
From the 15th to 22nd of June the World Tour peloton will tackle the Tour de Suisse, one of the hardest races in the calendar and the last of the 'big 7' one-week stage-races in the calendar. We preview stage 3.
Another typical Swiss day, with the hilltop finish in Heiden providing opportunity for the puncheurs and climbers to fight for the win whilst the GC fight and bonifications will be in the mind of many during the day. It will be a similar finale to that of stage 2, likely we will also have a similar outcome.
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Stage 3: Aarau - Heiden, 195.6 kilometers
3000 meters of climbing in a day that from afar doesn't look that difficult. The first half is not indeed, but the rolling roads intensify quite a lot in the final half. And we'll have a combination of short efforts that will weight on the legs of many. But it's a more difficult finale than the previous.
There is a 5.2-kilometer long climb at 6.2% that ends with 17Km to go; immediately after a steep descent another 2 kilometers at 6.9% (they end with 10 kilometers to go... And all of this must be paced carefully as there is actually no descent afterwards, just a plateau section into the final ascent.
The climb into Heiden is not brutal, but hard enough for some action and potential gaps. It's 3.4 kilometers long at 5.3% which, with this difficult finale and likely a stage win/bonifications present at the line, will see an all-out effort from the GC favourites.
The Weather

Map Tour de Suisse 2025 stage 3
Prediction Tour de Suisse 2025 stage 3:
*** Vincenzo Albanese, Romain Grégoire
** Marc Hirschi, Quinn Simmons, Clément Champoussin, Julian Alaphilippe
* Kévin Vauquelin, Oscar Onley, João Almeida, Michael Woods, Jan Christen, Andrea Bagioli, Fabio Christen, Paul Lapeira, Stefano Oldani
** Marc Hirschi, Quinn Simmons, Clément Champoussin, Julian Alaphilippe
* Kévin Vauquelin, Oscar Onley, João Almeida, Michael Woods, Jan Christen, Andrea Bagioli, Fabio Christen, Paul Lapeira, Stefano Oldani
Pick: Romain Grégoire
How: Sprint finish
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- wtf dudemij07-11-2026
- big rival … ridiculous.Ketterechts07-11-2026
- It would be great if the World Champion's jersey could be rotated among McNulty, Simmons, and Jorgenson. They threaded the needle perfectly. If each hadn't done exactly what he did, exactly when he did it, the race would have gone to one of the more heralded superstars. That said, how nice that this humble and hardworking guy gets his moment in the sun.
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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- Seriously do you think when somebody gets into a serious accident, the ambulance is called by the hurt person?🤦 there is always a buddy system in place for a risky job. police , firefighters etc so that if someone gets hurt, the other call that in.abstractengineer07-11-2026
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- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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