Switzerland 28 Apr – 03 May 2026 Class 2.UWT – Stages – UCI WorldTour
Website www.tourderomandie.ch
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Here is the complete program for the 79th Tour de Romandie (2.UWT), which will take place from April 28 to May 3, 2026, in western Switzerland.
This year’s race includes a short prologue and five demanding road stages, covering a total of approximately 851.9 kilometers with over 14,000 meters of elevation gain .
🗓️ Stage-by-Stage Program
The route is designed to get progressively harder, with the overall victory likely decided on the final mountain-top finish .
⛰️ Key Challenges for the Riders
The Queen Stage (Stage 4)
Although it is the shortest road stage (149.6 km), Stage 4 from Broc to Charmey is considered the toughest. The route tackles the Jaunpass three times from different approaches, making for an incredibly demanding day in the saddle with 3,175 meters of climbing .
The Decisive Final Stage (Stage 5)
The overall winner of the Tour de Romandie will be crowned on the final day. The 178.2-km stage concludes with the only mountain-top finish of the week in Leysin. This Category 1 climb is 13.9 km long with an average gradient of 6%, featuring pitches of up to 12% .
The Climbers’ Playground
With 17 categorized climbs in total, the 2026 route heavily favors puncheurs and climbers. The absence of a final long time trial means that general classification contenders will have to fight for every second in the hilly finales and on the slopes of Leysin .
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
The Tour de Romandie was born in 1947 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Swiss Cycling . The idea was conceived over a fondue the previous year by Max Girardet and other cycling officials, starting as a one-off event that has since grown into a premier fixture on the international calendar .
Here is a timeline of the key moments in its history:
- 🥇 1947: The First Winner — The inaugural 755 km race was won by Belgian rider Désiré Keteleer . Italian legend Gino Bartali finished second .
- 🇨🇭 1940s-50s: Swiss Dominance — Swiss stars Ferdi Kübler (1948, 1951) and Hugo Koblet (1953) brought the first home victories, popularizing the young race .
- 💥 1968: The Merckx Era — A 23-year-old Eddy Merckx announced his dominance by winning the first of his two titles in Romandie .
- ☘️ 1983-87: The Roche Trilogy — Ireland’s Stephen Roche became the only rider to win the race three times (1983, 1984, 1987) .
- 🇨🇭 1990s: Swiss Resurgence — Local heroes Tony Rominger (1991, 1995) and Pascal Richard (1993, 1994) won consecutive titles .
- 🏆 The Modern Era & Tour de France Kings — In 2006, the race became part of the UCI ProTour (now World Tour) . Notably, Cadel Evans (2011), Bradley Wiggins (2012), and Chris Froome (2013 & 2014) all won Romandie and the Tour de France in the same year .
- 📺 2020-Present: Recent History — The 2020 edition was cancelled due to COVID-19 . The race remains a key prep event for the Giro d’Italia, with recent winners including Primoz Roglic (2018, 2019) and Adam Yates (2023) .
