It's going to be epic: the first "Swiss Epic" stage race will take place in Valais in 2014. Dust, sweat and flow are guaranteed. 600 riders from all over the world will be riding over Valais trails in just over a year's time. The starting point is the lower Valais municipality of Verbier, where a prologue will be ridden. The first stage will then ride over around 100 kilometers and more than 3500 meters of altitude to Leukerbad. In the second stage, the riders will have to cover a similar distance around Leukerbad. Stage three then rides from Leukerbad back into the main Valais valley and on to Grächen. A stage with the same start and finish will also be ridden in Grächen on day five. The final stage is likely to be the highlight of the tour as the riders head towards the Matterhorn. Zermatt is planned as the finish of the race. At the end of the race, successful riders will have covered a total of 400 kilometers and an impressive 15,000 meters of altitude in their legs.

Course layout as the greatest difficulty
Organizing a race of this size in Switzerland can be described as a mammoth task. The route will ride over countless paths and forks, and marking and securing the route is likely to be difficult. Permits will also have to be obtained from dozens of municipalities. Although many things are less complicated in Valais, mountain bike development is not yet very advanced here. Rider safety is also likely to be a challenge on the route with its very high proportion of singletrack. Less than 30% of the route is likely to be accessible by rescue vehicles, but a comprehensive rescue concept with reliable solutions is currently under development.

Flow variant as a mixture of bike cultures
Less enduring mountain bikers will also be able to take part in the Swiss Epic. With shuttle support, the longest climbs in the daily stages can be conquered; in addition to private shuttle buses, cable cars and chairlifts are also available. Although there will be timekeeping on the descents and flat sections, no prizes will be awarded or podium places honored.

The following categories are available:

Swiss Epic
Men (UCI)
Women (UCI)
Mixed
Masters

Swiss Epic FLow
Men
Women
Mixed

Stages
Prologue: Verbier
Stage 1: Verbier-Leukerbad
Stage 2: Leukerbad-Leukerbad
Stage 3: Leukerbad-Grächen
Stage 4: Grächen-Grächen
Stage 5: Grächen-Zermatt

www.swissepic.ch