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The Bec des Rosses and the Thirty-Year Competition That Changed Freeride Skiing
In 1996, a small group of skiers dropped off the Bec des Rosses — a 55-degree face above Verbier — in what became the first edition of the Verbier Xtreme. Three decades later, that same face is the closing venue of a global competitive series. The route from sidecountry dare to world championship is not a straight line.
By ZealZag Team
The Quiet Pull of the Mountains
At 1,000 meters above sea level, Xenia found more than trails to explore — she found a place to call home.
By ZealZag TeamRide Lenzerheide's Downhill: Following the UCI World Cup Track
The UCI DH World Cup course at Bike Kingdom Lenzerheide is open to lift-access riders between race weekends. A practical guide to riding the track, its three sections, getting there from Zurich, and planning your post-World Cup visit.
By ZealZag TeamIles Wins Lenzerheide DHI Back-to-Back; Newkirk Makes US History
Finn Iles ran 2:46.348 to win a second consecutive UCI DH World Cup at Bike Kingdom, taking a 41-point overall lead. Anna Newkirk posted 3:12.917 for her debut World Cup victory — the first American woman to win an elite DH in 23 years.
By ZealZag TeamCycling the Vaud Alps: Villars-sur-Ollon, the Col de la Croix, and the Routes Above Bex
The Swiss resort that closes the Tour de Suisse sits at 1,300 metres above Bex in the Vaud Alps, below the Col de la Croix and within reach of Les Diablerets. A practical guide to riding the climbs, the passes, and the surrounding Alpes Vaudoises terrain.
By ZealZag TeamTour de Suisse Closes in the Vaud Alps: Stage 5 at Villars-sur-Ollon
Stage 5 of the Tour de Suisse brought the race to Villars-sur-Ollon for a 150.7km queen stage over the Col de la Croix — closing a five-day race that Tadej Pogacar effectively settled on day one with a 72-kilometre solo attack through the Italian Alps.
By ZealZag TeamRiding the Lenzerheide World Cup XCO Course: What the Race Circuit Looks Like From the Saddle
The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup course at Lenzerheide is accessible to visiting riders on non-race weekends. What the circuit actually involves — the rock garden, the arena climb, the lap structure — and how to build a trip around it.
By ZealZag TeamHatherly Solos, Keller Flies Home, and Schurter Takes His Last Bow at Lenzerheide XCO
Alan Hatherly survived a chain mechanical on the final lap to win the Lenzerheide XCO in 1:20:23 — Alessandra Keller claimed the women's title on home soil, and Nino Schurter crossed the line 24th in what was his final appearance at a World Cup he once dominated.
By ZealZag TeamCycling Aargau: Switzerland's Quiet Heartland and the Roads of the Tour de Suisse ITT
Aargau rarely makes the Swiss cycling shortlist, but Stage 4 of the 2026 Tour de Suisse is a reminder that the canton between Basel, Zürich, and Bern has river towns, Jura foothills, and 23.7 kilometres of roads worth riding on any budget of time.
By ZealZag TeamRace Against the Clock: Tour de Suisse Stage 4 ITT Runs Through Aargau's River Country
The Tour de Suisse's individual time trial cuts 23.7 kilometres through the Aargau lowlands — a rolling course with one categorised climb that puts Pogačar's two-minute-fifty lead under the clock before Sunday's queen stage in the Vaud Alps.
By ZealZag TeamRiding Graubünden: Switzerland's Mountain Bike Alps From Lenzerheide to Davos
Graubünden isn't just the Lenzerheide World Cup. Switzerland's largest canton holds the Bike Kingdom network, Davos's alpine singletrack, the Flims-Laax bikepark, and the Albula Pass gravel crossing. A practical guide for destination-athletes who want more than one ride.
By ZealZag TeamKoretzky and Rissveds Own Lenzerheide's Short Track: XCC World Cup Wrapped Up in Bike Kingdom
UCI XCC World Champion Victor Koretzky wins the men's short track at Lenzerheide. Jenny Rissveds beats overall series leader Evie Richards for her second consecutive XCC World Cup victory and fifth of her career. XCO and DHI follow across the weekend.
