The Tour de Suisse is the most important warm-up race for the Tour de France, run through the high Alps each June. First held in 1933, it offers exactly the terrain the Tour contenders need, big mountain stages and usually a long time trial, in the final weeks before the season's biggest race. Pasquale Fornara won it four times in the 1950s, and the start lists each June read like a roll call of the Tour favourites. The thin air and long climbs make it a genuine test rather than a tune-up. Riders come here to sharpen their form and gauge their rivals. A strong Suisse is often the last clue before July.