2015 Tour De Suisse
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The 2015 Tour de Suisse was the 79th edition of the
Tour de Suisse The Tour de Suisse ( en, Tour of Switzerland) is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France ...
stage race. It took place from 13 to 21 June and was the seventeenth race of the
2015 UCI World Tour The 2015 UCI World Tour was the seventh edition of the ranking system launched by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) in 2009. The series started with the opening stage of the Tour Down Under on 20 January, and concluded with Il Lombardia on 4 ...
. It started in
Risch-Rotkreuz Risch is a municipality in the canton of Zug in Switzerland. It is also promoted as Risch-Rotkreuz. Four villages (Rotkreuz, Risch, Buonas and Holzhäusern) belong to the municipality ''Risch''. On 24 November 2007 it was decided to promote th ...
and finished in
Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...
. The race was composed of nine stages including two time trials, a short one on the first day and a long one on the last day. The event covered , and visited
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy ...
and
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
on its fifth stage, which was the race's sole mountaintop finish. The winner of the general classification was Slovenian
Simon Špilak Simon Špilak (born 23 June 1986) is a retired Slovenian professional road bicycle racer. Professional career Born in Tišina, Špilak was the winner of the 2010 Tour de Romandie, after original race winner Alejandro Valverde had his results ex ...
of , who won the race by a margin of only five seconds from Great Britain's
Geraint Thomas Geraint Howell Thomas, (; born 25 May 1986) is a Welsh professional racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam , Wales and Great Britain. He is one of the few riders in the modern era to achieve significant elite success as both a tra ...
(). The ultimate selection was made on the last day's
individual time trial An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' "stopwatch stage"). There are also track-b ...
.
Tom Dumoulin Tom Dumoulin (; born 11 November 1990) is a retired Dutch professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . He has won nine stages across the three Grand Tours, five medals in three different World Championships and two Olympic s ...
of the squad rounded up the podium, having won the two individual time trial stages that bookended the race. The mountains classification was initially awarded to Austria's
Stefan Denifl Stefan Denifl (born 22 September 1987) is an Austrian former professional cyclist, who rode professionally between 2006 and 2018 for seven different professional teams. In 2019, Denifl confessed to doping during a five-year period in his career, ...
(), who featured in many breakaways to amass his points. Denifl was later disqualified following his suspension for doping in 2019. The sprints classification was won by Slovakian
Peter Sagan Peter Sagan (; born 26 January 1990) is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Sagan had a successful junior cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing career, winning the junior cross-country race at the 2008 ...
() who also was the victor of two stages. Team Sky finished at the head of the team classification with a margin of 11 minutes and 49 seconds. Other riders who won a stage were Croatian
Kristijan Đurasek Kristijan Đurasek (born 26 July 1987) is a Croatian professional Road bicycle racing, road bicycle racer, who is currently suspended from the sport. He has been competing since 2005, and has represented Croatia at two Summer Olympic Games, in 2 ...
of , Australian Michael Matthews (), Norwegian
Alexander Kristoff Alexander Kristoff (born 5 July 1987) is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He won the Norwegian National Road Race Championships in 2007 and 2011. His biggest victories have been the 2014 Milan ...
() and Kazakh
Alexey Lutsenko Alexey Alexandrovich Lutsenko (russian: Алексей Александрович Луценко; born 7 September 1992) is a Kazakh professional cyclist, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career In 2012 he won the under-23 road race at the UCI R ...
of . Frenchman
Thibaut Pinot Thibaut Pinot (born 29 May 1990) is a French professional road bicycle racer, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . Once considered one of the most promising talents in French cycling, he finished third overall in the 2014 Tour de France and first in the ...
grabbed the
queen stage This is a glossary of terms and jargon used in cycling, mountain biking, and cycle sport. For ''parts of a bicycle'', see List of bicycle parts. 0–9 ; 27.5 Mountain bike: A mountain bike with wheels that are approximately in diameter and ...
to the
Rettenbach glacier The Rettenbach glacier (german: ''Rettenbachferner'' or. ''Rettenbachgletscher'') is a glacier in Europe, located near Sölden in the Ötztal Alps of Tyrol, Austria. During the winter, the glacier is accessible by cable car and from spring time ...
and held the leader's jersey for four stages, but had to surrender it on the last day of competition to Špilak.


Teams

As a
UCI World Tour The UCI WorldTour (2009–2010: ''UCI World Ranking'') is the premier men's elite road cycling tour, sitting above the UCI ProSeries and various regional UCI Continental Circuits. It refers to both the tour of 38 events and, until 2019, an annual ...
event, the organisation was obliged to invite all seventeen
UCI WorldTeams UCI most commonly refers to: * University of California, Irvine, a public university in Irvine, California, United States * Union Cycliste Internationale, the world governing body for the sport of cycling UCI may also refer to: * Uganda Cancer In ...
, and likewise, all seventeen teams were obligated to send a squad. To complete the field, two
UCI Professional Continental teams UCI most commonly refers to: * University of California, Irvine, a public university in Irvine, California, United States * Union Cycliste Internationale, the world governing body for the sport of cycling UCI may also refer to: * Uganda Cancer In ...
were invited to join the race. The number of riders allowed per team was eight, so the starting field contained 152 cyclists.


