In 50 days’ time, the 2018 UCI Road World Championships in Innsbruck-Tirol (Austria) will open and to celebrate, Zwift, the global online training platform for cyclists, has today released its latest course: Innsbruck – based on the route that will be used for this year’s Austrian-based UCI Road World Championships.
The 24km circuit is based on the ‘Olympic Lap’, which will be tackled seven times during the Men’s Elite Road Race and three times during the Women’s Elite Road Race. The focal point of the course is the 7.9km (5 miles) climb, with an average gradient of 5.9 per cent.
“We’ve been really excited about this new course since Zwift unveiled plans earlier this year,” said Bradley McGee, Cycling Australia Technical Director (Road). “Typically the first time our riders would get to see the course would be when they arrive to race. Having the ability to train on the course in Zwift is going be a huge benefit this year not only from a tactical perspective, but it will serve as a huge confidence booster for the riders too.”
Iconic landmarks from the Tirol region are featured throughout the course. These include the Kufstein Fortress, Ötztal Area 47 adventure park, the Old Town of Rattenberg, the Swarovski Crystal Worlds and the Olympic Ski Jump in Innsbruck.
“Zwift provides us with a terrific opportunity to bring Innsbruck-Tirol to a global audience and for the UCI Road World Championships Innsbruck-Tirol to live on far beyond September,” said Esther Wilhelm, Head of Communications of the Organising Committee in Innsbruck. “The region is a fantastic place for cyclists to visit and we hope that Zwift will help us give people their first taste and experience of what we have to offer in the region.”
With only 50 days to go until the 2018 UCI Road World Championships at the end of September, the timing of the Zwift Innsbruck course release means that professional riders have the chance to properly familiarise themselves with the route profile ahead of the race taking place.
“Ensuring we could unveil the course in advance of the UCI Road World Championships taking place was extremely important,” said Eric Min, Zwift Co-Founder and CEO. “We have well over 200 professional riders on Zwift and these riders are always searching for new ways to achieve success, whether that be through different training techniques, better equipment or indeed, through intimate knowledge of a race course.”
The new 2018 UCI Road World Championships Innsbruck-Tirol course will continue to feature on Zwift long after the Championships have concluded in September this year, and while not everyone can win the right to wear the famous, coveted UCI Rainbow Jersey in real-life, cyclists of the Zwift community can continue to dream.
Cycling fans keen to follow the action at the 2018 UCI Road World Championships event itself can book tickets for the finish area now, available at: https://www.innsbruck-tirol2018.com/en/tickets. For more information about the 2018 UCI Road World Championships, visit www.innsbruck-tirol2018.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.