Tour de Suisse starts five-day race before Tour de France

The Tour de Suisse, one of cycling’s most prestigious stage races, began on Wednesday, June 17, with a challenging hilly circuit around the Italian town of Sondrio. The 89th edition of the men’s race features a condensed five-day format, running through Sunday, June 21, and has attracted a world-class field led by world champion Tadej Pogačar. The concurrent Tour de Suisse Women also started on the same day with its own opening stage in Sondrio, a 109.3-kilometer route designed to test general classification contenders from the outset.

The men’s race has been shortened from its traditional eight days to five this year, a move organizers describe as an effort to ensure the event’s financial sustainability. The route begins with three hilly or mountainous stages before a 23.8-kilometer time trial in Aarburg on stage four, concluding with a demanding mountain stage finishing in Villars-sur-Ollon. Pogačar, riding for UAE Team Emirates, starts as the overwhelming favorite after a dominant spring that included winning four of five stages and the overall title at the Tour de Romandie. He is using the race as his primary tune-up for the Tour de France, which begins on July 4 in Barcelona.