Pre-race favourites

Rui Costa Rui Manuel César Costa (; born 29 March 1972) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who is the 34th president of sports club S.L. Benfica. He also succeeded Luís Filipe Vieira as president of the club's SAD board of directors. ...
() won the last three editions of the race, however he was not present at the 2015 event, as he raced in the
Critérium du Dauphiné The Critérium du Dauphiné, before 2010 known as the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, is an annual cycling road race in the Dauphiné region in the southeast of France. The race is run over eight days during the first half of June. It is part ...
instead. More contenders for the overall classification of the Tour de France opted for the latter race since it was more mountainous. There were two former winners of the Tour de Suisse at the starting line, teammates: Swiss
Fabian Cancellara Fabian Cancellara (born 18 March 1981), nicknamed "Spartacus", is a Swiss cycling executive, businessman and former professional road racing cyclist who last rode for UCI ProTeam . He was born in Wohlen bei Bern, Switzerland. Cancellara began r ...
and Luxembourger
Fränk Schleck Fränk René Schleck (born 15 April 1980) is a Luxembourgish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2003 and 2016, for and . Schleck is the older brother of Andy, winner of the 2010 Tour de France. Their father, ...
. Contenders for the
general classification The general classification (or the GC) in road bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for riders in multi-stage races. Each stage will have a stage winner, but the overall winner in the GC is the rider who has the fastest cumulati ...
were
Simon Špilak Simon Špilak (born 23 June 1986) is a retired Slovenian professional road bicycle racer. Professional career Born in Tišina, Špilak was the winner of the 2010 Tour de Romandie, after original race winner Alejandro Valverde had his results ex ...
(),
Thibaut Pinot Thibaut Pinot (born 29 May 1990) is a French professional road bicycle racer, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . Once considered one of the most promising talents in French cycling, he finished third overall in the 2014 Tour de France and first in the ...
(),
Rafał Majka Rafał Majka (Polish pronunciation: ; born 12 September 1989) is a Polish professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is known as a strong climber, and rose to prominence at the 2013 Giro d'Italia, where he finis ...
(),
Sergio Henao Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (born 10 December 1987) is a Colombian former racing cyclist, who competed professionally from 2012 to 2021 for , and . He retired after the 2021 season when folded. Early life Henao was born in Rionegro in 1987, the ...
(),
Tom Dumoulin Tom Dumoulin (; born 11 November 1990) is a retired Dutch professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . He has won nine stages across the three Grand Tours, five medals in three different World Championships and two Olympic s ...
(),
Michał Kwiatkowski Michał Kwiatkowski ( , born 2 June 1990) is a Polish professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Kwiatkowski is seen as a strong all rounder, with good sprinting, time-trialling and climbing abilities allowing him ...
() and
Geraint Thomas Geraint Howell Thomas, (; born 25 May 1986) is a Welsh professional racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam , Wales and Great Britain. He is one of the few riders in the modern era to achieve significant elite success as both a tra ...
(). Other hopefuls were
Jurgen Van den Broeck Jurgen Van den Broeck (born 1 February 1983) is a Belgian former road bicycle racer, who competed professionally between 2004 and 2017 for the , , and squads. Van den Broeck specialised in the time trial discipline, having been Junior World Cha ...
() and
Sébastien Reichenbach Sébastien Reichenbach (born 28 May 1989) is a Swiss cyclist, who rides for UCI ProTeam . During his professional career, he has also competed for (2010–2011), (2013–2015), and (2016–2022). Since turning professional, Reichenbach has tak ...
(). It was 's
Domenico Pozzovivo Domenico Pozzovivo (born 30 November 1982) is an Italian professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . His very small stature confer him with the qualities of a pure climbing specialist. He is most known for a victor ...
's first race after his disastrous crash in the Giro d'Italia, so his form was predicted as uncertain, but the Italian climber could certainly be a factor if he was in shape.
Peter Sagan Peter Sagan (; born 26 January 1990) is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Sagan had a successful junior cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing career, winning the junior cross-country race at the 2008 ...
(Tinkoff-Saxo) was a contender for stage wins. His ''
directeur sportif A ''directeur sportif'' ( French for sporting director, although the original French term is often used in English-language media; plural ''directeurs sportifs'') is a person directing a cycling team during a road bicycle racing event. It is se ...
'' (team manager) said he was the leader of the team and would target the opening
prologue A prologue or prolog (from Greek πρόλογος ''prólogos'', from πρό ''pró'', "before" and λόγος ''lógos'', "word") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier story that ...
.
Mark Cavendish Mark Simon Cavendish (born 21 May 1985) is a Isle of Man, Manx professional Road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . As a Track cycling, track cyclist he specialises in the Madison (cycling), madison, po ...
of , who proved his form with twelve stage victories so far in the season, was a favourite for the sprint stages. Other riders contending stage glory were
Alexander Kristoff Alexander Kristoff (born 5 July 1987) is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He won the Norwegian National Road Race Championships in 2007 and 2011. His biggest victories have been the 2014 Milan ...
() and
John Degenkolb John Degenkolb (born 7 January 1989) is a German professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . His biggest wins to date are the 2015 Milan–San Remo and the 2015 Paris–Roubaix, two of cycling's five monuments. He i ...
(). Cancellara, the
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
winner, was recovering from a crash suffered at the
E3 Harelbeke E3 Saxo Bank Classic, previously known as E3 BinckBank Classic, E3 Harelbeke, Harelbeke–Antwerp–Harelbeke and E3-Prijs Vlaanderen, is an annual road cycling race in Flanders, Belgium. The race starts and finishes in Harelbeke, covering 203 kil ...
one-day race; his primary focus was on his recovery.


Route

An important race in its own right, the 2015
Tour de Suisse The Tour de Suisse ( en, Tour of Switzerland) is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France ...
was used by some
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
riders to perfect their physical conditions, as the well-known French race started on 4 July. The route for the race was announced on 9 March 2015. The race did not follow any particular pattern in terms of geographical displacement around the country, but did visit
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy ...
and
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
on the fifth stage. It was also the longest of the race and was qualified as the
queen stage This is a glossary of terms and jargon used in cycling, mountain biking, and cycle sport. For ''parts of a bicycle'', see List of bicycle parts. 0–9 ; 27.5 Mountain bike: A mountain bike with wheels that are approximately in diameter and ...
. It finished near
Sölden Sölden is a municipality in the Ötztal valley of Tyrol, Austria. Geography At c. , it is the largest municipality in the country. The population of 3,449 (as of 2003) is outnumbered by tourists, of which 15,000 can be accommodated. With tou ...
situated in Austrian territory and featured a mountaintop finish. After that, the race came back in Swiss territory for the remainder of the event. The stages which were likely to be the most important for the general classification were stage five and the individual time trial on the final stage. The race featured a total elevation gain of . On 4 June 2015, it was announced that the town of
Brunnen Brunnen is a resort on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland, part of the municipality Ingenbohl (Canton of Schwyz), at . Brunnen railway station, on the Gotthard railway, is served by hourly InterRegio trains, and by lines S2 of the Stadtbahn Zug, whi ...
was desisting itself from being the start of stage three because of road damage caused by a rocky landslide, and that the town of Quinto would instead be the starting town. This shortened the stage by .


Stages


Stage 1

13 June 2015 —
Risch-Rotkreuz Risch is a municipality in the canton of Zug in Switzerland. It is also promoted as Risch-Rotkreuz. Four villages (Rotkreuz, Risch, Buonas and Holzhäusern) belong to the municipality ''Risch''. On 24 November 2007 it was decided to promote th ...
to Risch-Rotkreuz, ,
individual time trial An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' "stopwatch stage"). There are also track-b ...
(ITT) The very short prologue contained three sharp corners. The first two kilometers were slightly uphill, the third one was slightly downhill and the rest was flat. The best times coming from the first tier of riders were
Matthias Brändle Matthias Brändle (born 7 December 1989) is an Austrian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Brändle is a seven-time winner of the Austrian National Time Trial Championships (2009, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019, 20 ...
() with 5' 45",
Greg Van Avermaet Greg Van Avermaet (born 17 May 1985) is a Belgian professional cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Considered one of the most versatile riders of modern cycling, Van Avermaet is a specialist of the classic cycle races, but has also ...
() a second slower and
Cameron Meyer Cameron Meyer (born 11 January 1988) is an Australian former professional racing cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2009 to 2022. Career Born in Viveash, Western Australia, Meyer started cycling at the age of 13 in 2001 and first rep ...
() another second in arrears.
Thibaut Pinot Thibaut Pinot (born 29 May 1990) is a French professional road bicycle racer, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . Once considered one of the most promising talents in French cycling, he finished third overall in the 2014 Tour de France and first in the ...
() came in with a deficit of twelve seconds on Brändle. Michael Matthews () also realised a good time, four seconds down on the provisional leader. Domenico Pozzovivo () came to the finish with a fifteen-second deficit.
Daniele Bennati Daniele Bennati (born 24 September 1980) is an Italian former road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2002 and 2019 for the , , , , , , and squads. Specialising in fast sprint finishes, Bennati turned professional in 2002, when ...
() had the best intermediate time all day, which was calculated with remaining as the riders went through the checkpoint.
Fabian Cancellara Fabian Cancellara (born 18 March 1981), nicknamed "Spartacus", is a Swiss cycling executive, businessman and former professional road racing cyclist who last rode for UCI ProTeam . He was born in Wohlen bei Bern, Switzerland. Cancellara began r ...
(), beat Brändle with a time of 5' 43".
Time trialist A time trialist is a road bicycle racer who can maintain high speeds for long periods of time, to maximize performance during individual or team time trials. The term ''cronoman'', or ''chronoman'', is also used to refer to a time trialist. Detail ...
Adriano Malori Adriano Malori (born 28 January 1988) is an Italian former road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2010 and 2017 for the and squads. Career Malori was the ''lanterne rouge'' of the 2010 Tour de France, finishing almost four and a ...
() started soon after Cancellara crossed the finish line, but came in at 5' 47", four seconds slower. rider
Tom Dumoulin Tom Dumoulin (; born 11 November 1990) is a retired Dutch professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . He has won nine stages across the three Grand Tours, five medals in three different World Championships and two Olympic s ...
clocked 5' 41", 2 seconds better than Cancellara, and would ultimately be the winner of the stage. 's
Silvan Dillier Silvan Dillier (born 3 August 1990) is a Swiss cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Career Amateur career Dillier was born in Baden, Switzerland. In 2008, he was the Swiss national junior time trial champion, Under-23 road champion in ...
crashed as he was on a straight stretch of road. He managed to remount and finish the stage; his final position was last place, 1' 22" down. 's leader Geraint Thomas put in a fast ride, only seven seconds down on the winner.
Peter Sagan Peter Sagan (; born 26 January 1990) is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Sagan had a successful junior cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing career, winning the junior cross-country race at the 2008 ...
() came in five seconds in arrears of Dumoulin, missing out on his objective of being the first leader of the race.
Robert Gesink Robert Gesink (born 31 May 1986) is a Dutch professional cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . His major victories include the 2012 Tour of California, the 2011 Tour of Oman and the 2010 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. Gesink also ...
() clocked a time 22 seconds slower than Dumoulin, and so did
Sergio Henao Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (born 10 December 1987) is a Colombian former racing cyclist, who competed professionally from 2012 to 2021 for , and . He retired after the 2021 season when folded. Early life Henao was born in Rionegro in 1987, the ...
of . Poles
Rafał Majka Rafał Majka (Polish pronunciation: ; born 12 September 1989) is a Polish professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is known as a strong climber, and rose to prominence at the 2013 Giro d'Italia, where he finis ...
() and
Michał Kwiatkowski Michał Kwiatkowski ( , born 2 June 1990) is a Polish professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Kwiatkowski is seen as a strong all rounder, with good sprinting, time-trialling and climbing abilities allowing him ...
() were 20 and 21 seconds down respectively. After the event, Dumoulin said that he prepared at altitude for the race and that he produced a hard physical effort on the uphill section and went less intensely on the flatter parts.


