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A dirt trail across green alpine pasture at Alp Arpiglia above Zuoz, looking down the Engadin valley
Jacques Bopp / Unsplash

Swiss Epic race guide and 2026 stages

Five days of Alpine mountain biking for teams of two. The 2027 race has a new start in Zurich and finishes in Davos.

August 17 to 21, 2027 Graubünden, Switzerland

The Swiss Epic is a mountain bike stage race in the Swiss Alps, ridden in teams of two over five days. It was first run in 2014 in Valais and has been in Graubünden since 2019, and the organizer draws a new route every year.

In 2027 the race starts in Zurich. The plan is a Prologue and Stage 1 there, then Stage 2 from Zurich to a finish that hasn't been named, and the last two stages in Davos. The organizer expects around 340 km with 10,000 m of climbing and will publish the route closer to the race.

Until it does, the stages below are the 2026 route as the organizer planned it: five stages from La Punt in the Engadin to Davos, with each stage's start and finish on the map, and the organizer's line for each stage (for Stages 2 and 3, the shorter routes raced in the weather). Rain and storms cut Stages 2 and 3 short on the day, and each stage says what riders raced instead.

This is an unofficial guide: Goat Maps isn't affiliated with Swiss Epic. Check the official site before you enter or race.

Swiss Epic course map

Every course's aid stations on the Goat Maps topo map. Each course has a map of its own further down.

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Swiss Epic courses

CourseDistanceClimbingStartTime limit
Stage 1: La Punt (2026)81 km (50.3 mi)2,650 m (8,694 ft)9 h 30 min
Stage 2: Bernina Pass time trial (2026)52 km (32.3 mi)1,050 m (3,445 ft)
Stage 3: La Punt to Davos (2026)82 km (51 mi)2,550 m (8,366 ft)
Stage 4: Davos and Klosters (2026)55 km (34.2 mi)2,150 m (7,054 ft)6 h 55 min
Stage 5: Davos finale (2026)65 km (40.4 mi)2,350 m (7,710 ft)7 h 55 min

Stage 1

Swiss Epic Stage 1: La Punt (2026)

An 81 km loop from La Punt toward the Albula Pass and up to Lej Alv, the high point.

Distance
81 km (50.3 mi)
Climbing
2,650 m (8,694 ft)
Time limit
9 h 30 min

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Wednesday, August 19, 2026: 81 km and 2,650 m. You climb toward the Albula Pass, ride the Albula Trail and cross the Muntatsch-Marguns ridge above the tree line. The high point is Lej Alv at 2,545 m. The descents include the WM Flow Trail at Corviglia and Foppettas, and the way home runs along the Inn.

Service Station 1 is in Bever at km 33, with a cutoff of 12:15. The maximum stage time was 9 hours 30.

The snowy Bernina range seen from the slopes above Zuoz in summer
Casper van Battum / Unsplash

Stage 2

Swiss Epic Stage 2: Bernina Pass time trial (2026)

A time trial from the top of the Bernina Pass, past Lago Bianco and up to Diavolezza, back to La Punt.

Distance
52 km (32.3 mi)
Climbing
1,050 m (3,445 ft)

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Thursday, August 20, 2026: 52 km, 1,050 m up and 1,650 m down. The start is above 2,300 m on the Bernina Pass. You ride along Lago Bianco and through the glacier valleys under the Bernina massif, then make the short, steep climb to Diavolezza (2,321 m) and drop down a fast, technical descent. Forest trails around Pontresina and singletrack near Bever bring you back to La Punt.

On the day, a forecast of heavy rain and thunderstorms moved the start to La Punt, and riders raced a 24 km loop with 400 m of climbing instead. That loop is the line on the map: the organizer's file of the planned stage isn't public.

aid stations

kmWhereCutoff
0Bernina Pass
52La Punt Chamues-ch
Lago Bianco on the Bernina Pass in summer, with a track along its shore
Azzedine Rouichi / Unsplash

Stage 3

Swiss Epic Stage 3: La Punt to Davos (2026)

The Queen Stage, over the Scaletta Pass at 2,606 m, the highest point of the race.

Distance
82 km (51 mi)
Climbing
2,550 m (8,366 ft)

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Friday, August 21, 2026: 82 km, 2,550 m up and 2,700 m down. The stage goes through Val Susauna and Zernez, the low point at 1,462 m, then climbs to the Scaletta Pass at 2,606 m. From there a high-alpine descent drops to Dürrboden, and forest trails and meadows take you into Davos.

Riders never rode it in 2026. Low cloud would have limited helicopter rescue, more rain was due and it was cold up high, so the organizer turned the day into a La Punt loop of about 61 km and 1,650 m and bussed everyone to Davos afterwards. That loop is the line on the map: the organizer's file of the planned stage isn't public.

aid stations

kmWhereCutoff
0La Punt Chamues-ch
82Davos

Stage 4

Swiss Epic Stage 4: Davos and Klosters (2026)

A 55 km loop from Davos down toward Klosters and back, with plenty of technical trail.

Distance
55 km (34.2 mi)
Climbing
2,150 m (7,054 ft)
Time limit
6 h 55 min

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Saturday, August 22, 2026: 55 km and 2,150 m. It starts high on the Panorama Trail, with the Höhenweg at 2,322 m the top of the day, and takes a fast, technical trail down to Gotschnaboden. From there you ride through the Wolfgang and Deelenwald forests and drop as low as Klosters, 1,385 m. Near the end comes the Flüela Trail, then the Ischalp Trail brings you back into Davos.

