2500 meters in altitude over a distance of 150 km should be feasible. That's what the cyclist from slightly hilly Franconia thought and traveled optimistically to the ARLBERG Giro in St. Anton am Arlberg. The Franconian "triathlon veteran" Werner Meier took up the challenge of the ARLBERG Giro 2022 for triathlon.de. With a height of 193 cm and a body weight of 100 kg, Werner is certainly not one of the climbing specialists. An honest ups and downs. Here is his race report.
Friday - The orientation phase
I was greeted in bright sunshine by the extremely committed and friendly team of the St. Anton Tourist Office, led by Martin Ebster, organizer of the ARLBERG Giro 2022. Friday was all about orientation, especially at the Expo, where you can get to know all of this could take care of what one had forgotten at home. But also with things that were more or less urgently needed to supplement what was already there. However, the wheel washing machine was a very special stand here. But you could also rent bikes. The organizer had also thought of the next generation and a separate obstacle course was set up for children. Unfortunately, the more time I spent there, the worse and rainier the weather got, but that didn't reduce our motivation and anticipation for the race!
Saturday - The first exit
From 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. you can pick up your bib number. The issue was well organized, so that at 11:00 am I was able to take part in a trip with Mathias Nothegger, performance diagnostician, bike trainer and owner of NOM. I was able to find out that gradients are inevitable on trips around St. Anton. (That's why there are a lot of e-bike riders in the area) The trip only lasted an hour, but the average speed was tough - despite all participants saying they wanted to ride slowly. As a reward, a more extensive cake buffet was set up for the participants. If the calories were not enough, pasta with different sauces was offered from 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The quality was in no way inferior to an Italian restaurant. It tasted good!
Sunday - The Race
At 6:00 a.m. (actually from 4:15 a.m. because of breakfast) things got serious, very serious. I was one of 1,500 participants at the start. The starters were divided into 5 starting blocks, which were sent onto the course at 5-minute intervals. After just a few kilometers it was quite a challenge, as the Arlberg pass was waiting with a 15% incline. The descent to Bludenz brought only a short rest. The ascent to the Bielerhöhe with 32 hairpin bends and an average incline of 12% over 22.3 kilometers had to be mastered. Here the organizer had installed a special feature. A second timer was installed on the route from Partenen to the highest point at 2032 m. The "intermediate titles" Queen and King of the Mountain went to Christina Sautner (AUT) and Michael Spögler (IT). From now on things went – initially – downhill. Through Galtür, Ischgl and See to the end of the Paznaun Valley. The route continued to Pians. From there the path became more difficult again – with an average incline of 8%. Despite this ups and downs, rain and headwind in between, the first participants had already crossed the finish line in the pedestrian zone of St. Anton before 10:00 a.m.
The winners
The winner for the men was Stefan Kirchmair, AUT, 3:53:37.3
Second Anton Schiffler, GER, 3:53:37.7
Third Simon Betz, GER, 3:53:38.9
The first ladies were not too long in coming.
First Julia Schallau, GER, 4:28:17.7
Second Laura Rumpl, AUT, 4:28:19.3
Third Christina Sautner, AUT, 4:28:22
All results at https://www.arlberg-giro.com/at
The other participants lined up behind the winners until shortly before the finish line at 3:00 p.m. All remained accident-free, although the race took place on unblocked roads in compliance with the road traffic regulations (red lights, etc. had to be observed).
outlook
Next year the ARLBERG Giro is to take place from 27.07. be held until July 30th, 2023. A professional criterium will be held in the streets of St. Anton on the day before the race. The World Press Cycling Championship WPCC will be held as part of the ARLBERG Giro. However, it is not yet known whether more starters will be approved than this year.
