PPG Pedal Performance Group®

Carinthia200: 24 nations at the start – Carinthia becomes an international road cycling hub

Almost 2,000 participants from Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Hungary, Italy and 19 further countries – winter sports stars Nici Schmidhofer, Andreas Goldberger and Martin Koch among those lining up for the premiere in Villach on September 20

Villach, September 11, 2026. Nine days before the premiere, one thing is certain: Carinthia200 is starting out international. Almost 2,000 participants from 24 nations will line up in Villach on Sunday, September 20, 2026, at 7:05 a.m. The five strongest nations in the field are Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Hungary and Italy. Also at the start are seven Austrian sports greats – among them Super-G world champion Nici Schmidhofer, ski jumping legend Andreas Goldberger and Villach’s own Olympic ski jumping champion Martin Koch.

The participants’ countries of origin reflect Carinthia’s position at the heart of the Alpe-Adria region: after Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Hungary and Italy make up the largest groups in the field. In total, road cyclists from 24 nations are traveling to Villach – for the premiere of a road cycling event set to become Austria’s largest. For Carinthian tourism, the international demand comes at the right time: the event takes place after the main season, and the event weekend from September 17 to 21 brings guests to the region for several days.

“Almost 2,000 guests from 24 nations discovering Carinthia by road bike – that is exactly the tourism promotion we want. Carinthia200 has the pulling power to bring international attention and added value to the shoulder season and to further strengthen Carinthia as a cycling destination,” says Sebastian Schuschnig, Carinthia’s Regional Minister for Tourism and Economic Affairs.

For Kärnten Werbung, Carinthia’s tourism board, Carinthia200 is a strategic building block in positioning the region as a road cycling destination. The event brings in guests from markets that matter most to Carinthian tourism – and turns them into multipliers: whoever has experienced Carinthia from the saddle tells others about it.

“Germany, Slovenia, Hungary and Italy are important source markets for Carinthian tourism – and that is exactly where many of the participants come from. They experience Carinthia at its most beautiful, from the saddle, between mountains and lakes. There are no better ambassadors for Carinthia as a cycling destination,” says Klaus Ehrenbrandtner, Managing Director of Kärnten Werbung.

Seven winter sports greats will line up in Villach – as Carinthia200 ambassadors and as participants in the field:

“The excitement is huge. Carinthia200 is my first road cycling event, and I’m delighted to be part of the premiere,” says Nici Schmidhofer.

Fans can meet the ambassadors even before the event: at the social rides on Thursday, September 17 (with Sabine Payer and Martin Koch), and Friday, September 18 (with Nici Schmidhofer), and at the ambassador talk on stage on Saturday, September 19, at 5:00 p.m.

The route leads from Villach through the Gail Valley, over the Windische Höhe, via Stockenboi and through the Drau Valley back to the city on the Drau – over either 197.4 or 105.7 kilometers, with riders free to decide on their distance during the ride. Course sections are closed for the riders’ passage. For organizer PPG Pedal Performance Group GmbH, the international response confirms the concept: road cycling in Carinthia as an experience that resonates well beyond the event itself.

“Road cycling in Carinthia is an experience you have to ride yourself: long valleys, demanding climbs and, again and again, a view over a lake. That is the feeling we want to share with almost 2,000 people from 24 nations – and help Carinthia keep developing into a cycling region,” says Julius Rupitsch, Event Director of Carinthia200.

On Sunday, September 20, 2026, course sections will be temporarily closed for the riders’ passage. All information on closure times, affected sections and detours: carinthia200.com/en/road-closures/.