The Tour de Suisse Women 2026 reaches its final stage on Sunday, 21st June, with Marlen Reusser in yellow after her Aarburg time-trial win. Stage 5 takes the peloton to Villars-sur-Ollon for the queen stage, and it should decide whether Reusser can convert her time-trial strength into overall victory or whether Elisa Longo Borghini can still turn the race around on the climbs.
UK viewers should treat this as an early morning stage. The race starts at 08:00 BST, with the finish expected around 11:05 BST. That makes it easy to miss if you are used to afternoon WorldTour coverage, especially with the men’s Tour de Suisse stage following later in the day.
The stage itself is short but brutal. The official route lists 100.3km with 2,795m of climbing and gives the day a 5/5 difficulty rating. The race begins and ends in Villars-sur-Ollon, using mountainous terrain around the Col de la Croix, with very little flat road to help riders recover. It is exactly the kind of final day that can punish anyone carrying fatigue from the time-trial.
For wider race context, see our Tour de Suisse Women 2026 full route guide, the full start list for Tour de Suisse Women 2026, our Tour de Suisse Women 2026 stage 5 preview and our Tour de Suisse Women 2026 stage 4 live viewing and start time update.
What time does Tour de Suisse Women 2026 stage 5 start?
Tour de Suisse Women 2026 stage 5 starts at 09:00 local time in Switzerland on Sunday, 21st June.
That is 08:00 in the UK.
The finish is scheduled for around 12:05 local time, which is 11:05 in the UK. The exact finishing time may shift slightly depending on the pace, the size of the early breakaway and how aggressively the GC teams race the climbs.
The official Villars-sur-Ollon host programme lists the women’s rider sign-on from 07:50 to 08:50 local time, the stage start at 09:00, the first finish-line passage at 10:30 and the finish at 12:05. The podium ceremony is scheduled immediately after the finish.
Tour de Suisse Women 2026 stage 5 timings in the UK
Stage 5 date: Sunday, 21st June
Route: Villars-sur-Ollon to Villars-sur-Ollon
Distance: 100.3km
Elevation: 2,795m
Stage type: Mountain stage
Difficulty: 5/5
Race start: 08:00 BST
First finish-line passage: 09:30 BST
Expected finish: 11:05 BST
Podium ceremony: around 11:05 BST
This is one of those stages where the early start matters. The decisive moves may still come later in the stage, but the climbing begins early enough that riders can be under pressure well before UK viewers have settled into a normal Sunday schedule.
How to watch Tour de Suisse Women 2026 stage 5 in the UK
UK coverage of the Tour de Suisse Women 2026 is available through TNT Sports’ cycling coverage, with streaming access through HBO Max following the Warner Bros. Discovery platform switch in the UK.
Because stage 5 is a morning mountain stage, viewers should check the TNT Sports and HBO Max schedules early. The women’s race is due to finish before the men’s Villars-sur-Ollon stage gets properly into its final phase, so it may sit in a separate morning broadcast window or within the wider Tour de Suisse coverage depending on the platform listing.
The safest option is to check HBO Max before 08:00 BST and look for the Tour de Suisse Women stage 5 listing. TNT Sports television coverage may depend on channel scheduling, while streaming should be the more reliable route if multiple cycling events are listed across the same day.
There is also free Swiss broadcast coverage of the Tour de Suisse, usually available in German, French and Italian, although access may depend on location and geo-restrictions. For UK viewers, TNT Sports and HBO Max remain the simplest legal routes to live coverage.
Is Tour de Suisse Women 2026 stage 5 free to watch in the UK?
Tour de Suisse Women 2026 stage 5 is not expected to be free-to-air in the UK.
The UK live route is through Warner Bros. Discovery’s cycling coverage, with TNT Sports and HBO Max the main options. Viewers outside the UK may have different local routes, particularly in Switzerland, where the host broadcaster coverage forms part of the wider Tour de Suisse package.
For UK fans, this is not a stage to rely only on highlights for if you want to follow the GC properly. Reusser’s lead is strong, but the route is difficult enough that the race can still change quickly if UAE Team ADQ, Canyon SRAM, Team Visma | Lease a Bike or FDJ United-Suez decide to attack early.
Why stage 5 matters for the GC
Stage 5 matters because it is the hardest road stage of the race and the last chance to change the general classification.
Reusser’s time-trial win on stage 4 moved her into yellow and gave Movistar a strong position before the final day. The problem is that stage 5 is not a time-trial. It is a compact mountain stage with repeated climbing around Villars-sur-Ollon, and the route is designed to keep pressure on the leader from almost the start.
Longo Borghini is the obvious rider who has to attack. She lost the yellow jersey to Reusser in Aarburg but remains close enough to make the final day tense if UAE Team ADQ can isolate the leader. Longo Borghini has already won in this race and knows how to make a selective stage bite.
Cédrine Kerbaol, Sarah Van Dam, Femke de Vries, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, Kim Le Court, Yara Kastelijn and Thalita de Jong all have reasons to race the final stage aggressively. Some are chasing the podium, some are defending top-five positions, and some may need to take risks if they want to rescue a bigger result from the race.
