The Tour de Suisse is just around the corner

When Tadej Pogacar was called onto the stage last among all the riders on Tuesday evening in Piazza Garibaldi, the fans’ cheers were by far the loudest. In the world of cycling, (almost) everything revolves around the Slovenian, who, even at 27, still comes across as boyish and mischievous. Whenever he competes in a race—as he is now doing for the first time in the Tour de Suisse—that race is guaranteed the greatest possible attention.

A nearly flawless season

Pogacar had an (almost) perfect spring this year, with victories at Milan–San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and Strade Bianche. His only setback in a one-day race came at Paris-Roubaix, where he was narrowly defeated by Wout van Aert in a two-man sprint.

Pogacar also dominated the Tour de Romandie—his only stage race so far this year—at will. In western Switzerland, he won four of the six stages. Since his victorious final stage in Leysin on May 3, he has taken a break from racing. After an ideal high-altitude training block in the Sierra Nevada over the past few weeks, he said he is “especially motivated.” He “can’t wait to wear a race number again and turn all that hard training into race action.”

Will he be in yellow as early as Wednesday evening?

These statements from the cycling sensation don’t bode well for his rivals—neither those he’ll face over the next five days at the Tour de Suisse nor those he’ll encounter starting in early July at the Tour de France.

It’s quite possible that the 27-year-old will swap the world champion’s jersey for the yellow leader’s jersey as early as Wednesday evening in Sondrio. Stage 1 covers just 144 km, with the first 50 km on flat terrain, followed by a climb of approximately 2,500 meters in elevation. The final 20 km also feature two short but steep climbs. From the Bordighi—1.1 km long with an average gradient of 11.5 percent—it’s less than 5 km to the finish.

The UAE Team Is on Track for the Triple

If Pogacar, as expected, stands on the podium as the overall winner of the Tour de Suisse in Villars-sur-Ollon on Sunday, he will secure the triple for a rider from UAE Team Emirates. The team, led by Mauro Gianetti from Ticino, triumphed in Switzerland in 2024 with Britain’s Adam Yates and in 2025 with Portugal’s João Almeida.

At the same time, a general classification victory would bring Pogacar one step closer to a stated goal of his. The four-time Tour de France champion has already won five of the week-long stage races known as the “Big Seven.” The only ones remaining are the Tour de Suisse and the Tour of the Basque Country.

A stage victory is the ultimate thrill

While nine Swiss women are on the starting line in Sondrio for the women’s race—which also lasts five days—only four Swiss riders are in the men’s field: Silvan Dillier, Marc Hirschi, Mauro Schmid, and Fabian Weiss.

The quartet won’t play a role in the overall standings. Hirschi and Schmid, in particular, however, have their sights set on a stage victory. “The first and second stages should suit me well,” says Schmid. “But if Tadej, in particular, goes on the attack, it’ll be tough.” Then, as in the Tour de Romandie, the competition will be left with only crumbs.