Gravel Races in Switzerland

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Switzerland built the world's most over-engineered gravel network by accident. Two centuries of canton-funded Forstwege (maintained forest service roads) plus the Swiss Army's declassified alpine supply roads, like the Bäzstrasse above Andermatt and the Witenwasserntal valleys, add up to thousands of kilometres of hard-packed pale-grey limestone that's signposted, mapped on swisstopo, and connected end-to-end via SchweizMobil. The race calendar is shaped by what that terrain demands: short, brutal, vertical. Octopus Gravel Andermatt asks 4,450m of climbing across 155km, roughly twice the climbing-per-kilometre of SBT GRVL. The Majestics in Aigle (a UCI Gravel World Series stop, and 2029 World Championships host) stages from the town that's also home to UCI HQ. Most start lines hear four languages before the gun. Filter below by distance and date.

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Frequently asked

  • When does the Swiss gravel season actually start?
    Below 2,000m, rides roll from late May. The high passes (Furka, Susten, Nufenen, Albula) often stay snow-blocked into mid-June, and the same passes close again with the first October storm. Check alpen-paesse.ch before booking flights. Peak racing window is mid-June through late September, with Engadin and the Jura bracketing the season on either end.
  • What tire width works for Swiss alpine gravel?
    45mm is the practical floor for anything above 1,500m. The surface is mostly hard-packed crushed limestone but rock chunks and washouts on alpine military roads punish narrow tires. For routes that incorporate technical sections or the chunkier Engadin doubletrack, riders run 2.0 to 2.2 inch MTB tires. 40mm is fine on Mittelland and lake-loop events but underbuilt for the Alps.
  • How do I get to race starts with my bike if I don't want to rent a car?
    This is where Switzerland is uniquely friendly. SBB carries bikes on most trains. From 21 March to 31 October you need a CHF 2 bike reservation on InterCity trains (book in the SBB app, skip it and pay CHF 10). PostBus carries 4 bikes per vehicle on alpine routes, reservation required since 2025. Fly into Zurich or Geneva, train to Andermatt or Aigle with your bike bag, ride for a week, no car needed.
  • Cheapest way to fly with a bike?
    SWISS Air provides free bike boxes at Zurich and Geneva for outbound legs. Show your boarding pass at the sports baggage counter. Register the bike at booking, and it counts as one piece of baggage if within size and weight limits. For US riders used to paying $150 to $300 each way on US carriers, this is the single biggest hack for a Swiss race trip.
  • Do I need cash in alpine villages?
    Cards work in towns and most race-weekend lodging. But mountain huts, alp dairies, and small refuges are cash-or-Twint only, and Twint requires a Swiss bank account that visitors can't open. Carry CHF 100 to CHF 200 in small notes per ride day. Don't bonk halfway up a pass and discover the refuge doesn't take Visa.

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