No long time trial, sting in the tail: here is the route for the 2026 Tour de Romandie
It will still be a bit longer before all the details are revealed, but the organizers of the Tour of Romandie have announced the route for the upcoming edition (April 28 - May 3) in broad strokes. The riders will face, among other things, a prologue and two mountain stages. A longer time trial is notably absent from this year's route.
The Tour of Romandie will again consist of six race days in 2026. On the first day, the riders will race against the clock, but over a very short distance. This will be a prologue through the roads of Villars-sur-Glâne. The first road stage will then take place near Martigny. In the subsequent stages, the peloton will head towards Vucherens and Orbe.
The showdown will come during the final weekend since the penultimate stage is the first real test for the climbers. Between the start town of Broc and the finish in Charmey, the riders will have to conquer several climbs, shaking up the general classification for the first time.
Hard final weekend
The sting of this Tour of Romandie definitely lies in the finale, as the last stage also features climbing. The finish line is drawn on the slopes of the ascent to the Leysin ski resort. This fourteen-kilometer climb (with an average gradient of 6%) has appeared multiple times before in the Swiss cycling race.
Several big names already appear on the provisional start list of the 79th edition of the Tour of Romandie, but most eyes are truly on Tadej Pogacar. The world champion will make his Romandie debut this year. His compatriots Primoz Roglic, Florian Lipowitz, Antonio Tiberi, and Lenny Martinez are also expected at the start.
