The race was first held in 1933 and has evolved in timing, duration and sponsorship. Like the Tour de France and the Dauphiné, the Tour de Suisse has several stages with significant mountain climbs in the
Swiss Alps and at least one
individual time trial. Several winners of the Tour de Suisse have also won the Tour de France, including
Eddy Merckx and
Jan Ullrich. In 2005 the Tour de Suisse was included in the inaugural
UCI Pro Tour and organisers moved the race to earlier in June. The first winner of the race was Austrian
Max Bulla in the 1933 edition. The rider with most wins is Italian
Pasquale Fornara who won the race four times in the 1950s.
Women's race A women's race was first held in 1998, won by Lithuanian rider
Rasa Polikevičiūtė. Three further editions were held between 1999 and 2001. The race is considered a proving ground for the
Giro Donne, which is on the calendar after the Tour de Suisse. The rider with most wins is Russian
Zulfiya Zabirova and Swiss rider
Marlen Reusser, both with two wins overall. == Winners ==