Tour de Switzerland organizers announced on Friday that the 2024 version of the Queen Stage will be shortened because snow removal workers could not guarantee a safe crossing of the Furca and Nufenen Passes.

The Stage 6 151.1 km Tour de Switzerland route was scheduled to begin in Locarno on the 14th and cross the Nufenen Pass (2,478m) on an alternative route via the Gotthard and Furca Passes.

Other alternatives, such as the Simplon Pass to the Valley, were not available because the Swiss army could not secure a route on Italian roads.

However, the organizers decided that neither route was clear by the date of the race and chose a much shorter route starting from the Gomes Nordic Center in Ulrichen, a 7-kilometer climb to Bratten Beralp with the same uphill finish.

"Safety is our top priority and this applies to riders, support vehicles and spectators," said Olivier Senn, director of the Tour de Switzerland. "Of course, we are disappointed that the Queen Stage cannot be held as planned. But Mother Nature and the weather are beyond our control and we have to accept it."

The length of the stage is only 42.5 kilometers, and the climb to Bratten Beralp is 848 meters.

Organizers praised the Goms Nordic Center for agreeing to host the stage start with such a short notice. 

"We are pleased to have quickly found an alternative start site with enough space for the entire entourage of the tour," Senn said.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank the local organizers in Locarno for their best understanding of our decision not to hold a start in the province of Ticino.

As a result of the shortening, the award of the first rider who passed the best path in the Tour de Switzerland is now awarded at the Gotthard Pass of the Nufenen Pass Stage 4. The award pays tribute to Gino Medel, who died of a crash injury at the 2023 Tour de Switzerland.

The shortening of the stage of the Tour de Switzerland will be less than a month after the organizers of the Giro d'Italia were forced to remove the Umbrail pass from Stage 16.