Organisers of the Tour de Suisse announced on Friday that the queen stage of the 2024 edition will be shortened because snow-clearing crews have not been able to guarantee a safe crossing of the Furka and Nufenen passes.
The 151.1-kilometre Tour de Suisse route for stage 6, due to take place on June 14, was scheduled to start in Locarno and traverse the Nufenenpass (2,478m) with an alternative route via the Gotthard and Furka Passes.
Other alternatives such as the Simplon Pass to Valais could not be used because the Swiss Army is unable to secure the route on Italian roads.
However, organisers determined that neither route would be clear by race day and opted for a far shorter route starting in the Goms Nordic Centre in Ulrichen with the same uphill finish to Blatten-Belalp, a seven-kilometre climb.
“Safety is our top priority and this applies to the riders, support vehicles and spectators,” Tour de Suisse Director Olivier Senn said. “Of course we are disappointed that the Queen Stage cannot take place as planned. But mother nature and the weather are beyond our control and we must accept that.”
The stage will be just 42.5 kilometres long with 848 metres of climbing to Blatten-Belalp.
The organisers praised the Goms Nordic Centre for agreeing to host the stage start with such short notice.
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“We are delighted to have found an alternative start site with enough space for the entire Tour entourage so quickly,” Senn said.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the local organisers in Locarno who have been most understanding with our decision not to hold the start in Ticino.”
As a result of the shortening, the prize for the first rider to cross the highest pass in the Tour de Suisse on the Nufenen Pass will now be awarded on the Gotthard Pass on stage 4. The prize will honour Gino Mäder, who died as a result of crash injuries during the 2023 Tour de Suisse.
The shortening of the Tour de Suisse stage comes less than a month after the Giro d’Italia organisers were forced to remove the Umbrail Pass from stage 16 at the last minute.
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