Interview ahead of the 2026 Tour de Suisse

In the run-up to the 2026 Tour de Suisse, we spoke with our safety manager, Marcel Hürlimann, about planning, challenges, and the event’s new format.

What does the Tour de Suisse’s new format mean for safety planning?

On the one hand, reducing the number of race days and stage locations means fewer individual plans need to be developed. On the other hand, the plans that do need to be developed carry greater weight. Now, the Tour will spend an entire day in the same location. Planning across different phases is becoming a greater focus. In particular, crowd management must be assessed differently for multiple finish line crossings and various races compared to a classic, single finish line crossing. Spectators will move around more, constantly seeking out new spots. This must be ensured through sufficient pathways.

How is DELTAgroup preparing for the Tour?

On the one hand, we need to support the stage locations in developing local safety concepts and align them with the overarching safety concept of the Tour de Suisse. On the other hand, we must plan the operational services on site. This involves staffing, accreditation, briefing, and organizing appropriate accommodations.

What are the biggest challenges in the run-up to the event?

It is not uncommon for local organizing committees to be hosting a stage of the Tour de Suisse for the first time. Our contacts are all motivated and aware of the importance of safety. However, they lack experience, which makes it difficult to assess and evaluate individual factors.

What role does crowd management play in the plan?

Given the new format, sound crowd management becomes even more critical. Whereas in the past people traveled to a start or finish line just once, we now have to anticipate much greater movement within the event perimeter. Planning, providing, and signaling sufficient movement routes will be a central component of the safety concept.

What is DELTAgroup’s particular focus this year?

Clearly on the new format. Are our assumptions about it accurate, and do the planned measures work reliably? It is also particularly important to systematically document lessons learned to enable optimizations for future events.

The insights gained from the 2026 Tour de Suisse will form a valuable foundation for the further development of future safety and crowd management concepts.