The plans for the first Tour de Suisse Women have largely been made. A two-stage race is planned, which will be held on the weekend of June 5/6 as part of the men's Tour de Suisse. World teams with world-class riders as well as a selection of the Swiss national team will be at the start. This would give women's cycling a platform that can be gradually expanded. The plan is to expand the two-part event into a longer World Tour in the medium term.

The endeavors are supported by personalities from politics, society and sport. The parties involved are in agreement that the funding should come from the federal funds that were allocated for the 2020 Road World Championships but were not needed due to the coronavirus-related cancellation. Today's media conference is intended to demonstrate the breadth of support, which can have a positive impact on sponsorship.Nothing seemed to stand in the way of the premiere of the Tour de Suisse Women - and now it is still in jeopardy. The reason for this is the fact that it is still unclear when and how much of the aforementioned funds will flow back. Because the repayment process is dragging on, National Councillors Diana Gutjahr and Aline Trede have tabled a motion calling for the federal government to provide a deficit guarantee for the first Tour de Suisse Women and thus prevent a premature cancellation. "Swiss Cycling needs this financial security to avoid running the risk of getting into serious difficulties with this great project," Gutjahr and Trede state.Thomas Peter, Managing Director of Swiss Cycling, is grateful for the commitment of politicians and society. "Gender equality is highly relevant for our association. We founded the #fastandfemaleSUI support project a year and a half ago because we have a lot of untapped potential in women's cycling, because we want to offer our young female cyclists something - because we have to do justice to social realities."

The aforementioned deficit guarantee has not yet been granted; it is uncertain what will happen next. The only thing that is clear is that we cannot wait much longer because otherwise the costs will be high. "We will soon have to decide whether to hold or cancel the Tour de Suisse Women, and we want to hold it," says Patrick Hunger, Co-President of Swiss Cycling and President of the Tour de Suisse.

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