With the high mountains rearing up on stage five, today’s race represents the last chance for sprinters such as Tom Boonen, Robbie McEwen, Oscar Freire and Erik Zabel to take an important pre-Tour victory against their green jersey rivals. On paper the stage looks moderate enough for a bunch sprint but the climbs in this Tour de Suisse climbs have perhaps proved tougher than their ranking suggests, so anything could happen.
The 161.3 kilometre route from Niederbipp to La Chaux-de-Fonds features a bonus sprint after 75.3 kilometres on Mont Soleil. Both the name and the profile map suggest that this is a climb but it has not be classified accordingly. The second bonus sprint comes at La Ferrière, 101.4 kilometres in, while third categorie climbs await at Vue des Alpes and Col de la Tourne (118.8 km and 143.4 kilometres respectively).
-
'I went into Australia underdone so I'm trying to fix that this year' - Jay Vine aiming for much stronger start to 2026 than in 2025
Former title holder kicks off new season at National Time Trial Championships on January 8 -
Megan Guarnier returns to pro peloton as co-director for 11-rider CCB Kenetik p/b Levine Law Group - North American Roundup
Application process underway for Jakroo Women's Composite Team while Chloe Patrick joins Kendall Ryan at Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing -
Human Powered Health to debut new 'tailwind' textured kits created by new partner Verge Sport at Tour Down Under
New York-based cycling apparel company makes a 'milestone' move to Women's WorldTour -
The UCI rules have changed for 2026 – Everything you need to know
From equipment restrictions to new additions to the anti-doping watchlist, here's what's changed in 2026
