Tour de Swiss News

Team Type 1 - sanofi receives wildcard place for the Tour de Suisse 2012!

Thu, 10 May 2012 08:21:00 +0200

Team Type 1 - sanofi has received a wildcard place for the 76th staging of the Tour de Suisse. That makes it the second time the team will have started the fourth biggest cycle race in the world.

Diabetes and cycling at a high level are compatible - and that is what Team Type 1 - sanofi is looking to demonstrate again at the Tour de Suisse 2012. Especially the Swiss rider Rubens Bertogliati is looking forward to the start in Lugano.

“The Tour de Suisse is special. It`s a pleasure for our team to start at the Tour de Suisse this year again” says Rubens Bertogliati.

Also Laszlo Bodrogi and Alexander Efimkin – all proven professional cyclists on the WorldTour - the team has valuable international experience and in the opinion of the sports director of the Tour de Suisse Beat Zberg “the potential and the strength to spring one or two sporting surprises”.

Diabetes and cycling at a high level are compatible - and that is what Team Type 1 - sanofi is looking to demonstrate again at the Tour de Suisse 2012.

Team Type 1 - sanofi was founded in 2008 as a part of the Type 1 organisation and currently has the status of a Professional Continental team. It is the only men’s professional cycling team that includes riders with diabetes (type 1). As an American cycling team, Team Type 1 - sanofi enters the majority of races in America and Asia.

"We're very excited at Team Type 1 - sanofi to come back to Switzerland to share our message of hope for the diabetes community, and we look forward to meeting our friends again from last year all across the country" says CEO and founder Phil Southerland.

The Type 1 organisation

What started off as an initiative is now a global sports organisation. The Type 1 organisation was founded in Atlanta in 2004 with the aim of changing the life of people with diabetes through sport. The Type 1 organisation includes other cycling teams as well as Team Type 1 - sanofi, such as the Elite Team, four-time winners of the Race Across America, the toughest cycle race in the world.

In conversation with Mathias Frank

Fri, 04 May 2012 18:02:00 +0200

Swiss rider Mathias Frank has been a professional cyclist since 2008 and will start the Tour de Suisse this year with the BMC Racing Team. Even in the first year of his career as a professional cyclist, Mathias Frank was able to mount a challenge in a GP as well as Switzerland’s team time trial championships. In 2010, the Swiss rider won both the King of the Mountain and Sprint classifications in the Tour de Suisse. In our interview, Mathias Frank outlines his targets for this year’s Tour de Suisse which he is particularly looking forward to and recalls a powerful moment for him in last year’s race. How did you get into cycling and when did you get your big break as a professional cyclist? Through the cycling club in the Rapperswil region, through my father who had raced previously and through my brother. My big break was in 2008 with Gerolsteiner in the Tour of California. Can you give us an idea of what constitutes a day in the life of a professional cyclist? Training. Lots of training. The day starts between 7.00 and 7.30 with breakfast and a quick read of the newspaper, then I get on my bike. Later on I do some upper body training, and then I end the day with a good meal and a good sleep. How has the 2012 season started for you and what are your plans for the year? The season started early for me with the Tour Down Under – a superb race with Martin Kohler, who wore the leader’s jersey for a couple of days. Then it was Majorca, Lugano and the Tour of Catalonia. Certainly, a major target for this season is the Tour de Suisse and some good preparation in the Giro d’Italia. Of course I’d love to take part in the Olympic Games as well. What does the Tour de Suisse mean to you? Certainly, it’s a very special race – not least because it’s in Switzerland. From my point of view, it’s the most highly regarded after the Tour de France. It’s a big race which also suits me. The mountains and climbs – it’s what I know and what I like. After a brilliant 6th place in the overall classification in the 2011 Tour de Suisse, what are your targets for this year’s event? The minimum is to be in the top ten again – to confirm my position again: that’s the target. This year’s Tour is slightly more demanding than the last one. Hopefully, I’ll come out of the Giro in good form for the Tour de Suisse. Was there a particularly powerful moment for you in the last Tour de Suisse? During the stage to Malbun, I fell just before the Luzisteig climb which initially lost me more and more time. But then I got the fire in my belly and rode at top speed, and by the end I was able to make up almost one minute on the leaders. The fact that I got myself back into contention showed me that it’s going well and that I’m strong and don’t need to hide. The local organising committees put a lot of effort into providing a warm reception and a great atmosphere for the riders, the whole Tour caravan and spectators. As a rider, do you pick up on any of that, or are you simply so absorbed in the race that you don’t have much interest in all the razzamatazz that goes with it? Yes, you do pick up on some of it. You notice the great support that cycling gets in Switzerland and the huge amount of passion the host venues have invested in it. And it’s like what you hear from the other riders: that the Tour de Suisse is one of the most popular races. The race organisation is perfect and everything works well. What do you think of the contact with the fans and spectators during the Tour de Suisse? Very good! My family and lots of my friends are there. It’s wonderful. Switzerland isn’t all that big so spectators can easily keep up with the race at different stages. You have the support of the fans and can tell that cycling is alive and well in Switzerland. How do you spend your time between the individual stages? In most races, we don’t have much time. After I’ve crossed the finishing line, I have a shower on the bus then we go back to the hotel; then I have a massage, an evening meal and I might watch a film with the team before I go to bed. How would you respond to the following statements: - Cycling is my job and my passion
- My racing bike is a BMC teammachine – it’s the best I’ve ever ridden
- My team – BMC – is a terrific team with lots of top world-class athletes and one of the most professional teams in cycling

