Crans-Montana launches Alpine Cycling Festival to coincide with Granfondo event

Swiss resort of Crans-Montana has launched a festival of cycling that includes the one day ‘Tour des Stations’ event that is part of the Marmotte Granfondo series.

The four day festival takes place from August 8 to 11, 2019 with a number of activities and events planned including exhibitions, bike tests, concerts and workshops that appeal to cyclists of all levels and their families. The presence of cycling experts and celebrities will also help to shed light on the various issues related to cycling in the Alps.

The Tour des Stations event takes place on Saturday August 10 and includes three different distance levels (220km, 140km, 50km) and the corresponding altitude differences (7,400m, 4,700m or 2,000m) as well as a team event and a children’s race in the town of Conthey. The Marmotte Granfondo Valais event which is the 140km distance option, starts in Crans-Montana and finishes in Verbier, with the col of the Croix-de-Cœur topping out at 2,174 metres with the last 6 km’s on gravel. During 2018, the event saw nearly 200 cyclists participating.

New for 2019 are free shuttle buses for riders back from Verbier to Crans-Montana at the end of the race.

The festival will be organised in partnership with the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the International Academy of Sports Science and Technology (AISTS) in Lausanne.

Samuel Bonvin, Crans-Montana Tourism & Congress Marketing Manager, said: “Apart from its unique panorama over Europe’s highest peaks, Crans-Montana has all the infrastructure for cross-country, enduro, downhill, ebike and road cycling. By welcoming different legendary races to its playground, the destination is positioning itself as a major player in cycling in the Alps. The first edition of the Alpine Cycling Festival fits perfectly into this strategy, and will enable cycling fans to share memorable moments related to their passion”.

www.crans-montana.ch