Zug, Switzerland - InfrontRingier Sports & Entertainment Switzerland, organiser and exclusive marketer of the Tour de Suisse, has presented the route of the 80th edition of the Tour de Suisse at a press conference today in Zug. The 2016 series will take place from 11 until 19 June 2016.
The start weekend will again be carried out in the region of Zug with the city of Baar offering an attractive programme for spectators and an inviting bike expo, in order to engage visitors around the actual races. The new finish hub Davos Klosters will add a challenging and suspenseful mountain spectacle to the Tour de Suisse.
Olivier Senn, General Director of Tour de Suisse, said: “Davos Klosters is an ideal finish hub, offering excellent infrastructure for a great festival, plenty of know-how in relation to big events as well as demanding mountain routes for attractive stages.”
Further stops include Grosswangen (Lucerne), Rheinfelden (Aargau), Brig/Glis (Valais), Carì (Ticino), Weesen and Arvenbühl/Amden (St Gallen), Arbon (Thurgau) and Sölden (Austria). The detailed route guides and schedules for all stages will be communicated in February/March 2016.
Alongside the existing contracts with Presenting Partner Vaudoise and Official Partners Jumbo and Gruyère, the Swiss search and information service search.ch has extended its commitment as an Official Partner for an extra year. Also, Traser swiss H3 watches will remain the Official Timekeeper for the 2016 edition.
In addition, InfrontRingier has brokered a three-year partnership for the “King of the Mountains” jersey with the three collaborating holiday destinations Davos Klosters, Engadin St. Moritz, Arosa and the company P&I (Schweiz) AG – all keen to promote tourism in Switzerland and Grisons in particular. Each destination will sponsor the official "King of the Mountains" prize once during the next three years and benefit from extensive visibility through representation at the stage locations, including at the finish and in the villages. The “Destination Davos Klosters powered by P&I (Schweiz) AG” will start off in 2016.
A month ago, the UCI World Tour Reform was passed by the UCI Management Committee. With nine days of racing at World Tour level, Switzerland’s national tour thus remains the fourth largest stage race behind the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta à España.
Olivier Senn commented: “For us, the UCI Reform is a success as we were able to preserve the status of the Tour de Suisse. Now we can tackle the sustainable development of professional cycling alongside the teams and the UCI.” Due to the active role that the Tour de Suisse and Swiss Cycling played in this process, Switzerland as a cycling country was able to considerably strengthen its position internationally.
Once again, amateur cyclists can compare themselves with the pros directly across four stages. A few hours before the pros, the sportive riders will complete their race on the original route and with professional route security and support. Interested individuals can register from mid-November.
InfrontRingier Sports & Entertainment Switzerland AG, based in Zug, Switzerland, is a 50/50 joint venture between the international sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media and the largest Swiss media group Ringier. It unifies the competencies and experiences of both mother companies and has developed into the leading sports marketing company in Switzerland throughout the last three years. InfrontRingier supports organisers of sports events as well as top athletes as a marketing, consulting and service partner. The high-level national portfolio includes, besides others, the Raiffeisen Super League, the Swiss Ice Hockey Cup, the Basel Swiss Indoors and the Tour de Suisse.