Cycling: While the World Championships in Bergen are still running, intensive work is already being done on the next event. If we look at the profiles for the road race and the time trial in Innsbruck, we see few positive aspects for the German drivers. The World Cup slogan "the heart of the Alps" gives a pretty good indication of how tough it will be for the drivers.
George Spazier (Head of the Organizing Committee): “In all races we pushed the limits of the sporting requirements. The routes are not only particularly steep - with gradients of up to 25 percent - but also particularly long. This combination is a great challenge for the athletes and promises to be the toughest world championship in history.”
The UCI regulations are not observed
Even at the current World Cup in Bergen, the organizers have only partially adhered to the prevailing regulations of the UCI. At the World Championships in Innsbruck in 2018, however, almost all limits will be broken. The route of the men's road race is shorter than actually allowed and the individual time trial exceeds the maximum. While the UCI regulations stipulate between 260 and 280 kilometers for the road race, the route planners around Thomas Rohregger stayed just under the specifications with the 259,4 kilometer course. In the time trial, 54,2 kilometers have to be completed, although the maximum is actually 50 kilometers. Even with the women, the juniors and the U23 class, the specifications are sometimes exceeded or exceeded. A total of seven of the twelve competitions are outside the UCI regulations. Why nobody seems to care and why the rules exist at all if nobody follows them remains a mystery.
In 2018 we can expect a World Cup of mountaineers
Apart from the course lengths, the World Championships in Innsbruck 2018 also impressed with the course profile. This is how the organizers make their slogan "the heart of the Alps" all honor. In the elite men's race, there is no less than 4.670 meters in altitude to overcome. The ladies have to agonize over a little more than half. In the time trial, the men have to climb 654 meters in altitude. In the middle of the race, the 4,9-kilometre-long and an average of seven percent steep climb in the Gnadenwald stands in the way. So it will again be a course that does not suit the pure time trialists - such as the German Tony Martin and the Swiss Stefan Küng. In any case, only a really good climber will be able to become world champion in road racing. The sprinters around Marcel Kittel and André Greipel can plan something else for the end of September. Nevertheless, the World Championships in 2018 will certainly provide a lot of excitement and enthusiasm among the spectators. For the German professionals, however, it offers little or no chance of medals.