Tour de Suisse active with Bike Switzerland

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:21:00 +0200

Professional cycling fans will live and breathe the Tour de Suisse through a five-day immersion experience which will include riding the route and accessing special events.

Participating fans will ride a section of the route each day. The crowds will cheer as the participants ride a section of the course at their own pace before stopping for lunch to watch the professionals whiz by! Participants will then continue to the finish to enjoy the celebrations. Participating fans will also experience the tour up close by:

Viewing the heart-stopping time trials at the VIP viewing stands and lounge
Attending the press conferences
Being photographed on the winner’s podium
Personal meet-and-greet with TDS Project Leader: Louis Schumann
Learning about the TDS history and planning from the organizers themselves

The price of 2,450 Swiss Francs includes five nights in 3-star hotels, all meals, 2012 BMC road bikes, experienced guides, a support vehicle, baggage transfers and airport transfers. Special prices for Swiss residents not needing accommodation are available.

For more information concerning this experience please contact www.bikeswitzerland.com or John(at)bikeswitzerland.com.

search.ch is spot on with the Tour de Suisse!

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:06:00 +0200

For the first time, the Swiss online directory search.ch is an official sponsor of the world’s fourth-biggest cycle race, the Tour de Suisse, and will be presenting the leader’s jersey for the points classification in this, the 76th time the race has been held.

“As the leading directory and service portal in Switzerland, the Tour de Suisse is a perfect platform for us. In exactly the same way, search.ch stands for Swiss tradition and quality allied with efficiency and innovation. It thus offers us an ideal framework in which to bring our online services and our local relevance from the screen to people all over Switzerland,” comments Stephan Obwegeser, the managing director of search.ch, on the partnership.

Once again, therefore, the Tour de Suisse underlines its importance as an attractive communications platform for businesses.

Rolf Huser, commercial director of the Tour de Suisse and sales director with its organizer IMG (Schweiz) AG, is equally enthusiastic about the partnership with search.ch: “It’s a real pleasure to have search.ch onboard as an official sponsor of the Tour de Suisse. The partnership is a perfect match in many respects. Whilst the Tour de Suisse provides various communication opportunities, search.ch can be assured of suitable involvement at national level.”

The Tour de Suisse, the biggest regular sports event in Switzerland, is followed annually by around 1,000,000 people on the actual route and millions of television viewers at home and abroad. In Switzerland the Tour de Suisse will again be shown on all three TV channels regulated by public law.
As a stage race in the UCI World Tour series, the big-name professional teams will hit the road on 9 June in Lugano for preliminary time trials.

Changes to Tour de Suisse management team from 2013!

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:09:00 +0200

There will be changes in the Tour de Suisse management team from 2013. Sporting Director Beat Zberg will step down from office to take up a post in his home canton of Uri.

