64th Tour of Austria

Kitzbühel will play host to the royal stage of the Tour of Austria for the 13th time this year. The approach to the Kitzbüheler Horn end point will again form the showground for a hard-fought battle between some of the best mountain cyclists in the world. Make sure you are there to watch when the final decision is made on the Horn or take part in one of the mountain races open to the public in the morning – the Krone Kitz Horn Challenge attracts 800 leisure cyclists.


The climb up to the Kitzbüheler Horn is renowned for being one of the toughest challenges in international professional cycling due to the extreme incline of 15 to 18% throughout paired with the exposed sunny location, although the Horn is shorter in length (7.5 km) and has a lower altitude difference (920 m) than many of the famous Tour-de-France mountains.

The Kitzbüheler Horn became legendary in cycling as a result of the International Mountain Cycling Race which ran from 1971 to 1995 (‘the greatest mountain prize in Europe’) for professionals and amateurs which extended from the city centre to the Alpenhaus. At this time, the Horn was deemed to be one of the most difficult mountain challenges in Europe. International and Austrian greats such as Lucien van Impe (NL), Beat Breu (SUI), Wolfgang Steinmayr (AUT) and Rudolf Mitteregger (AUT) topped the winners’ lists over the years. The race was re-introduced in 2005 and will take place on 8 August this year.

In 2000, a stage of the Tour of Austria led to the Alpenhaus at 1,670 m for the first time. Since then, the Horn has been part of the royal stage of the tour. Live TV broadcasts and famous winners such as Tour-de-France hero Cadel Evans (AUS, Horn winner 2001 and 2004) and Georg Totschnig (AUT, 2000) have resulted in this panoramic road being used as a training route for amateur athletes from far and wide.

Swiss mountain cycling legend Beat Breu holds the official record for the stretch from the Högler farm to the Alpenhaus. On 15 August 1986, he stormed up to the Alpenhaus as part of the International Mountain Cycling Race in just 28:53 minutes.


Photos & Impressions 2011





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Where?

Sportberg Kitzbüheler Horn
Web: http://www.oesterreich-rundfahrt.at

When?

01.07.2012-10.07.2012

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