Why Pogacar and Van der Poel are racing the revamped five day Tour de Suisse
The Tour de Suisse has shortened its 2026 edition to five stages in an effort to fit more easily into riders’ Tour de France preparations, a change that has helped attract Tadej Pogacar, Mathieu van der Poel and several other leading names.
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The 89th Tour de Suisse starts in Sondrio, Italy, on Wednesday with its strongest line up in years after organisers introduced a shorter format designed around altitude training and recovery.
Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel will headline the five day race, while Primož Roglič, Tom Pidcock, Richard Carapaz, Lenny Martinez and Matthew Brennan are also expected to start.
The decision to reduce the race from eight stages to five was taken after the Tour de Suisse had struggled to compete with the Critérium du Dauphiné as the preferred preparation race for Tour de France contenders.
The main issue was the position of the race on the calendar. The Dauphiné finishes almost three weeks before the Tour, giving riders enough time to recover and complete another short altitude camp. The Tour de Suisse ends only twelve days before the start of the Tour.
“For Tour riders, one or two altitude camps in May and June have become essential,” Tomas Van Den Spiegel, CEO of Flanders Classics, told Belgian newspaper HLN. “Riders who competed in the Dauphiné could complete a longer altitude camp beforehand and then add another shorter block afterwards.”
“Riders who competed in the Dauphiné could complete a longer altitude camp beforehand and then add another shorter block afterwards. Following an eight day Tour de Suisse, that second altitude stimulus was no longer possible because the riders also needed several days to recover.”
Organisers responded by returning to the race format and shortening the event.
“This more concentrated format makes the race much easier to combine with altitude training,” Van Den Spiegel said.
Pogačar’s interest in the race, which he has yet to win, was clear before the course had been finalised.
“UAE contacted me quickly about the route,” Van Den Spiegel said. “Because of the new format, the course was not yet completely fixed at that point.”
The 2026 route includes two hilly stages, one flatter stage, a long individual time trial and a demanding mountain finish.
The race will also introduce another structural change, with each stage starting and finishing in the same location. Organisers say the model offers greater value to host towns and can improve safety, sustainability and event logistics.
However, the route is not yet fully compact. The stage locations in Sondrio, Locarno, Bad Ragaz, Aarburg and Villars sur Ollon are spread across Switzerland, leaving teams with average post stage transfers of around 160 kilometres.
“That part is not yet fully optimised,” Van Den Spiegel said. “We are still working with existing contracts from previous editions, and those agreements must be respected. In future editions, the transfers can be coordinated more effectively.”
The Tour de Suisse begins on Wednesday in Sandrio and concludes five days later with a mountain stage in Villars sur Ollon. Read our full preview of the race here.
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