Tour de Suisse Women 2024 Race Preview

Mathew Mitchell

Published on June 13, 2024
in Women's Cycling

Tour de Suisse Women 2024 History

The Tour de Suisse Women continues to go from strength to strength in its reborn version. Originally held between 1998 and 2001, the race went on a 20-year-long hiatus before re-starting up again in 2021. Zulfia Zabirova was the biggest rider to win the initial version, taking 2 of the 4 editions.

Table of Contents

The race quickly progressed up the ranks on its return, starting life as a 2.1 in 2021, then being promoted to 2.Pro in 2022 and finally Women’s WorldTour from 2023. Lizzie Deignan won the first edition by just 1 second from local rider Elise Chabbey. Deignan’s teammate Lucinda Brand won the following year in a memorable battle with Kristen Faulker that went down to the final corner. The American slid out though in wet conditions and that handed the title to Brand. SD Worx took over last season, with Marlen Reusser able to take a solo stage win that ensured she would win the GC, the first Swiss rider to ever do so.

This year’s race sees a very front-heavy GC race. A short stage of just 48.5km to begin with, albeit with plenty of climbing is followed by a mountain time trial. That should ensure the GC is well and truly shook up going into a flatter, but not completely flat, final 2 days. It will be interesting to see how riders gauge their efforts with a big Stage 1 maybe seeing them lose time the following day unless their recovery is strong.

Previous Winners

2023
Marta Cavalli
2022
Krista Doebel-Hickok
2021
Not held

Tour de Suisse Women 2024 Stage Profiles

Stage 1

Stage 2 (TT)

Stage 3

Stage 4

TV Coverage

Saturday 15th June – Tuesday 18th June 2024

Live on Eurosport/Discovery across Europe

Stage 1: 09:50-12:15
Stage 2: 09:30-12:00
Stage 3: 14:00-16:40
Stage 4: 14:00-16:40

All times in BST

Twitter: #TDS2024 or #TourdeSuisse

Startlist: FirstCycling

Tour de Suisse Women 2024 Contenders

SD Worx heads into the Tour de Suisse Women with high expectations. Demi Vollering is in excellent form, having now secured multiple victories this season. She will be the out-and-out favourite naturally, the strongest climber and absolutely fine against the clock, it’s tough to see anyone surpassing her. Teammate Niamh Fisher-Black took a stage win here last year and could be a GC contender too. We know she’s a strong enough climber, it’s whether she has to do a lot of work for Demi or not. With no Marlen Reusser due to sickness, we could see Mischa Bredewold get some similar opportunities that her Swiss teammate might have. Stages 3 and 4 potentially reward attacks.

Kasia Niewiadoma had her Vuelta Femenina cut short due to illness, which was noticeable each time the road went uphill. It was a shame as the Pole had finished off the Ardennes campaign strongly and was set to do well. Rested and refreshed, she should be a contender here. She’s got the biggest Swiss hope on her team in Elise Chabbey, the Swiss national champion, who brings strong climbing and time-trial skills. She nearly won this race back in 2021 and will look to return to the podium once more. If she loses a lot of time on Stages 1 and 2, expect to see her make a move for the QoM jersey. You can’t ignore the German pair of Ricarda Bauernfeind and Antonia Niedermaier either. Both climb well, Niedermaier against the clock especially. I hope to see them let off the leash to be able to attack and put pressure on SD Worx that way with big names up the road.

Elisa Longo Borghini will always be a contender in a race like this. She’s on a good run at the moment which has seen her finish each stage and GC in the top-15 since the end of March. Most of the time she’s been well inside the top-10 but a couple of the flatter Vuelta stages ruined that stat! Expect to see her challenge Demi here. Teammate Gaia Realini should hopefully put pressure on SD Worx, especially if she can be in the mix on the early mountainous stages. It’s not immediately obvious how she will do on a mountain TT as well. The potential is there but hard to know for sure. Clara Copponi is probably the fastest sprinter on paper at this year’s Tour de Suisse Women. That’s partly due to not many opportunities, with even the flatter stages still featuring plenty of climbing. There’s a chance for the French rider but it won’t be easy.n

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig continues to try to ride back into form here. She’s not quite where she planned to be due to a sacrum fracture suffered at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Despite limited race days in 2024 her climbing abilities will be critical on the mountainous stages of this race. Teammate Evita Muzic, a versatile and strong climber, complements Ludwig well. Muzic certainly went well at the Vuelta Femenina, emerging as a challenger to Demi Vollering. Her performances so far in June though show that her form peak might be over. 2nd at Alpes Gresivaudan Classic hides that she was the big favourite there and didn’t look close to winning. Then she was very quiet at the Volta Catalunya too.

