Tour de Romandie 2026 stage 5 preview, profiles, favourites & predictions - One final Tadej Pogacar win or a day for the breakaway?

The 2026 Tour de Romandie will take place from the 28th of April to the 3rd of May and will make for Tadej Pogacar's debut in a stage-race this year. The Swiss race provides the final big test ahead of the Giro d'Italia whilst also following the spring classics, a period where many are looking to save their campaign. We preview stage 5, which is estimated to start and finish at 11:50 and 16:00CET.

The race was first held in 1947 with Belgian Désiré Keteleer taking the first win. Taking part in the French part of Switzerland, it is a race that has had a very international list of winners, from several generations and also different types of riders. But many of the greats have marked their name on it such as Eddy Merckx, Bernard Thévenet, Bernard Hinault, Stephen Roche and Laurent Jalabert.

Alrrady this century we've had Cadel Evans, Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome use Romandie ahead of their maiden Tour de France wins; whilst huge names such as Nairo Quintana, Richie Porte, Primoz Roglic and Geraint Thomas have also won the GC on what is considered to be one of the seven big non Grand-Tour stage-races.

Adam Yates won it in 2023, Carlos Rodríguez in 2024; and in 2025 it was João Almeida who won the race on the final day after dethroning Lenny Martínez from the yellow jersey.

The final stage begins in Lucens and the start is rolling, making it explosive and good for a strong breakaway formation. It is a mostly hilly day, taking place in the northeast of Lausanne, before making its way south back into the Rhône Valley.

The climbers will take a detour deep into the Alps this time around however and head into the Leysin ski station, a regular finish location in the Swiss race.

The final ascent, this time around, will be tackled through a long side, which is 14.3 kilometers in total at 5.9% average gradient - with its base in Aigle, where the headquarter of the UCI is.

The hardest kilometers of the climb are in its final third and so this is an ascent where the action should be reserved towards the end, with the race finishing atop the climb.

*** Tadej Pogacar

** Florian Lipowitz

* Lenny Martínez, Sergio Higuita, Jorgen Nordhagen, Pablo Castrillo, Primoz Roglic, Nairo Quintana, Marco Frigo, Valentin Paret-Peintre, Georg Steinhauser

Pick: Tadej Pogacar

How: Solo win in the yellow jersey.