Starting from the main square in the centre of Kufstein, this very selective course takes riders through the town and then along the length of the Inn Valley to Innsbruck. Strong riders will look to break away on the section from Schwoich to Bad Häring. From the village of Langkampfen the route leads to Maria Stein, a popular place of pilgrimage. The following Angerberg climb should not be underestimated and will sap the riders’ strength. After passing through the Seenregion, known for its beautiful lakes, the course remains flat all the way to Schwaz. The first major highlight of the course will be the steep climb to Gnadenwald (max. gradient 14%). From there it is a fast run down from Axams to Innsbruck. Once in the regional capital, riders complete four laps of the Olympic Circuit. Even before reaching the Olympic Circuit the riders will already have 90 kilometres of tough riding in their legs from Kufstein to Innsbruck. The Olympic Circuit starts in the Museumstraße road in the centre of Innsbruck and leads past the Sillpark shopping centre, the Tivoli open-air swimming pool, the Tivoli football stadium (home to the FC Wacker Innsbruck football team) and up to Ambras Castle. It is here that the climb begins in earnest, a 7.9km ascent with a maximum gradient of 10% passing through the villages of Aldrans and Lans on the way to the bottom of the Patscherkofel cable car. After cresting the climb near the bottom station of the Patscherkofel cable car, riders turn right and descend at high speed through the villages of Igls and Vill, past the Bergisel ski jump to the Tivoli football stadium, over the Olympiabrücke bridge and into the centre of the city. There they pass the victory arch, ride along the main shopping thoroughfare and into the oldtown. From the Golden Roof, Innsbruck’s most recognisable attraction, the course continues over the Innbrücke bridge up through the very narrow Höttinger Gasse road to the Höttinger Platzl square, where riders turn right and descend once again down through the Riedgasse road to the finish in front of the Hofburg imperial palace.