With Kurt Betschart as Technical Director, Rolf Huser as Commercial Director and Beat Zberg as Sporting Director, it means that since 2010 three established cycle sport experts have been in charge of the world’s fourth-biggest cycle race. The Tour de Suisse 2012 will be Beat Zberg’s last one in this role.

New appointment is reason for departure

Beat Zberg is leaving the Tour management team to start a new job with the Uri road traffic and shipping department, which means that he will be unable to fulfil the responsibilities of Sporting Director from 2013. “I have decided to take on a new professional challenge. In recent years I have managed to acquire plenty of valuable experience in the Tour de Suisse and would like to pass on my heartfelt thanks to all those involved for their contribution,” commented Beat Zberg on his new career direction.
“In the last 5 years, Beat Zberg has really left his mark on the Tour de Suisse and taken it forward. We take this opportunity to express our gratitude to him,” added Jürgen Krucker, Managing Director of Tour organiser IMG (Schweiz) AG.

New division of responsibilities within the Tour management team from 2013

Whilst Kurt Betschart has extended his contract as Technical Director until 2014, Rolf Huser will be taking over the representative duties of the Sporting Director during the race from 2013. In future, ex-professional cyclist and IMG employee David Loosli will assume operational duties from Beat Zberg and act as the sector leader for route coordination. This includes, most notably, planning the routes for the 2013 and 2014 editions of the Tour de Suisse. For some months now, David Loosli has been applying his many years of experience as a former professional cyclist to plan the stopover towns.

Wild card puts Team SpiderTech on starting line of 2012 Tour de Suisse!

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:07:00 +0200

Team SpiderTech powered by C10 awarded wild card to compete in 76th Tour de Suisse.

The 2012 Tour de Suisse will mark several firsts for Team SpiderTech powered by C10: The team’s first participation in this historic event; the team’s first WorldTour race outside North America; and the first participation in his home tour for the team’s Swiss rider, Raymond Künzli, who is a first-year professional.

Team SpiderTech hopes to be at the start in Lugano in June with Swiss rider, Raymond Künzli, on the team. Born in the Jura region of Switzerland, Künzli is looking forward to being able to contest the Tour de Suisse, particularly in his first year as a professional cyclist.

“A new chapter begins in 2012. It’s a dream come true for me to be able to take part in an event like the Tour de Suisse right at the start of my professional career,” says Künzli. “Having the chance with Team SpiderTech to broaden my experience in competition with the best riders in the world is a unique opportunity,” Künzli continues.

With the most recent new acquisitions - previous WorldTour team members, Brian Vanborg, Caleb Fairly and Bjorn Selander - Team SpiderTech is now a highly competitive team that Tour de Suisse Sports Director, Beat Zberg, also believes might provide one or two surprises. Notably Vanborg finished 26th in the 2009 Tour de Suisse edition while supporting team-mate Kreuzinger to a podium finish.

Canadian Team SpiderTech was established in 2008 and since 2011 has competed as a Pro Continental level team. The Canadian team allocates its racing program mostly in Europe now, while continuing to compete in all North-America’s major events. The team’s co-founder and sports manager is the former cycling professional, Steve Bauer, the only Canadian ever to achieve a Tour de Suisse stage win and second place overall in 1988.

“It’s a special honour to go back to Switzerland with a Canadian team. To have the Tour de Suisse as the biggest goal to our European series is of course very exciting for us. There could hardly be a better setting to test and further develop the riders’ combined experience,” Bauer concludes.

With 8 UCI wins, 30 podium places and more than 60 top ten places to its name in 2011, SpiderTech is one of the most dynamic new Pro Continental teams in the cycling world.

New UCI World Tour license for the Tour de Suisse

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:27:00 +0100

The International Cycling Union (UCI) announced on Monday, 12th of March 2012, that the licensing committee agreed on an extension of the UCI World Tour license for the Tour de Suisse until 2016.

Different aspects such as the importance of the event for the sport of cycling, the media coverage, the safety concept and the organization’s measures in sustainability were taken in account during the application process.

The renewal of the World Tour license underlines the outstanding position of the Tour de Suisse in the world of professional cycling. The event is hosted by IMG on behalf of Swiss Cycling.