Stage 2

14 June 2015 — Risch-Rotkreuz to Risch-Rotkreuz, The stage started right away with a Category 2 climb named Dorfstrasse which was long. The riders then rode a loop to tackle the latter climb once more about midway through the stage. Afterward another loop around Risch-Rotkreuz was effectuated to reach a Category 1 affair named Michaelskreuz, long. The course came back down and effectuated another circuit to tackle the climb a second and last time. This last
King of the Mountains The King of the Mountains (KoM) is an award given to the best climbing specialist in a men's cycling road race; in women's cycle racing, Queen of the Mountains (QoM) is used. While the title may be given to the rider who achieves the highest po ...
(KOM) checkpoint was situated at from the finish. The riders negotiated the descent and ended up once again in Risch-Rotkreuz for the finale. After of racing, Luka Pibernik (),
Cameron Meyer Cameron Meyer (born 11 January 1988) is an Australian former professional racing cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2009 to 2022. Career Born in Viveash, Western Australia, Meyer started cycling at the age of 13 in 2001 and first rep ...
(),
Jürgen Roelandts Jürgen Roelandts (born 2 July 1985) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2008 and 2020, for the , and squads. He now works as a directeur sportif for his final professional team, . Career In 201 ...
() and
Valerio Agnoli Valerio Agnoli (born 6 January 1985) is an Italian road bicycle racer, who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . Career Agnoli was one of the key domestiques for the Liquigas cycling team, where he was often instrumental in victories for Ivan Basso and ...
of had an advantage of 1' 08" over chasers Ben King () and Simone Antonini of Pro Continental team . They also enjoyed a lead of 2' 55" on the
peloton In a road bicycle race, the peloton (from French, originally meaning 'platoon') is the main group or pack of riders. Riders in a group save energy by riding close ( drafting or slipstreaming) to (particularly behind) other riders. The reductio ...
. The two chasers soon fell back into the main field. The maximum gap the peloton allowed the escapees to have was 3' 20". As the main group attacked the climb of Michaelskreuz for the first time,
Arnaud Démare Arnaud Démare (born 26 August 1991) is a professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . In 2011 he won the UCI World Under-23 Road Race Championships, and in 2016 he won the Milan–San Remo. He is one of five riders t ...
() crashed because of the fight for position. With to go, the riders attacked the climb of Michaelskreuz for the second and last time and caught the remnants of the breakaway on the way up. 's
Jakob Fuglsang Jakob Diemer Fuglsang (born 22 March 1985) is a Danish professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Before turning professional for , he was a mountain biker racing for Team Cannondale–Vredestein, winning the Under ...
accelerated close to the summit, with only
Geraint Thomas Geraint Howell Thomas, (; born 25 May 1986) is a Welsh professional racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam , Wales and Great Britain. He is one of the few riders in the modern era to achieve significant elite success as both a tra ...
() and
Simon Špilak Simon Špilak (born 23 June 1986) is a retired Slovenian professional road bicycle racer. Professional career Born in Tišina, Špilak was the winner of the 2010 Tour de Romandie, after original race winner Alejandro Valverde had his results ex ...
() initially able to follow, while
Michał Kwiatkowski Michał Kwiatkowski ( , born 2 June 1990) is a Polish professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Kwiatkowski is seen as a strong all rounder, with good sprinting, time-trialling and climbing abilities allowing him ...
() lost contact. Thomas then attacked on the descent and was followed by Fuglsang and Špilak.
Tom Dumoulin Tom Dumoulin (; born 11 November 1990) is a retired Dutch professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . He has won nine stages across the three Grand Tours, five medals in three different World Championships and two Olympic s ...
() chased them as he wanted to protect his leader's jersey. A small group of nine riders formed on the descent. Close to the final kilometre,
Kristijan Đurasek Kristijan Đurasek (born 26 July 1987) is a Croatian professional Road bicycle racing, road bicycle racer, who is currently suspended from the sport. He has been competing since 2005, and has represented Croatia at two Summer Olympic Games, in 2 ...
of placed an acceleration and continued to a solo victory on the flat run-in. The group came in four seconds in arrears, with
Daniel Moreno Daniel Moreno Fernández (born 5 September 1981) is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2018 for the , , , and teams. He specialised in mountain and high-mountain races along with Grand ...
() winning the sprint for second place before
Julián Arredondo Julián David Arredondo Moreno (born 30 July 1988) is a Colombian former professional road cyclist, who rode professionally between 2012 and 2017 for the and teams. Arredondo is best known for winning the mountains classification at the 2014 Gi ...
(. Overall contenders
Thibaut Pinot Thibaut Pinot (born 29 May 1990) is a French professional road bicycle racer, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . Once considered one of the most promising talents in French cycling, he finished third overall in the 2014 Tour de France and first in the ...
() and Špilak were also part of that clique, coming in fourth and sixth respectively.
Peter Sagan Peter Sagan (; born 26 January 1990) is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Sagan had a successful junior cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing career, winning the junior cross-country race at the 2008 ...
() won the sprint of the following group, coming in tenth at fourteen seconds. Dumoulin kept his leader's jersey, while Pibernik amassed enough mountain points (18) to earn the mountains classification jersey.


