Crans-Montana is known in the mountain bike gravity scene for its first-class bike park. Numerous iXS Downhill Cup races and two Enduro World Series races have already taken place on the challenging trails, but never cross-country competitions. From 2 - 4 June 2023, the Swiss Championships took place for the first time in short track and the Olympic discipline of cross country.

A first with a lot of potential

The start line is on the east side of Lac Grenon, the lake in the village center, then heads up towards Lac de Chermignon. The course is laid out along the side road and offers spectators the opportunity to change sections in a short time.

The climbs in the forest, on the other hand, are less ideal for the riders, as Thömus-Maxon rider Vital Albin reveals: "You can tell that the organizers have put a lot of effort into building an appealing course, which was certainly not easy on this slope. Looking back at the Swiss Championships, however, the climbs were too steep. We riders are still hoping for some adjustments. Otherwise, there is a risk that the races will become less interesting and it won't come across well on TV if the riders barely get off the ground."

The efforts of the course designers are also noticeable in the downhills, as Albin explains further: "The downhills are actually cool, but not yet perfect. Too many things like drops were added in these sections instead of simply leaving a nice trail as such. And the jumpline also needs a bit of fine-tuning."

What sounds a bit negative, Albin doesn't want it to be understood as such and also sees a lot of potential in the course: "I'm sure that with a few adjustments, we should find a pretty cool course at the World Cup this year."

Vital Albin on camera in Crans-Montana

Riders' input will be implemented

In Crans-Montana, the athletes' input was received with interest and will be implemented, as Bruno Huggler, Director of Crans-Montana Tourism, explains: "The Swiss Championships course will first be developed into a World Cup course and then into a World Championships course. And this also includes implementing the input of athletes such as Jolanda Neff, Mathias Flückiger and Vital Albin."

First, the start will be moved 250 meters towards the western end of Lac Grenon. The steepest climbs will then be eased so that there are no longer large gaps between the riders, which in turn will bring more excitement to the races. The descents will also be adapted according to rider input and, if possible, a new section will be added, although this has yet to be approved. "Last season, we inspected a number of courses and drew conclusions from the World Championships in Glentress and the Olympic course in Paris, among others. In Crans-Montana, our aim is to offer a modern race course with as natural a character as possible that is also fun for the pros," concludes Huggler.

The final course will then be tackled in spring 2024, once WBD-Sports as the main organizer and TV producer and the UCI have approved everything, and as soon as the terrain is free of snow.