Gravel Innsbruck – Ride with Passion: the multi-terrain cycling festival following the course of the World Championships
Last updated on 06.05.2019
Gravel Innsbruck – Ride with Passion, a “multi-terrain cycling” festival, will be taking the 2018 UCI Road World Championships into extra time. On 22 September 2019, fans of road racing bike, Gravel riding and mountain biking will have the chance to enjoy a very special treat on some iconic and unique ascents such as the Olympic bobsleigh track and the Höttinger Höll, the centrepiece of the world championships with its 28% gradient. Another highlight in the racing calendar for amateur cyclists is the Tour Transalp, which will start this year on 23 June in the finishing area of the Road World Championships in Innsbruck. This region offers countless opportunities for all those who’d like to take on the challenge of road racing on their own, and the Kühtai Rodeo might well be considered the “Queen Stage”.
If you’re not familiar with Gravel riding, the differences are quite clear. With a racing bike you ride on an asphalt road, and with a mountain bike it’s off into the mountains, up hill and down dale. But why choose one or the other when you can have both? Gravel riding is THE bike trend in the USA. Special Gravel bikes are not as cumbersome as mountain bikes and are not as sensitive as racing bikes, making them perfect for enjoying biking on off-road gravel trails and farm tracks.
On 22 September 2019 at Gravel Innsbruck – Ride with Passion, you‘ll be able to enjoy the most beautiful little trails and exclusive routes around Innsbruck which are normally not open to the public. For example, the rides through the Bergisel Ski Jump arena and the unusual ascent of the one-kilometre long Igls Olympic bobsleigh track which, with its consistent 8-12% gradient, demands a great deal of bikers. The highlight is the ride on the Highway to Höll. This narrow ascent with a 28% gradient was the centrepiece of the Road World Championships and will probably also generate strong emotions and get legs trembling at Gravel Innsbruck. The infernal assistance offered by Didi Senft, the “tour devil” mascot, will be no less emotional and, with his trident, he‘ll be accompanying all the participants through “Hell”. DJs and food trucks will ensure a real festival atmosphere in the party zone at the start and finishing area at the Innsbruck Rennweg, where the Road World Championships have already elected their winners. Registration for Gravel Innsbruck – Ride with Passion is already open at www.gravelinnsbruck.com and you can ride as an individual or in a team. There will be no rankings, however, as this cult event placed the emphasis on the simple enjoyment of riding together on historic, exclusive and particularly promising routes.
On your bike for the Tour Transalp and the Kühtai Rodeo
Another highlight for amateur cyclists is the Tour Transalp. From 23 to 29 June 2019, this will take road racers in seven stages from the start in Innsbruck over the most beautiful Alpine passes to the finish on Lake Garda. The tour covers 800 kilometres with almost 19,000 metres of altitude gain. But be quick, as there are just a few places left! If that’s not enough for you, then the Kühtai Rodeo offers a further sporting challenge, when you have to master the climb up to the Kühtai saddle, at 2,020 metres above sea level, three times in one day. The triangle of starting points in Kematen, Haiming and Oetz provides bikers with plenty of flexibility as to where they start the tour, considered one of the toughest mountain routes in the greater Innsbruck area. No matter from which side of the Kühtai you manage the climb, the total distance of 122 kilometres with 4,250 metres of altitude gain poses a real challenge. Those who survive this tour – or should we say torture! – in one day are then fully deserving of the title “Kühtai Cowboy” or “Kühtai Cowgirl”.
Racing bike camps and suggested tours online
If you’d like to explore the Innsbruck region as part of a guided group tour, we recommend the Giro Tour organised by the racing bike camp at the Hotel Seppl in Mutters. A four-night stay in the 4-star Hotel Seppl incl. luxury board, three guided road race tours and support vehicle with provisions is available from €275 from 22 to 26 May, and from 11 to 15 September 2019 respectively.
For an overview of road racing tour suggestions around Innsbruck incl. GPS data download, it‘s worth taking a look at the www.innsbruck.info/en/biking/racing-bike.html
Information about the events and offers:
www.innsbruck.info/en/biking/tours/tour/the-kuehtai-rodeo.html
https://www.innsbruck.info/en/biking/racing-bike/racing-bike-tours.htm