Stage 3

15 June 2015 — Quinto to
Olivone Olivone was a municipality in the district of Blenio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 25 January 2005, the cantonal authorities announced that Olivone would merge with Aquila, Campo Blenio, Ghirone and Torre to form a new municipality ...
, This was the new version of the stage as the original route was closed due to a
landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated grade (slope), slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of ...
. The stage immediately started with the ascent of the
hors catégorie ''Hors catégorie'' (HC) is a French term used in stage bicycle races to designate a climb that is "beyond categorization". The term was originally used for those mountain roads where cars were not expected to be able to pass. The HC climb is the ...
Gotthard Pass german: Gotthardpass , photo = File:Gotthardpass 2008.jpg , photo_caption = The area of the Gotthard Pass from the west , elevation_m = 2106 , elevation_ref = , traversed = National Road 2 Old paved road ( Tremola) Gotthard Rail Tunnel Go ...
, the summit of which was in. Then came a long false flat until a Category 2 climb, the Zona Cumiasca. It was immediately followed by a Category 3 named ascent Via Cantonale, a climb which summited from the finish. The race got on its way under cloudy but dry conditions. The Tour de Suisse was featuring the Gotthard Pass for the 34th time in its history, and a break formed along its early slopes, which featured cobbles. The two attackers were
Stefan Denifl Stefan Denifl (born 22 September 1987) is an Austrian former professional cyclist, who rode professionally between 2006 and 2018 for seven different professional teams. In 2019, Denifl confessed to doping during a five-year period in his career, ...
() and
Marco Marcato Marco Marcato (born 11 February 1984) is an Italian former racing cyclist, who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . Career Born in San Donà di Piave, Veneto, Marcato won the Tour de Vendée in 2011, and Paris–Tours in 2012: in the latter of these h ...
(). The pair had a lead of 2' 30" on the main field as
Branislau Samoilau Branislau Samoilau ( be, Браніслаў Самойлаў; born 25 May 1985) is a Belarusian road bicycle racer, who rides for Belarusian amateur team . Career Born in Vitebsk, Samoilau competed professionally for between 2007 and 2008, a brie ...
() was chasing them. Denifl got to the top of the climb first to rake in twenty points. By the top of the pass, snow was covering the sides of the road and the field was 3' 20" back. The riders put
gilet A gilet () or body warmer is a sleeveless jacket resembling a waistcoat or blouse. It may be waist- to knee-length and is typically straight-sided rather than fitted; however, historically, gilets were fitted and embroidered. In 19th-century dre ...
s on before the descent, which lasted almost . Samoilau succeeded in joining the escape during the downhill. The competitors replenished their food stock at the feed zone situated shortly after the downhill section. The main field started accelerating, with the team of the leader
Tom Dumoulin Tom Dumoulin (; born 11 November 1990) is a retired Dutch professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . He has won nine stages across the three Grand Tours, five medals in three different World Championships and two Olympic s ...
, doing most of the work at the front. Realising this breakaway was gaining ground, came to the fore to help, resulting in the gap going down gradually. There was to cover as the gap was hovering around 4' 30". At the foot of the Zona Cumiasca climb, with remaining, the gap had shrunk significantly. The peloton formed
sprint train A sprint train is a group of road bicycle racers who at the end of a race work together to set a high pace to keep their sprinter at the front of the race, discourage late attacks, and allow the sprinter to launch his or her sprint as late as ...
s to better position their leaders for the ascent. Marcato was soon dropped from the breakaway and Denifl won the mountain points. At that point, Denifl and Samoilau had only a thirty-second gap over the depleting field. The catch was effectuated with to race.
Michael Albasini Michael Albasini (born 20 December 1980) is a Swiss former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2003 and 2020, for the , , and teams. Professional career Albasini began his career in 2003 with , moved to at the ...
() attacked, soon followed by
Jan Bakelants Jan Bakelants (born 14 February 1986) is a Belgian professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career His major wins include the 2008 Tour de l'Avenir and stage 2 of the 2013 Tour de France, claiming the yellow jer ...
(). With the two escapees enjoying only a ten-second advantage,
Sergio Henao Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (born 10 December 1987) is a Colombian former racing cyclist, who competed professionally from 2012 to 2021 for , and . He retired after the 2021 season when folded. Early life Henao was born in Rionegro in 1987, the ...
() accelerated and passed them. The trio was ultimately reeled in.
Rafał Majka Rafał Majka (Polish pronunciation: ; born 12 September 1989) is a Polish professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is known as a strong climber, and rose to prominence at the 2013 Giro d'Italia, where he finis ...
() was working at the front of the small leading group to bring back the attackers to give his team leader
Peter Sagan Peter Sagan (; born 26 January 1990) is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Sagan had a successful junior cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing career, winning the junior cross-country race at the 2008 ...
a chance at victory. In the last few kilometres, Sagan took over from Majka himself. He followed
Daniel Moreno Daniel Moreno Fernández (born 5 September 1981) is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2018 for the , , , and teams. He specialised in mountain and high-mountain races along with Grand ...
(), who had chased down
Esteban Chaves Jhoan Esteban Chaves Rubio (born 17 January 1990) is a Colombian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Born in Bogotá, Chaves has competed as a professional since the start of the 2012 season, having signed fo ...
(), passing him to take victory.


Stage 4

16 June 2015 —
Flims Flims ( rm, Flem) is a municipality in the Imboden Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The town of Flims is dominated by the Flimserstein which one can see from almost anywhere in the area. Flims consists of the village of Flims (called ...
to , The first were flat until the peloton reached the
Wildhaus Pass Wildhaus Pass is a high mountain pass in the Alps in the canton of St. Gallen in Eastern Switzerland. The main road culminates at 1,090 metres, while the pass itself lies at an elevation of 1,027 metres above sea level. It connects Gams in the R ...
, a Category 2 test of in length. Then there were three Category 3 climbs on offer, which were the Kirchberg climb repeated three times as the riders accomplished a loop. There were however a number of uncategorized rises, especially one with about to cover, that was expected to play a role in the outcome. The finishing were straight with a consistent incline.
Davide Malacarne Davide Malacarne (born 11 July 1987 in Feltre, Province of Belluno) is an Italian former multi-discipline cyclist. He competed professionally in road racing between 2009 and 2016 for the , and teams, won the junior race at the 2005 UCI Cyclo ...
() and
Thomas De Gendt Thomas De Gendt (born 6 November 1986) is a Belgian professional road racing cyclist, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . He previously rode for rivals , , and . Career Born in Sint-Niklaas, De Gendt won the opening stage of the 2011 Paris–Nice ...
() attacked early in the stage. They were joined by a trio of
Stijn Devolder Stijn Devolder (born 29 August 1979) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer, who competed professionally for (2002–2003), (2004–2007), (2008–2010), (2011–2012), (2013–2016), (2017–2018) and (2019). Career Born in ...
(),
Alex Howes Alex Howes (born January 1, 1988) is an American former professional road racing cyclist, who competed as a professional in 2007 and from 2012 to 2022, spending his entire career with . Howes turned professional on a full-time basis in 2012. Pe ...
() and Frederik Backaert (). De Gendt crested the Wildhaus Pass first to take eight points in the mountains competition. At the summit, after of racing, the gap between the peloton and the breakers was two minutes and fifty seconds. De Gendt took maximum points atop the Kirchberg climb on the riders' first passage. The main field got through the same point 2' 05" in arrears. The descent was fast and the riders crossed the finish line for the first time of three with about to race. The breakaway was caught less than later. marshaled the field as De Gendt attacked again to no avail as he was swiftly swept back. Sprint specialists
Arnaud Démare Arnaud Démare (born 26 August 1991) is a professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . In 2011 he won the UCI World Under-23 Road Race Championships, and in 2016 he won the Milan–San Remo. He is one of five riders t ...
(),
Mark Cavendish Mark Simon Cavendish (born 21 May 1985) is a Isle of Man, Manx professional Road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . As a Track cycling, track cyclist he specialises in the Madison (cycling), madison, po ...
() and
Alexander Kristoff Alexander Kristoff (born 5 July 1987) is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He won the Norwegian National Road Race Championships in 2007 and 2011. His biggest victories have been the 2014 Milan ...
() struggled with the high pace at the front set by . As the peloton crossed the line for the last time with to race, there were no escapees. The last mountains points of the day atop the Kirchberg climb was won by
Daryl Impey Daryl Impey (born 6 December 1984) is a South African professional road cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Impey is an all-rounder; he generally comes to the fore on tough uphill sprints. Impey is a two-time winner of the Tour Dow ...
; it was uncontested and he won because he was riding at the front.
Alexey Lutsenko Alexey Alexandrovich Lutsenko (russian: Алексей Александрович Луценко; born 7 September 1992) is a Kazakh professional cyclist, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career In 2012 he won the under-23 road race at the UCI R ...
() placed an attack with to go. With to race he had opened up an advantage of 20 seconds. With remaining, Lutsenko was caught. An attack formed immediately including the riders
Marco Marcato Marco Marcato (born 11 February 1984) is an Italian former racing cyclist, who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . Career Born in San Donà di Piave, Veneto, Marcato won the Tour de Vendée in 2011, and Paris–Tours in 2012: in the latter of these h ...
(),
Jan Bakelants Jan Bakelants (born 14 February 1986) is a Belgian professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career His major wins include the 2008 Tour de l'Avenir and stage 2 of the 2013 Tour de France, claiming the yellow jer ...
() and
Sergio Henao Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (born 10 December 1987) is a Colombian former racing cyclist, who competed professionally from 2012 to 2021 for , and . He retired after the 2021 season when folded. Early life Henao was born in Rionegro in 1987, the ...
(); it failed and they were brought back as and teams worked together to set up a sprint finish. With to go, Sagan initiated his sprint first and was followed by Michael Matthews of . Matthews then passed him to claim his first victory at the Tour de Suisse. Sagan took second place and the points classification jersey.


