Basel sits in the corner where three countries touch, and its cycling reflects that position: ride any direction out of town and the border isn't far.
To the south and west rises the Jura, a limestone range of wooded ridges and steep, often ten-percent-plus climbs separated by quiet valleys — the official Jura Route (SwitzerlandMobility's Route 7) begins at Basel's old Rhine crossing and runs nearly three hundred kilometres to Lake Geneva through towns like Delémont and the UNESCO watchmaking city of La Chaux-de-Fonds. The Tour de Suisse has used Basel repeatedly over its history, including a finish there in 1960 and a time trial in 1980.
Riders based in the city can keep to the flat Rhine-side cycle paths for an easy day, or head straight into the Jura's forested climbs for something considerably harder — the contrast is the whole appeal.
