FLUMSERBERG: The race is held in Flumserberg, a village more than 1,300 metres (4,265 feet) up in the mountains above the picturesque Wahlensee lake, close to Switzerland’s eastern border with tiny Liechtenstein.

The event began in 2006 and is the highlight of autumn festivities in Flumserberg, one of the oddest events in the Swiss Alps: the Cow Grand Prix, contested exclusively by women jockeys.

The prize on offer: a 40-kilogram (88-pound) bag of feed for the winner, a traditional Alpine cowbell, a bouquet of flowers, and a whole lot of local pride.The region associated with the eponymous heroine of Johanna Spyri’s 1880s novel.

Udderly unpredictable

The start and finish line for Sunday’s two-lap race was marked on the grass with a line of hay.

“I feel good; a little nervous, but I think it’ll be fine. We’ll hold on and give it everything!” said Nina Beeler, before clambering on board Cobra, an eight-year-old Swiss Brown cow.

Once the stampede settles down and each cow does its own thing—some progressing at a steady pace, others curiously approaching the crowd of thousands lining the undulating, circular course.

Her rider, Lea Werner, raised her fist in celebration as she crossed the finish line, milking the applause.

“The most important thing isn’t to win but to take part,” she insisted, hoisting the victory cowbell aloft and giving it a ring.

Secret training sessions

The Cow Grand Prix’s organiser Remo Rupf said the initial idea was to put on an event for people coming to the cheese market. “The men didn’t think it was such a good idea, or it would be too difficult, so the women trained in secret.”

“That’s why only women are allowed to ride.” The race is now the highlight of the autumn, attracting up to 5,000 spectators to Flumserberg, spending the rest of the day listening to schlager folk music and sampling the Alpine produce.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2025