Cycling Destination Approved – Centre Mondial du Cyclisme Aigle

Anyone who thinks of Switzerland thinks of beautiful mountains, stunning views, and smooth roads. You probably also immediately think of watches, chocolate, and cheese fondue. Switzerland is also the home of many international sports federations. The UEFA, the FIFA, the IOC, and of course the UCI. Where most federations are hermetic fortresses that you cannot enter without an invitation and screening, that is quite different for the UCI. World Centre of Cycling (CMC) in Aigle It is (almost) open to the public every day. In fact, you can have a nice lunch in the restaurant or have a cup of coffee on the terrace. Meanwhile, the future stars from lesser-known countries are training. With a view of the BMX track and the possibility of going to the cycling track. It is a magnificent place, and the location at the bottom of the hill makes it even more special. Valais Alps Not yet included. If there is one Cycling Destination Approved location, this is it. We’ll take you there.

Text: Sander Kolsloot, photos: Sander Kolsloot / Mark Heij / Alain Rumpf

Impressive upon arrival

When you drive to the CMC by car, you have to blink your eyes a little. At first you think: is it behind this field? Then you think: ‘wow’. The building has a distinctive architecture and the road leading to it is marked with rainbow-colored lanes. Upon entering, you first have to cross an imposing bridge before you enter the high doors of the headquarters of the world cycling federation. It’s a beautiful sight, although the exterior also has a lot of concrete.

If you come by bike, you’ll probably enter from the ‘back side’. Then you’ll drive past the water and come to the restaurant’s terrace. There you’ll also find a pole with a key set where you can fix the basic things on your bike. Super convenient. In the shop they also have some small bike accessories so you can always get them there. There you’ll also find parking spaces for your bike. Big plus.

Shop and mini museum

Upon entering the Centre Mondial du Cyclisme, you can immediately turn left to marvel at a few stunning items. You’ll find the bike of several world champions there. Among others, the beautiful Canyon by Mathieu van der Poel (we were there in 2023, before Glasgow), we saw the bike of Tom Pidcock, the winning rocket of Van Vleuten and many more beautiful paraphernalia. You can also purchase a few items, such as your own World Championships jersey (not done) and other items from the local clothing sponsor. It’s a lovely place to start your visit to the CMC.

Cycling track

Once you leave the shop, you can’t avoid it anymore. The cycling track that actually forms the beating heart of the Centre Mondial du Cyclisme calls to you. On the circuit you’ll find all kinds of images of former champions, where we also find some Dutch riders, like Joop Zoetemelk. In addition, there’s a nice sign with the pros who once trained at the CMC. Most famous name? Victoria Pendleton! The cycling track is mainly intended for training because for competitions it’s officially too short. For a people who are focused on precision, this is strange. But hey, it’s also the training center. You can also use it, because they offer beginner courses for the track (and the BMX track). For CHF 60,- they take you there.

The heart of cycling

That this is actually the beating heart of cycling in the world is evident from the role that the CMC plays. You can see flags of exotic cycling countries like Azerbaijan, Eritrea and Peru everywhere. There are a number of boxes in the hallways that need to be shipped to the Caucasus. The Centre Mondial du Cyclisme provides space for talented riders from these countries to develop further. They train here in Switzerland and the CMC is the home base. So when you go cycling here, you could just happen upon the champion of Chile or the Philippines. That makes this a special place. You can also book a training camp yourself, which isn’t necessarily free, but then you get the best of the best.

Even more to see (and do)

A great tip if you’re here: a guided tour. Only then can you really see behind the scenes. The tour takes you to places like the training center for mechanics, the best strength-training room we’ve ever seen, and you can also look under the cycling track.

BMX track

If you thought you’d seen everything, think again. Outside, there’s an extensive BMX facility where you’ll often see professionals training, but you can also give it a try yourself to see if it’s really that exciting. Just like on the piste, there’s a beginners’ course for BMX, where you’ll be taken around the track for CHF 60 (and signing a disclaimer). The start is steep, hard, and fast. Not for the faint hearted.

Restaurant

Once you’ve seen everything, you can sit down in the restaurant for a moment. Enjoy a Velosophe beer there, or the lunch prepared for the staff of the UCI and other guests. Plus a bonus: you can even meet the president of the UCI here. Pretty cool, right? The dishes carry the appropriate names ‘menu sportif’ and ‘menu velodrome’. The quality is Swiss, so it’s good.

Why the Centre Mondial du Cyclisme receives the Cycling Destination Approved label

This location is full of bicycles and has everything you need for a super fun afternoon or morning on two wheels. Even if you don’t want an introductory course, you can get a taste of the real thing here. With all the services and facilities, this is the perfect spot to start a ride.

Route Centre Mondial du Cyclisme – CMC – Aigle