New Zwift course released today
Having announced in June this year (HERE) that is was coming, Zwift after today released the UCI World Championships Innsbruck-Tirol course to their online training platform for cyclists.
Online riders will now have two different options to have the Innsbruck experience, after competitor software Bkool added the 2018 World Championship course to their platform at the end of June.
Here is the full announcement from Zwift of today’s course addition.
Zwift Releases 2018 UCI Road World Championships Innsbruck-Tirol Course
New course offers the opportunity for cyclists globally to get closer to the 2018 UCI Road World Championships
Zwift, the global online training platform for cyclists, has today released its latest course, Innsbruck. The course is based on the route that will be used for the 2018 UCI Road World Championships Innsbruck-Tirol.
The 24km circuit is based on the ‘Olympic Lap’, that will be tackled seven times during the Men’s Elite Road Race and three times during Women’s Elite Road Race. The focal point of the course is the 7.9km (5 mile) climb at an average gradient of 5.9%.
“We’ve been really excited about this new course since Zwift unveiled plans earlier this year,” comments 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 Castle, Ötztal Area 47 adventure park, the Old Town of Rattenberg and the Swarovski Crystal Worlds Giant and the Olympic Ski Jump in Innsbruck.
“Zwift provides us with a terrific opportunity to bring the Innsbruck-Tirol region to a global audience. The 2018 UCI Road World Championships Innsbruck-Tirol will live on far beyond September.” Esther Wilhelm, Head of Communications of the Organising Committee in Innsbruck comments. “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 just over 50 days remaining before the official start of 2018 UCI Road World Championships taking place, the timing of the Zwift Course release means that professional riders have the chance to properly familiarise themselves with the course profile ahead of the race taking place.
“Ensuring we could unveil the course in advance of the 2018 UCI Road World Championships taking place was extremely important.” says Eric Min, Zwift CEO and Co-Founder. “We have well over 200 professional riders on Zwift. 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 live on Zwift long after the championships have concluded in September this year.
Zwift also has plans for a pop up event space in Innsbruck for the duration of the 2018 UCI Road World Championships. A full Zwift experience will be available with Zwift demo stations to try alongside daily challenges and Zwift races. The Zwift space will also be a central meeting point for daily ride outs into the local areas.
With fine coffee, food, drink and music also available daily, the space will be a place for riders and fans alike to relax, socialise, and of course, watch the action unfold.
