On Friday, 31 May 2024, early in the morning at 7.30 a.m., 250 cyclists will gather on Theaterplatz in Baden to embark on the new Swiss bikepacking adventure Gravel Trans Jura: 400 km, 11,000 meters of altitude – across the Jura from Baden (AG) to Nyon (VD), in a maximum of six days. It is not a competition and there are no rankings; the focus is on the experience, the challenge, enjoyment and pleasure.
A bikepacking experience for everyone
Events of this kind are becoming increasingly popular. This can be seen at similar events in Central Europe. The 250 limited starting places for the Gravel Trans Jura were sold out within 16 days. The field of participants is spread across all age groups and ranges from 22 to 67 years old. The countries of origin are just as diverse. The riders come from 19 different nations, 90 percent of whom are at home in Switzerland. The organizers are particularly pleased that 28 percent of the participants are women – almost reaching their ambitious target of one third.
Organizer Christian Rocha and his team began planning the event more than three years ago: “Our aim is to offer a perfect setting for the event and at the same time provide all participants with a very individual and unforgettable cycling trip. The Jura, probably the most untouched and breath-taking region in Switzerland, is perfect for this. An event by bikepackers for bikepackers.”
Added touristic value for the entire region
The lovingly selected route starts and ends in two beautiful Swiss towns, offers incredible panoramas and showcases the unspoiled beauty of the Jura. It crosses the six cantons of Aargau, Solothurn, Baselland, Berne, Neuchâtel and Vaud. The checkpoints were deliberately placed in the most beautiful locations and a ban on night riding was integrated into the regulations right from the start. This is because the Gravel Trans Jura is not a race where the aim is to cover the 400 kilometres as quickly as possible.
To ensure that the event has added value for the regions in terms of tourism, a lot of time was invested in the run-up to the event in creating a roadmap showing all the hotels, restaurants, camping and shopping facilities along the route. In a second step, this information was digitized in a specially developed app and is now available to all participants on their cell phones.
Long-term establishment
Thanks to the strong partners BMC, ORTLIEB, Giro, CRAFT and ST Cycling, cooperative host cities (Baden and Nyon) and a pronounced focus on service, the Gravel Trans Jura is set to grow in the future and establish itself in the international gravel calendar in the long term.