Sion - Sierre   

Sion - Sierre is a tough mountainous one day race in the Swiss canton of Valais. It starts beneath the famous Tourbillon Castle in the centre of Sion and tackles several climbs either side of the Rhone valley before one final climb to the restaurant 'Vache Noir' that lies some 2,000 m above sea level with terrific views of the Rhone valley and Sierre that can be seen below.

The riders roll out from Sion and don't hav...

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Sion - Sierre is a tough mountainous one day race in the Swiss canton of Valais. It starts beneath the famous Tourbillon Castle in the centre of Sion and tackles several climbs either side of the Rhone valley before one final climb to the restaurant 'Vache Noir' that lies some 2,000 m above sea level with terrific views of the Rhone valley and Sierre that can be seen below.

The riders roll out from Sion and don't have long before the first climb of the day starts as the course heads up to the ski resort of Anzere. At 15 km long it is an abrupt start to the race and many riders will have warmed up well before the start so they do not get dropped on this climb. The toughest part is the initial 1 km with gradients consistently at 10%. The rest of the climb remains tough with the average gradient being 6.7%. The descent is not tricky at all with wide roads with few tricky corners to negotiate. The descent does not take them back to the valley floor but after a further 10 km it suddenly starts upwards again towards the village of Lens and the Golf Club Crans-sur-Sierre. The climb is 10 km at 6.1% and remains relatively even all the way up.

A breakaway usually forms on the first climb but the descent off of the climb up to the golf club is notably the trickest descent and can often allow for a good descender to attack off of the group of the favourites and try to jump across to the breakaway. At the bottom of the descent, the riders will ride back towards Sion along the valley floor before crossing the Rhone and heading up into the mountains south of the Rhone valley.

The initial climb up to Vex in 6km long at an average gradient of 7%. There is no descent off of the climb with a 9 km plateau separating the riders from their next climb, another 6 km of average incline 7%. A few short hills keep the course undulating as the riders finally start to descend towards Sierre itself. The descent from Vercorin is fast and towards the bottom a tricky which allows riders to open up gaps if they attack using their superior descending skills.

Once back in the valley the riders will cross through Sierre and on to the foot of the final climb, the monster 20 km climb up the the Vache Noir and the finishing line that is the high point of the day at over 2,000 m. It is by far the hardest climb of the day with several ramps at 12% and average close to 8%. The best of the climbers will battle it out for supremacy on the climb as they strive to finish atop the podium.

In the final 2 km the road suddenly drops with a few tricky hairpins that can act as a launch pad for a long range attack before the road kicks back up with 800m to go and the finish line in sight.

The race is often decided by a late attack by one of the best climbers but the ability to descend is equally important for if you get caught behind on one of the descents, it is very tough to get back on terms with the group of favourites to fight out for the win.