Stage 5

17 June 2015 —
Unterterzen Quarten is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Sarganserland, in the canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland, above Lake Walensee. Besides Quarten itself, the municipality includes the settlements of Oberterzen, Unterterzen, Quint ...
to
Sölden Sölden is a municipality in the Ötztal valley of Tyrol, Austria. Geography At c. , it is the largest municipality in the country. The population of 3,449 (as of 2003) is outnumbered by tourists, of which 15,000 can be accommodated. With tou ...
(
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
), This was the
queen stage This is a glossary of terms and jargon used in cycling, mountain biking, and cycle sport. For ''parts of a bicycle'', see List of bicycle parts. 0–9 ; 27.5 Mountain bike: A mountain bike with wheels that are approximately in diameter and ...
of the 2015 Tour de Suisse and was also the longest stage the race featured in the last twenty years. The first difficulty of the day was the
hors catégorie ''Hors catégorie'' (HC) is a French term used in stage bicycle races to designate a climb that is "beyond categorization". The term was originally used for those mountain roads where cars were not expected to be able to pass. The HC climb is the ...
Bielerhöhe Pass The Bielerhöhe connects the Montafon valley in Vorarlberg with the Paznaun valley in Tirol. At 2,037 m above sea level, the Bielerhöhe lies in the Vorarlberg region, due north of the Silvretta Reservoir. The Bielerhöhe is the highest reachabl ...
which summited at of altitude and at that point, the riders were already in Austria after a brief visit to
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy ...
. Following that difficulty, the run-in to Sölden offered a respite until the cyclists reached the town and tackled the stage's second
hors catégorie ''Hors catégorie'' (HC) is a French term used in stage bicycle races to designate a climb that is "beyond categorization". The term was originally used for those mountain roads where cars were not expected to be able to pass. The HC climb is the ...
climb to the
Rettenbach glacier The Rettenbach glacier (german: ''Rettenbachferner'' or. ''Rettenbachgletscher'') is a glacier in Europe, located near Sölden in the Ötztal Alps of Tyrol, Austria. During the winter, the glacier is accessible by cable car and from spring time ...
, which took them to an altitude of . The competitors rode the
Ötztal Glacier Road The Ötztal Glacier Road, (german: Ötztaler Gletscherstraße), at 2,830 m (9,285 ft), is the second highest paved road in Europe. It is the access road from Sölden to the Rettenbach glacier and Tiefenbachferner glacier in the Ötztal Alps. It ...
from Sölden to get to the finish line. The overall race leader
Tom Dumoulin Tom Dumoulin (; born 11 November 1990) is a retired Dutch professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . He has won nine stages across the three Grand Tours, five medals in three different World Championships and two Olympic s ...
() said before the stage that if he lost less than one minute and a half to the pure climbers, he could still win the Tour by taking that time back on the final stage's time trial. The previous stage's victor Michael Matthews () was a non-starter, saying he had gotten what he wanted from the race: a stage win. A breakaway formed in the opening of the race. They were
Grégory Rast Grégory Rast (born 17 January 1980 in Cham) is a Swiss former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2001 and 2018 for the , , , and teams. He was the winner of the Swiss National Road Race Championships in 2004 an ...
(), mountains jersey wearer
Stefan Denifl Stefan Denifl (born 22 September 1987) is an Austrian former professional cyclist, who rode professionally between 2006 and 2018 for seven different professional teams. In 2019, Denifl confessed to doping during a five-year period in his career, ...
and his teammate
Matthias Brändle Matthias Brändle (born 7 December 1989) is an Austrian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Brändle is a seven-time winner of the Austrian National Time Trial Championships (2009, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019, 20 ...
(), Ben King (),
Przemysław Niemiec Przemysław Niemiec (born 11 April 1980) is a Polish former road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2002 and 2018 for the , and squads. Career He made his professional debut in 2002 for the team . Born in Oświęcim, Niemiec won t ...
(),
Stefan Schumacher Stefan Schumacher (born 21 July 1981) is a German former professional road racing cyclist. Schumacher won the bronze medal in the road race at the 2007 UCI Road World Championships, two stages in the 2006 Giro d'Italia and two stages in the 200 ...
(),
Thomas De Gendt Thomas De Gendt (born 6 November 1986) is a Belgian professional road racing cyclist, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . He previously rode for rivals , , and . Career Born in Sint-Niklaas, De Gendt won the opening stage of the 2011 Paris–Nice ...
() and
Mirko Selvaggi Mirko Selvaggi (born 11 February 1985) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer, who competed professionally between 2008 and 2016 for the , , , , , and teams. Biography Born in Pistoia, Italy, Selvaggi turned professional with the ...
(). The best-placed cyclist in the break on the general classification was Selvaggi in 59th place, 18' 38" down on Dumoulin. Denifl amassed maximum points atop the Bielerhöhe Pass, comforting his lead in the mountains classification.
Ion Izagirre Ion Izagirre Insausti (born 4 February 1989) is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer and cyclo-cross rider from the Basque Country, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is sometimes referred to as Jon Izagirre, to retain the correct ...
of the abandoned after the pass. With to go the gap was miscalculated by the race organisers as there were unrealistic fluctuations in the official timing throughout the long stretch of flat road before the final climb. With to cover, took control of the peloton for their leader
Jakob Fuglsang Jakob Diemer Fuglsang (born 22 March 1985) is a Danish professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Before turning professional for , he was a mountain biker racing for Team Cannondale–Vredestein, winning the Under ...
. and started helping the chase at the front, since those teams had riders aiming for victory (
Thibaut Pinot Thibaut Pinot (born 29 May 1990) is a French professional road bicycle racer, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . Once considered one of the most promising talents in French cycling, he finished third overall in the 2014 Tour de France and first in the ...
and the
Daniel Moreno Daniel Moreno Fernández (born 5 September 1981) is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2018 for the , , , and teams. He specialised in mountain and high-mountain races along with Grand ...
Simon Špilak Simon Špilak (born 23 June 1986) is a retired Slovenian professional road bicycle racer. Professional career Born in Tišina, Špilak was the winner of the 2010 Tour de Romandie, after original race winner Alejandro Valverde had his results ex ...
duo, respectively). With to the start of the big final climb, the gap was around six and a half minutes. The break fractured, just as the peloton did later when they hit the Rettenbach ascent. Dumoulin was dropped almost at the beginning of it but resisted, climbing at his own pace. Špilak attacked with remaining and dangled in front of a select group. Early breaker Denifl was alone in front and had about two minutes of an advantage with to go. Behind,
Domenico Pozzovivo Domenico Pozzovivo (born 30 November 1982) is an Italian professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . His very small stature confer him with the qualities of a pure climbing specialist. He is most known for a victor ...
placed an acceleration that put the lead group in difficulty, but he was brought back. The time gap rapidly decreased, due to dubious time monitoring again. Pinot launched an attack from the group, but Špilak had the resources to keep up with him for a while but was ultimately dropped. Pinot passed the passive Denifl before the arch signaling the last kilometre (''
flamme rouge This is a glossary of terms and jargon used in cycling, mountain biking, and cycle sport. For ''parts of a bicycle'', see List of bicycle parts. 0–9 ; 27.5 Mountain bike: A mountain bike with wheels that are approximately in diameter and ...
'') and took a solo victory. Pozzovivo finished second while Špilak settled for third. However, it became soon apparent that Dumoulin would not lose much more than the minute and a half that was his objective. He passed the line 1' 37" down on Pinot. "I'm very happy, it was important for me and the team. We came here to win a stage, and I had good legs today. I've got a lot of confidence now, that’s important for the
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
. And it's true, racing in Switzerland seems to suit me," said Pinot. "The objective is to win overall here, but the
rouleur A rouleur is a type of racing cyclist considered a good all-rounder. Details In road bicycle racing different courses favour different types of rider depending on a range of environmental conditions such as terrain, climate and distance. Flat cou ...
s like eraintThomas and omDumoulin aren't far back," he added. "It'll be a long and difficult time trial n stage nine We'll see what happens on the day."


