The Three Peaks Bike Race is an ultra-distance bike race that has been held yearly since 2018. It starts in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

and crosses the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

and, every other year, the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...

. The finish alternates yearly between

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

and

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. The participants have to reach three

Mountain peaks A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for a m ...

or passes named by the race organizers. They have to plan and choose their own route between these checkpoints. Riders cover between 2,000 and 2,700 kilometres and climb between 20,000 and 40,000 metres. During the race, the participants ride fully self-supported, carrying their own equipment and obtaining their own food (

bikepacking The thumb is the first digit of the hand, next to the index finger. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position (where the palm is facing to the front), the thumb is the outermost digit. The Medical Latin English noun for thumb ...

). The leading riders arrive at the finish line in about four days. The finish closes ten days (since 2023: twelve days) after the start of the race but participants that arrive past that point in time are still named in the classification. In 2022, 91 of 243 starters reached the finish; 81 stayed within the time limit.Sören Heim:
Mit dem Rad über die Alpen bis Nizza
'

Allgemeine Zeitung The ''Allgemeine Zeitung'' was the leading political daily journal in Germany in the first part of the 19th century. It has been widely recognised as the first world-class German journal and a symbol of the German press abroad. The ''Allgemeine ...

, 20. August 2022, S. 16 The 2020 edition of the race is the subject of the documentary ''Three Peaks & In Between'' by Stephan Wieser, which follows rider Jana Kesenheimer over the course of the event.

Route and winners

External links

Website of the Three Peaks Bike Race
* Stephan Wieser
Three Peaks & In Between
(documentation on YouTube)

References

{{reflist Cycle races in Austria Cycle races in Italy Cycle races in Slovenia Cycle races in Switzerland Cycle races in France Cycle races in Spain Cycle races in Andorra Cycle racing in Europe Ultra-distance cycling Recurring sporting events established in 2018