Tour de Suisse Women 2026 | No Vollering, but plenty of other Tour de France Femmes hopefuls
CyclingMonday, 15 June 2026 at 17:06
A brand-new format has been rolled out for the women's Tour de Suisse. In a five-stage race, we'll see a mix of riders who've just come from the Giro d'Italia Women, or who are already building towards the Tour de France Femmes in August. Demi Vollering won't be taking part, but who will? And what's in store for them?
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Recent Tour de Suisse winners
Route, stage favorites, and times for the 2026 Tour de Suisse – Elite Women
Stage 1, Wednesday, June 17, 2026: Sondrio – Sondrio (109.3 km)
On the opening day, with both start and finish in northern Italy, the women will ride a loop around Sondrio. It includes three categorised climbs, one fewer than the men face. The efforts will be short and sharp, so punchers and climbers could make the difference.
Favorites
Kim Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal)
Liane Lippert (Movistar)
Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM)
Kim Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal)
Liane Lippert (Movistar)
Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM)
Times
Start: 9:26 a.m CET
Finish: around 12:15 p.m CET
Start: 9:26 a.m CET
Finish: around 12:15 p.m CET
Stage 2, Thursday, June 18, 2026: Locarno – Locarno (105.6 km)
On day two, we head into Switzerland proper, with both start and finish in Locarno. Two small climbs in the finale could rule out a bunch sprint, but will anyone be able to fight for the win solo or in a small group?
Favorites
Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM)
Fransiska Koch (FDJ United-SUEZ)
Sarah Van Dam (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM)
Fransiska Koch (FDJ United-SUEZ)
Sarah Van Dam (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Times
Start: 9:32 a.m CET
Finish: around 12:15 p.m CET
Start: 9:32 a.m CET
Finish: around 12:15 p.m CET
Stage 3, Friday, June 19, 2026: Bad Ragaz – Bad Ragaz (120.8 km)
The only real sprint opportunity for the pure sprinters, although there's climbing from the start and the finish has a slight uphill drag.
Favorites
Shari Bossyt (AG Insurance-Soudal)
Karlijn Swinkels (UAE ADQ)
Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM)
Shari Bossyt (AG Insurance-Soudal)
Karlijn Swinkels (UAE ADQ)
Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM)
Times
Start: 9:18 a.m CET
Finish: around 12:15 p.m CET
Start: 9:18 a.m CET
Finish: around 12:15 p.m CET
Stage 4, Saturday, June 20, 2026: Aarburg – Aarburg (23.7 km, time trial)
Time to ride against the clock! General classification riders with their eyes on overall victory will need to be on their toes in a flat and fairly technical time trial.
Favorites
Marlen Reusser (Movistar)
Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM)
Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek)
Marlen Reusser (Movistar)
Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM)
Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek)
Times
Start of the first rider: 10:45 a.m CET
Last rider finishes: around 12:45 p.m CET
Start of the first rider: 10:45 a.m CET
Last rider finishes: around 12:45 p.m CET
Stage 5, Sunday, June 21, 2026: Villars-sur-Ollon – Villars-sur-Ollon (100.4 km)
We close out the race with the only genuine mountain stage, featuring the Col de la Croix twice. It's split into two sections at the start and finish, but along the way riders take on the full 19.1-kilometre climb at 7 percent in one go.
Times
Start: 9:02 a.m CET
Finish: around 12:05 p.m CET
Start: 9:02 a.m CET
Finish: around 12:05 p.m CET
2026 Tour de Suisse Elite Women GC Favourites
How do the riders compare to one another? Who handles the opening stages best? And who can really fly against the clock? Home rider Marlen Reusser is without doubt a major favourite — the Swiss rider from Movistar is a serious time trialist and will surely improve on her thirteenth place at the Giro d'Italia.
Elisa Longo Borghini was already very strong at the Giro. The Italian from UAE Team ADQ finished fourth, but the top three from that race aren't here in Switzerland. Maeva Squiban is her teammate. With Kasia Niewiadoma, she'll face a fresh rival, as the Pole from Canyon//SRAM went straight to a training camp after the Vuelta a España.
