Switzerland is a popular mountain bike destination and enjoys an excellent reputation as an organizer. In view of these conditions, Swiss Cycling submitted a proposal to the Valais Cycling Federation and Valais/Wallis Promotion (VWP) to submit a bid to host all UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Valais. " Thanks to its topographical advantages and extensive experience in organizing mountain bike competitions and other major events, Valais is the ideal host region for the new format, the core objective of which is to combine the title fights of the individual disciplines," explains Thomas Peter, Sports Director of Swiss Cycling. The new concept also convinced the International Cycling Union, which awarded Valais the contract to host the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships. The selected venues are Crans-Montana (cross-country), the Dents du Midi region (downhill), Grächen (e-bike), Leukerbad (enduro), Verbier and Val d'Anniviers (marathon), Monthey (pump track) and Zermatt (short track). The opening ceremony will take place in Sion.

The OC of the 2025 MTB World Championships, from left: Steve Morabito (Fédération Cycliste Valaisanne / Valais Cycling Federation), Julien Petit (Sierre-Anniviers Marketing), Raphaël Favre (Valais/Wallis Promotion), Bruno Huggler (Crans-Montana Tourisme), Nadine Pardo (Ville de Sion), Stéphane Coppey (Ville de Monthey), Frédéric Favre (Conseiller d'Etat / State Councillor), Christian Ziörjen (Zermatt Tourism), Jean-Pierre Fournier (Grand Raid BCVS), Silvio Abgottspon (Valais/Wallis Promotion), Sébastien Epiney (Région Dents du Midi), Berno Stoffel (Grächen Tourimus), Florent Moos (MyLeukerbad AG) Image: Sedrik Nemeth

Innovative candidacy convinces the World Cycling Federation

David Lappartient, President of the UCI, is delighted with this decision. "It is with great pleasure that the UCI has entrusted the organization of the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships to Valais. The canton is ideally suited to hosting major cycling competitions; we remember the 2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Champéry very well. Switzerland is also a major MTB nation. The formula proposed by the bid committee for the World Championships, this unique combination of different disciplines in one major event, fascinated us."

Winning the bid to host the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships is another important milestone in positioning Valais as a benchmark cycling destination. The Valais bid, submitted via the CM MTB 2025 association, was selected from several bids. " We are very satisfied. Our bid was the only one based on a new and innovative format," says Raphaël Favre, Director of Business Development at Valais/Wallis Promotion. All seven World Championship disciplines will take place exclusively in Valais within two weeks. The concentration of the various World Championship competitions in a single region in terms of time and space is a first in the history of the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships. " This is a unique opportunity for the promotion and image of the canton. For the first time, the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships will bring together more than 1500 athletes from over 60 countries and attract many spectators to the venues," explains Steve Morabito, President of the Valais Cycling Federation.