Yara Kastelijn should be the GC leader for Fenix-Deceninck and has shown impressive form, notably finishing 2nd on a stage at the Vuelta España Femenina and securing a 10th place in the general classification. Flora Perkins will be on the hunt for results on the final 2 days. She’s just finished 5th in a stage and 13th overall at the Tour of Britain Women, and placed 6th in a stage at the Vuelta España Femenina. Christina Schweinberger brings power and experience, particularly valuable on the flatter, rolling stages. She finished 3rd at Le Samyn des Dames, 4th at the Omloop van het Hageland, and 6th at Dwars door het Hageland in 2024. Teammate Petra Stiasny adds some pure climber power to the team. On a mountain summit finish like the one here, she has the potential to be a contender. She doesn’t always deliver where you think she should, however.

Juliette Labous is expected to do well at the Tour de Suisse Women, given her impressive climbing skills, strong times against the clock and consistent top finishes in stage races. It’s tough to see her beating Demi Vollering and with ELB and Kasia here a podium will be tough but it is doable. There will be chances for Francesca Barale and Nienke Vinke here too but the main focus at this race will be on Labous.

Kim Cadzow, fresh off an impressive 10th place in the general classification at the Vuelta Femenina in May, enters the Tour de Suisse Women in good form. Her strong climbing abilities will be a significant asset on the mountainous stages. Recently signing a contract extension with EF Education-Cannondale, Cadzow is poised to aim for a high overall finish. Kristen Faulkner should also go well here. You’d think she would be a contender for the mountain TT, maybe not for the win but enough to put her in good stead for the GC. Noemi Rüegg, competing on home soil, brings a consistent performance across both flat and hilly terrains. The final two stages could see her go well.

Caroline Andersson is another who went well at the Vuelta Femenina, particularly on the rolling stages. She’s had a couple of top-10s and is knocking on the door. Something that her teammate Ingvild Gaskjenn managed to deliver in a big way this season. Her current form suggests she will be a strong competitor on the tougher stages and did a remarkable job at the Vuelta Femenina to finish higher in GC than expected. Urška Žigart’s expertise in climbing will be vital on the mountain stages. She sometimes delivers on these types of mountain summit finishes and this could be one of those times.

Marion Bunel has had a strong 2024 season, making her a key climber for her team. She won the Alpes Gresivaudan Classic and finished 5th overall at the UAE Tour Women. Additionally, Bunel secured 9th place in the general classification at the Tour de Normandie Féminin, demonstrating her ability to perform well in multi-stage races. Her climbing skills will be crucial on the mountainous stages of the Tour de Suisse Women. Teammate Victorie Guilman will excel on the rolling stages, such as Stage 3 and Stage 4. Guilman performed well at the Tour of Britain Women, where she handled similar terrain effectively.

Maud Oudeman has shown some strong climbing skills this season and is a nice lower end of the top-10 on GC contender. Her recent performances, including a 10th place in the general classification at the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas and 9th at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Femenina, highlight her readiness for the mountainous stages. Teammate Rosita Reijnhout has also shown impressive form this year, notably winning the Deakin University Elite Women’s Road Race. Additionally, she finished 8th overall at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya recently too. Fem van Empel is known for her all-round capabilities, making her an asset on rolling and challenging stages. She might find herself as a bit of a fast-finisher option on the final 2 stages.

Alena Ivanchenko is starting to come into some form now this season. Her top results include a 14th place at the Navarra Women’s Elite Classic and 19th at La Flèche Wallonne Féminine. She time trials well and traditionally goes well on a mountain summit finish to a stage where she can set a tempo and threshold it to the finish. Erica Magnaldi is a much more natural climber and has had notable results this season, including a 3rd place at the Grand Prix Féminin de Chambéry and 6th at the Trofeo Oro in Euro. Teammate Dominika Wlodarczyk will no doubt contest the sprints for the team. She finished 4th at the Navarra Women’s Elite Classic and 9th at the GP Plumelec-Morbihan. She’s got a chance of a stage win in this field.

Tour de Suisse Women 2024 Outsiders

Elena Hartmann and Anna Kiesenhofer come into the Tour de Suisse Women as descent outsiders. Hartmann has had a good season, mostly in El Salvador, winning the overall title at the Vuelta a El Salvador and also securing victory at the Grand Prix Presidente. More recently she was 8th at GP Ciudad de Eibar and 11th in GC at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya. Teammate Anna Kiesenhofer had a few badly timed illnesses and crashes earlier on this year, she is starting to come into some form with 16th in GC at Volta Ciclista a Catalunya. The TT here isn’t perfect for her but will be a test before the Olympics.

Eline Jansen and Margot Vanpachtenbeke are also strong outsiders too. Jansen recently finished sixth overall at the Tour of Britain Women, showcasing her ability to do well, particularly in rolling and hilly parcours. Margot Vanpachtenbeke has shown consistent results, including a top 10 finish at the Brabantse Pijl and a top 15 finish at the RideLondon Classique. They’re not alone on the VolkerWessels team but Jansen in particular can carry her form into Stages 3 and 4.

Jolanda Neff, primarily known for mountain biking, periodically has a go on the road as well. In 2024, she has already performed strongly at the Trofeo Ponente in Rosa, finishing fifth overall. This performance demonstrates her competitive form. Her skillset has seen her go on the attack at the Tour de Suisse by absolutely sending it on descents and gaining gaps with ease.