Dec 9, 2025 Winter has officially knocked on our door here in the Swiss Alps. It snowed. A lot. Enough for me to grab my touring skis and chase powder on the mountains around home, because let’s be honest, indoor riding is not high on my agenda. I will still sneak in valley rides whenever the weather allows, but up …
Finding simplicity in Ticino’s hidden valleys
Nov 22, 2025 Ticino, the Italian-speaking and southernmost region of Switzerland, has been part of my cycling life for as long as I’ve been pinning on a race number. My relationship with this place goes all the way back to the 1990s, when I was an amateur racer chasing early-season form on the other side of the Alps. Back then, …
Alpine Gravel Bikepacking in Ticino: Airolo to Bellinzona
→ 182km↑ 5180m♦ difficultStart: AIROLOFinish: BELLINZONACountry: SwitzerlandCLIMBS: GOTTHARD PASS (2091M) PASSO SCIMFUSS (2244M) PASSO DELL’UOMO (2218M) CAPANNA ADULA (2012M) CAPANNA …
Long distance cycling: yes, but why?
Photos: kuwa.swiss August 1, 2024 About ten years ago, I got into ultracycling: stupidly long stuff that you finish in a pathetic state and that makes you look like an idiot when you talk about it at the family Christmas dinner. It started with a bang, when I signed up for the Transcontinental Race on a whim in 2015. I …
UCI Gravel Switzerland: a taste of alpine gravel
June 19, 2024 I love gravel biking, for many reasons. First and foremost because my gravel bike takes me beyond tarmac, to places I didn’t know – even in my home region. But there’s more to that. In the mountains where I live, gravel biking comes with a distinctive flavor called “alpine gravel” which spices up the experience. What is …
Col de la Croix: the giant of the Alpes vaudoises
June 17, 2024 On the weekend of June 15 and 16, the Tour de Suisse came to Villars-sur-Ollon for two stages. For the men, this was be the event’s finale. For their female colleagues, it was start of the fourth edition of the Tour de Suisse Women. The routes were the same for both pelotons: on Sunday, there was an …
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10 reasons why you should ride the Furka-Nufenen-Gotthard loop
June 7, 2024 A few months ago, Luke, the man behind the Switchback Saturdays Instagram account, asked me to showcase the most beautiful loop in the Swiss Alps. “Easy,” I replied. “It has to be the Furka-Nufenen-Gotthard. You won’t find anything more beautiful in the Alps.” As for the Saturday, I chose June 8. Right at the start of the …
2024 UCI Granfondo Suisse: 3 new courses
June 6, 2024 The third edition of the UCI Granfondo Suisse will take place on Sunday 7 July in Villars-sur-Ollon. The big change this year is the route: instead of a single loop of medium difficulty, which left the strongest riders wanting more and represented too big a challenge for beginners, participants will be able to choose between 3 distances… …
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I tried gravel biking on snow. Skiing is better
February 19, 2024 This post is part of our Winter Riding in the Alps guide. Check it out here. The Col de la Croix is our local climb. In summer, it’s packed with cyclists riding in our beautiful region of the Alpes Vaudoises. In winter… not so much. The road is closed and the snow is groomed for locals and …
Gravel biking in the Alpes Vaudoises: our top picks
September 1, 2023 Gravel biking is booming. So much so, in fact, that it’s not just a hype anymore: gravel has developed solid roots and will continue to grow. Why? There are many reasons, and we all have our own. For me, it’s : the chance to ride away from the ever-growing motorized traffic. I say this without animosity, because …
