The Tour de Suisse (English: Tour of Switzerland) is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France, which is on the calendar approximately two weeks after the end of the Tour de Suisse. Since 2011 the event is part of the UCI World Tour, cycling's highest level of professional races.

Tour de Suisse
2024 Tour de Suisse
Race details
DateJune
RegionSwitzerland
English nameTour of Switzerland
Local name(s)Tour de Suisse (in French)
DisciplineRoad race
CompetitionUCI World Tour
TypeStage race
OrganiserIMG
Race directorOlivier Senn
Web sitewww.tourdesuisse.ch Edit this at Wikidata
History (men)
First edition1933 (1933)
Editions85 (as of 2022)
First winner Max Bulla (AUT)
Most wins Pasquale Fornara (ITA) (4 wins)
Most recent Adam Yates (GBR)
History (women)
First edition1998
Editions7 (as of 2023)
First winner Rasa Polikevičiūtė  (LTU)
Most wins Zulfiya Zabirova (RUS) (2 wins)
Most recent Marlen Reusser (SUI)

From 2021, a women's race has been held at the same time, with the event joining the UCI Women's World Tour from 2023.

History

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The race was first held in 1933 and has evolved in timing, duration and sponsorship. Like the Tour de France and the Dauphiné, the Tour de Suisse has several stages with significant mountain climbs in the Swiss Alps and at least one individual time trial. Several winners of the Tour de Suisse have also won the Tour de France, including Eddy Merckx and Jan Ullrich. In 2005 the Tour de Suisse was included in the inaugural UCI Pro Tour and organisers moved the race to earlier in June.

The first winner of the race was Austrian Max Bulla in the 1933 edition. The rider with most wins is Italian Pasquale Fornara with 4 wins in the 1950s. The most recent winner is Mattias Skjelmose, who won for the first time in 2023.

Women's race

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A women's race was first held in 1998, won by Lithuanian rider Rasa Polikevičiūtė.[1] Three further editions were held between 1999 and 2001.[1] The event was restarted in 2021 in conjunction with the men's event, taking place over two days. In 2022, the race was lengthened to four days and in 2023 the race joined the UCI Women's World Tour.[2] The race is considered a proving ground for the Giro Donne, which is on the calendar after the Tour de Suisse.[2]

Winners

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Men's race

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[3]

Year Country Rider Team
1933   Austria Max Bulla
1934   Germany Ludwig Geyer
1935   France Gaspard Rinaldi
1936   Belgium Henri Garnier
1937    Switzerland Karl Litschi
1938   Italy Giovanni Valetti
1939    Switzerland Robert Zimmermann
1940 No race
1941    Switzerland Josef Wagner
1942    Switzerland Ferdinand Kübler
1943–
1945
No race
1946   Italy Gino Bartali
1947   Italy Gino Bartali
1948    Switzerland Ferdinand Kübler
1949    Switzerland Gottfried Weilenmann
1950    Switzerland Hugo Koblet
1951    Switzerland Ferdinand Kübler
1952   Italy Pasquale Fornara
1953    Switzerland Hugo Koblet
1954   Italy Pasquale Fornara
1955    Switzerland Hugo Koblet
1956    Switzerland Rolf Graf
1957   Italy Pasquale Fornara
1958   Italy Pasquale Fornara
1959   West Germany Hans Junkermann
1960    Switzerland Alfred Rüegg
1961    Switzerland Attilio Moresi
1962   West Germany Hans Junkermann
1963   Italy Giuseppe Fezzardi
1964    Switzerland Rolf Maurer
1965   Italy Franco Bitossi
1966   Italy Ambrogio Portalupi
1967   Italy Gianni Motta Molteni
1968    Switzerland Louis Pfenninger
1969   Italy Vittorio Adorni
1970   Italy Roberto Poggiali
1971   Belgium Georges Pintens
1972    Switzerland Louis Pfenninger
1973   Spain José Manuel Fuente Kas–Kaskol
1974   Belgium Eddy Merckx Molteni
1975   Belgium Roger De Vlaeminck Brooklyn
1976   Netherlands Hennie Kuiper TI–Raleigh–Campagnolo
1977   Belgium Michel Pollentier Flandria–Velda–Latina Assicurazioni
1978   Belgium Paul Wellens TI–Raleigh–McGregor
1979   Belgium Wilfried Wesemael TI–Raleigh–McGregor
1980   Italy Mario Beccia Hoonved–Bottecchia
1981    Switzerland Beat Breu Cilo–Aufina
1982   Italy Giuseppe Saronni Del Tongo
1983   Ireland Sean Kelly Sem–France Loire–Reydel–Mavic
1984    Switzerland Urs Zimmermann Cilo–Aufina–Crans–Montana
1985   Australia Phil Anderson Panasonic–Raleigh
1986   United States Andrew Hampsten La Vie Claire
1987   United States Andrew Hampsten 7-Eleven
1988   Austria Helmut Wechselberger Malvor–Bottecchia–Sidi
1989    Switzerland Beat Breu Domex–Weinmann
1990   Ireland Sean Kelly PDM–Concorde–Ultima
1991   Belgium Luc Roosen Tulip Computers
1992   Italy Giorgio Furlan Ariostea
1993   Italy Marco Saligari Ariostea
1994    Switzerland Pascal Richard GB–MG Maglificio
1995   Russia Pavel Tonkov Lampre–Panaria
1996   Austria Peter Luttenberger Carrera Jeans–Tassoni
1997   France Christophe Agnolutto Casino
1998   Italy Stefano Garzelli Mercatone Uno–Bianchi
1999   Italy Francesco Casagrande Vini Caldirola
2000    Switzerland Oscar Camenzind Lampre–Daikin
2001   Italy Gilberto Simoni[a] Lampre–Daikin
2002    Switzerland Alex Zülle Team Coast
2003   Kazakhstan Alexander Vinokourov Team Telekom
2004   Germany Jan Ullrich T-Mobile Team
2005   Spain Aitor González Euskaltel–Euskadi
2006   Spain Koldo Gil[b] Saunier Duval–Prodir
2007   Russia Vladimir Karpets Caisse d'Epargne
2008   Czech Republic Roman Kreuziger Liquigas
2009    Switzerland Fabian Cancellara Team Saxo Bank
2010   Luxembourg Fränk Schleck Team Saxo Bank
2011   United States Levi Leipheimer Team RadioShack
2012   Portugal Rui Costa Movistar Team
2013   Portugal Rui Costa Movistar Team
2014   Portugal Rui Costa Lampre–Merida
2015   Slovenia Simon Špilak Team Katusha
2016   Colombia Miguel Ángel López Astana
2017   Slovenia Simon Špilak Team Katusha–Alpecin
2018   Australia Richie Porte BMC Racing Team
2019   Colombia Egan Bernal Team Ineos
2020 No race due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland
2021[7]   Ecuador Richard Carapaz Ineos Grenadiers
2022[8]   Great Britain Geraint Thomas Ineos Grenadiers
2023   Denmark Mattias Skjelmose Trek–Segafredo
2024   Great Britain Adam Yates UAE Team Emirates