Stage 6

18 June 2015 —
Wil Wil () is the capital of the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Wil in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. Wil is the third largest city in the Canton of St. Gallen, after the city of St. Gallen and Rapperswil-Jona, a twin city that merged in ...
to
Biel/Bienne Biel/Bienne (official bilingual wording; , ) is a List of towns in Switzerland, town and a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Biel/Bienne (administrative district), Biel/Bienne administrative district in the canton of Bern in Swi ...
, This stage contained only one categorised ascent midway through it and was a Category 3 affair named Auensteinstrasse. However, there were numerous uncategorized rises on the course to Biel/Bienne and the total elevation gain for the stage was . Two intermediate sprints came before the run into town in the final . As the stage started, there were 145 riders remaining in the race, as only seven entrants had abandoned since the start of the race. The day's breakers were
Axel Domont Axel Domont (born 7 August 1990) is a French winemaker and former racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2013 and 2020, entirely for UCI WorldTeam . Major results ;2011 : 2nd Piccolo Giro di Lombardia : 3rd Overall Giro del Friuli- ...
(),
Marek Rutkiewicz Marek Rutkiewicz (born 8 May 1981 in Olsztyn) is a Polish former road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2001 and 2020 for seven different teams. Rutkiewicz's strength was in climbing and his victories came in hilly races, including ...
(),
Matej Mohorič Matej Mohorič (born 19 October 1994) is a Slovenian professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Mohorič turned professional in 2014. He is the Slovenian road race champion for 2018 and 2021. Biography Born on ...
() and
Jérôme Baugnies Jérôme Baugnies (born 1 April 1987) is a Belgian cyclist, who rides for Belgian amateur team . Major results ;2004 : 7th Paris–Roubaix Juniors ;2005 : 3rd Paris–Roubaix Juniors ;2006 : 2nd Grand Prix Criquielion : 8th Liège–Bastogne–L ...
(). The riders soon tackled the Eschenmosen, one of the many uncategorised ascents of the day. With left, the breakaway's advantage stood at 4' 30". The breakers took the points on offer on the only climb of the day, Auensteinstrasse, so
Stefan Denifl Stefan Denifl (born 22 September 1987) is an Austrian former professional cyclist, who rode professionally between 2006 and 2018 for seven different professional teams. In 2019, Denifl confessed to doping during a five-year period in his career, ...
of maintained his 30-point advantage over his nearest competitor
Thomas De Gendt Thomas De Gendt (born 6 November 1986) is a Belgian professional road racing cyclist, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . He previously rode for rivals , , and . Career Born in Sint-Niklaas, De Gendt won the opening stage of the 2011 Paris–Nice ...
(). Rutkiewicz won the maximum five points that came with cresting the ascent first. About midway through, it was calculated that the peloton's average speed was slower than the slowest prediction by the organisers, most likely due to the severity of the previous stage. With to cover, rain began to fall; the main field was led by , , and . Baugnies rode first across an uncontested intermediate sprint with to go. from the finish,
Adriano Malori Adriano Malori (born 28 January 1988) is an Italian former road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2010 and 2017 for the and squads. Career Malori was the ''lanterne rouge'' of the 2010 Tour de France, finishing almost four and a ...
and
Francisco Ventoso Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi (born 6 May 1982) is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2004 and 2020, for the , , , and squads. Career Ventoso turned professional with in 2004 before moving t ...
of surprised the peloton by attacking. At the remaining arch, the break of four still held a lead of forty seconds with the two riders placed between the groups. took matters in their own hands and began forming their sprint train for
Mark Cavendish Mark Simon Cavendish (born 21 May 1985) is a Isle of Man, Manx professional Road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . As a Track cycling, track cyclist he specialises in the Madison (cycling), madison, po ...
. moved to the front in support of their sprint hopeful,
Peter Sagan Peter Sagan (; born 26 January 1990) is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Sagan had a successful junior cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing career, winning the junior cross-country race at the 2008 ...
. With to cover, the escape had 30 seconds of an advantage. At that point, two riders (
Julien Vermote Julien Vermote (born 26 July 1989) is a Belgian professional cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . His brother is Alphonse Vermote, who rode for the squad. He was named in the start list for the 2015 Tour de France. Juniors Born in Ko ...
and
Zdeněk Štybar Zdeněk Štybar (; born 11 December 1985) is a Czech professional cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . While best known as a cyclo-cross racer, in 2011 Štybar began his professional road career while continuing to race cyclo-cross. ...
) crashed on the water-logged tarmac before a bend, but the mishap had no consequences on the peloton. The breakers were brought back just before the ''flamme rouge''. Shortly thereafter, Cavendish lost the wheel of his lead-out man
Mark Renshaw Mark Renshaw (born 22 October 1982) is a retired Australian racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2004 and 2019 for the , , , , and teams. His most notable wins are the general classification of the 2011 Tour of Qatar, and the one-d ...
after struggling to come back after the crash which hindered his lead-out train. There were two technical turns before the finish line. Sagan was sitting in third wheel of his team's train; he negotiated the final 90 degree corner with to go and profited from an unintentional lead-out by
Jürgen Roelandts Jürgen Roelandts (born 2 July 1985) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2008 and 2020, for the , and squads. He now works as a directeur sportif for his final professional team, . Career In 201 ...
(), who had opened his sprint before Sagan outpowered him in the last to win the day. It was Sagan's eleventh victory at the Tour de Suisse, matching the record of
Hugo Koblet Hugo Koblet (; 21 March 1925 – 6 November 1964) was a Switzerland, Swiss champion cycle sport, cyclist. He won the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia as well as competing in six-day and pursuit races on the track. He won 70 races as a profes ...
and
Ferdinand Kübler Ferdinand Kübler (; 24 July 1919 – 29 December 2016) was a Swiss cyclist with 71 professional victories, including the 1950 Tour de France and the 1951 World Road Race Championship. Biography Kübler was born in Marthalen. He began racing p ...
. Due to a split in the peloton, Pinot lost five seconds to general classification rival
Geraint Thomas Geraint Howell Thomas, (; born 25 May 1986) is a Welsh professional racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam , Wales and Great Britain. He is one of the few riders in the modern era to achieve significant elite success as both a tra ...
of .


