The Tour de Suisse Women returns for 2026 with an extended format, now equalling the men's race with five stages instead of last year's four as the Women's WorldTour race continues to grow.
With the added stage, the route has added a time trial on stage 4, joining the traditional line-up of a mixture of sprint, punchy and climbing stages.
The first two stages offer tough finishes for punchy opportunists, with stage 3 the most likely to finish in some kind of sprint, before stage 4's effort against the clock. The overall GC will be decided on stage 5, a pure climbing stage to Villars-sur-Ollon.
Stage 1: Sondrio - Sondrio (109.3km)
There's no easy start to the women's Tour de Suisse, with the first of five stages already offering up a really selective stage with a punchy and hilly finale into Sondrio. It won't be an all-out climbing battle, but will suit riders who like the hills, and those who want to go on the attack early. A rider who takes time here could hold onto the race lead for a few days.
Stage 2: Locarno - Locarno (105.3km)
Stage 2 is slightly gentler than the opener, but could still offer up a pretty selective finish, with the two hills in the finale likely to mean only the very strongest sprinters can hold on, if any. The flat finish lends itself to a sprint of some sorts, but likely from a small group.
Stage 3: Bad Ragaz - Bad Ragaz (120.3km)
Stage 3 is the only stage that could conceivably finish in a bunch sprint, given the one climb is out the way at the very beginning, but the opportunistic riders expected to be in action in Suisse could put paid to that idea. It could be a day that suits a breakaway or an attacking rider, and the sprint teams will have to work hard to keep things together for the finish in Bad Ragaz.
Stage 4: Aarburg - Aarburg, ITT (23.8km)
Stage 4 offers up a time trial, which has often featured in the Tour de Suisse but was absent last year. The growth to five stages opened the door to bring a TT back, though, and this year's will be a flat, powerful effort around Aarburg. This will be one that suits the specialists – who often happen to be the GC riders too – with home rider Marlen Reusser likely a big favourite.
Stage 5: Villars-sur-Ollon - Villars-sur-Ollon (100.3km)
The final stage starting and finishing in Villars-sur-Ollon brings the race's biggest climbing challenge, taking in over 3,000m of elevation.
The 100-kilometre stage essentially features three laps of the Col de la Croix with the start/finish line halfway up the climb. That means the peloton will first race the the final 7.5km, starting straight out the gate, then the full HC climb (19.1km at 7% average gradient) and then the first 10.3km once again, finishing at 1,245m.
With the climb starting as soon as the flag drops, this should be an incredibly interesting stage, with action expected from the gun, but also tactics in play as riders will absolutely have to page their efforts over the full 19km climb.
