Road World Championships: Cycling legends get together in Tirol
Last updated on 30.09.2018
Numerous former World Road Cycling Champions came together at Innsbruck Nordkette on Friday, 29.09.2018. It’s all part of the build-up to the grand finale of the UCI Road World Championships in Innsbruck-Tirol, with the elite men’s and women’s road races taking place on the final weekend of competition.
For cycling legends like Paolo Bettini, Francesco Moser and Mario Cipollini, who arrived on Thursday 27 September, it meant an early start down in the stables. The organisers of the Start City Kufstein treated them to traditional Ayurvedic breakfast at Ayurveda Farm Lindhof in Hinterthiersee, including chicken eggs fresh from the barn. The cycling pros could even collect their eggs themselves. After a healthy breakfast, the fun carried on in Start City Kufstein, where they followed the start of the men’s U-23 and later stepped into the peddles themselves. Led by Stefan Denifl, the still-fit athletes made their way to the finish line in Innsbruck.
There are few sports that demand as much discipline from an athlete as cycling does. Power, stamina, tactics and the perfect feel for the race all determine who will wear the rainbow-stripped champion’s jersey at the Road World Championships. “This jersey stays with you for life. It is in my soul forever and only a few riders can claim this important title” said Mario Cipollini at Friday’s “Tirol Evening” at the Seegrube restaurant, hosted by Tirol Werbung. On the evening before the last two races of the Road Bike World Championships in Innsbruck-Tirol, numerous cycling legends, business people and journalists came together for a gathering on Innsbruck’s Nordkette mountains.
No chance to breathe at World Road Championships in Innsbruck, Tirol
Paolo Bettini, who took home the rainbow jersey in both Salzburg in 2006 and Stuttgart in 2007, accepted the invitation to Seegrube Resturant, as did the former road bike world champions Francesco Moser, Thor Hushovd and Johan Museeuw. The three-time world champion Oscar Freier from Spain was also there. Paolo Bettini rode the route from Kufstein to Innsbruck to experience the World Cup course for himself. “There are hardly any opportunities to catch your breath. The riders will always have to keep the summit in mind. If you lose that connection, there is no chance of winning.” analysed the Italian.
The winner of the World Cup is already clear: The region of Tirol
Through this World Cup, we can demonstrate just how passionate Tirol is about cycling. We are happy to host you in the Heart of the Alps and look forward to seeing you again, “said Josef Margreiter, Managing Director of the Tirol Werbung, to the guests. It’s not just the cyclists who have been the stars of this World Cup, but also Tirol. 150 countries around the world have seen TV coverage of sunshine, beautiful mountain panoramas, cheering fans and dedicated cyclists fighting for the rainbow jersey.