Are you planning a cycling holiday in Valais - Valais? And are you in the Martigny area or in Crans-Montana? Then climbing the Col du Sanetsch is almost a must-do. Local legend Alain Rumpf, which is just around the corner in the Alpes Vaudoises lives, once described this climb as Switzerland's hidden gem. As we will experience later, then, this is not without reason. With our travelling party, we climb the Col du Sanetsch from Pont de la Morge. This variation is the toughest of the two variations. Here you are looking at a 25.9km climb at an average of almost seven per cent. Along the way, you encounter an outlier of 14.5%. That will take some swallowing.
READ ALSO: Cycling to Barrage d'Emosson: a course from a never-run World Cup
Vines give way to stones
The climb really starts in the valley, where you first ride through the vines. You have beautiful views over the valley and for a moment you think: where are we cycling to? The views get better and better. The vegetation slowly disappears as, mind you, we climb to over 2200 metres! The irregularity of the climb is also evident. Still, we keep up the momentum as reports say it will rain soon. The bright sun in the valley disappears behind dark clouds very quickly. That's also part of cycling in the Alps. As we ride through a tunnel, oncoming cyclists warn us about bad weather at the summit.
Up we go
Nothing stops us, however, and steadily we make progress, stopping at the top to take photos. The view is breathtaking, the temperature has dropped rapidly from 25 degrees in the valley to barely 10 degrees at the summit. As we descend towards the reservoir at the end of the climb, nature threatens to give us a big wet suit. Just in time, we take shelter in the alpine hut that seems to have been laid out there for us. We warm ourselves by the fireplace and with some local specialities, the rain disappears like snow in the sun. In this 'Auberge du Sanetsch' features high-quality dishes and is part of the Ta Cave crowdfunding concept, which seems to equate to high quality.
About the region
The region around Martigny is the beautiful Valais. From starting point Martigny, the Alps are at your feet and with the aforementioned Col de la Forclaz (1528), the Col de Sanetsch (2252m) and the climb to Emosson (1967m), you'll be busy for a few days. The adjacent 'Region Dents du Midi' is particularly beautiful. This part of Valais has a lot of altimeters to offer.
Not only are 45 of the 82 '4000-ers' in the canton, but the fact that you can actually go in three directions from the valley (towards France (southern direction) as well as north and north-east creates more possibilities. The col du Grand Saint Bernard is one of the most beautiful and longest climbs, with almost 42km at 4.8% average. Only the last five to six kilometres register percentages above 7%. With the (petit) Forclaz as a warm-up, this is a challenging day on the bike.
