Grand Raid
-
The climb up the Pad de Lona, one of the most difficult sections of the course, takes racers up to 2,788 metres. (Keystone/Jean-Christophe Bott) Keystone -
Hike-a-bike: Whether to ride or to carry your bike through certain sections is a game of nerves and strategy. (Keystone/Dominic Favre) Keystone -
Snaking up the Pas de Lona, 2007. (Keystone/Dominic Favre) Keystone -
More than six hours of suffering for these mountain bikers in 2001. (Keystone/Fabrice Coffrini) Keystone -
Just a man and his bike moving through the immensity of the Valais Alps in 2002. (Keystone/Laurent Gillieron) Keystone -
Despite the hellish conditions, 2,884 racers left the starting line in 2006. (Keystone/Olivier Maire) Keystone -
In 2005, more than 1,800 people had to be turned back from the Pas de Lona because of snow. (Keystone/Olivier Maire) Keystone -
Racers roll along Lake Lona, 2008.(Keystone/Jean-Christophe Bott) Keystone
Twenty years of pain in the Alps.
This content was published on August 21, 2009
The Grand Raid counts as one of the pioneering mountain bike marathon races and remains a fat-tire sufferfest. More than 3,000 racers face each year 120-plus kilometres of rocky trails and steep descents as they grind from Verbier to Grimentz. Here is a look back at some of the more recent races. Sometimes contestants even get to ride their bikes.
Newsletters
Contributions under this article have been turned off. You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.