Tour of Innsbruck: UCI Worlds Short Lap

The Zwift 2018 UCI Worlds Short Lap Course gives a realistic taste of what the pros will race on at the 2018 UCI Road World Championships. Named the “toughest course ever,” the heavy climbing will open up some surprises on race day.

Men will ride the Short Lap course 6 times, the women 3. Men will also tackle the Höttinger Höll climb — a 2.8km long stretch with an average gradient of 11.5% and some sections up to 28%! Fear not, this extra loop was not included in our version. Not yet, at least.

The UCI race joins the Zwift UCI Short Course at the bridge that crosses the Inn River, next to the Nordkette cable car. After a quick city ride, you’ll travel under the autobahn. See those cars speeding down it? That’s a first in Zwift, and true to life. The vehicles follow an object path, with speeds adjusted for added realism.

Use this bridge crossing as a signal that things are heating up. After making a left at the bridge, the KOM segment begins. The KOM climb has 3 standout sections of road pitch, then a short plateau. Use these flat villages as a quick rest before the next effort.

Wondering how you stack up against the pros? The current fastest crop of verified times up this climb (as recorded on Strava) is in the 16 min range, set by Continental Pro riders. Edmund Bradbury of JLT Condor set a time of 16 mins 43 sec, averaging 397 watts! With the firepower of contenders (and Zwift riders) like Kwiatkowski, and the Yates brothers — it’s anyone’s game on race day.

Use the first hairpin turn with the Ambras Castle as a visual checkpoint for the start of the real climb. Fun fact: the castle was built in the 16th century and houses the oldest art museum in the world.

The Kufstein Fortress is your halfway checkpoint. It’s perched high up on your left, in the 2nd village. If you’re racing, dig in and don’t let up.

Once you reach the top, go through the KOM banner and wave to the Swarovski giant on your left. It’s all downhill from here to wrap the lap. You’ll want to stay with the pack on the descent and use the draft, or risk getting dropped. Now ride the route 5 more times, and you’re at pro status.

Explore more routes of the Tour of Innsbruck.

Innsbruck KOM segments:

Climb KOM the fastest awarded the red polka dot jersey.

Forward Climb KOM
• Distance – 4.6 miles // 7.4 km
• Elevation – 1311 ft // 400 m
• Avg grade – 7%
• Max Grade – 12%

Innsbruck Sprint KOM the fastest are awarded the green jersey

Sprint Forward KOM – Heading towards the Cable Carts with the river on the right
• Distance – 0.18 miles // 0.3 km
• Elevation – 6.6 ft // 2 m
• Avg grade – 0.7%

Innsbruck Lap KOM

UCI Lap – The complete lap the pro’s will race
• Distance – 14.7 miles // 23.7km
• Elevation – 1627 ft // 496 m

Explore more routes of the Tour of Innsbruck.