How does the TDS actually come about?, 26. December 2011

The planning for each Tour de Suisse begins around 3 years before it is held. The stage location manager is the first person to deal with the planning. Applications from potential stage towns are examined, eligible municipalities are contacted and visits are paid to potential candidates.

When selecting candidates, the stage location manager must consider two essential elements:

1) Can the stage towns be linked in such a way as to produce a tour that is both thrilling and acceptable in sporting terms?

2) Can the technical/infrastructure requirements of the fourth-biggest professional tour be met?

Organising Committee has important task

After the inspection visits, the stage location manager works with colleagues to decide on the tour management, where the start and finish lines will be, during which leg time trials will be held, which stage will be the King’s Stage (Königsetappe) and where additional laps will be ridden.

The sports director then draws up preliminary ideas on routing and, together with the technical director, visits the local organising committee to carry out an appraisal: In which direction will the race start? Where exactly is the finishing line? Where will the fan village be located?

Schedules, route maps and approval

The actual route can only be finalised with the prior agreement of the relevant authorities; the routes are then ridden and the GPS data are recorded. The latter are required for the subsequent preparation of schedules and route maps.

The submission for approval follows the production of schedules and route maps. Minor amendments are often required at short notice due to road works on the route.

Everything is now ready – more or less

One month before the Tour de Suisse, the complete route is travelled and inspected. The foundation stone for the Tour de Suisse is thus laid.

In the final analysis, the entertainment value depends on the riders, the enthusiasm of the fans, the commitment of the host towns, the quality of reporting by the media and the initiatives undertaken by the sponsors.