From today, Wednesday, the Traillove bike festival is underway in Zermatt. For seven days, the Matterhorn village is all about mountain biking and the love of riding trails. In addition to various events, visitors can enjoy test bikes, a brand village with new bikes and clothing, a kids' course and food and drink stands.

The Traillove Derby kicks off the event. Over the course of three days, several teams of two will be chasing points in the destination of Zermatt. The focus is on the trail experience in epic surroundings. On Thursday, September 19, the one-day race Chasing Cancellara starts in Zurich and finishes in Zermatt. The race is part of Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara's international race series for amateur athletes and is designed to offer participants a special challenge. Who will manage to overtake the champion and beat his time?

Highlight at world level

The highlight of the festival will take place on Saturday, September 21. This is when the best enduro riders in the world will compete in the grand finale of the Enduro World Series. It will be the first time that one of the eight stages will take place in Switzerland
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Admiring the fastest trail riders in the world and the speed and agility with which they master the downhill stages is definitely a spectacle not to be missed. But beware of the side effects: It's possible that you'll feel like a slow biker afterwards.
We take this risk. In addition, the racers and especially the Swiss enduro heroes - the "Swiss Trail Force" - need loud support from the spectators. Anita and Carolin Gehrig are the strongest Swiss enduro pros at the start for the women, and Gusti Wildhaber and Maxime Chapuis for the men.

As the last stage, Zermatt will also have the honor of crowning the champions of the series. Following the award ceremonies, the season-end party will take place at the Unique Hotel Post. And it will be heated up by the scene DJ Dario Linder.

For kids and trail builders

On Sunday, September 22, the festival will be dedicated to children. On Family Day, young bike enthusiasts can learn from the pros and show off their skills on the kids' course
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At the end of the festival on September 23 and 24, the Trail Building Summit will provide a platform for sharing experiences, best practice solutions, new trends and proven techniques in the planning, design and construction of sustainable bike trails.

Oiled calves and medals

Around 20 kilometers as the crow flies from Zermatt, the starting shots for the Marathon World Championships in Grächen will be fired on Sunday. The world's best long-distance athletes will ride the 70 and 95 kilometer routes as fast as others need an e-bike for - an impressive spectacle where lactate rushes among the participants are guaranteed.

And here, too, the athletes rely on numerous spectators. After all, some of the Swiss riders are among the top favorites.
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First cheer, then ride yourself

If you can manage it, you can stay in the region a little longer. At www.ride.ch/touren you will find countless tour suggestions, and there is something for almost everyone.