The Tour de Romandie returns in 2026 for six days of high-elevation racing totalling 851.9 kilometres and 14,183 metres of elevation gain. A playground for the climbers, the route again passes through the French-speaking regions of Switzerland with 17 classified climbs on offer.
Last year, the men's WorldTour event started and ended with individual time trials, but this time there is only an opening prologue, so the five road stages increase the total distance by close to 165km.
The race begins in Villars-sur-Glâne with a prologue. Each stage thereafter offers three or four classified climbs, with a mountaintop finish at Leysin, overlooking the Rhone Valley and Lake Geneva.
Article continues belowPrologue: Villars-sur-Glâne (ITT)
A loop around Villars-sur-Glâne sets the GC order for the rest of the week in the opening prologue. A pair of 90-degree turns on the approach to the finish line are the only obstacles on paper, while the unpredictable weather could become a factor. Aside from Rohan Dennis in 2021, who won by 9 seconds, the prologue winner typically earns the top honours in fractions of a second.
Stage 1: Martigny-Martigny, 171.2km
The first road stage of the 2026 Tour de Romandie stays mainly on valley roads to and from Martigny, with three circuits to the north-west to cross a category 3 La Passe. Then the peloton follows the Rhone River to the north-east for an intermediate sprint in Saxon, and hits the first major climb of the week at Ovronnaz, a 12km ascent averaging 9.1% gradient. Only 33km remain from the top of the category 1 climb for an expected reduced bunch sprint back in Martigny.
Stage 2: Rue-Vucherens, 173.1km
Stage 2 features a relentless day of punchy climbs from Rue to Vucherens. While the actual distance between the towns is less than 10 kilometres, the peloton will take a serpentine path for a total of 173.1 kilometres. The opening 33.8km wind from the start in the medieval village of Rue before making a first pass of the finish line for a trio of circuits. Along the way, a third-category climb of Vuillens rises just after an intermediate sprint in Chapelle each time. From the top of Vuillens on the third and final pass, only 3.8km remain for a fast finish.
Stage 3: Orbe-Orbe, 176.6km
Stage 3 is a series of loops for 176.6km around the medieval town of Orbe in a valley of vineyards surrounded by narrow gorges and limestone cliffs. The first of three categorised climbs comes quickly, in the opening 7.7km at Suchy, with the first 55km circuit to the east. The next 57km roll to the north with undulating terrain but uncategorised climbs.
After another pass through Orbe, the peloton then encounters the final loop to the south for the final 64.6km. Once across the third-category Oulens-Sur-Echallens, a short descent leads to the major obstacle of the day, Col Mollendruz, a 21.8-kilometre ascent in the Jura Mountains. All 32km from the top are downhill back to the finish in Orbe.
Stage 4: Broc-Charmey, 149.6km
The stage from Broc to Charmey is similar to the second day of racing in that the two towns are separated by less than 10 kilometres, but an out-and-back path plus one large loop will add up to 149.6km. What the stage lacks in total distance to match other road stages, it makes up for that with climbing - two at category 2 and two at category 1.
The opening section heads east, climbing both sides of Jaunpass. The shorter side, at 5.6km, averages 8.3% gradient with a section at 10.3%. A short loop at the base leads back up the other side, longer at 8km with an average of 7.8% gradient and pitches at 9.3%. Then it's back through Charmey and Broc for a counter-clockwise southern loop through Gruyères, Les Moulins and Saanen for the category 2 climb of Saanenmöser, just north of Gstaad. A final intermediate sprint at Garstatt positions a second climb on the long side of Jaunpass for the final 17km to the finish.
Stage 5: Lucens-Leysin, 178.2km
The final stage of the 2026 Tour de Romandie is the only mountaintop finish of the week. The 178.2-kilometre journey begins on the banks of the Broye River in Lucens. The first 70km cover four climbs that are not categorised, with the middle of the route marked by a pair of category 3 ascents - Sottens and Vuillens. The overall winner will be crowned on the line. An intermediate sprint at Chardonne brings the race close to Lake Geneva, then heads inland for another uncategorised climb in Châtel-St-Denis.
Back to lake views between Montreux and Villeneuve, the final intermediate sprint at Roche signals the base of the climb to Leysin, with only 15.6km remaining to crown a champion. The bulk of the ascent covers 10.9 km at an average of 6.7%. In 2024, the climb changed the GC complexion as the penultimate day of racing, Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) tumbling out of the race lead and Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers) taking over and then winning the GC.
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