Favorites and start times for stage 8 Tour of Switzerland 2025 | Vauquelin vs Almeida in a man-to-man battle on 9%

A 10-kilometer time trial typically doesn’t allow for huge time gaps, but Sunday will be a different story. Just like last year, the Tour de Suisse concludes with an uphill time trial. The race against the clock begins in Beckenried, a small village on the stunning Lake Lucerne, expect some breathtaking helicopter shots.

Heading east out of Beckenried, the first 500 meters are flat, but then the climbing begins, and it's no joke. The climb officially measures 9.2 kilometers at 9%, but it’s highly irregular. The first 4 kilometers rise steadily between 7 and 10%, followed by a relatively flat kilometer through the village of Emmetten. That’s where Saturday’s stage finished, and it now serves as an intermediate checkpoint. From there, riders make a sharp right turn and head southwest for the final stretch.

From Emmetten, the riders immediately face several steep kilometers, with gradients never dropping below 8%. As they approach the finish, they’ll hit the steepest sections—500 meters at over 12%. Even the final stretch doesn't dip below 10%. It’s going to be a brutal battle all the way to the line! At least the riders will be rewarded with spectacular views as they catch their breath at the summit.

Climbs
0.5 km: Berghütte (9.2 km at 9%)

Times
Start: 11:20 AM (local time) | 5:20 AM (EST)
Finish: 5:00 PM (local time) | 11:00 AM (EST)

Scorching—that’s the only way to describe Sunday’s heat in Switzerland. Temperatures will already be around 28°C (82°F) for the early starters, and it’s expected to climb another 5 degrees as the afternoon progresses. A light breeze will offer little relief, especially since the climb is on the leeward side of the mountain, meaning it’s shielded from the wind.

João Almeida lost minutes on day 1 already and has been chasing ever since. The Portuguese rider fought back with two stage wins and was attacking almost every day. Of the initial 3 minutes and 22 seconds he lost to a large group of GC contenders, only 33 seconds remain, but that gap is to Kévin Vauquelin. The Frenchman is a time trial specialist, so he won’t be thrilled that Sunday’s stage finishes uphill. Will half a minute be enough for him to secure the overall win for Arkéa-B&B Hotels?

The other GC riders vying for the podium are, unsurprisingly, all strong climbers and therefore contenders for the stage win as well. Oscar Onley already claimed a stage victory at Picnic PostNL and continues to impress in the mountains. The same goes for Felix Gall, who hopes to climb onto the podium for Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale. For that, he’ll need at least two of the riders ahead of him to falter. Maybe Julian Alaphilippe? He’s been riding well, but over the past few days, he’s looked like the weakest of the current top five.

Basically, we expect this group to battle for both the stage and overall victory, but there are also riders in the top ten who may go all-in for the stage win. Lennard Kämna (Lidl-Trek) and Ben O'Connor (Jayco-AlUla) came up short in the GC battle, but they’re both excellent climbers. The same goes for Pello Bilbao, who’ll be eager to deliver a win for Bahrain Victorious, perhaps also as a tribute to his late teammate Gino Mäder. The Spaniard lost a lot of time on Saturday, was he saving energy on purpose?

Other pure climbers we still expect at the front: Lorenzo Fortunato may have something left in the tank at XDS Astana after his mountain jersey in the Giro d'Italia, Aleksandr Vlasov will want to show something for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe in a not super convincing stage race after all, and at the tail end of the top ten, we expect a good battle between Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal-Quick Step) and Clément Champoussin (also Astana).

Top favorites: João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL)
Outsiders: Felix Gall (Decathlon-AG2R), Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) 
Longshots: Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor), Ben O'Connor (Jayco AlUla), Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal-Quick Step), Clement Champoussin (XDS Astana), Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana)