As it happened: Heartbreak for breakaway on final climb as race leader dominates the day at the Tour de Suisse 2026
Without question, the Queen stage will take the peloton on a 152km day of racing with over 4,000m of elevation gain, where the overall winner will be crowned in Villars-sur-Ollon
Tour de Suisse - Everything you need to know
Analysing the contenders for the men's Tour de Suisse
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Results
Tour de Suisse: Tadej Pogačar conquers stage 8 to seal commanding overall victory
Top 10
1. Pogačar (UAD) 4:10'41"
2. Martinez (TBV) +7"
3. Lemmen (TVL) +1'33"
4. Widar (LOI) +1'53"
5. Riccitello (DCT)
6. Mas (MOV) all S.T.
7. Carapaz (EFE) +2'00"
8. Foss (NCI) +2'05"
9. Van Wilder (SOQ) +2'07"
10. Quintana (MOV) +2'12"
Final GC
1. Pogačar (UAD) 15:08'43"
2. Carapaz (EFE) +6'32"
3. Vacek (LTK) +6'53"
Hello and welcome to the final stage of the 2026 men's Tour de Suisse. We have already had the women's race come to a dramatic end on the course around Villars-sur-Ollon. Now it is the turn of the men.
It was a dramatic ending to the time trial yesterday with Tadej Pogačar (UAD) taking the stage by less than a second from Mathieu van der Poel (APT).
It is fair to say that, with his lead of 4'22" over Richard Carapaz (EFE) in 2nd place, Pogačar looks like he has won this year's race, ticking off yet another WorldTour race off the list. That said, anything can still happen!
Here is what the riders have on the menu today. Over 4000 metres of climbing on just one climb that is taken on three times, twice in full with the third being split. The riders start in Villars-sur-Ollon and ride the second half of the Col de la Croix and then at the finish they ride the first half, finishing in Villars-sur-Ollon.
The riders have yet another very sunny day to race in with temperatures expected at a max of 29°c in Villars-sur-Ollon, it will be hotter in the valley bottom.
The neutralised start is in just a couple of minutes.
Non-starters
Matthew Brennan (TVL)
Julian Alaphilippe (TUD)
Alec Segaert (TBV)
Lucas Hamilton (NCI)
Sjoerd Bax (PQT)
UAE Team Emirates-XRG have taken up the pacing with no moves going away just yet as they take on the steepest part of the climb.
Make sure to read the report of the last stage of the women's Tour de Suisse, it was quite the finale to a superb race...
Multiple attacks in the peloton
There are around 6 riders trying to break off the front of the peloton.
Seven riders are clear as the top of the first ascent of the Col de la Croix.
The seven leaders have just 10" on the peloton.
Multiple moves now coming out of the peloton with this quickly becoming difficult to control. There is now a lead group of around 15 riders as they are about to peak the climb.
The green KOM jersey of Louis Vervaeke (SOQ) has made it into the group that slimmed down to 11 riders as they went over the top with just 15" on the peloton.
The gap does seem to be coming down again. UAE Team Emirates-XRG don't seem to want to let this go.
How early is too early for Pogačar to go on the attack?
KOM (Col de la Croix)
1. Vervaeke (SOQ) 6pts
2. Mollema (LTK) 4pts
3. Martinez (TBV) 3pts
4. Schmid (JAY) 2pts
5. Double (JAY) 1pt
Mauro Schmid (JAY) is out front and has just pushed clear of the rest of the break on the descent.
There are two other riders with Schmid now as they look to push on clear of the rest.
The group comes back together as 11 riders again with 55" on the peloton. They are on a plateau around halfway down the descent at the moment.
130km to go
The gap expands to 1'25" between the break and the peloton with Schmid, Double, Vervaeke, Mollema and Martinez the only confirmed riders in the group of 11 riders.
It looks like Bart Lemmen (TVL) is also in this lead group...
Lead group:
Afonso Eulálio (TBV)
Lenny Martinez (TBV)
Andrew August (NCI)
Bauke Mollema (LTK)
Nairo Quintana (MOV)
Finn Fisher-Black (RBH)
Louis Vervaeke (SOQ)
Mauro Schmid (JAY)
Paul Double (JAY)
Mattia Gaffuri (TPP)
Bart Lemmen (TVL)
Peloton +1'40"
August is the best placed rider in the break. He sits in 14th place at 7'36" down on Pogačar.
The race has almost reached the bottom of the descent. They have a very brief period on the valley bottom and then they're back to climbing the Col de la Croix again. This time it is the first of two full ascents with our first passage of the finish line.
And onto the climb they go! This full ascent is 19.6km long with an average of 7% and a max of 17.9%.
110km to go
The gap is just below 2 minutes for the leaders. They need way more gap if they're going to have a chance of being involved at the end of the stage.