Trix Zgraggen bound for the “Tour de Suisse non-stop”

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:11:00 +0100

The diminutive native of the canton of Uri, Trix Zgraggen, simply has no time to be bored in the saddle. Having successfully completed 48 hours around the Rigi, 13 passes non-stop in the Race Across The Alps, two non-stop circuits in the Tortour 1000 km through Switzerland and countless hours of training, this year she will start in one of the toughest cycle races in the world, the Race Across America (RAAM). But before that, she will ride the Tour de Suisse route non-stop.

On and on she rides… and non-stop on the Tour de Suisse route!

In June the Race Across America (RAAM) is set to go non-stop from the west coast to the east coast of the United States, a route that is nearly four times longer than the Tour de Suisse and is literally a “killer” for cycle sport enthusiasts. Until recently it was still a pipe dream for Trix Zgraggen to take part, but it’s now within her grasp and she will fulfil her dream in just a few months. Preparations are well under way for the 5000 km race, and the Uri-born cyclist will seize the opportunity to use the Tour de Suisse as an essential training ground. It’s all systems go on 3 May; Trix Zgraggen will complete all 9 stages of the Tour de Suisse 2012 non-stop to prepare in various ways for a sporting event that has some of the most challenging conditions in the world. The bicycle manufacturer and Official Supplier to the Tour de Suisse, FOCUS, will be kitting out Trix Zgraggen.

Live reports

All the details on Trix Zgraggen’s special Tour de Suisse will be provided at a press conference due to be held in Lugano at 10:30 on 3 May. It will also be possible to follow the Uri-born cyclist live during the three-day tour. Along with short reports, daytime and nighttime shots should capture this sporting spectacular and keep fans informed at the same time.

A keen competitive athlete for 10 years

Trix Zgraggen’s initial involvement in sport came when she took part in a variety of amateur events following her marriage and the birth of her sons. Her talent and enthusiasm soon attracted attention, and she intentionally took up endurance sports in 2002. The One-Week Gigathlon during Expo 02 was a key factor in subsequent ultra long-distance competitions. In 2004 she won a gigathlon on her first go as an individual athlete, repeating this success two years later. She took part in a non-stop race – the Tortour – for the first time in 2009, when she was the only woman to reach the finish line. She triumphed again the following year as the only female competitor to cross the finishing line, even making it into the top ten of men’s rankings with a personal best time. She also successfully conquered the Race Across The Alps the same year. After nearly two years of preparation, the Race Across America (RAAM) is the next event to be tackled in mid-2012.

We look forward to a thrilling non-stop Tour de Suisse with Trix Zgraggen and wish her every success!

Route for Tour de Suisse 2012 finalised!

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:13:00 +0100

The Tour de Suisse 2012 will be launched in Lugano on 9 June this year. Riders can then expect a challenging and varied tour over the remaining 8 days.

From 9 – 17 June the eyes of the cycle sport world will be on the world’s fourth-biggest cycle race, the Tour de Suisse. All of the 18 UCI World Tour teams will be in the starting line-up and a thrilling race is in store for them. As has been the practice in recent years, the Tour de Suisse 2012 will start with a time trial in Lugano and then take a detour to Italy. The second stage will start in Verbania (Italy) before the riders return to Swiss soil. During this early stage the Simplon Pass (2005 m above sea level) will be the highest point of this year’s Tour de Suisse.
Beat Zberg, Sports Director of the Tour de Suisse and also in charge of planning the route at the event organiser IMG (Schweiz) AG, sees this as one of the key stages of this year’s tour: “The tough final ascent to Verbier still has to be conquered after the Simplon Pass. Anyone hoping to do battle for an overall victory must lay their cards on the table right after the second stage.”

Additional laps have proved of value
Apart from Verbier, the Tour de Suisse 2012 also stops off in Martigny in western Switzerland. After starting there, it heads for Lake Geneva along the roads of western Switzerland. The riders are set to enjoy a truly fantastic atmosphere on arriving at this destination, as the finishing line is situated in the heart of the little town of Aarberg. This is also the starting point for the 4th leg to Trimbach/Olten. An interesting ascent in the shape of the Schelten Pass awaits the riders en route. The TdS has travelled this ascent just once before.
On the Olten/Trimbach stage from Frick to Gansingen the peloton does a circuit of Gansingen when it reaches its destination. This circuit must be covered twice.
Two additional laps also have to be ridden during the 6th leg from Wittnau to Bischofszell (TG). The additional lap is quite short and highly conducive to an exciting race.

