Switzerland's gift to the Giro

In May, the Giro d'Italia will cross the border to visit the Croix de Coeur in Switzerland. But not before Cyclist uncovers a magical loop hidden among the 4,000m peaks of the Swiss Alps

- MARK BAILEY

You know a climb is special when even bike races in neighbouring countries want to feature its leg sapping slopes and majestic views of snow sprinkled peaks. Switzerland's Croix de Coeur - an elegant Alpine pass in the southwest canton of Valais - is one that has caught the eye of Grand Tour organisers.

The first section of the climb is a squiggling trail of tight hairpins that leads to the ski resort of Verbier at an altitude of 1,500m, and it served as the dramatic final ascent of the 207.5km Stage 15 of the 2009 Tour de France, won by a swashbuckling Alberto Contador. And this May the cloud-scraping Croix de Coeur itself, which looms 8km beyond Verbier at 2,174m, will light up the savage 207km Stage 13 of the Giro d'Italia.

In this dramatic realm of breathtaking altitudes, rocky gorges, atmospheric forests and mountain vistas, everything feels bigger. Valais has the highest relative elevation of any canton in Switzerland. The region boasts more than 40 peaks above 4,000m, including the Matterhorn (4,478m) and the Grand Combin (4,314m). It features some of Switzerland's biggest ski resorts, including Verbier and Zermatt. The 3,883m-high Klein-Matterhorn cable car station is the highest in Europe; the 285m Grande Dixence dam is the tallest gravity dam in the world; and the 23km-long Aletsch Glacier is the biggest in the Alps.