Women's race

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Year Country Rider Team
1998   Lithuania Rasa Polikevičiūtė Ebly
1999   Russia Zulfiya Zabirova Acca Due O
2000   Russia Zulfiya Zabirova Acca Due O–Lorena Camichie
2001   United States Kimberly Baldwin Saturn Cycling Team
2002-2020 No race
2021   Great Britain Lizzie Deignan Trek–Segafredo
2022   Netherlands Lucinda Brand Trek–Segafredo
2023    Switzerland Marlen Reusser SD Worx
2024   Netherlands Demi Vollering Team SD Worx–Protime

Men's race statistics

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Multiple winners

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[9]

Rider Country Titles Year
Pasquale Fornara   Italy 4 1952, 1954, 1957, 1958
Ferdinand Kübler   Switzerland 3 1942, 1948, 1951
Hugo Koblet   Switzerland 3 1950, 1953, 1955
Rui Costa   Portugal 3 2012, 2013, 2014
Gino Bartali   Italy 2 1946, 1947
Hans Junkermann   West Germany 2 1959, 1962
Louis Pfenninger   Switzerland 2 1968, 1972
Beat Breu   Switzerland 2 1981, 1989
Sean Kelly   Ireland 2 1983, 1990
Andrew Hampsten   United States 2 1986, 1987
Simon Špilak   Slovenia 2 2015, 2017

By country

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Wins Country
23   Switzerland
20   Italy
8   Belgium
4   Germany (including   West Germany)
3   Austria
  Portugal
  Spain
  United States
2   Australia
  Colombia
  France
  Ireland
  Russia
  Slovenia
  Great Britain
1   Czech Republic
  Denmark
  Ecuador
  Kazakhstan
  Luxembourg
  Netherlands

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The race was initially won by Lance Armstrong,[4] but he was stripped of this victory in October 2012.[5]
  2. ^ The race was initially won by Jan Ullrich, but he was stripped of this victory in February 2012.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Tour de Suisse Statistik Frauen" (PDF). Tour de Suisse. 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Tour de Suisse Women 2023". cyclingnews.com. 2023-06-21. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  3. ^ TdS 2020, pp. 8–9.
  4. ^ TdS 2020, p. 8.
  5. ^ "Lance Armstrong: Governing body strips American of Tour wins". BBC News. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  6. ^ TdS 2020, p. 9.
  7. ^ Goddard, Ben (13 June 2021). "Richard Carapaz wins Tour de Suisse". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  8. ^ "Geraint Thomas storms home as first British winner of Tour de Suisse". The Guardian. PA Media. 19 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  9. ^ TdS 2020, p. 12.

Sources

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