Nestled between the Plaine Morte glacier and the vineyards of Valais, Crans-Montana stretches across a uniquely varied landscape, centred around its sun-drenched plateau. The plateau is truly a hub, naturally linking the glacial heights to the gentler slopes of the valley, and this means cycling can be organised into successive layers: vineyards, forests, plateau, mountain pastures and high mountains. Cycling becomes much more than a sporting activity here; it offers a vivid interpretation of the landscape with unique continuity between the upper and lower reaches.
This region offers spectacular views opening out onto the Rhone Valley, revealing with every spin of the pedals a grand-scale crossing of the Valais Alps, where height gain is not merely a challenge, it’s a way to explore the mountains in all their depth.
In this compact and contrasting space, all forms of cycling find their place. Mountain biking, gravel biking, road cycling and e-biking are not mutually exclusive: they overlap and intertwine.
A single region thus allows you to switch from a scenic high-altitude route to a technical descent through the forest, or to a gentler ride through villages and vineyards. This coexistence of disciplines creates a dynamic rarely found in the Alps: a seamless cycling region, with no breaks between disciplines.
The relationship between Crans-Montana and cycling is part of a long history marked by major events. In 1984, the resort hosted both a stage finish and a stage start of the Tour de France, cementing the area’s place in the annals of road cycling. A few years later, in 1988, it cemented its position by hosting the very first Mountain Bike World Championships, paving the way for the development of the sport. Since then, the destination has established itself as a regular fixture on the international cycling calendar, hosting both Mountain Bike World Cups and major road cycling stage races, as well as a stage finish of the Giro d’Italia, which cemented its place in the major Alpine competitions calendar.
This momentum has been further strengthened recently with the hosting of the cross-country events at the 2025 World Championships, which confirmed Crans-Montana’s role as a leading venue for global mountain biking.
Far from being merely a backdrop for competitions, the destination has gradually built a genuine cycling culture, which today underpins the development of its entire range of offerings and activities.
More than just a static destination, Crans-Montana is gradually transforming into an integrated cycling region. The ongoing development of routes, improvements to signage and the structuring of the cycling infrastructure all contribute to a single ambition: to make cycling increasingly seamless, accessible and user-friendly across the entire Haut-Plateau.
In this context, cycling is becoming a unifying theme across the region, linking sport, mobility, tourism and exploration.
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