João Almeida aims to defend UAE's title - Tour de Suisse 2025 Preview

While the podium finishers from the 2024 Tour de France have been fiercely battling it out with one another at the Critérium du Dauphiné, the Tour de Suisse presents a prime and perhaps rare opportunity for a different rider to claim a prestigious WorldTour stage race.

Alongside the Dauphiné, the Tour de Suisse still serves as an important warm-up race for the Tour de France, despite not attracting as strong a field this year. The last winner of the Tour de France to use this race as preparation was Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) back in 2019. It’s fair to say that the preparation was a success, as Bernal became the second Colombian winner of the Tour de Suisse in that edition, joining Miguel Ángel López, who was victorious in 2016. In that sense, the race in recent years has become less of a stomping ground for the potential winners of the Tour, but still attracts riders who are in and around the top 5 come July.

Twelve months ago, it was UAE Team Emirates who dominated the race, but not with Pogačar. Instead, it was the duo of Adam Yates and João Almeida who delivered an imperious performance in the Swiss Alps, claiming the final four stages on a rotating basis, and completing a 1-2 in the general classification, with Yates claiming the race win.

Quite frankly, it wasn’t even close, and this dominant performance indicated what was to come at the Tour, as both were key lieutenants to Pogačar en route to the Slovenian’s victory in July. Despite their supporting roles, Almeida and Yates finished fourth and sixth in the general classification, proving that whoever shows fine form at the Tour de Suisse can also feature well at the Tour de France.

Italian rider Pasquale Fornara holds the record with four GC victories at the Tour de Suisse during the 1950s. Based on the provisional start list, two former winners are expected to take to the start in Küssnacht on 15 June in the form of Rui Costa (EF Education-EasyPost), who won from 2012 to 2014, and Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers), who won in 2022. Home riders traditionally have been most successful, with 23 GC victories for Swiss riders, although the last came back in 2009 courtesy of Fabian Cancellara.

In honour of the late Gino Mäder, the race organisers will continue to retire his race number - 44 - from the 2023 edition, and the #rideforGino prize will be given to the rider to cross the highest point of the race, which this year will be atop the Julier Pass on stage 5. The Tour de Suisse will also equip all riders with GPS trackers for the first time during this year’s race in an important attempt to improve safety measures.

João Almeida returns to Switzerland and he is the heavy favourite to go one place better on the podium this year. He could become the second Portuguese rider to win the Tour de Suisse after former world champion Rui Costa, who claimed the title on three consecutive occasions from 2012 to 2014.

Almeida is set to be supported by a strong UAE team featuring reliable domestiques in Felix Großschartner, Vegard Stake Laengen, and Mikkel Bjerg. Two major prospects in the sport in Pablo Torres and Jan Christen, are also set to feature, with the latter already having five professional victories to his name despite being only 20 years old. Christen is a major talent and, having already won a stage at the Volta ao Algarve atop the Alto da Foia ahead of Almeida, he could be a wildcard for the team in a GC capacity here.

Another card for the team is the Australian climber and time triallist Jay Vine, who finished third at the other Swiss WorldTour stage race, the Tour de Romandie, at the start of May. Vine, like Almeida, should thrive on the mountain time trial that concludes this year’s Tour de Suisse and is another card to play in the mountains.

Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) was provisionally set to appear at the Tour de Suisse, but the Dane has had to withdraw from the running after suffering from illness. In his absence, the team will be hoping that Tao Geoghegan Hart and Lennard Kämna can step up in the mountains. The American champion, Quinn Simmons, will no doubt be hunting a stage win to add to the one he took at Catalunya back in March.

Matthew Riccitello (Israel-Premier Tech) and Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL) both impressed last year, finishing fifth and eighth, respectively. There have been indications of good form from both to suggest that a similar, if not better, performance could be on the cards, and both are contenders for the youth classification.

Alongside Riccitello will be the current Tour de l’Avenir champion Joseph Blackmore (Israel-Premier Tech) and four-time Grand Tour stage winner Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech), both of whom are also capable of fighting for a stage win and top 10 on GC, although the latter hasn’t raced since crashing out at Milano-Torino in March. Frank van den Broek (Picnic PostNL) should be an interesting watch, as should former Vuelta a España stage winner Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL), whose fast finish could be handy on the hilly stages if he can survive the climbs.

There are a plethora of riders who have yet to show their best in 2025, and they will be hoping to turn their fortunes around. This cadre includes Aleksandr Vlasov, Daniel Martínez (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), and Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale). The same can be said for one of the stars of the 2024 season, Ben O’Connor (Jayco AlUla), who is working his way towards the Tour de France with his new team and will also have Filippo Zana (Jayco AlUla) as an ally. O’Connor has never previously raced the Tour de Suisse, but one man who has on several occasions, including winning in 2022, is none other than Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers).

The 2018 Tour de France champion is racing in his final season after a glittering 19-year career and is set for one last hurrah at the Tour in July. While we haven’t seen anything from Thomas in a GC perspective so far in 2025, don’t write him out of finding his form here as he continues his Tour de France preparations. If there’s anyone who knows how to time his form for a Grand Tour, it’s Thomas, as he has shown time and time again. When he won the Tour de Suisse in 2022, it was the first time he raced for GC all season, and Thomas followed this up with a third-place finish at the Tour de France the following month. 

