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Follow us on GoogleA 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 first day, with the start and finish in Northern Italy, the women rode a loop around Sondrio. This included three categorized climbs, one fewer than the men do. After a very interesting day of racing, Lauren Dickson and Femke de Vries battled for the stage victory, with the latter proving the strongest in the sprint. It was her first professional victory.
Winner:
Femke de Vries (Visma Lease a Bike)
Femke de Vries (Visma Lease a Bike)
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Stage 2, Thursday, June 18, 2026: Locarno – Locarno (105.6 km)
On the second day, we raced in Switzerland, with the start and finish in Locarno. Femke de Vries was unable to build on her good day and was stripped of the leader's jersey by stage winner Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ), who was also able to build up a considerable lead in the finale due to Kasia Niewiadoma and Marlen Reusser taking a wrong turn.
Winner:
Elisa Long- Borghini (UAE Team ADQ)
Elisa Long- Borghini (UAE Team ADQ)
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Stage 3, Friday, June 19, 2026: Bad Ragaz – Bad Ragaz (120.8 km)
The only real sprint opportunity for the pure sprinters presented itself on Friday. In a rather uneventful stage, a sprint was indeed needed to decide the outcome, with an utterly dominant Zoe Bäckstedt relegating the competition.
Winner:
Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM)
Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM)
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Stage 4, Saturday, June 20, 2026: Aarburg – Aarburg (23.7 km, time trial)
Time trial time! Back home, all eyes were on Marlen Reusser of Movistar, and rightly so, as she won the time trial and also took the yellow jersey from Elisa Longo Borghini. Zoe Backstedt finished a strong second, eleven seconds behind, following her stage victory on Friday.
Winner:
Marlen Reusser (Movistar)
Marlen Reusser (Movistar)
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Stage 5, Sunday, June 21, 2026: Villars-sur-Ollon – Villars-sur-Ollon (100.4 km)
Marlen Reusser had seized the yellow jersey with panache in the time trial on Saturday, but the queen stage would be decisive. There, the Swiss rider was phenomenal once again: she won the fifth stage after a tremendous battle. With that, she also claimed the overall victory.
Winner:
Marlen Reusser (Movistar)
Marlen Reusser (Movistar)
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Read also
Tour de Suisse 2026 Elite Women overall result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
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.
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- Seixas has said he’s bored with the transfer talk, so maybe the article could give more space to the racing itself. He’s under contract until 2027; there’s no need to turn every appearance into a signing saga.velodromevirtuoso103-11-2026
- I’m still figuring out how these criteriums work: is the team time trial in Saitama part of the main race, or a separate event? Either way, seeing Cavendish there as an ambassador is pretty cool.davidm03-11-2026
- McNulty’s Veneto Classic win in the rainbow jersey was a strong way to close his season. The45km Saitama circuit ridden 25 times sounds like it could suit punchy riders as much as the sprinters. Who’s the favourite?tourdeforce903-11-2026
- Seixas and Del Toro on the same start line again—should be lively after Montréal and the Worlds. These criteriums aren’t championship road races, but I’d love to see Seixas take the initiative this time.cyclechamp4503-11-2026
- I’m still figuring out cyclocross: do the riders use the same bikes for the grass, sand and mud, or change them during the race?jeremya02-11-2026
- £50 seems a bit steep for a day out, though I suppose it’s a major event and the demand is clearly there. Do family tickets make it much more affordable?tourdeforce902-11-2026
- Fifteen thousand is a serious crowd for a World Cup round. Glasgow could be a huge moment for British ‘cross if Mason can get near the podium again.jennifer1902-11-2026
- Those junior races are a great addition — it gives young riders a proper spotlight before the elites take over. Hope the course makes the most of the park rather than just being a muddy spectator scrum!samanthak02-11-2026
- Fantastic to see cyclocross getting this kind of response in Scotland. A packed Kelvingrove Park should make for a brilliant atmosphere, especially with Mason racing on home roads.raceready702-11-2026
- No explanation after 15 years feels a bit thin. The budget pressure may be unrelated, but it’s hard not to wonder if all these changes are connected.samanthak02-11-2026