In the beautiful canton of Valais-Wallis, there is so much to choose from when it comes to cycling. How about a beautiful ride from the starting point of the must-have-be World Championships? Martigny and then up to Barrage d’Emosson, Grand Saint Bernard or one of those other crazy climbs. You can also go from Brig to Moosalp, to the Furkapass, The Nufenenpass, the Simplonpass, and so on. Among all that Alpine chaos, Crans-Montana can be a bit overwhelming. That’s actually a shame, because almost nowhere else in the world can you find a location with such beautiful views. Crans-Montana is a cycling paradise. We’ve been there several times and we’d love to go back tomorrow!
Two-in-one
The villages of Crans-sur-Sierre and Montana together form the ski and summer resort of Crans-Montana. This fashionable destination, east of Sion, at an altitude of over 1400 meters, was already a posh place in the past. Originally, it was even a (fancy) spa resort, similar to Davos, where people with all kinds of problems came to be treated. Today, you can still see that with several private clinics dating back to earlier times.
The two villages of Crans and Montana have a mini-rivalry with each other, with Crans preferring to present itself a little more stylishly than Montana. In Crans you’ll find the chic shopping street, the tourism office is located there, and the golf club where the Omega Masters is played every year is also located there. But out on the street it’s the same thing, and you basically get two for the price of one. For cyclists, it won’t matter much, because whether you stay in Crans or Montana, the view remains stunning and the hotels are comparable. Just as does the road surface and the variety of awesome climbs.
Col du Crans-Montana
While we prepare for our ride during breakfast in the morning, the guide arrives Alain With a nice story about the origins of the day’s climb, the Col du Crans-Montana. The urban legend is that people also wanted a col in the ski resort. Only, officially there was no climb. So they eventually came up with one and called it the ‘Col du Crans-Montana’. In terms of originality, it could be better, but that’s okay. No complaints. There is a climb and that’s already nice.
We take another look at the route and it all looks fine. A bit straight ahead, a little up, then down again and finally a bit more up. Easy peasy. We check in at the hotel, because we are driving to Crans-Montana to spend the night there. The luggage is moved with us, which is very convenient.
On the way to Crans-Montana, we drive through the valley and climb a little here and there. We take a nice short climb towards Leuk (not funny), where there are a few beautiful hairpin bends. It goes well up there and it’s perfect to get back into it. Although. It’s still quite a steep climb at 7%.
On to the Col
After a long stretch of descending and a bit of zig-zagging, we finally arrive in Sierre. The town at the foot of the ‘col’. The top of the col is at about 1800 meters, Sierre is almost 1200 meters lower. We do have a climb ahead of us, because the climb itself is over 16 kilometers long.
The climb starts somewhere in the middle of Sierre, but we soon start climbing through the vines. Don’t be fooled by the view, because it’s actually a constant climb of 8% steps. After a few cool switchbacks, we stop for a while to take some photos, because the view is stunning. We see the vines and in the distance the valley and the already mentioned panorama of Crans Montana. More and more I understand why families come back here year after year for ski and summer holidays.
Higher and higher
The climb itself is a hidden gem. Because you drive for a long time between the vineyards, you sometimes forget that it goes painfully uphill. As mentioned, it is 1200 meters of elevation gain in about 16 kilometers. There are a few flat stretches in between, so count your blessings. The most treacherous part of this climb is that you don’t end up climbing to the village itself (Crans Montana), but to a point above the neighboring Aminona.
The first half of the climb takes us swinging up between the vineyards, and then there’s a slightly longer straight stretch. Here we also slowly leave the vines behind us and the vegetation also starts to change. It’s actually quite hard for me. Even though it doesn’t seem that steep and painful at all, my tongue is almost on my front wheel.
I keep going straight on to the junction with the Route de Crans, which eventually leads to the village. However, we turn sharply right towards Aminona. For those who want to join us. At the junction in Mollens, heading towards Aminona, you are at an altitude of 1100 meters. It is still 7 kilometers to the top at 1800 meters. That wasn’t so clear on the route in the morning during breakfast.
Begging for mercy
The fact that I’m struggling seems to have rubbed off on my two (well-trained, semi-pro) travel companions as well. They’re barely going around me, and I’m not getting any well-meaning nudges either, but the lyrics have changed. At first it was: ‘it’s beautiful here’; now: ’the next bit isn’t that bad’. Friendly reminder.
When we arrive in Aminona, I drive towards them to the parking spot. They are startled by their phone, because they actually didn’t expect me. That’s positive. Here I still have a choice and I decide for our group: left, the silent departure towards the hotel. Right, another 2.5 kilometers to 10% to the final peak. There’s no way we’re going left. The competitive spirit in me is clear: left. Then we’ll cough up a bit, but we’ll get there. Best decision ever.
Top pick
Because as painful as it has been so far. I’ve got my groove back. Keep pedaling and looking up. Then it’s counting down. It’s a real advantage having a bike computer (a Wahoo in my case). You can see all the info a bit and in the meantime you can see when the tough stretches come or when it eases off a bit. That way the end of this Walliser ordeal is already in sight faster than is normally humanly possible.
Reaching the top is a bit of an anti-climax. The sign (see photo) almost disappears among the signage for the (by the way, awesome) MTB trails nearby. The view is not particularly impressive either. But we have climbed 1800 meters and I am glad about that.
Relax and breathe
After that, it's still a matter of getting to the hotel. We're staying in Hotel de la Forêt In Crans, and that’s a few hundred meters lower down. Downhill is tricky. It’s not an easy climb. The uphill part was 10%, so down… also 10%. And the road is narrow and unmanageable. So you really have to be very careful. It also rained the days before, which means the road is a bit wet. That makes for extra caution. I’m glad we have disc brakes on our rental bike.
We swing down and eventually we turn back onto the main road next to the Luzerner Höhen Klinik. Our hotel is then just a stone’s throw away. After a quick change and a good pasta meal, our paths separate and that of Alain.
Why Go?
Crans Montana is actually perfectly located for exploring the surroundings. With its elevation of 1500 meters, it is also an excellent place for a high-altitude stage. From Crans, you can go in several directions, including taking the adjacent Sanetsch pass and from there making a long ride via Aigle – Martigny and back.
The facilities in the village are of a high standard, partly because it is a bustling ski resort in the winter, where guests still expect some level of luxury and quality.
We stayed in a specific ‘Swiss Bike Hotel‘, Hotel de la Forêt. These are bike hotels that have facilities specifically designed for the target group of cyclists:
- Secured storage space/bicycle storage room
- Rinse spot
- Key set
- Local information
That’s quite nice, and you can find these hotels all over Switzerland. In addition, there are also ‘Bike Friendly’ hotels that have these facilities but, for example, do not have a repair kit, but do have a basement and a place to rinse off. In most ski resorts, there is a basement that can be closed off, because in the winter the skis are stored there.
Transport
Switzerland is at the top of all lists when it comes to transport. You can fly there (Geneva/Zurich) or take the train to Basel and then continue on the well-connected SBB network. Use a Swiss Travel Pass If you plan to travel by train for several days. If you travel by bicycle? Just make a reservation and there are specific bicycle parking spaces.
Questions & tips
Do you have any questions about this route, or have you been there yourself? Share them here. We read everything and usually respond within a few days.