Looking upwards is part of the Tour of the Alps DNA, as the #LiveUphill payoff confirms. At the official presentation of the 45th edition, held on Friday, November 5th in Milan, the euro-regional event lived up to its roots, launching a 2022 event made of big ambitions, new openings and – as usual – the great show of the Euregio Tirol – Südtirol/Alto Adige – Trentino roads.
Little more than six months after the success of Simon Yates in a festive Riva del Garda, the GS Alto Garda organizers unveiled the 2022 route that from April 18th to 22nd, 2022, will test many of the best names in world cycling. In 2021, thirteen World Tour teams chose to take part in the Tour of the Alps, a result that the Euroregional race aims to equal, and possibly exceed, in the upcoming edition.
Five stages, 719 km and 13,750 metres of elevation gain: the figures presented to the media and stakeholders in the prestigious Sala Buzzati in Milan, and to the fans connected via streaming, bode for another exciting show, according to the technical framework that has characterized the recent history of the Tour of the Alps.
Plenty of climbs, but none of them exceeding two thousand metres of height, challenging routes with significant elevation gain but reduced distance (159 km for the longest one) and just 30 km of out-of-race transfers in the whole week: It will be another full-gas edition from the start in Cles (Trentino) to the grand finale in Lienz (Tirol), with sceneries and territories of rare beauty in the background.
TOUR OF THE ALPS PIONEER OF EURO-REGIONAL COOPERATION
The upcoming year will be a special one for the UCI Pro Series event, which in 2022 celebrates five years and the fifth edition since the introduction of the new Tour of the Alps project, having picked up the baton of the Giro del Trentino in 2017.
Still in its youth years, the new project has already left its mark. In the wake of the Tour of the Alps. the new European Group of Territorial Cooperation (EGCT) “Euregio Connect” was created, with which Tirol, Südtirol/Alto Adige and Trentino look to start and manage new initiatives that will follow the path successfully tested in the sports world.
As a project that aims at connecting people, values and principles of a macro-region united by history and common roots, the TotA’s success goes beyond the borders of sport. For the Euroregion, the Tour of the Alps is more and more a symbol of how we can go better, stronger and further together.
TOUR OF THE ALPS REDUCES OFF-RACE TRANSFERS AND EMISSIONS
One of the reasons why athletes love the Tour of the Alps, in addition to the course, is it the opportunity it gives to enjoy the area, before and after the race, recover from the efforts and seize an ideal atmosphere.
Since a few years, the organizers of GS Alto Garda have reduced off-race transfers, and in 2022 all the Tour of the Alps stages will start from the same finish location of the day before, except for the 30-km transfer from stage 4 finish Kals am Grossglockner to Lienz.
Once again, the euro-regional shows its attention to the peloton’s logistic and organizational needs at a crucial time of the season, as well as to sustainability, reducing the emissions of the accompanying vehicles.
In the meantime, the Tour of the Alps is increasing its effort for safety in the race, developing a protective device in the crucial points of the race’s route that will be presented in the next months. Furthermore, Vittoria is confirmed as a partner for the neutral assistance in the race, with a team equipped with several former professional athletes.
POPULAR AND FULL OF CHAMPIONS: THE TOUR OF THE ALPS KEEPS LIVING UPHILL
Even in an edition affected by the COVID pandemic, the Tour of the Alps had a remarkable media impact, reaching an evaluation of over 13 million euros.
Following these results after the forced year off, the Tour of the Alps is determined to keep growing, thanks to new ideas and initiatives and to the solid collaboration with PMG Sport.
With a 2-hour live coverage per day and hundreds of Countries connected from all over the world, the technical show of the Tour of the Alps is looking forward to travelling the globe once again. The entire list of the participating teams will be disclosed in January 2022.
Along with the race in itself, the Tour of the Alps’ communication is also very focused on its territories, starting from the stages’ recognitions, starring former Austrian pro and current Eurosport and GCN analyst Bernhard Eisel, that will disclose the technical features as well as the stunning beauty that the riders will find on their way.
In an ever-growing commitment on the digital channels, the Tour of the Alps will continue its #LiveUphill series, telling the stories of those who thrive for great challenges in sports as well as in life, often choosing the toughest path to reach goals of great significance.
719 KM AND 13,750 MT ELEVATION GAIN: THE 2022 TOUR OF THE ALPS STAGES
Monday, April 18th
Stage 1: Cles-Primiero/S. Martino di Castrozza, 160,9 Km
Elevation gain: 2950 m.
Difficulty: ***
Tuesday, April 19th
Stage 2: Primiero/S. Martino di Castrozza-Lana, 154,1 Km
Elevation gain: 3200 m.
Difficulty: ***
Wednesday, April 20th
Stage 3: Lana-Niederdorf/Villabassa, 154,6 Km
Elevation gain: 3050 m.
Difficulty: ****
Thursday, April 21st
Stage 4: Niederdorf/Villabassa-Kals am Groβglockner, 142,4 Km
Elevation gain: 2400 m.
Difficulty: ****
Friday, April 22nd
Stage 5: Lienz-Lienz, 115,9 Km
Elevation gain: 2300 m.
Difficulty: ***