Reusser has the advantage, but the route does not let her relax.
Marlen Reusser in yellow
Reusser’s stage 4 performance changed the race. She was the strongest rider against the clock and used the Aarburg time-trial to move ahead of Longo Borghini before the final mountain test.
That gives her a clear route to overall victory. She does not need to win stage 5. She does not even need to follow every attack if Movistar can control the gaps. She needs to manage the climbs, avoid panic and stay close enough to Longo Borghini and the other main GC riders.
The difficulty is that Reusser is likely to be attacked repeatedly. Longo Borghini cannot simply wait for the final kilometre if the gap is meaningful. Niewiadoma-Phinney and Kerbaol may also need to make the stage harder if they want to move up. That could turn the final day into a race of repeated accelerations rather than one late showdown.
Reusser’s advantage is her endurance and control. She can ride a hard tempo, manage her effort and use the flatter or descending sections better than many lighter climbers. Her danger is being forced into too many sharp changes of pace.
Elisa Longo Borghini’s last chance
Longo Borghini has to treat stage 5 as the final opportunity to win the race. She cannot rely on small gaps or bonus seconds alone. If she wants the overall, she needs to create real separation.
That means UAE Team ADQ may have to make the race hard early. The stage is short enough for aggressive tactics and mountainous enough for gaps to appear. If Reusser is isolated, Longo Borghini can attack, counterattack and use the repeated climbs to test whether the yellow jersey can respond every time.
The difficulty is that Reusser is not easy to crack. She has the strength to ride at threshold for long periods, and she has enough time-trial power to limit losses on less steep sections. Longo Borghini’s best chance is to make the stage irregular: attack on steeper ramps, force others to chase, and avoid turning it into a simple tempo climb.
It is the clearest tactical storyline of the final day. Reusser has the lead. Longo Borghini has the incentive to attack. The route gives her enough terrain to try.
Other riders to watch
Cédrine Kerbaol is one of the most important riders outside the Reusser-Longo Borghini duel. She has been consistent in the race and should suit a hard final stage, especially if the GC group begins to split before the final climb.
Sarah Van Dam has already shown her ability to stay involved on difficult terrain, and a final stage with repeated climbing gives her a chance to defend or improve her GC place. She may not be the most obvious stage winner, but she is exactly the kind of rider who can benefit if others overcommit.
Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney is still a threat on a stage like this, even after losing valuable time earlier in the race. If Canyon SRAM want to salvage more from the GC, she has to be part of the attacking picture rather than waiting for Reusser and Longo Borghini to settle it between themselves.
Yara Kastelijn and Thalita de Jong are also worth watching if the race becomes more open. Both can handle hard days, and both may have more freedom if the main GC teams focus on the yellow jersey duel.
A breakaway is possible, but the GC situation makes it harder for non-contenders to survive. If UAE Team ADQ want the stage and overall pressure, or if Movistar need control, the front of the race may stay tighter than usual.
Stage 5 route: why Villars-sur-Ollon is difficult
The official route numbers explain why stage 5 is so important: 100.3km, 2,795m of climbing and a 5/5 difficulty rating.
That is a lot of climbing for a short stage. The peloton will not have the long approach kilometres that can sometimes soften the start of a mountain day. Instead, the road around Villars-sur-Ollon and the Col de la Croix should create pressure early and keep it there.
The stage is not only about one final climb. It is about repeated effort. Riders have to handle climbing, descending, technical positioning and the mental strain of knowing there are very few easy kilometres. That makes it a difficult day for a time-triallist in yellow, even one as strong as Reusser.
The first finish-line passage at 09:30 BST should be a useful marker for viewers. By then, the race shape should be clearer, the breakaway should be established, and the GC teams should already be deciding how aggressively they want to race.
Live viewing tips for UK fans
This is an early stage, so do not wait until late morning to check the coverage.
The race starts at 08:00 BST and is expected to finish around 11:05 BST. If live coverage begins after the flag drop, the first important selection may already have started by the time the broadcast opens. Viewers should check HBO Max before 08:00 BST and make sure the Tour de Suisse Women listing is active.
If you are only watching the final hour, tune in before 10:00 BST. That should catch the decisive phase of the stage, especially if the GC teams leave the biggest moves until the later climbs. If the race has been aggressive from the start, the key group may already be formed by then.
The podium ceremony is scheduled for around 11:05 BST, immediately after the finish. Because this is the final stage, that should include the overall race celebrations as well as the stage podium.
Prediction
Reusser has the advantage, but she has to survive the hardest day of the race to finish it off. Longo Borghini is the obvious challenger and should attack, while Kerbaol, Van Dam and Niewiadoma-Phinney all have routes into the final-stage fight if the race becomes selective early.
The most likely scenario is a GC race rather than a pure breakaway day. UAE Team ADQ need to put Reusser under pressure, Movistar need to defend, and several riders behind still have enough to gain that the stage should stay alive deep into the final hour.
Longo Borghini looks like the best stage-win pick because she has the incentive, the climbing form and the tactical experience to make the final day hard. Reusser remains the favourite to hold yellow if she can manage the accelerations and avoid being isolated too early.