Read more below the photo
Kasia Niewiadoma
With Vollering absent from FDJ-SUEZ, Franziska Koch and Juliette Berthet get free rein to ride for their own results. Yara Kastelijn is without doubt the woman to watch at Fenix-Premier Tech, after her overall win in the Basque Country and second place in Burgos in May. How will she return to racing after a month off?
At AG Insurance-Soudal, Kim Le Court and Urška Žigart represent two serious outsiders, while at EF Education-Oatly we're curious to see the legs of world champion Magdeleine Vallières and Cédrine Kerbaol. From a Dutch perspective, we're watching Femke de Vries (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek), with Nienke Vinke (SD Worx-Protime) also a dangerous customer.
Data powered by FirstCycling.com
IDL Pro Cycling top GC picks, 2026 Tour de Suisse Elite Women
Top favorites: Marlen Reusser (Movistar) and Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ)
Outsiders: Franziska Koch (FDJ United-SUEZ), Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM), and Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek)
Long shots: Maeva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ), Juliette Berthet (FDJ United-SUEZ), Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Premier Tech), Kim Le Court and Urska Zigart (AG Insurance-Soudal), Magdeleine Vallieres and Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly), Femke de Vries (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Nienke Vinke (SD Worx-Protime)
Outsiders: Franziska Koch (FDJ United-SUEZ), Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM), and Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek)
Long shots: Maeva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ), Juliette Berthet (FDJ United-SUEZ), Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Premier Tech), Kim Le Court and Urska Zigart (AG Insurance-Soudal), Magdeleine Vallieres and Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly), Femke de Vries (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Nienke Vinke (SD Worx-Protime)
How to watch Tour de Suisse 2026 Elite Women on TV
The Tour de Suisse is hosting a full five-day stage race for both women and men, with the women’s race airing live in the morning between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
You can watch all the action on HBO MAX.
IDL-productions
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Latest Comments
- Credit to him for grinding through the early stages when he clearly wasn’t right. That sprint on stage 4 and the dominance on stage 5 showed the engine is there—just needs a clean run and no setbacks.cyclechamp4515-06-2026
- The most worrying part is Wynants saying he was already “below the baseline.” Even if the elbow heals quickly, missing Tignes could cost him that last bit of race sharpness. Hard to see him at 100% in three weeks.cadencekingm15-06-2026
- Tough break for Wout. That stage 5 win looked like a turning point, and then the infection takes him out the next day… brutal timing with the TDF so close. Health first, but you can feel the clock ticking.tourdeforce915-06-2026
- Loving the variety already: solo heroics on day one, textbook sprint on day two. Decathlon’s development squad looks sharp, but Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe Rookies clearly have a finisher in Donati. Can’t wait to see how the next sprint stages shake up the points.julien15-06-2026
- Shout-out to Mees Vlot for animating the day! The break had real legs, and for a minute I thought they might sneak it. Interesting to see how much tighter the peloton rode after getting burned by Haugland’s move on stage one.gearguru3315-06-2026
- What a turnaround for Donati—he looked so composed in that final kick. Also, massive sigh of relief seeing Haugland get back on course after that roundabout mishap. Can’t believe he still kept the jersey; the kid’s got nerves of steel.bikebuffj15-06-2026
- Interesting how starting with “a clean slate” in 2018 shaped their relationship. Not being a cycling insider probably helped keep things grounded. Also, the balance she describes—privilege, sacrifice, and shared routines—captures the reality of living with an elite athlete better than most features do.raceready715-06-2026
- The transformation arc is inspiring—Pilates, strength work, saunas, ice baths, and now cycling after a hip niggle? Respect. “33-year-old Roxanne would beat 25-year-old Roxanne” is such a great line. Also refreshing that she admits she’s not as driven as Mathieu but still finds her own path.lindae15-06-2026
- Loved this peek behind the curtain. We always see MVDP’s results, but not the quiet structure around him. Roxanne’s honesty about the pressure during the Classics and the Whoop “yellow spike” made it so relatable. Support teams (partners included) really are part of the performance.cyclechamp4515-06-2026
- Smart move to rest instead of chasing race days. Last year she was second in both Suisse and the Tour; maybe fewer race miles is the missing piece for that second yellow. Also, the pink jersey and shades on the training ride—chef’s kiss. Let the legs recover, keep the confidence high, and bring on Augusttourdeforce915-06-2026
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