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These two riders have a lot to race for today. Carapaz holds onto 2nd place by just 5" over Matthias Vacek (LTK). However, the Czech rider is not a climber. It will be interesting to see how the best young rider copes with the terrain today. His teammate, Andrea Bagioli (LTK) is just 19" behind him with Brandon McNulty (UAD) the next closest at 49".
Mathieu van der Poel (APT) put on a terrific showing in the ITT yesterday, missing out on the win by 0.7 of a second. But, the UCI has deemed that former world road race champion showed too much to viewers after appearing topless on the 'hot seat' and fined him 500 CHF despite the temperatures being in the high 30s...
>>> Mathieu van der Poel fined for 'inappropriate attire' while on hot seat in Tour de Suisse stage 4
More abandons
Markel Beloki (EFE)
Marijn van den Berg (EFE)
The difficulty of the stage coupled with the heat is proving too much for a lot of riders.
The riders roll through the start/finish line in Villars-sur-Ollon for the first time since roll-out earlier this afternoon.
The heat is baking down on the riders and a lot of them are really suffering out there.
Into the final 100km and the small gap appears to suggest that Pogačar wants to go out with a bang and take another stage win as well as the overall title.
5km from the top of the climb.
The riders are nearing the top with 1'50" splitting the break and bunch.
The break head over the top of the Col de la Croix for the second time and they hold roughly the same advantage as they did on the descent of the previous lap.
Currently 12 riders either didn't start or have abandoned the race today.
The gap drops to 1'35".
KOM (Col de la Croix 2)
1. Vervaeke (SOQ) 20pts
2. Mollema (LTK) 14pts
3. Double (JAY) 8pts
4. August (NCI) 6pts
5. Schmid (JAY) 4pts
Vervaeke now has 44 points and leads by 26 points over Mollema. He will win the KOM jersey if he finishes in the time limit.
Eulálio is struggling to follow on the steep and technical bits of the descent but he is back on again now.
Now the riders are on the plateau the gap has dropped again to 1'31" as Tim Wellens and Domen Novak of UAE Team Emirates-XRG lead the way.
There seems to be an easement on the amount of riders abandoning.
The riders reach the bottom of the descent for the penultimate time. There is one more full ascent to come which also includes the Tissot KM, not that the bonus seconds really matter to the break, or even the peloton apart from for the riders sitting around the podium positions behind Pogačar.
The riders are about to start the final full ascent of the Col de la Croix. Will Pogačar have a go this time up?
Onto the climb and August has been distanced from the lead group with Fisher-Black also starting to lose touch.
Double seems to be working for Swiss national champion and teammate, Schmid. The new impetus means the gap goes back up to 1'57".
Multiple riders getting dropped out of the back of the peloton.
The gap goes beyond two minutes for the break again.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG are pushing hard in the peloton and Novak has just swung off the front. However, The gap has grown to the largest of the day at 2'21".
Mollema, Eulálio, Lemmen and Fisher-Black are struggling off the back of the breakaway.
Vervaeke and Schmid share the wins in the Tissot KM as Mollema gets back in again.
It is around 37 degrees Celcius in the valley bottom.
The gap continues to go up and is now at 2'34".
Eulálio has been dropped by the break.
August caught by the peloton.
The pace is upped by the peloton led by Nils Politt (UAD).
Lemmen dropped by the break as Martinez is also out of the back but he appeared to be having issues with the bike rather than his legs.
Further abandons
Domen Novak (UAD)
Ben Swift (NCI)
Novak basically did his job for Pogačar and just decided to stop after the start/finish line.
Because Vervaeke took 2nd in the 2nd Tissot sprint after winning the 1st, it means he wins the Tissot watch. I'm sure you're all thrilled by that news.
Double has been distanced by the break for the moment. He has done a lot of work for Schmid.
50km to go
The gap at 2'04" back to the peloton as Politt also peels off and is distanced by the bunch.
Decathlon-CMA CGM come to the front of the peloton for Matt Riccitello. Interesting move to possibly send him on the attack before the peak of the Col de la Croix.
Fourth on GC, Bagioli, has been dropped by the peloton. He isn't made for the big mountains and that is showing. His teammate, Vacek, is still in the peloton on Carapaz's wheel.
Callum Scotson and Tiesj Benoot of Decathlon-CMA CGM are pushing the pace with the time gap dropping to 1'22" to the break and they have also dropped Wellens from UAE.
Reminder of the leaders
Lenny Martinez (TBV)
Bauke Mollema (LTK)
Nairo Quintana (MOV)
Finn Fisher-Black (RBH)
Louis Vervaeke (SOQ)
Mauro Schmid (JAY)
Mattia Gaffuri (TPP)
Bart Lemmen (TVL)
Martinez leads over the top of the final full ascent of the Col de la Croix ahead of Mollema and Vervaeke.
Double caught by the peloton.
KOM (Col de la Croix 3)
1. Martinez (TBV) 20pts
2. Mollema (LTK) 14pts
3. Vervaeke (SOQ) 8pts
4. Quintana (MOV) 6pts
5. Schmid (JAY) 4pts
That last ascent of the climb was dedicated to the late Gino Mäder who died after crashing at this race in 2023. A superb talent who was lost far too soon and is missed by many.
The race is on the plateau of the descent now. It is seeing the gap to the peloton grow again to 1'44".
Back onto proper descending again and the gap drops once more at 1'40".
It is all coming down to the final climb to Villars-sur-Ollon on the final stage of the Tour de Suisse Men 2026.
20km to go
The gap sits at 2'00" yet again. The riders are close to the intermediate sprint in Ollon (Route d'Aigle) that comes at the base of the climb.
Attack
Bart Lemmen (TVL)
He follows a motorbike as the break completely sat up. Lenny Mattinez and Nairo Quintana follow him.
The chasing group now start chasing but this may already be too late as Lemmen takes the sprint in Ollon.
Back in the peloton, Wellens has returned and is pushing hard for Pogačar. 1'56" between them and the leaders.
Benoot returns to the front for Riccitello. Very interesting that Decathlon-CMA CGM are being so aggressive.
Attack in chase
Louis Vervake (SOQ)
The green KOM jersey goes solo from the chase group and is closing in on the leaders rather quickly.
Attack in peloton!
Tadej Pogačar (UAD)
Richard Carapaz (EFE)
But the Ecuadorian is already gapped by the race leader.
Attack out front
Martinez kicks on with Lemmen trying to follow. Quintana just riding his own tempo.
Pogačar catches and passes Mollema.
Martinez extends his gap to Pogačar who appears to be overheating as he pours an entire bidon over his back.
Lemmen and Quintana are still pushing on but Pogačar is closing. He catches Schmid, Gaffuri and Fisher-Black.
Martinez is holding a minute on Pogačar with 6km to go.
Pogačar floats by Quintana and he about to catch Lemmen. He is absolutely flying up this climb. The speed he is going at is astonishing.
4km to go for Martinez but he is unlikely to take the day as Pogačar is now 34" away.
Vacek is closing in on the Carapaz group. He is on some superb form. They are over 2 minutes down on the leaders but it is still a big fight.
3km to go for Martinez and the gap to Pogačar is now at 28".
Martinez is doing a phenomenal ride but he is all over the bike and is grimacing.
2km to go now for Martinez with Pogačar, now swaying on the bike a bit, is just 15" from the race lead on the stage.
Pogačar seems to now be struggling to get to Martinez but he should. He has dropped into the small cog for the first time this week.
I think the race leader went earlier than he wanted when Scotson accidentally split the group leaving the yellow jersey and Carapaz off the Riccitello led bunch.
Flamme Rouge!
Pogačar accelerates yet again and he is going to catch Martinez inside the final 1000 metres of the race. Just 7" gap, now. 2'26" back to Carapaz, Vacek and co.
Tadej Pogačar catches Lenny Martinez with about 800 metres to go and he just drops him immediately.
500 metres to go and it is yet another win for Tadej Pogačar incoming.
Tadej Pogačar wins stage 5 and the overall title of the Tour de Suisse 2026. Three stage wins to his name and he goes to the Tour de France as the undisputed head and shoulders above the rest favourite.
Martinez crosses the line very soon after him and almost collapses across the line. Lemmen should take third on the day.
Lemmen does, indeed, finish in third on the day with no sign of Quintana or any other riders.
Top 10
1. Pogačar (UAD) 4:10'41"
2. Martinez (TBV) +7"
3. Lemmen (TVL) +1'33"
4. Widar (LOI) +1'53"
5. Riccitello (DCT)
6. Mas (MOV) all S.T.
7. Carapaz (EFE) +2'00"
8. Foss (NCI) +2'05"
9. Van Wilder (SOQ) +2'07"
10. Quintana (MOV) +2'12"
Final GC
1. Pogačar (UAD) 15:08'43"
2. Carapaz (EFE) +6'32"
3. Vacek (LTK) +6'53"
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There have been some really good gains in the GC on the final day, the biggest being from Lemmen who jumped up eight places to take 10th place in the final standings. Sergio Higuita (XDS-Astana) up four to ninth, Enric Mas (Movistar) up eight to 12th, Riccitello up three to seventh plus Foss and Van Wilder both going up two to fourth and fifth. Bagioli the big loser dropping 16 positions from fourth to 20th.
Make sure to read out post race report on a sweltering final day in Switzerland...
>>> Tour de Suisse: Tadej Pogačar powers to stage 5 win and seals commanding overall victory
