Fast, varied and challenging: the new round for the 3RIDES Gravel Race as part of the UCI Gravel World Series and qualifying race for the World Championships in Nice takes Germany's biggest gravel and gran fondo event to a new level.
After the start, the route towards Aachen forest, where there is a risk of headwinds, will provide for the first selections, then short climbs and descents on gravel offer scope for further attacks and tactical maneuvers. In the direction of Kornelimünster, the pace picks up again on asphalt, but sometimes narrow roads, before the first high-speed section follows on the asphalt Vennbahn cycle path to Aachen-Hahn.
The route then alternates between gravel field paths and well-maintained forest paths and continues via Venwegen, Rotterdell and in the direction of Roetgen before returning to the former railroad line of the racecourse - incidentally one of the longest railroad line cycle paths in Europe. After the tunnel passage under the "ladder to heaven", which was started over 200 years ago in Napoleonic times, the route alternates between forest paths and asphalt again on the way to the Belgian border.
After the village of Sief, steering skills are at an advantage, while winding passages on narrow paths also demand acceleration. Shortly before the finish, there are a few more meters of elevation gain - perfect for those who have managed their strength well. The last few meters on the Nerscheider Weg in Aachen-Schleckheim are again on asphalt.
Overall, the 3RIDES Gravel Race, which will start at 3 p.m. on May 31, the first day of the 3RIDES Aachen race, has a gravel content of 65 percent. The elevation gain on the 61-kilometre loop, which will be ridden once or twice depending on the category, adds up to 790 meters. The feed zones are planned halfway through the loop and after crossing the finish line on the second lap.
The route of the 3RIDES Gravel Race Aachen:
