If we drive up the car to the Alaia Lodge hotel in Crans-Montana, Then it really feels like coming home again. Even on our previous trip We stayed in this hotel in the ski and outdoor sports village in the Swiss canton of Valais-Wallis. A lovely, relaxing place. Very centrally located in the village, with a good breakfast, Quality Italian downstairs (from the same owner) and space to safely and properly store your bike. Add to that the spacious rooms and the wonderful view over the famous panorama of Crans-Montana and you get it. I am completely at home. The language is French but English is also spoken well. It’s nice to be able to land again. I was assigned almost the same room and I plopped down on the bed. Enjoying it. We agreed to go exploring the neighborhood right away.
text: Sander Kolsloot – photos: Dennis Knuist – Sander Kolsloot
Going up or going down
Crans-Montana is located at an altitude of about 1500 meters. It is therefore beautiful with a wide view, especially of the mountain peaks on the other side of the valley. A small point of attention: it is therefore located at an altitude of 1500 meters. That means two things:
- You can breathe in the lovely fresh mountain air. It’s no wonder there are several clinics for people with respiratory problems. The air is just of a better quality there.
- You will almost always end up with a climb. And not just any climb. The Col de Crans Montana. It’s a monster, but more on that later.
- Okay, there is another option: the funicular that goes up again from Sierre-Siders. It’s definitely worth it if you’re really exhausted.
- Or you're going to climb the hill Lake of Tseuzier Then you climb up and then down again.
Getting to know each other
To get to know Crans-Montana properly and to warm up the legs, you really just have to do something very simple. You go full throttle down a descent. Then you turn around and smoothly climb back up. That’s exactly what Dennis (aka Cycling_dennis) and I are doing. We roll down the mountain, through typical Swiss houses, over excellent asphalt with here and there a beautiful hairpin bend. The view sometimes takes your attention away from the road, but geez, how beautiful it is here. Once we’re down, we turn back up and actually ride the route back via Lens. Not the classic climb, but one that you’ll feel. A beautiful cycling route to discover Crans-Montana.
Ready for warm weather
The fact that we are still struggling with the heat seems logical. It is a nice summer day and at the bottom of the valley it is 28 degrees Celsius. You can certainly take that with you when you go up, although it cools down quickly. You drive partly on the main road, but also on some smaller paths. In Lens, as we drive through the village square, we stop to get some water. The people who are enjoying an ice cream look up at us in admiration. Two crazy Dutch people who go up: you better have a nice big piece of strawberry.
Don't be surprised
The route is a total of 28 kilometers, but this includes 12 kilometers of downhill and about 12 kilometers of climbing. The uphill section is 900 meters in elevation difference and you can really feel that. Parts of the route are at 11 to 12 percent incline. You sometimes think: am I really making progress? That’s Swiss flat terrain. Once above, that wonderful panorama awaits again. Parked on the roadside, we’re at home, but don’t ask us how. This is a beautiful cycling route to discover Crans-Montana.
Cycling route to discover Crans-Montana
The route from this story
- Exploring Crans-Montana28.3 km · 947 hmGPX ↓
Questions & tips
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