Cycling’s annual Road World Cycling Championships is coming to the Austrian Alps next month, as it is hosted in the Austrian Tirol from 23-30 September 2018.
World Cycling Championships in Austria
Innsbruck will act as host city for the Worlds, which is an eight-day event, with the world’s best athletes competing in three different disciplines, including the Individual Time Trial, the Team Time Trial and the traditional Road Race. World Champions are crowned in each discipline.
Apart from around 1000 cyclists, the World Championships will also attract nearly 500,000 spectators and around 250 million people are expected to follow the action on TV as the world’s best road riders battle it out for the right to wear the famous Rainbow Jersey.
All races finish in Innsbruck
Ski resorts that feature along the route of races include Obergurgl, Alpbach, Kuftstein and of course all the races finish in Innsbruck.
The five Road Races will start from from either Kufstein or Rattenberg to Innsbruck, where they will then complete one or several laps of a loop known as the Olympic Course. This leads past Ambras Castle up through the villages of Aldrans, Lans and Igls before descending back down to Innsbruck.
What is the infamous Höttinger Höll climb?
The Men Elite Road Race will take riders first from Kufstein to Innsbruck and then on six laps of the Olympic Circuit to the south of Innsbruck.
On the seventh and final lap of the Olympic Circuit they will turn off in the city centre onto the infamous Höttinger Höll climb.
This is a 3.2km ascent with an average gradient of 11.5% and a maximum gradient of 28% – if you’ve not cycled before, let us assure you that this is VERY steep.
Zwift have put together a video so you can virtually ride the course:
Where’s the best place to watch the races?
The best place to watch the races is the finish area on the Rennweg road in the centre of Innsbruck, between the imperial palace and the regional theatre. There will be big screens showing all the races live and you will be at the heart of the action when the winners cross the line.
As well as the finish area there are three more official fan zones where you can follow the races live at Landhausplatz square in Innsbruck, Ambras Castle between Innsbruck and Aldrans and the Patscherkofel cable car station above the village of Igls.
You can book tickets for the 2018 UCI Road World Championships online here.
2018 UCI World Championships Schedule
- Sun Sep 23 – Ötztal to Innsbruck, 53.8km – Elite Women’s Team Time Trial
- Sun Sep 23 – Ötztal to Innsbruck, 62.1km – Elite Men’s Team Time Trial
- Mon Sep 24 – Hall-Wattens to Innsbruck, 20.2km – Women’s Junior Individual Time Trial
- Mon Sep 24 – Hall-Wattens to Innsbruck, 28.5km – Men’s U23 Individual Time Trial
- Tues Sep 25 – Hall-Wattens to Innsbruck, 28.5km – Men’s Junior Individual Time Trial
- Tues Sep 25 – Hall-Wattens to Innsbruck, 28.5km – Women’s Elite Individual Time Trial
- Weds Sep 26 – Alpbachtal Seenland – Innsbruck, 54.2km – Men’s Elite Individual Time Trial
- Thurs Sep 27 – Alpbachtal Seenland – Innsbruck, 72.4km – Women’s Junior Road Race
- Thurs Sep 27 – Kufstein – Innsbruck, 138.4km – Men’s Junior Road Race
- Fri Sep 28 – Kufstein – Innsbruck, 186.2km – Men’s U23 Road Race
- Sat Sep 29 – Kufstein – Innsbruck, 162.3km – Women’s Elite Road Race
- Sun Sept 30 – Kufstein – Innsbruck, 265km – Men’s Elite Road Race