Innsbruck is gearing up for the UCI ROAD World Championships 2018

20 March 2017
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© Erwin_Haiden_bikeboard at_47323
© Erwin_Haiden_bikeboard at_47323

Innsbruck has been the starting, staging or finishing point of various major bikes races on more than thirty occasions. With the Tour of the Alps, the Ötztal Bike Marathon, PEAKBREAK, the Crankworx Biking Festival, the Road Race and the Haute Routes Dolomites, this year Innsbruck will be hosting no fewer than six international élite biking events. And these will whet the appetite for the event highlight next year: in September 2018 Innsbruck will be the venue for the UCI – Road World Championships where the best road racers in the world will be gathering.

UCI Road World Championships: 22 to 30 September 2018 in Innsbruck

Everyone’s pulling out all the stops making all the preparations to ensure that participants and spectators at the UCI Road World Championships in September 2018 in Innsbruck enjoy a very special sports event. Having been awarded the right to hold the UCI RoadWorld Championships in 2018, Austria will be hosting this internationally highly rated sports event for the third time, but for Innsbruck it will be a first. In total, around 1,000 riders will be competing in twelve competitions starting in various regions in Tyrol, though Innsbruck will be the finishing point for each of the competitions. The highlight of the Road World Championships in Tyrol will be the elite race for which an altitude gain of 5,000 metres is being planned – a “Climbing World Championships for Road Racers”, as it were. As many as 350,000 spectators are expected to line the routes of the eight competitions.

Add for 2017: The very best biking events

17 to 21 April 2017: Première of the Tour of the Alps

The Tour of the Alps is being held in the Tyrolean capital on 17 and 18 April. This year the Euregio bike race, conceived as a successor to the Giro del Trentino, will take place for the first time. With Tyrol, South Tyrol and Trentino, the Tour of the Alps also establishes a sporting connection between the Euregio countries, and the course will pose a real challenge with some demanding climbs. Innsbruck will be the finish of the first stage of the UCI race (category 2. HC) on 17 April. After the start in Kufstein and the ride through the Unterinntal Valley, the professionals will really have to work hard again at the end of the day, because this stage finishes on the Hungerburg mountain high above Innsbruck. On the following day (18 April) it’s off from Tyrol’s vibrant capital city into the idyllic mountains of East Tyrol. The second stage starts from outside the Imperial Palace on the Rennweg and finishes in the picturesque village of Innervillgraten. Spectators lining the route can look forward to a fantastic spectaclewith riders having tough decisions to make. The line-up will consist of famous, top class riders, and lots of them will be making use of the five-day race to prepare for the Giro d’Italia which follows immediately. The winners and, in fact, all the participants of the preceding Giro del Trentio, such as Vincenzo Nibali, Michele Scarponi and Nairo Quintana, are world class riders. So we can look forward to an exclusive gathering of the biking elite.

PEAKBREAK – The Alps Race: Sensational Course for 10th Anniversary

In its 10th year PEAKBREAK – The Alps Race sets again benchmarks in amateur cycling. In the run-up to the UCI Road World Championships 2018 the start- and finish-city Innsbruck is positioning itself once again as perfect road bike host City. Seven days of cycling passion in the middle of amazing mountain scenery. Seven days of challenging alpine passes and panorama roads. With Passo di Stelvio, Passo del Rombo and Passo Gardena the race week includes more than 700 kilometers and 17.000 meters ascent. Amateur cyclists have the unique opportunity to compare their own performance with the professionals. There is the option to compete as a single rider, in a team of two or in a team of four. Throughout the whole race week the participants receive full service on highest level including aid stations and flower ceremonies every evening. The aim of PEAKBREAK – The Alps Race is to give the participants the opportunity to discover their limits and wants to motivate them to exceed them.

27 August 2017: Ötztal Bike Marathon – completely new with professional races

The Ötztal Bike Marathon is something which only properly trained riders should attempt. Because participants will face the challenge of covering 238 kilometres and overcoming more than 5,500 metres of elevation gain in just one day. The marathon starts in Sölden and the course follows the traditional route via the Kühtai and Sellraintal valleys to Innsbruck. In the Kühtai riders face some formidable climbs before they can enjoy a few relatively flat kilometres between Kematen and Innsbruck. From there the route continues via Schönberg, the Brenner Pass and then via the Jaufen Pass and the Timmelsjoch ridge back to Sölden. A draw will allocate the much sought after starting places, limited to 4,000 participants. The chance of getting a good viewing point along the course is much greater because, in and around Innsbruck, there are lots of great places to urge on the stragglers. For the first time there’s the bike marathon for professionals in 2017 – one day before the long established race for everyone, top international riders from the most famous bike teams will take up the challenge. The professional race will be held as a UCI competition in the category 1.1 – in the long term the event organisers are striving for admission to the highest ranked race series.

2 to 8 September 2017: Haute Route Dolomites. Amateurs feel like professionals.

Haute Route is a race for ambitious amateurs. Organisation, route and atmosphere are as you’d find at a professional competition. Places to observe this global multi-day, multi-stage series of races include Alpe d’Huez, the Pyrenees, the Rocky Mountains and the Dolomites. And Innsbruck will be playing the main role in the Haute Route Dolomites at the very beginning, with the race starting on September 2nd in the Tyrolean capital. The course covers 113 kilometres and there are 2,900 metres of elevation gain between the start and the finish in Innsbruck. The second stage on September 3rd goes from Innsbruck over the Timmelsjoch ridge and the Jaufen Pass to Valle Isarco, The seven-day race finishes in Venice. In total, hundreds of participants from more than 50 countries are expected to take part in the bike event. This is the fourth time the Haute Route Dolomites has been run, and Innsbruck is the race venue for the first time. But we’re not leaving it at that, and the start of the tour has already been fixed for the next three years in Tyrol.  www.hauteroute.org

14 to 19 September 2017: “Tour de Friends” Bike Race

A team ride for everyone and anyone in stages from Munich to Venice is perhaps the best way to describe this new form of bike race. The teams – consisting of at least 3 riders – make their way along the Munich to Venice bike trail, covering some 600 kilometres in 4 days. The time assessment for each individual stage is based on the time of the 3rd person – irrespective of how large the team is. Innsbruck is the finish for the first stage (Munich-Innsbruck, 14 September) and the start for the second stage which takes the riders on to Bressanone (Brixen) on 15 September. www.rad-race.com/tdf2017/

21 to 25 June 2017: Off-road: Crankworx – for the first time in Austria.

It’s not only in road racing that Innsbruck has established a name for itself. At the end of June Innsbruck will become a Mecca for the international mountain bike scene. For the first time, the biggest mountain bike freeride event in the world is being held in Tyrol. For Austria’s first time as host, the programme in the Innsbruck Bike Park will consist of a total of five competitions, and the world’s best bikers will be competing for top three finishes in the disciplines of Downhill, Slopestyle, Dual Speed & Style as well as Whip Off and Pumptrack. And away from the course there will be plenty of action and a full programme at the Scene Event: “Kidsworx” is a wide-ranging workshop programme specially designed for children; sponsors and exhibitors will be showcasing the latest hardware; and musical acts will ensure a carnival atmosphere. www.innsbruck.info/crankworxwww.crankworx.com

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