The Tour de Suisse is Switzerland's national stage race and the nine days of racing usually visits almost every part of the country, often switching back and forth across the land to find difficult climbs, visit major cities and pass through the 26 cantons.
As is the case for races in all cycling friendly countries, the Tour de Suisse is a special event for the people along the route, with crowds along every section of the road cheering on the riders. In 2015 keen cyclists can also emulate the professional riders by taking part in the Tour de Suisse Challenge mass-participation events on June 13, 14 and 21. Entrants get to ride on the race route, while their family and friends can enjoy the Bike Expo and Kids’ World at the finish of the stages.
The Tour de Suisse was first held in 1933, making this year's race the 79th edition. Austria's Max Bulla won the first race, then the Swiss and Italian riders dominated until the seventies and the reign of Belgium's Eddy Merckx. However little known Italian rider Pasquale Fornara remains the only rider to have won the Tour de Suisse four times after notching up victories in 1952, 1954, 1957 and 1958.
Swiss riders Hugo Koblet and Ferdinand Kübler both won the Tour de Suisse three times in the forties and fifties, and they have now been joined in the record books by Portugal's Rui Costa of the Lampre-Merida team, who has won the last three editions of the race. He is the only person to ever win three consecutive editions of the Tour de Suisse.
Costa has been cheered to each of his victories by the numerous Portuguese people who live and work in Switzerland. In 2014 he took his third victory wearing the World Champion's rainbow jersey. Costa is keen to test his ability in the three-week long grand tours and has proven he can win stage races like the Tour de Suisse. In 2014 he ensured he was well placed overall after the time trial stages and then struck in the mountains, winning the final stage to Saas-Fee to snatch overall victory from Tony Martin of Germany. Local hero Matthias Frank of the Swiss IAM Cycling team was second at 33 seconds, with Bauke Mollema of the Netherlands finished third overall at 50 seconds.
Can Costa join Fornara in the record books with a fourth victory in 2015? We will find out in June.