CYCLING – TEAM Bahrain Victorious are ready to take on their next major UCI WorldTour challenge: the 2025 Tour de Suisse. Running from today to June 22, the eight-stage race will cover nearly 1,300km and over 20,000 metres of elevation gain.
This year’s route is designed to keep the general classification (GC) wide open until the very last day, when a demanding 10km uphill time trial from Beckenried to Stockhutte is expected to shake up the standings.
Unlike previous editions, there will be no traditional prologue. Instead, the race begins with a circuit-style opening stage (129.4km) around the town of Küssnacht.
With multiple passes through the start/finish line and a decisive climb to the Michaelskreuz Chapel, the day promises early excitement – not just for sprinters, but also for GC contenders keen to avoid losing time. Other notable changes include the absence of a true high-mountain summit finish.
However, that doesn’t mean less climbing, as the race is packed with short, steep ascents. Stage two (Aarau–Schwarzsee, 177km) features 2,700m of climbing and a steadily rising finish that will challenge sprinters. Stage three (Aarau–Heiden, 195.6km) – theoretically a transition stage – culminates in a tough finale through Appenzellerland, where only the strongest puncheurs are expected to compete for victory.
Stage four brings the first major Alpine test, including the Splugen Pass (2,113m) before a descent into Italy and a finish in Piuro (Valchiavenna) after 193.2km. While the pass comes 50km from the finish, it is expected to play a crucial role in shaping the GC – a warm-up for the ‘Queen Stage’ the following day.
Stage five (La Punt–Santa Maria in Calanca, 183.8km) includes the race’s highest point, the Julier Pass (2,284m), followed by the San Bernardino Pass (2,067m), and ends with a steep final ascent to Santa Maria in Calanca. This day has very special significance for Bahrain Victorious. On Thursday, ahead of the ‘Queen Stage’, a memorial will be unveiled on the Albula Pass in honour of the team’s former rider, the late Gino Mader, who tragically passed away in this race two years ago.
The ceremony in La Punt will also mark the official launch of the rideforGino Foundation. To pay tribute to Mader, the Bahrain Victorious riders will wear a special #rideforGino helmet – custom-made in collaboration with the team’s partner Rudy Project – on the opening stage of the Tour de Suisse. The helmet will later be donated to the Foundation to support its work in his memory.Last year, Bahrain Victorious honoured Mader with a stunning victory as Torstein Træen conquered the Gotthard Pass and won the #rideforGino Mountain Prize. “It would be amazing if we could repeat such an emotional moment,” said Bahrain Victorious sports director Michal Golas.
“This year, we’ll change our approach and focus more on stage wins than the overall classification. We believe several stages offer real opportunities for our riders, while Finlay Pickering will aim for a good GC result.”Regarding Pello Bilbao, he’ll let us know after the first few days how he feels post-Giro. The parcours isn’t excessively hard, but the GC battle will likely continue until the final uphill time trial (TT).
“We’re going to treat every day like a one-day race – each rider will have their stage to target.” After the Queen Stage, stage six (Chur–Neuhausen am Rheinfall, 186.7km) may offer a sprint opportunity, although the climbs could also favour a breakaway.
Stage seven (Neuhausen am Rheinfall–Emmetten, 207.3km) could again impact the GC, leading into the decisive individual time trial on stage eight (Beckenried–Stockhütte, 10km). Bilbao, who is returning to Tour de Suisse after two years, commented: “It’s going to be a challenging race, as always, with a lot of climbing and very little flat terrain. It’s a great opportunity for stage hunting, since many of the days are too hard for pure sprinters and not all will be about the GC. “
I came out of the Giro pretty exhausted, but if I regain some freshness and feel good, I’ll definitely try to go for a stage. That would be a huge goal for me, and the team too.” Regarding the line-up,
Golas added: “Hopefully, Pello recovers well. We also have Matej Mohoric; we’ll see which stages he can target. Nicolo Buratti will be our man for the sprint finishes.
“Rainer Kepplinger will be our key climbing support, and could also feature in breakaways. Mathijs Paasschens and Max van der Meulen complete the lineup – reliable helpers with chances to go up the road and fight for results.
“We’ve built a well-balanced team. Now it’s all about mentality. We need to treat every day like a classic and take every chance we get. That’s how I believe we can achieve great results.”
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