Zürich, 27 May 2024. Under the patronage of the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Valais, the 2024 UCI Road and Para-Cycling Road World Championships in Zurich and the #fastandfemaleSUI promotional project, ten female personalities rode from Sion to Zurich by gravel bike in less than two days. « This ride was pure emotion and adventure » said former top gymnast Ariella Käslin at the Cycle Week in Europaallee. « We pushed each other. As the route went up and down, we mastered our highs and lows together ». Valais/Wallis Promotion and Zurich Tourism are supporting this initiative aimed at promoting women's cycling and encouraging the participation of women in sport.
Two UCI World Championships taking place in Switzerland and a women's project - united in the endeavour to get more women on bikes: with this in mind, the #fastandfemaleSUI Valais to Zurich Ride took place from Friday morning (24 May) to Saturday afternoon (25 May). Ten women with experience in endurance sports rode from Sion to Zurich on gravel bikes, up the Rhone Valley to Gampel, crossed the Lötschberg by train because of the snow at altitude and overcame the Brünig Pass with muscle power, covering almost 4,000 metres in altitude over 240 kilometres.
The weather conditions were challenging at some points. « In the rain, we were very focussed on getting to Zurich faster », emphasised cyclist Nathalie Monnier. However, the group harmonised well. « It was mega cool to arrive together », said Tamara Beran, who rode along as a representative of the Zurich 2024 Local Organising Committee. « Women's cycling is becoming more and more popular. Rides like this are great platforms where we can demonstrate our strengths and performance. »
On the last 40 kilometres, the athletes were accompanied by numerous female cyclists as part of the #fastandfemaleSUI community ride; they arrived together as part of Cycle Week in the centre of Zurich. Sandra Kapica was among those who joined the group in Rotkreuz and also enjoyed this shared experience : « This trip was a great idea. I really enjoyed the shared experience with the other riders. »
The context is unique, as two major international competitions of historic proportions will be held in Switzerland within the space of a year. The first UCI Road and Para-Cycling Road World Championships will be held in Zurich from 21 to 29 September 2024, while the first combined UCI Mountain Bike World Championships will take place in the canton of Valais from 30 August to 14 September 2025. For both organisers, it is of the utmost relevance to exploit the extraordinary appeal of the events and create a lasting legacy for the Swiss cycling sport. Several projects have been initiated to this end in both Zurich and Valais, notably with the support of Zurich Tourisme and Valais/Wallis Promotion. « Hosting the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships is a unique opportunity for the Valais to strengthen its position as a leading mountain bike destination before, during and after the event », says Damian Constantin, Director of Valais/Wallis Promotion. One of these projects concerns the promotion of women, and the collaboration with the Swiss Cycling promotional project is obvious. « #fastandfemaleSUI has already achieved a lot. However, the potential is far from exhausted », says Daniel Rupf, Director of Zurich 2024. « We are also concerned with communicating equality and setting an example in this regard », adds Julien Hess, Director of Valais 2025.
The starting position is excellent, the directors emphasise in unison. « In Switzerland, we not only have excellent conditions for cycling, but also wonderful female athletes from a wide range of disciplines who are role models both on and off the bike. Take Flurina Rigling, Marlen Reusser, Jolanda Neff and Camille Balanche - and the list could easily be extended: these are personalities who are a pleasure to watch and listen to. We are already looking forward to welcoming these athletes and all female cyclists in general to the two World Championships in our own country ».
Summary of the adventure in photos
Photos: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17NTLG7RYIOEY8-e1ENW94AJ6shF8YfKg?usp=share_link
About the 2024 UCI Road and Para-Cycling Road World Championships Zurich (www.zurich2024.com)
The 2024 UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships Zurich will be held in the Canton and City of Zurich from 21st -29th September 2024. The best 1300 riders, including para-cyclists, from more than 75 countries will take part in this major nine-day sporting event with global appeal. The UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships are held separately each year, with the former being watched by over 300 million television viewers worldwide.
About the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Valais (www.valais2025.ch)
In 2025, the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships will make mountain biking history with two weeks of competition, from 30 August to 14 September 2025, bringing together for the first time all seven mountain bike disciplines in a single host region, the Valais. The 1000 best athletes from over 65 countries and more than 150,000 spectators are expected at the various venues for this international event.
About Swiss Cycling and the project #fastandfemaleSUI (www.fastandfemale.ch)
Swiss Cycling is Switzerland's most successful summer sports federation. With #fastandfemaleSUI, the organisation has set up a promotional programme aimed at increasing the presence of women in cycling, motivating and networking them, and removing barriers and obstacles to entry.
Contacts
2024 UCI Road and Para-Cycling Road World Championships in Zurich
Andreas Herren, Head of Communication
Email: andreas.herren@zurich2024.com
Mobile : +41 79 799 00 46
2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Valais
Nancy Pellissier, Head of Communication
Email: nancy.pellissier@valais2025.ch
Mobile : +41 79 304 06 11
Swiss Cycling / #fastandfemaleSUI
Micha Jegge, Head of Communications
Email: micha.jegge@swiss-cycling.ch
Mobile : +41 79 624 90 21
.jpg)