Stage 7

19 June 2015 — Biel/Bienne to
Düdingen Düdingen (; french: Guin ; frp, Duens, locally ) is a municipality in the district of Sense in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. It is one of the municipalities with a large majority of German speakers in the mostly French speaking Cant ...
, Stage 7 was a flat stage except for three Category 3 climbs in the second half of the stage. The opening were totally flat. After , the riders tackled the finishing circuit twice. During that circuit, the first climb was the Freiburgstrasse. There was a descent, then the Hauptstrasse climb was covered. During the second circuit, the Freiburgstrasse was attacked again. This last difficulty was situated from the finish line. The final were steep. World road race champion
Michał Kwiatkowski Michał Kwiatkowski ( , born 2 June 1990) is a Polish professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Kwiatkowski is seen as a strong all rounder, with good sprinting, time-trialling and climbing abilities allowing him ...
of the squad made attempts at escaping before the peloton finally let him go into the race. He was joined by
Silvan Dillier Silvan Dillier (born 3 August 1990) is a Swiss cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Career Amateur career Dillier was born in Baden, Switzerland. In 2008, he was the Swiss national junior time trial champion, Under-23 road champion in ...
(),
Daryl Impey Daryl Impey (born 6 December 1984) is a South African professional road cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Impey is an all-rounder; he generally comes to the fore on tough uphill sprints. Impey is a two-time winner of the Tour Dow ...
() and
Axel Domont Axel Domont (born 7 August 1990) is a French winemaker and former racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2013 and 2020, entirely for UCI WorldTeam . Major results ;2011 : 2nd Piccolo Giro di Lombardia : 3rd Overall Giro del Friuli- ...
(). After the break was resolved, the peloton was content in letting the gap increase to 3' 15" with of racing remaining. The best placed rider in this quartet was Impey, 29' 18" down on race leader
Thibaut Pinot Thibaut Pinot (born 29 May 1990) is a French professional road bicycle racer, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . Once considered one of the most promising talents in French cycling, he finished third overall in the 2014 Tour de France and first in the ...
(). The average speed of the first hour was . and dictated the pace, pulling back thirty seconds. With to go, the race passed through the village of
Misery-Courtion Misery-Courtion (; frp, Miseri-Cortion) is a municipality in the district of See in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. It was formed on January 1, 1997 by the union of the villages of Misery, Courtion, Cormérod, and Cournillens.
, at which point the gap stood at 2' 50". A crash occurred in the outskirts of Misery-Courtion, involving
Ben Hermans Ben Hermans (born 8 June 1986) is a Belgian professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Hermans was born in Hasselt, Flanders, and he turned professional in 2009 with . Hermans left at the end of the 2013 s ...
and Manuel Senni (both with ). They were able to remount their bikes and rejoined the main field. 's
Enrico Gasparotto Enrico Gasparotto (born 22 March 1982) is an Italian-born Swiss former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2020, for seven different teams. After retiring, he worked as a directeur sportif for UCI Continent ...
abandoned two hours into the stage, which were contested at the speed of . With remaining, the escapees had a minute's lead. Domont took the maximum points atop the first climb of the day. As they crossed the line for the last time with to go, the breakers were resisting as the time difference was still around a minute. On the second lap of the finishing circuit, Domont was dropped from the breakaway and was absorbed in by the peloton. The now three-rider break had a thirty-second advantage with remaining. controlled the front of the field in the final kilometres. With to go, the peloton almost pulled back the all unyielding breakers, as Kwiatkowski decided to go alone. He was caught in sight of the finish line. The uphill sprint was won by
Alexander Kristoff Alexander Kristoff (born 5 July 1987) is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He won the Norwegian National Road Race Championships in 2007 and 2011. His biggest victories have been the 2014 Milan ...
of , with
Peter Sagan Peter Sagan (; born 26 January 1990) is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Sagan had a successful junior cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing career, winning the junior cross-country race at the 2008 ...
() being a close second. Sagan got out of Kristoff's
slipstream A slipstream is a region behind a moving object in which a wake of fluid (typically air or mustard) is moving at velocities comparable to that of the moving fluid, relative to the ambient fluid through which the object is churning. The term slip ...
to try to out-sprint him in the final metres, but to no avail. This was Kristoff's eighteenth victory of the season. Through bad positioning, Pinot lost a further five seconds to
Geraint Thomas Geraint Howell Thomas, (; born 25 May 1986) is a Welsh professional racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam , Wales and Great Britain. He is one of the few riders in the modern era to achieve significant elite success as both a tra ...
() in the overall classification. "It was a hard day, I haven't felt super in this Tour de Suisse but I did a good sprint today," said the winner. "I got ahead of Sagan and I was able to go again at the end to hold off his run."


Stage 8

20 June 2015 —
Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...
to Bern, The stage was ridden in and around Bern, the first time the Tour de Suisse had been to the national capital since
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
. This was another stage which featured a lot of uncategorised rises. It however contained four Category 3 ascents. The event featured four circuits of around town, on the same course that was to be used in the stage nine time trial. The two climbs present in the loops gave mountain points on the last two laps only. The riders first took on the Category 3 Liebewill, then it was the Aargauerstalden climb. The stage finished on the flat, a
plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...
after the latter ascent, featuring a number of technical turns. A breakaway of twelve formed at the very start, but was deemed too dangerous and quickly reabsorbed. Citing back problems, rider
Jasper Stuyven Jasper Stuyven (born 17 April 1992) is a Belgian professional racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Juniors Born in Leuven, Stuyven had a successful career as a junior rider. In 2009, at age 17, he won the UCI Junior Wo ...
abandoned the race. The attackers continued to try to form a break and a move by 's
Michał Kwiatkowski Michał Kwiatkowski ( , born 2 June 1990) is a Polish professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Kwiatkowski is seen as a strong all rounder, with good sprinting, time-trialling and climbing abilities allowing him ...
finally made it. A break of nineteen riders emerged, containing among others
Warren Barguil Warren Barguil (; born 28 October 1991) is a French cyclist, who rides for UCI ProTeam . He is best known for winning two mountain stages and the mountains classification of the 2017 Tour de France. Career Early career Born in Hennebont, Britta ...
(), the best placed rider of the move in the general classification at 4' 52". , and led the chase. Despite the main field's effort, the gap grew to two minutes with to cover. With to go in the stage, the gap stood at 2' 12". However, , and were still working to keep the escapees in range. The time difference to the escape was remaining stationary at around two minutes at the to go marker. As the peloton passed through the finish line to undertake the last lap of the circuit,
Jakob Fuglsang Jakob Diemer Fuglsang (born 22 March 1985) is a Danish professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Before turning professional for , he was a mountain biker racing for Team Cannondale–Vredestein, winning the Under ...
of abandoned the race due to stomach problems. The peloton was forming a long single line as the pace was high.
Maxime Monfort Maxime Monfort (born 14 January 1983) is a Belgian former professional road racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2004 and 2019 for the , , , , and teams. Monfort won a variety of races including the Tour de Luxembourg in 2004, t ...
() crashed and abandoned, with bruising on his shoulder and back. With remaining, 's
Alexey Lutsenko Alexey Alexandrovich Lutsenko (russian: Алексей Александрович Луценко; born 7 September 1992) is a Kazakh professional cyclist, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career In 2012 he won the under-23 road race at the UCI R ...
attacked the escapees, followed by
Jan Bakelants Jan Bakelants (born 14 February 1986) is a Belgian professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career His major wins include the 2008 Tour de l'Avenir and stage 2 of the 2013 Tour de France, claiming the yellow jer ...
(); they opened a gap, holding off their former breakaway companions. Bakelants led for the last few kilometres except under the ''flamme rouge'' and Lutsenko outsprinted him to claim the victory. He described the win as the biggest of his career. The main field arrived in small groups, with the first one containing 's
Geraint Thomas Geraint Howell Thomas, (; born 25 May 1986) is a Welsh professional racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam , Wales and Great Britain. He is one of the few riders in the modern era to achieve significant elite success as both a tra ...
and
Tom Dumoulin Tom Dumoulin (; born 11 November 1990) is a retired Dutch professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . He has won nine stages across the three Grand Tours, five medals in three different World Championships and two Olympic s ...
of , who made a marginal time gain of three seconds on overall leader
Thibaut Pinot Thibaut Pinot (born 29 May 1990) is a French professional road bicycle racer, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . Once considered one of the most promising talents in French cycling, he finished third overall in the 2014 Tour de France and first in the ...
.


