A compact stage race in the Swiss Alps that rewards climbers, time trialists, and riders who can recover fast across consecutive mountain days.
Tour de Suisse Women is a five-day WorldTour stage race held each June in Switzerland. Launched in 2021, it brings Alpine climbing and time trialing to the women's calendar in a condensed format that tests stage-racing depth without the attrition of a Grand Tour.
Marlen Reusser won the inaugural edition on home roads in 2021, combining climbing resilience with time-trial strength.
This race compresses serious climbing into a short window, making every stage a potential turning point. The Swiss Alps deliver steep gradients, technical descents, and high-altitude finishes that separate the pure climbers from the all-rounders. The time trial adds another dimension, rewarding riders who can sustain power against the clock after days in the mountains. It sits at a pivotal moment in the season, offering a final test of form before the Tour de France Femmes and a chance to see who can handle consecutive hard days without cracking.
The race is typically decided by a combination of mountain stages and a time trial, with little room for recovery between efforts. Expect at least two summit finishes or high-altitude stages where climbers can gain time, plus one individual time trial that tests whether a rider can sustain power after consecutive days of climbing. The shorter overall distance compared to the men's race means the GC battle ignites earlier and burns hotter, with less opportunity to ride defensively or wait for a single decisive stage. Descending matters: Swiss roads are narrow and technical, and confident descenders can defend gaps or chase back after being distanced on a climb. The race rewards riders who can recover overnight and handle rapid changes in altitude and effort without losing sharpness.
Most recent winner: Marlen Reusser