Swiss race as part of his pre-Tour de France calendar.

A short but demanding route

The race will feature a total of 634.5 kilometers spread over five stages.

Stage 1 – Sondrio - Sondrio

• June 17 14:15 - 15:45
• The first contact with a relatively short route that can already create differences among the favorites.

Stage 2 – Locarno - Locarno

• June 18 14:00 - 17:45
• A longer day with mountainous terrain that could offer the first major duel among the general classification contenders.

Stage 3 – Bad Ragaz - Bad Ragaz

• June 19 13:45 - 17:45
• A broken stage with constant changes of pace and opportunities for long-range attacks.

Stage 4 – Aarburg - Aarburg (Individual Time Trial)

• June 20 15:04 - 17:30
• The only time trial of the edition could be decisive in such a short race, where every second will have enormous value.

Stage 5 – Villars-sur-Ollon - Villars-sur-Ollon

• June 21 13:30 - 17:30
• The queen stage and grand finale of the race. The finish in Villars-sur-Ollon will very likely decide the overall winner of the 2026 Tour de Suisse.

Although in recent years many favorites have preferred the Dauphiné as preparation for the Tour de France, the Tour de Suisse maintains a close historical relationship with the Grande Boucle.

The last Tour winner who used Switzerland as preparation and ended up winning in Paris was Egan Bernal in 2019. Before him, the most recent precedent was Andy Schleck in 2010.

The current champion of the event is Joao Almeida, winner in 2025 after defeating Kevin Vauquelin and Oscar Onley.

With Pogacar, Roglic, Van der Poel, Pidcock, and several of the best riders in the world peloton at the starting line, this new condensed version of the Tour de Suisse promises to become one of the most spectacular races on the calendar leading up to the Tour de France.