The Villach – Faaker See – Ossiacher See region is set to host a new road cycling event. According to the organisers, they aim to develop Carinthia200 into Austria’s largest road cycling event and establish Carinthia as a cycling destination. Demand for registration was so high that additional places were made available. There are still a few places left.
Carinthia200 on closed roads
The flagship route of Carinthia200 covers 200 kilometres with 2,731 metres of elevation gain. The shorter Carinthia105 route covers 105 kilometres and 1,304 metres of elevation gain. Both routes follow roads that are completely closed to traffic. The terrain alternates between flat sections along the lakes and challenging climbs – the route passes through the Dobratsch Nature Park, amongst other places. The location south of the main Alpine ridge ensures a mild, Mediterranean-style climate. Statistically speaking, the region also promises good road cycling weather even in late summer and autumn.
Carinthia200 supporting programme
The race weekend will be accompanied by a programme of supporting events. There’ll be a social ride as early as Thursday 17 September. The expo grounds will be open from Friday, and there’ll be another group ride. From Friday and throughout the weekend, massages and bike servicing will be available. Sunday is the highlight with the races – and on Monday, a recovery ride will be on offer.
High-profile athletes on the starting line
The start list demonstrates the event’s appeal beyond the cycling world. Martin Koch, Olympic ski jumping champion and local hero from Villach, is taking part. Nicole Schmidhofer, World Ski Champion, and Elisabeth Görgl, two-time World Ski Champion, will be pedalling. Andreas Goldberger, ski jumping legend; Christoph Sumann, biathlon world silver medallist and Olympic medallist; and Sabine and Alexander Payer, the snowboarding couple with World Championship and Olympic successes to their names, have all registered. Registration is exclusively online at www.carinthia200.com. Of the starting places originally available, only 50 remain.
Kristian Bauer
Editor
