BIKE Festival Willingen 2024: Read about Germany's biggest bike festival in the live blog
The live blog from the BIKE Festival 2024
In 2024, the BIKE Festival will take place in Willingen for the 25th time, with everything a biker's heart desires. The expo is Germany's largest MTB outdoor trade fair. If you want to find out about the latest trends, you'll find all the answers here. But it doesn't stop at theory. Hundreds of test bikes from various manufacturers are available to hire free of charge and can be tried out on one of the trails in the bike park. In addition to races in almost all disciplines, the German Enduro Championships also take place during the festival. By the way: Bikers should have the Hochsauerland region on their radar. This is where the Greentrails project is growing. A huge network of trails spread across 14 municipalities. The first sections have already been opened, with more to follow shortly. Willingen is also involved. Festival visitors can see the new trails for themselves here.
The event doesn't officially start until Friday (24 May) - but our live blog starts on Thursday. BIKE editor Maik makes his way to Willingen early in the morning - on two wheels. During his tour, he will provide the liveblog with some shots from the beautiful Sauerland region, which is an Eldorado for touring and MTB enthusiasts. On board his new gravel bike: bike and panniers, which he will be using for the first time on a longer tour. I wonder how that will work?
From Friday, we will be filling the live blog with the most exciting new products, impressions from the event site and action-packed shots and reports from the races taking place throughout the weekend. The 25th anniversary of Germany's largest outdoor bike trade fair has a number of highlights in store. In this article, we take a look at what awaits us this weekend in Willingen. With this programme, there is sure to be something for every MTB and cycling enthusiast - from young to old!
All interactive races at a glance
BIKE Marathon - three distances
The Specialized BIKE Marathon, with around 2,000 participants, is one of the sporting highlights of the BIKE Festival. When registering, everyone has the opportunity to choose between three appealing routes.
The longest route is recognised as an international (C2) race by the UCI, which means that all riders with a UCI ID can collect important UCI points here.
Route, distance & altitude metres
Long route: 119 km, 3,333 m elevation gain
Medium route: 88 km, 2,463 m elevation gain
Short route: 53 km, 1,462 m elevation gain
U15-U17 route: 37 km, 1,015 m elevation gain
Scott-Enduro - For hobby and licence riders
The BIKE Festival in Willingen is known for the Scott Enduro, which comes up with fresh sections and highlights every year. However, the exact information about the route is only published when the start numbers are issued, which keeps the excitement high.
It is clear that Upland offers ideal conditions for an enduro race. For this reason, the German Championship will be held here again in 2024. German Enduro Champion Torben Drach will defend his title here.
The race is open to both licence and amateur riders.
Price for pre-registration: 69 euros
Price for late registration on site: 79 Euro
Downhill Cup - Stop of the IXS Downhill Cup
From 24 May - 26 May 2024, a very special highlight will take place in Willingen on the former World Cup downhill course. Downhillers will show off their skills over three days at the iXS Downhill Cup. An absolute highlight for spectators too.
You can find all information about the iXS Downhill Cup here.
BOSCH-EMTB Challenge - The Enduro Orienteering Race
The Bosch eMTB Challenge combines elements of enduro, trail and orienteering, but is designed specifically for e-bikes. Participants must navigate through a series of stages that include uphill, downhill and orienteering sections, with the emphasis on fun.
This challenge is aimed at mountain bikers of all skill levels - from experienced professionals to enthusiastic hobby cyclists and occasional outdoor fans. To win, it's not just endurance and motor power that count, but also riding technique and navigation skills in particular. The most versatile eMTB rider emerges as the winner.
Participants are divided into "Advanced" and "Amateur" groups. The "Advanced" group has to tackle an additional, more technically demanding stage, which is specially designed for experienced bikers.
Click here for the Registration.
Shimano Gravel Ride - Relaxed through the Hochsauerland
The 39.5 km Shimano Gravel Ride route in Willingen, which is characterised by a climb of 576 m, is perfect as preparation for the marathon on Saturday or simply as a picturesque ride through the Hochsauerland on a gravel bike. During the tour, you can look forward to special moments, such as a break at the Hiebämmer Hütte near Petersborn after 25 kilometres and a visit to the historic Borberg Chapel and church wall.
This route makes its way northwards along the Ittertal valley and passes interesting places, including the Hukeshohl forest settlement and the Hoppecke estate, which used to be an ammunition factory. The ride continues through the valley to the village of Hoppecke and follows a single trail along the River Hoppecke to the Pulvermühle hikers' car park. If you wish, you can optionally explore the Briloner Trailgrounds, which is only touched on at the entrance. A food voucher awaits you at the Hiebämmer Hütte - a nice stop right on the Rothaarsteig. After a detour to Borberg Kirchhof, the route continues along the Rothaarsteig and over flowing trails to Brilon Wald and finally along the railway tracks back to Willingen.
LAZER Junior Trophy
Racing across the finish line like the pros, being cheered on by cheering fans and experiencing a real racing atmosphere - this is an unrivalled adventure for every child.
But the Lazer Junior Trophy is all about having fun. Here, every child is treated like a winner. As a sign of their achievement and as a memento of a unique experience, each child receives a special finisher's medal when they cross the finish line.
Kids Cup
The Kids Cup is an exciting new race series for children aged five to ten, which is ideal for gaining their first experience in small bike races. After the start numbers have been distributed, all participants gather for the welcome talk, the "Riders Meeting". They then have the opportunity to explore the route on their own. Before the competition begins, there is a training phase. When the starting signal sounds, the children complete a course twice, which has been specially designed for their age group and focuses in particular on technique and downhill riding.
The main aim is to have fun - it's about the children enjoying biking, meeting like-minded people and new friends and being introduced to the spirit of competition in a fun way. Each participant receives an award; the three fastest riders also receive gold, silver or bronze medals. Registration for one of the three categories - Mini Kids, Kids or Maxi Kids - begins in March 2024 and costs 35 euros.
Sharing expertise at the BIKE Academy
At the BIKE Festival, visitors can take part in a variety of tours and workshops offered by the professional guides and trainers of the BIKE Academy. Over the course of three days, the BIKE Academy imparts intensive knowledge in these events. This expertise is passed on in small, exclusive groups. The BIKE editorial team also provides an insight into the test procedure and gives courses: e.g. on the ideal bike set-up and much more.
>> More information about the BIKE Festival in Willingen here.
Laurin Lehner
Editor