Stage 9

21 June 2015 — Bern to Bern, ,
individual time trial An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' "stopwatch stage"). There are also track-b ...
(ITT) The lengthy individual time trial featured a climb in the middle of it, but no mountains classification points were on offer. The course was technical and featured several turns. It was the same course that was raced four times in stage eight, except that the finish line was not situated at the same place. Midway through the stage, the riders took on the difficulty of the day, the Liebewill climb. There were other small climbs situated on the course. The final general classification of the race was decided on this stage, and a majority of the observers believed that Pinot would lose his lead since he is not a great time trialist.
Geraint Thomas Geraint Howell Thomas, (; born 25 May 1986) is a Welsh professional racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam , Wales and Great Britain. He is one of the few riders in the modern era to achieve significant elite success as both a tra ...
of was only 34 seconds down coming into the stage and was among the favourites to take the overall victory.
Tom Dumoulin Tom Dumoulin (; born 11 November 1990) is a retired Dutch professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . He has won nine stages across the three Grand Tours, five medals in three different World Championships and two Olympic s ...
() won the short prologue and was a contender for overall victory as a time trial specialist, but he had 1' 24" to make up. Another contender for the overall win was
Simon Špilak Simon Špilak (born 23 June 1986) is a retired Slovenian professional road bicycle racer. Professional career Born in Tišina, Špilak was the winner of the 2010 Tour de Romandie, after original race winner Alejandro Valverde had his results ex ...
of (47 seconds down). Fourth-placed
Domenico Pozzovivo Domenico Pozzovivo (born 30 November 1982) is an Italian professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . His very small stature confer him with the qualities of a pure climbing specialist. He is most known for a victor ...
() was an enigma, as he had mixed performances in time trials throughout his career. As far as the stage win was concerned, solo effort specialists
Fabian Cancellara Fabian Cancellara (born 18 March 1981), nicknamed "Spartacus", is a Swiss cycling executive, businessman and former professional road racing cyclist who last rode for UCI ProTeam . He was born in Wohlen bei Bern, Switzerland. Cancellara began r ...
() and
Adriano Malori Adriano Malori (born 28 January 1988) is an Italian former road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2010 and 2017 for the and squads. Career Malori was the ''lanterne rouge'' of the 2010 Tour de France, finishing almost four and a ...
() were to be considered, but they had no chance of a victory in the general classification since they were too far down in the rankings. The riders started in reverse order of the general classification, so Pinot was the last one to start. The riders went off the starting ramp in two-minute intervals. Cancellara got on course early, as he was the seventh man to start. He clocked a time of 48' 55", which would stay a reference for most of the day. He was followed out of the starting area by
Matthias Brändle Matthias Brändle (born 7 December 1989) is an Austrian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Brändle is a seven-time winner of the Austrian National Time Trial Championships (2009, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019, 20 ...
() who came in 2' 28" after Cancellara, somewhat surprisingly as he is a time trial specialist. Malori set the best time at the intermediate point but faded a little bit in the end, coming to the finish line only 15 seconds off Cancellara's time. Cancellara would stay as a reference for a while now that some time trial specialists had finished their effort and failed to beat him.
Damien Gaudin Damien Gaudin (born 20 August 1986 in Beaupréau) is a French former road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional from 2008 to 2021. He competed for France at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Gaudin left at the end of the 2013 season, and joine ...
() clocked in a time of 50' 46" which put him in sixth position.
Cameron Meyer Cameron Meyer (born 11 January 1988) is an Australian former professional racing cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2009 to 2022. Career Born in Viveash, Western Australia, Meyer started cycling at the age of 13 in 2001 and first rep ...
() put in a time of 49' 43", 48 seconds off Cancellara's mark. Around that time, general classification hopeful Dumoulin started his time trial.
Silvan Dillier Silvan Dillier (born 3 August 1990) is a Swiss cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Career Amateur career Dillier was born in Baden, Switzerland. In 2008, he was the Swiss national junior time trial champion, Under-23 road champion in ...
() provisionally slotted into sixth position with a time of 50' 19" and minutes later, race leader Pinot rolled down the starting ramp.
Jérôme Coppel Jérôme Coppel (born 6 August 1986) is a French former road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2008 and 2016 for the , , and teams. Career Born in Annemasse, Haute-Savoie, Coppel and compatriot Romain Sicard were the focus of a f ...
() crossed the finish line with a rapid time, only 25 seconds off Cancellara's performance. Meanwhile, in early time splits, Pinot had already lost twelve seconds to Thomas. The previous day's stage winner
Alexey Lutsenko Alexey Alexandrovich Lutsenko (russian: Алексей Александрович Луценко; born 7 September 1992) is a Kazakh professional cyclist, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career In 2012 he won the under-23 road race at the UCI R ...
of confirmed his good form with a time of 50' 32". At the marker, Dumoulin beat Malori's best time by eleven seconds. Špilak was also doing a fast time trial, being equal to the best time at the mark and passing the arch faster than Dumoulin by four tenths of a second. By that time, Pinot had virtually lost his lead. Dumoulin took a very focused corner and he almost slammed into spectators upon exiting it, but no accident occurred. Špilak needed fourteen seconds over Thomas to get in front of him in the general classification. Dumoulin came in with a time nineteen seconds better than Cancellara's and won the stage with an average speed of . Špilak came in with a time of 48' 54" and Thomas registered 49' 12", a difference of 18 seconds. Therefore, Špilak won the race overall by five seconds. "I’m really happy and want to thank my teammates who helped me too much during the race. This is the biggest win of my career so far," Spilak said. "The time trial was really hard but I liked it. It was up and down all the way and that helped me. I gave it everything." It was the Slovenian's tenth victory in the professional ranks.


Classification leadership

In the 2015 Tour de Suisse, three different jerseys were awarded. For the
general classification The general classification (or the GC) in road bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for riders in multi-stage races. Each stage will have a stage winner, but the overall winner in the GC is the rider who has the fastest cumulati ...
, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, and the leader received a yellow jersey. This classification was considered the most important of the Tour de Suisse, and the winner of the classification was considered the winner of the race. There was also a
mountains classification The King of the Mountains (KoM) is an award given to the best climbing specialist in a men's cycling road race; in women's cycle racing A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a femal ...
, the leadership of which was marked by a light blue jersey. In the mountains classification, points were won by reaching the top of a climb before other cyclists, with more points available for the higher-categorised climbs. Hors Category gave 20 points to the first rider crossing (20, 15, 10, 6, 4), a Category 1 was worth 12 points (12, 8, 6, 4, 2), a Category 2 was worth 8 points (8, 6, 4, 2, 1) and a Category 3 was worth 5 points (5, 3, 2, 1). The third jersey represented the points classification, marked by a white-and-red jersey. In the points classification, cyclists got points for finishing highly in a stage. A stage victory awarded 10 points, with 8 points for second, 6 for third, 4 for fourth and 2 for fifth. Points could also be earned at intermediate sprints location for finishing in the top three during each stage on a 6–3–1 scale. There was also a classification for teams, in which the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added together; the leading team at the end of the race was the team with the lowest total time. A combativity award was also attributed for the rider who had ridden the most aggressively in the eyes of the judges at the end of every stage. It could have been a rider who featured in breakaways or a cyclist who attacked often.


Classification standings


General classification


Points classification


Mountains classification


Teams classification


Notes


References


Sources

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External links

* {{Tour de Suisse Tour de Suisse
Tour de Suisse The Tour de Suisse ( en, Tour of Switzerland) is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France ...
Tour de Suisse The Tour de Suisse ( en, Tour of Switzerland) is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France ...