Due to bad weather, stage 6 of the 2024 Tour de Suisse has been forced into a change. The result? 42 kilometres of full gas racing. All-in-all, virtually one hour of racing.
It's a novel stage for sure. Long enough to be considered for a time-trial challenge but ridden as a peloton and a first category climb towards the end but other than that, not much to test the riders. It's likely to either be a rest day on the bike mid-race, or one of the toughest days of the race if the riders take to it full gas from the start.
One of those riders who'll be in and amongst the drama of the day, will be INEOS Grenadiers' Tom Pidcock. It's fair to say that the Brit isn't totally enthusiastic about the idea of an hour long effort in a stage race however, despite his capabilities of such performances on the cyclocross circuit.
"You could compare it with a cross. The difference is that you won't have any bends to breathe for a while," says the 24-year-old, who sits 8th in the general classification, 2:46 down on compatriot Adam Yates in the fight for the Maillot Jaune, in comments collected by Het Nieuwsblad. "I think it's a pity that that big climb has been canceled. It could have been such a beautiful ride, now I think so. especially treacherous. It is not a rest day and it is not a full-fledged mountain ride. In fact, it is mainly a waste of time."
Despite the short, sharp nature of the day, make no mistake, the final ascent, despite looking small in the overall profile of the stage, is brutal and can also see meaningful gaps created amongst the general classification riders. With such short distances, it could also see interesting race dynamics or a few unexpected favourites who will benefit from the lack of overall difficulty in the day.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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A gritty climbing performance from @Eganbernal sees him finish third on stage 5⃣, with @tompidcock battling to seventh 👊👏 Egan moves up to third on GC with Tom now eighth after another tough climbing challenge at @tds 🇨🇭🏔️
The team have come to the fore with three Grenadiers in a dwindling lead group. There's 7km to go on the Cat 1 finale to Carì #TourdeSuisse
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