There was an intermediate cutoff at km 25 in Laret, at 11:45, and a maximum stage time of 6 hours 55.

aid stations

kmWhereCutoff
0Davos
55Davos
Davos from the air, with its lake and snow-capped peaks behind
Marvin Meyer / Unsplash

Stage 5

Swiss Epic Stage 5: Davos finale (2026)

A 65 km last day to Clavadeleralp, Monstein and the Zügen gorge, ending on the Bolgen Trail.

Distance
65 km (40.4 mi)
Climbing
2,350 m (7,710 ft)
Time limit
7 h 55 min

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Sunday, August 23, 2026: 65 km and 2,350 m. The day climbs to Clavadeleralp (2,007 m) and runs through the Junkerboden forests and the village of Monstein. Then come parts of the Alps Epic Trail Davos and the Old Zügen Trail high above the Zügen gorge, with the low point at Davos Wiesen, 1,197 m. The Ischalp Trail leads onto the Bolgen Trail and a last descent into Davos.

The maximum stage time was 7 hours 55.

aid stations

kmWhereCutoff
0Davos
65Davos

Entry and fees

Every entry is a hotel package for a team of two: the race, half-board hotel rooms, the service stations' food and drink on course, and a meal after each stage. Priority registration for 2027 opened on September 22, 2026, and early bird entries went on sale the next day at CHF 4,100 a team. Until November 29, 2026 a team pays CHF 4,650. The price then goes up in steps to CHF 5,300 from April 6, and entries close on July 4, 2027 if they haven't sold out. Prices include VAT.

If you sign up by November 29, 2026 you can pay in three instalments or defer to 2028 for free. Until February 15, 2027 you can withdraw for a full refund less a 4% processing fee. Both riders must be registered as a team by July 4. Riders must be 19 by December 31, 2027, the youngest rider's age sets the team's category, and Elite teams need UCI Elite licences.

Getting to Zurich and home from Davos

Davos from the air, with its lake and snow-capped peaks behind
Marvin Meyer / Unsplash

Zurich Airport is the easiest way in, and trains reach the city centre in 10 to 15 minutes. Between race villages, the organizer moves your luggage and delivers it to your hotel, and each race village has a bike wash and a bike park that's locked and watched overnight.

Davos to Zurich Airport is about 160 km, around 2 hours by car. The race's own airport transfer costs CHF 135 and leaves the official hotel in Davos at 4 PM on Saturday, August 21, and at 6 AM and noon on Sunday, August 22. By train, Davos Platz is the station for the finish.

Racing as a team

Partners must stay within 2 minutes of each other and wear matching jerseys, and each team carries the race's GPS tracking unit, with an SOS function, on every stage. A team that misses an intermediate cutoff is taken off the course. You can race on after going over a stage's maximum time, but you won't count as an official finisher, and if only one of you goes over it, the other can still finish officially.

Each stage in 2026 had 2 or 3 service stations, marked on the ride plan sticker riders got each day, with food, first aid and toilets. Some also had free mechanical help, but you pay for parts, so carry a credit card. Swiss fountain water is generally safe to drink, unless the fountain is signed "Kein Trinkwasser". Supporters may not help riders on course; the organizer sells a limited supporter package that covers their hotel, transport and meals, plus a gift.

Weather in August

Lago Bianco on the Bernina Pass in summer, with a track along its shore
Azzedine Rouichi / Unsplash

August is the wettest month in Davos. At the town's 1,594 m weather station the 1991 to 2020 normals are a high of 18.2 °C, a low of 7.7 °C and 149.5 mm of precipitation, with 13.6 days of at least 1 mm. The stages climb far above town, and in 2026 rain and thunderstorms cut two of the five stages short.

The rider manual says to carry a rain and wind jacket at all times, because the weather in the high Alps can turn fast. The next day's forecast is part of the online rider briefing each evening.

Swiss Epic aid stations and GPS coordinates

For crews and spectators: each place on the map in decimal degrees, latitude first. Paste them into any map app or add them as waypoints in Goat Maps.

  • La Punt Chamues-ch

    1,687 m (5,535 ft)

    46.57658, 9.93082

  • Bernina Pass

    2,330 m (7,644 ft)

    46.41092, 10.02762

  • Bever (Service Station 1)

    1,708 m (5,604 ft)

    46.55182, 9.88906

  • Davos

    1,560 m (5,118 ft)

    46.79620, 9.82369

Swiss Epic FAQ

When is the Swiss Epic 2027?

August 17 to 21, 2027. Registration opens on Monday, August 16 in Zurich, the Prologue is on Tuesday the 17th, and the last stage finishes in Davos on Saturday the 21st. The organizer says the schedule isn't final yet.

What is the 2027 Swiss Epic route?

It isn't out. The organizer has said only that the race goes from Zurich to Davos, with around 340 km and 10,000 m of climbing, and that the route will come closer to race day. The stages on this page are the 2026 ones as planned, from La Punt to Davos.

Can you ride the Swiss Epic solo?

No. Every team is two riders, and you have to stay within 2 minutes of your partner. If you need a partner, the organizer points riders to the Epic Series "Find a Teammate" group on Facebook.

How much does the Swiss Epic cost?

CHF 4,650 per team of two if you enter by November 29, 2026, rising to CHF 5,300 for entries from April 6, 2027. The price includes the race, half-board hotel rooms and VAT.

Does the Swiss Epic qualify you for the Cape Epic?

Yes. It gives 14 guaranteed entries to the next year's Absa Cape Epic: 9 to the top teams in their categories and 5 by draw among official finishers who registered their interest when they entered.

Is there a GPX of the Swiss Epic route?

For 2026, the organizer linked a GPX file for each stage from the rider manual, released in race week. Nothing is out for 2027 yet.

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Updated . An unofficial guide, from the organizer's published information. Coordinates from the organizer's course and OpenStreetMap contributors. Photos from Unsplash. Organize a race? We help with course files.