Tour de Suisse experiments with 'future of cycling' format

The Tour de Suisse is boldly charting a new course for professional cycling, embracing innovation in its 2026 edition. This year's race, which concluded Sunday in Villars-sur-Ollon, served as a "test for the future," according to organizers, as the sport grapples with financial instability and questions about its identity.

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar and Switzerland's Marlen Reusser emerged as the winners, with Reusser expressing strong enthusiasm for the event. "I am a big fan of the Tour de Suisse, my teammates are too. All the teams love it!" she declared, highlighting the positive reception from riders.

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I am a big fan of the Tour de Suisse, my teammates are too. All the teams love it!

A significant shift this year was the unprecedented integration of men's and women's races on the same day and often on the same circuits, a first for a WorldTour stage race. This "fusion of calendars" was accompanied by another radical change: stages now run as circuits, abandoning traditional city-to-city routes or varied mountain passes. Each day, a single municipality hosted both the start and finish, with the peloton passing the finish line multiple times.

Race director Olivier Senn reported that the new format kept spectators engaged. "We weren't bored for a second, the race was the same as before, and the quality of the TV images too," he stated, suggesting the innovations did not detract from the racing spectacle. The event aims to provide a model for a more sustainable and engaging future for cycling.

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We weren't bored for a second, the race was the same as before, and the quality of the TV images too.