Three further crucial stages for the overall victory
For Beat Zberg, there are key stages on the programme for each of the last three days. While the Tour de Suisse has been rounded off with a time trial in past years, this is the preferred option for the 7th stage this year. “Hardly a single metre is straight, the steady climb and lots of technically difficult sections make time trials particularly hard. It will take a time trial supremo to secure victory on the day,” comments Zberg on the time trial.
The shortest stage of the Tour de Suisse 2012 will be launched in Bischofszell (TG). The last few kilometres from Litzirüti to Arosa again become very steep and especially interesting in terms of overall rankings.
The final leg of the tour will be the royal stage (Königsetappe) from Näfels-Lintharena to Sörenberg. These 215.8 kilometres are expected to be a particularly enjoyable treat, whilst the rides through the towns of Zug and Lucerne are further highlights. Awaiting on the extra loop are the two mountain passes Glaubenbielen and, from Sarnen, the Glaubenberg, another tough ride. Last but not least comes the final ascent to Sörenberg. Even during this stage a lot can still happen.

A look behind the scenes: the lifesavers of the Tour

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:41:00 +0100

Dr. Roland Kretsch und Dr. Thorsten Hammer have been responsible for providing medical care on the Tour de Suisse since 2008. Although the two doctors deal primarily with major and minor injuries sustained by the riders, they are always on hand for staff and visitors.

Wide experience
Both men brought with them a great deal of experience in the medical management of sports events when they joined the Tour de Suisse team 4 years ago. Sector leader Roland was the race doctor and medical director of the Deutschland Tour for 10 years and spent several years as a doctor with the Vattenfall Cyclassics and the Züri-Metzgete. As the former team doctor for Bianchi, Coast and Gerolsteiner, he is also extremely well versed in emergency treatment for cycling professionals.

Thorsten also worked on the Deutschland Tour, during which the two became a well-rehearsed team as well as good friends. As race doctor in the Red Bull Air Race and the Snowboard World Cup as well as the Tour de Suisse, Thorsten has worked all over the world as an emergency doctor.

Lots of work during the run-up and utmost concentration during the race days
Once the official route is announced in February, the planning phase begins in earnest. The Tour doctors spend this time in intensive discussions with the Sports Director, Beat Zberg. They talk about difficult sections, road works and the dangers or problems of removing casualties. In addition, it is important to make contact with the hospitals along the route, as it is vital to report casualties quickly and precisely in an emergency.

The race day begins with a team meeting before both doctors report to the start area with their drivers two hours before the race commences. This is where the riders or other patients in the entourage have an opportunity to be treated.

Adrenalin levels rise once the race is under way. During the leg of a race the riders are only allowed to be treated by the race doctors. “The biggest challenge is to be alert for every second of the race and to anticipate and prevent critical events in the run-up. In an emergency it is important to work in a focused, professional and speedy manner in spite of the media scrum,” comments Thorsten on the everyday difficulties of a Tour doctor. One specific moment he describes is last year’s meeting with a security service motorcyclist who sustained life-threatening injuries in 2009. “All in all the Tour de Suisse is an event with highly professional organisation and a highly paid line-up of riders. The international character of the whole TdS team and the excellent working relationships ensure that I look forward to being back on tour every year, even though dark moments like Soler’s bad accident sometimes make you wonder,” says Thorsten.

A life outside cycling
Although they are passionately committed to their work during sporting events, their everyday jobs are those of “normal” doctors. Roland has his own practice in Bochum, which also provides academic placements for students attached to the Ruhr University Bochum, while Thorsten works as a senior physician in the Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery at the University Medical Centre in Freiburg.

The medical team is already looking forward to June 2012 and naturally hopes that it will have as little to do as possible.

Highlight of the Tour de Suisse Cup race series

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 16:02:00 +0100

On the occasion of the Six Days, the award ceremony for the Tour de Suisse Cup 2011 was held on the last Friday in the indoor stadium. ASOC President Daniel Curchod and the technical director of the Tour de Suisse, Kurt Betschart, paid tribute to the three best riders and the best team in the Tour de Suisse Cup junior race series. The brilliant winner over all the races was 26-year-old Pirmin Lang of the Atlas Personal team.