With the extra motivation of this being the Welshman’s final season, it would be textbook stuff if Thomas finds his GC legs in Suisse ahead of the Tour. Loyal teammate Laurens De Plus should also be looking at this race as an opportunity for a high GC finish, after the Belgian finished third at the Volta ao Algarve and sixth in Catalunya.

Between them, the Belgian trio of Mauri Vansevenant, Junior Lecerf and Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step) should be aiming for a stage win and a top 10 finish in GC. Lecerf finished 8th at the UAE Tour and in Romandie already in 2025, while Van Wilder was sixth at Itzulia Basque Country and tenth at Paris-Nice, illustrating that these are realistic ambitions for the Tour de Suisse.

Movistar also have plenty of cards to play in the GC and some of their riders may slip under the radar, in particular, Pablo Castrillo, Jefferson Cepeda and Javier Romo. These riders were in particularly good form at the beginning of the season, such as Romo, who won a stage at the Santos Tour Down Under and finished second in GC. 

Other strong climbers who could feature in the GC shake-up include: Pello Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious), Harold Martin López (XDS Astana), Luca Vergallito (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Yannis Voisard (Tudor), David De La Cruz and Damien Howson (Q36.5), Tiesj Benoot and Thomas Gloag (Visma | Lease a Bike), Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ), Léo Bisiaux and Johannes Staune Mittet (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Neilson Powless and Georg Steinhauser (EF Education-EasyPost), and Ion Izagirre (Cofidis).

In terms of the fast finishers, there are plenty of puncheurs/versatile sprinters who will be eyeing stages 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6. It's important to stress that with a race like the Tour de Suisse, it's natural that the climbers will also be in contention to win stages, but these riders in particular are known for their attacking style or fast finish, which could be an advantage.

Expect swashbuckling attacks from Julian Alaphilippe and Marc Hirschi (Tudor), while Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana) will look to build on his impressive stage win from the Giro d’Italia. Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Victorious) has a knack for knowing the right moment to attack, as does Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), who is always willing to roll the dice for glory.

The Australian team, Jayco AlUla, can play multiple cards on the hilly stages with strong riders in their rank like Swiss champion Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla), who will be active at the end of these stages.

Arnaud De Lie suffered a nasty crash at the Antwerp Port Epic, but the Belgian champion escaped any serious injuries and is still set to feature in Switzerland, where he will be hoping to land a first victory since the start of February.

Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) is one of the most talented young riders in the world and is naturally suited to many of the stages on offer at this edition of the Tour de Suisse. The 22-year-old Frenchman could be one to watch for the top 10 in the GC, also. Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ) is also one to watch as the British rider unlocked the winning formula, taking two victories in France last month. He is the type of rider who excels in attacking inside the final kilometre, and could feature in the sprints at a race such as the Tour de Suisse.

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe pose an interesting lineup for the hilly stages as fast men Danny van Poppel and Jordi Meeus are set to be present. Both are two of the fastest riders on the provisional startlist, but it remains to be seen how they will handle the unfavourable terrain in Switzerland. Spanish puncheur, Roger Adrià, packs a punch at the end of a tricky stage, and could be a strong card to play.

Madis Mihkels (EF Education-EasyPost), Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech), Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ), Paul Lapeira (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Stefano Oldani (Cofidis), Fabio Christen (Q36.5), and Henri Uhlig (Alpecin-Deceuninck) are also fast finishers at the end of a hard stage. You can check out the full provisional startlist for the 2025 Tour de Suisse below.

The 2025 Tour de Suisse follows a similar pattern to previous editions, featuring plenty of hilly stages, mountain stages and an important time trial to conclude the race.

Stage 1 opens with a road stage in Küssnacht, rather than the usual prologue. There could be some frissons between the GC riders on this stage as they face two ascents of the Michaelskreuz climb (3.8km at 9.1%), with the final summit just 13km from the finish. Attacks are likely on the climb or the descent that follows, but if any fast finishers survive, the flat final kilometre could suit them.

There will be more hybrid battles between the GC riders and puncheurs on stages 2, 3, and 4, before the queen stage on day 5. The stage in question features over 3,800m of elevation gain across 183.8km of racing, taking on two major Alpine passes before a steep summit finish to Santa Maria in Calanca. It’s not a stage for the faint-hearted and will bear significant consequences on the general classification.

There’s no easy day at the Tour de Suisse, but stage 6 has been billed as a potential opportunity for the fastmen, despite over 2,200m of elevation gain, something that has become a common feature in modern cycling.

Then it’s back to the mountains for the final road stage of the race, which is also the longest of the Tour de Suisse at 211.8km. Stage 7 ends with a steep 3.1km ascent to Emmetten at 8.9%, offering one last chance for GC riders to shake up the standings before the closing time trial.

The 2025 Tour de Suisse ends with a mountain time trial to Stockhütte. Just 10km long, the stage is almost entirely uphill, with the final 9.2km averaging 8.9%, and the last 5km ramping up to 9.9%. With steep gradients from start to finish, pacing will be everything. A decisive test where the GC can still be won or lost. It’s a fascinatingly designed route for the 2025 edition, and should lead to exciting, aggressive and competitive racing and a fine tune-up race ahead of the Tour de France in July. You can check out our full stage-by-stage guide below.