By ZealZag TeamRiding Bad Ragaz: The Rhine Valley, the Schwägalp, and the Appenzell Back Roads
A practical guide to cycling from Bad Ragaz into the Appenzell Alps — the same roads, passes, and Rhine Valley flats that Stage 3 of the 2026 Tour de Suisse used as its 157km canvas today.
By ZealZag TeamŽigart Springs Back at Bad Ragaz: Tour de Suisse Enters Its Race-Defining Final Three Days
Urška Žigart wins the women's sprint at Bad Ragaz the day after a heavy crash — one of the more compelling individual stories Stage 3 produced in a race that now turns toward its ITT and queen stage. Pogačar's men's GC lead stayed intact through the Schwägalp.
By ZealZag Team
Bike Kingdom Lenzerheide: Switzerland's Biggest MTB Network
Switzerland's Bike Kingdom links Arosa, Lenzerheide and Chur across 366 trails - including the UCI World Cup DH and XCO courses. How to plan a trip to Graubuenden's mountain bike paradise.
By ZealZag Team
Lenzerheide World Cup 2026: The 10th Anniversary Opens in the Alps
The UCI MTB World Cup returns to Lenzerheide for its 10th edition - Switzerland Bike Kingdom hosts XCC, XCO and DHI racing June 19-21, with the DH course delivering its signature finish-bowl jump.
By ZealZag TeamCycling Locarno and Ticino: The Tour de Suisse Stage 2 Roads
A practical guide to riding the roads that Stage 2 of the 2026 Tour de Suisse just raced — Lake Maggiore's northern shore, Monte Ceneri, and the Orselina climb above Locarno, in Switzerland's southernmost and most Italian-feeling canton.
By ZealZag TeamGirmay Takes Locarno: NSN Wins Stage 2 as Pogacar's GC Lead Goes Unchallenged
Biniam Girmay wins Stage 2 of the Tour de Suisse in Locarno, navigating the punchy Orselina climb and a fast run to the finish to take NSN Cycling Team's first victory in Switzerland. Pogacar's massive overall lead, built on yesterday's 72km solo, remained untouched.
By ZealZag TeamTour de Suisse 2026 Opens in Italy: Sondrio Launches the Race's New Era
For the first time in its history, the Tour de Suisse starts on Italian soil — a 144km circuit around Sondrio, in the heart of the Valtellina, with three punishing climbs and the world's best roster since the race was condensed to five days.
By ZealZag Team
Tour de Suisse 2026 Stage 1: Pogacar Strikes in Sondrio Finale
Tadej Pogacar wins Stage 1 of the Tour de Suisse 2026 in Sondrio, Italy — the race's first-ever stage outside Switzerland — after a brutal finale over three punchy Lombard climbs.
By ZealZag TeamZermatt for Trail Runners: Cable Cars to 3,883m and the Trails That Use Them
Zermatt sits at 1,620m in the Mattertal with the Matterhorn at 4,478m above it and cable cars climbing to 3,883m. The village is car-free, the trail network covers 400-plus kilometres, and the Matterhorn Ultraks skyrunning race fills the high terrain every July. What that actually means for a trail runner planning a trip.
By ZealZag TeamCycling the Swiss Alps: Andermatt as a Base, the Sustenpass, the Furka, and the Five-Pass Loop
Andermatt sits at the crossroads of four high Alpine passes — the Furka, the Sustenpass, the Grimsel, and the Oberalp — within a single day's ride of each summit. The Tour de Suisse finishes here next weekend. The roads are open. Here is how to use them.
By ZealZag TeamPogačar Arrives in Switzerland: Tour de Suisse 2026 Preview and Start List
The 2026 Tour de Suisse begins Saturday in Frauenfeld and finishes June 21 in Andermatt. Tadej Pogačar leads a UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad built around a one-week peak. The preview, the start list, and the three stages that will decide it.
By ZealZag TeamPatrouille des Glaciers: The Military Ski Race That Became Skimo's Oldest Living Tradition
In 1943 the Swiss Armed Forces organized a ski race across high-Alpine glaciers to assess soldier readiness for mountain warfare. More than 80 years later the Patrouille des Glaciers runs biennially over the same terrain, still organized by the military, still requiring a team of three on a rope. It has become one of the largest ski mountaineering events in the world by participant count — and one of the few that exists entirely outside the competitive racing circuit.
By ZealZag Team