The Col du Sanetsch: the most beautiful cycling climb you've never heard of

Last year, The Col Collective visited Switzerland and they have just started to release the videos they shot on the country’s best climbs.

The first one will blow your mind. Starting in the vineyards of the Rhone Valley, the climb to the Col du Sanetsch in Valais finishes 1'745m higher at the foot of the Glacier de Tzanfleuron. 

I am lucky to live close to the Col du Sanetsch and can ride it as part of a loop that starts from my home in Gryon. It is simply my favorite climb in the world and I love to take guests up there. Last week end, after catching his breath at the top, one of them just said: ? this is my best bike ride ever ?. And it was just about to get even better. After a short descent, we hopped on a cable car with our bikes for a hair rising descent to Gsteig. This is the only way to get to the other side of the mountain as there is no road. Which also means that there is virtually no traffic on the climb, because it is a dead end for motorists.

No need to say that I was very excited to join Mike Cotty on the slopes of the Sanetsch for a day of riding, shooting and sharing our passion for the mountains. His words at the top could not make me happier:

"Over the complete 33kms, I’m having these flashbacks. The length of something like the Madeleine... the Grandes Alpes. You’ve got crazy steep pitches like [Monte] Grappa, narrow roads like the Gavia, the wilderness and openness of the Bonette. The list goes on, and when I put them all together that’s really the uniqueness that makes the Sanetsch so special."

I'll share more on the Sanetsch soon. But for now, enjoy the Col Collective video.

Alain

Do you want to ride the Col du Sanetsch with me? Contact me to organise a private ride or a tour in the beautiful region of Valais.

More Swiss hidden gems in this story: The Best Cycling Climbs in Switzerland