With a high-powered squad built for the lumpier terrains, CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto returns to the 2.WWT Tour de Suisse from 12-15 June – a race that shone as a brilliant gem in the team’s 2024 season.

Neve Bradbury properly announced herself on the world stage at Suisse last year, claiming her first professional win in a breakaway raid with the perfect partner-in-crime, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney. The team also placed three riders in the top 10 on GC, and swept up three classification victories: young rider, mountains, and team.

“Last year we definitely created super nice memories, especially on the third stage when I went in a breakaway with Neve. Neve won the stage so we crossed one and two. It was definitely remarkable, and of course, the general classification result was very important for us,” says Kasia.

Both Neve and Kasia return this year after productive training blocks following La Vuelta Femenina. Neve built further form at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Femenina, placing sixth on the 19km Coll de Pal – possibly the longest sustained climb to be tackled by a women’s peloton this season. They’re joined by Ricarda Bauernfeind, Justyna Czapla, Vuelta a Burgos standout Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka, and Rosa Klöser, who returns to the road following a valiant fourth place at Unbound 200.

Kasia reflects on the last month and shares where her ambitions lie as she returns to European soil.

“After La Vuelta, I basically went straight to Boulder, Colorado. I took a week off to decompress physically and mentally from the spring campaign, and once that passed, I started building endurance. It was the first step toward preparing for the Tour – long rides, lots of hours on the bike. That’s really what the last two and a half weeks have been about – not intensity, just quality time on the bike.”

“I think that now, heading to Suisse after a good block of training on altitude, I take it as the second step of a preparation for Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift. So, I really hope that all the work I put in the last couple of weeks will pay off and we can create something equally as nice as last year.”

“What would make this race a success? Definitely a stage win – that’s my goal. And usually, with a stage win, a good GC result comes too. So a stage win and a top three on GC are my personal goals.”

Unlike the previous few editions, the women’s race now precedes the men’s. This means that the usual sub-70 kilometre opening circuit race and individual time trial, typically modelled on the men’s route, have been dropped. Without these stages to build momentum or provide a buffer before the tougher stuff, there’s no easing into this year’s race. Instead, the 2025 edition is the longest and most demanding since the event’s debut in 2021, spanning over 500 kilometres and nearly 7000 metres of climbing across four days, culminating around Lake Lucerne and Zurich.

The final stage will run alongside the men’s stage one in Küssnacht – an identical course in both route and distance, a rarity in modern cycling. The finale features two distinct loops: a smaller circuit with the decisive Michaelskreuz climb (3.8km at 9.1% average), separated by a larger, flatter loop around the striking Rigi massif, almost entirely encircled by three bodies of water. The second and final ascent of Michaelskreuz peaks with 15km to go, much of the remaining kilometres unfolding at rapid speeds down scenic Swiss country lanes.

As for the others, stage one presents an immediate uphill drag from kilometre zero to Saanenmöser (5.3km at 4.5%), followed soon after by the pivotal Jaun Pass (8km at 8.4%). This front-loaded opening gives way to 35km of dragging valley roads, rounding out a 95km loop that weaves through the larger alpine terrain.

These initial climbing foray sets the tone for stage two, which, at over 160km, pushes the envelope of currently permissible stage distances for the women’s peloton. After a familiar warm-up on the Saanenmöser climb, the point-to-point route is punctuated by standalone ascents rather than rolling terrain that blends into one. While 2200m of elevation gain isn’t extreme for the distance, late-stage obstacles like the category two Menzberg (the first 3.3km is at 8.3%) in the final 30km could be the final straw for many after a long, attritional day.

Stage three is billed as a ‘flat’ stage, but 1225m of climbing over rolling terrain ensures it’s no free ride – much of the vertical gain coming towards the end up the Unterägeri climb (4.5km at 4.2%). With all the elevation tackled before the final 20km, a bunch sprint would seem likely, but with fewer sprinters typically attending hilly parcours like those found in Switzerland, other possibilities remain very much in play.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Stage 1 | Thursday, June 12 | Gstaad – Gstaad | 95.4km  | 1578m elevation | Start: 14:15 – Fastest finish: 16:51 CET. LIVE from 15:00.

Stage 2 | Friday, June 13 | Gstaad  – Campus Sursse, Oberkrich | 161.7km | 2203m elevation | Start: 12:40 – Fastest finish: 16:47 CET. LIVE from 15:00.

Stage 3 | Saturday, June 14 | Campus Sursse, Oberkrich – Küssnacht | 123.1km | 1268m elevation | Start: 12:50 – Fastest finish: 15:50 CET. LIVE from 13:25.

Stage 4 | Sunday, June 15 | Küssnacht – Küssnacht | 129.4km | 1939m elevation | Start: 9:45 – Fastest finish: 13:01 CET. LIVE from 11:00.

Live coverage available via Eurosport, Discovery Plus, TNT Sports, L’Equipe and local Swiss broadcasters. Stay updated on X with #TourdeSuisse, #TDS2025 and #TourdeSuisseWomen, and follow CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto’s social channels for the latest team updates.