On June 17, the 3rd Protective BIKE Four Peaks will kick off in Bad Kleinkirchheim. It’s the first time ever the four-day event, which took place in Salzburg and Tyrol the last two years, will be staged almost exclusively in Carinthia. 800 participants from almost 30 countries, including hundreds of amateurs and several pro riders, will tackle the first of four stages, a circuit course from Bad Kleinkirchheim back to the start with 49.37 km and 2,349 metres in elevation. In total, 270.83 km and 8,861 metres in elevation have to be mastered to the finish in Weissensee.
The most racers, who are keen to meet this challenge, come from Germany (more than 270). Austria and Holland with some 120 starters each, Belgium (52) as well as SwItzerland (43) and Denmark (39) are also well-represented.
Athletes from Brazil, USA, Luxembourg, Lesotho and South Africa create some international flair whilst also underlining the importance of the Protective BIKE Four Peaks in the mountain bike scene.
The most racers, some 300 each, start in the men and master category (40+). In addition, more than 130 male racers older than 50, the so-called grand masters, will compete while some 60 women have registered, too.
Christoph Sauser has announced his intentions to win the race (again!) and will use the four day event to fine tune his condition for the upcoming XCM World Championships in Italy. Will any of the 800 other racers be able to challenge him though?