Tour de Suisse

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
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
History (men)
First edition1933 (1933)
Editions85 (as of 2022)
First winner Max Bulla (AUT)
Most wins Pasquale Fornara (ITA) (4 wins)
Most recent Mattias Skjelmose (DEN)
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

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

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

Men's race

[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[lower-alpha 1] 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[lower-alpha 2] 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

Women's race

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

Men's race statistics

Multiple winners

[9]

Rider Country Titles Year
Pasquale Fornara Italy41952, 1954, 1957, 1958
Ferdinand Kübler  Switzerland31942, 1948, 1951
Hugo Koblet  Switzerland31950, 1953, 1955
Rui Costa Portugal32012, 2013, 2014
Gino Bartali Italy21946, 1947
Hans Junkermann West Germany21959, 1962
Louis Pfenninger  Switzerland21968, 1972
Beat Breu  Switzerland21981, 1989
Sean Kelly Ireland21983, 1990
Andrew Hampsten United States21986, 1987
Simon Špilak Slovenia22015, 2017

By country

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
1 Czech Republic
 Denmark
 Ecuador
 Great Britain
 Kazakhstan
 Luxembourg
 Netherlands

See also

Notes

  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

  1. "Tour de Suisse Statistik Frauen" (PDF). Tour de Suisse. 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  2. "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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