Further sponsor for Tour de Suisse

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 16:01:00 +0100

The organisers and promoters of the Tour de Suisse, IMG (Schweiz) AG, have gained Le Gruyère AOC as a further sponsor for the second-highest sponsorship category in the Tour de Suisse.

Broadcast in over 100 countries

The Tour de Suisse is the fourth-biggest cycle tour in the world and its long tradition and popularity make it the largest regular annual event in Switzerland. This year’s 75th anniversary edition of the Tour de Suisse was shown on TV in over 100 countries.

The Swiss cheese maker Le Gruyère AOC would like to take even more advantage of these attributes in future, so it will be moving up from Co-sponsor (category 3) to Official Sponsor (category 2) by 2014.

Award ceremony and media presence

As an Official Sponsor of the Tour de Suisse, Le Gruyère AOC will honour the winners of the day, so it will be seen on TV screens both at home and abroad. Not only will Le Gruyère AOC further enhance its presence in print and TV advertising, it will also have the opportunity to showcase itself directly to around one million people on the actual route. Le Gruyère AOC will additionally make use of the hospitality areas at the start and finish for the purposes of customer relationship management.

Krucker: “A perfect match”

“The Tour de Suisse offers the opportunity to communicate directly with a wide audience and, at the same time, represents values such as tradition and quality. As traditional Swiss enterprises with an international outlook, Le Gruyère AOC and the Tour de Suisse are a perfect match,” comments Jürgen Krucker, Managing Director of IMG (Schweiz) AG, on the marketing approach.

The Tour de Suisse 2012 will start in Lugano on 9 June. The ninth and final leg will finish in Sörenberg on 17 June.

How does the TDS actually come about?

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 15:59:00 +0100

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.

All stage towns in 2012 are decided

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 15:58:00 +0100

The municipality of Wittnau (AG) is the last to have been assigned as the starting point for a stage of the Tour de Suisse 2012. All the stages for next year’s Tour de Suisse have now been specified.

Eight of the nine starting locations for stages of the race were already known on the last day of this year’s edition of the Tour de Suisse. With the municipality of Wittnau, all the stages for 2012 have now been planned. The starting shot for the 6th leg, which will go to Bischofszell, will be fired in Wittnau in the canton of Aargau on 14.06.2012.

The municipality of Wittnau has around 1150 residents and lies in the upper Frick valley in the canton of Aargau. In geological terms, the municipality is situated between the towns of Aarau and Basel and is some 20 kilometres from Gansingen, the destination of the 5th stage.

The Tour de Suisse will stop over in this cycling-mad town, which will host a stage of the fourth-biggest cycle race in the world. "Wittnau will be in the spotlight of the national and international press on this day and is proud to be involved in such an important sporting event,” says Daniel Fricker, the OC president in the stage town.

This means that all the stage plans for the Tour de Suisse 2012 have now been finalised.

The three tour directors, Beat Zberg, Kurt Betschart and Rolf Huser, wish all the organisers great success and perseverance as they make preparations for this event.

The challenging first leg of the Tour de Suisse 2012 is to be launched in Lugano on 9 June next year and is due to finish in Sörenberg, in the heart of Switzerland, after nine spectacular stages.

Good news: Mauricio Soler has left hospital

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 15:57:00 +0100

According to information from his Spanish team Movistar, Soler, who had a bad fall during the Tour de Suisse 2011, was able to leave hospital last Friday and return to his home in Pamplona, where he will continue his rehabilitation as a hospital outpatient.

Nevertheless, the Columbian still has a hard road ahead of him. Since his accident he has lost over 20 kg and as a result is still exhausted. He is being helped through the long drawn-out process of rehabilitation both by his mental strength, built up over the course of his cycling career, and, according to his wife, by the enormous pleasure he takes in the countless good wishes, letters and visits from fans, cycling colleagues and teams.

Comeback uncertain

Doctors cannot say for sure whether Soler will ever be able to return to cycling. “I have to be patient, only time will tell,” says Soler.

The Tour de Suisse Team was delighted to hear the news of his release from hospital and wishes Mauricio Soler and his family all the best on the road to recovery.