No sponsors, not enough resources: women's Tour de Romandie cancelled for 2026
The WorldTour race had been struggling on multiple fronts
This year's Tour de Romandie Féminin has been cancelled due to a factors ranging from financial to logistical.
Originally scheduled for 4-6 September, this year's would have been the fifth edition of the three-stage Women's WorldTour race in Switzerland, which has been won in the past by Demi Vollering (2023) Lotte Kopecky (2024). The reigning champion is home rider Elise Chabbey of the FDJ United-SUEZ team, who was victorious last year ahead of Urkška Zigart (AG Insurance-Soudal) and Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Premier Tech).
A statement from the organisation explained that the "early decision" to call off the race had been taken out of respect for the various organising committees responsible for the different stages, whose start and finish towns had yet to be decided.
It cited logistical clashes with other sporting and world events including next month's G7 summit, as well as a lack of sponsorship.
"This decision is based on two main factors," read the statement. "Firstly, an exceptional concentration of major events in French-speaking Switzerland in the coming months (World Ice Hockey Championships, G7 Summit, Grand Départ of the Women's Tour de France), which will heavily mobilize the resources essential to organizing an international cycling event (security forces, logistics, volunteers). On the other hand, there is currently no sponsorship for the 2026 edition."
The race is still due to run next year and, presumably to underline that the organisers are calling this a "postponement" rather than a cancellation.
"This postponement also aims to preserve the Foundation's financial stability and, in the long term, guarantee the quality and sustainability of the event," read the statement.
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It was, it said, "approaching the future with confidence".
The men's Tour de Romandie was held in its usual early season slot this year, with Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) taking the GC spoils as well as the points classification and four out of six stages. Fellow Tour de France contenders Florian Lipwitz (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) and Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) were second and third respectively, with Lipowitz in particular pushing Pogačar till the end.
Next year's men's event will be the 80th edition and is set to be held as usual, organisers said in the statement.
After cutting his teeth on local and national newspapers, James began at Cycling Weekly as a sub-editor in 2000 when the current office was literally all fields.
Eventually becoming chief sub-editor, in 2016 he switched to the job of full-time writer, and covers news, racing and features.
He has worked at a variety of races, from the Classics to the Giro d'Italia – and this year will be his seventh Tour de France.
A lifelong cyclist and cycling fan, James's racing days (and most of his fitness) are now behind him. But he still rides regularly, both on the road and on the gravelly stuff.
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