KitzAlpBike Festival 2022 Is Ready For Cross Border Commuters
Whether compact and rock-hard or over the full distance and merciless - one thing is for sure: the Raiffeisen KitzAlpBike-Festival has the potential to push the limits again in its 26th edition.
On Wednesday, June 22nd, the VAUDE MTB HillClimb in Brixen will herald the start of the 2022 Raiffeisen KitzAlpBike Festival. Around 300 riders from ten nations - hobby and professional mountain bikers - will line up at the starting line in the village center of Brixen at 6.30 p.m. to get the most out of themselves by the finish at the Filzalmsee on Hochbrixen. 5.5 kilometers and around 500 meters in altitude are waiting to be left behind. Last year, Julia Sörgel from Tyrol and Toni Tähti from Finland crossed the finish line as winners – the latter put his very own stamp on the race with a new record time of 18:03 minutes.
It is the 14th edition of the mountain sprint race, which has already achieved cult status in the scene. The HillClimb is not only known for its challenging route, but above all for the impressive scenery, unique atmosphere and the passion for cycling. For all spectators there is again the free ascent to the Filzalmsee. "We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Bergbahnen Brixen for their great support, which enables us to take spectators to the Filzalmsee on Wednesday and to the Choralpe on Saturday - both times free of charge," explains Christoph Stöckl, Managing Director of the TVB Kitzbüheler Alpen - Brixen Valley. A big thank you, says Stöckl, also goes to the Bergbahnen Kitzbühel, which among other things provide the event area at the Fleckalmbahn.
KitzAlpBike mountain bike marathon: only for the toughest under the Brixental sun
In 1995, around 200 participants lined up in Brixental for the first time to push their limits over the marathon distance and the local mountains. In 2022, the KitzAlpBike mountain bike marathon is now entering its 26th round - with a new trail-rich dream route! After two years in Brixen im Thale, the start-finish area including the Expo area is returning to Kirchberg. There, on Saturday, June 25, at 8 a.m., the starting signal will be given for all routes – Medium (38 kilometers, 1,500 meters in altitude), Medium plus (65 kilometers, 2,500 meters in altitude), Extreme (74 kilometers, 3,000 meters in altitude) and Ultra (86 kilometers). , 3,600 meters in altitude). The "Streif der Mountainbiker" leads the starters over challenging passages uphill and downhill. While on the medium distance you can still flirt with one or the other recovery phase, the ultra distance is something for really die-hards - including steep slopes, mouse traps. With the Fleckalmtrail, Hahnenkammtrail, Wiegalmtrail and a trail descent at the Hirzeggalm, there are also plenty of wonderful, well-groomed trails waiting for the participants: "The KitzAlpBike marathon route with these new sections was created a long time ago on the drawing board. Thanks to the cooperation of everyone - especially the numerous landowners - we can now offer a real dream route that represents the entire beauty of our region," explains Kurt Tropper.
Last year's winner, Alban Lakata, has recorded the fastest time over the ultra-distance to date. He pushed his limits in 3:56.50.1 hours and set a new course record. The 2021 winner was Angelika Tazreiter from Styria.
A lot of experience and a lot of cooperation to lift the festival highlight
300 volunteers, 40 clubs and 88 landowners will pull together on the Saturday marathon to make this year's edition of the Raiffeisen KitzAlpBike Marathon a unique experience for starters and spectators. “The KitzAlpBike has a lot of support from the local population. It would never work without the 300 volunteers and the clubs and landowners, we can't thank you enough," says Tropper, who is responsible for the KitzAlpBike Festival. The organizers definitely have experience. In the 26 years that the bike event in Brixental was staged, there were also a number of major events to be held as part of the race - such as the 2013 World Championships, the 2015 Enduro European Championships and also three times the marathon national championships in 2009 and 2018 and 2021.
More information at www.kitzalpbike.com
