Third GENERALI VeloCity Berlin becomes a two-wheeler festival for young and old
GENERALI VeloCity Berlin started with fun for youngsters
On Saturday, the youngsters got their money's worth: from 1 p.m., children and teenagers aged 2 to 12 had the opportunity to start over various distances between 200 and approx. 4,000 metres. The GENERALI VeloCity Berlin Kinderland with the ADAC course was also open on both days of the event. The mascots Flöwi (from Generail) and Fridolin (from organiser SCC EVENTS) sent the very, very young two-wheeled friends on their way first.
Whether on bikes (from two to four wheels), balance bikes or scooters, everyone crossed the finish line with joy. In the following age groups, the vehicles were limited to pure bicycles, but the pride was no less - a certificate and medal included. In total, almost 250 young athletes took part in the Kids & Youth races.
The young riders opened the GENERALI VeloCity Berlin 2024 on Saturday | © SCC EVENTS_Petko Beier
Berlin's fastest kilometre on the Straße des 17. Juni
Berlin's fastest kilometre" was held on Saturday afternoon. Last year, the sprint spectacle was integrated into the GENERALI VeloCity Berlin programme to great acclaim. All cyclists who like to build up lactate compete over 1,000 metres on Straße des 17. Juni.
Around 60 athletes competed directly against each other, including folding bikes, riders in pink swimming costumes and athletes with thighs like fridges (according to the presenter). In the end, Daniela Schertenleib won the women's race in 2:33 minutes (two added 1,000 metre times) and Pascal Bruhn from Switzerland won the men's classification in 1:07 minutes.
Anyone strolling through the Cycling EXPO afterwards would see participants in Berlin's fastest kilometre here and there with an uneven gait - had some of them already overdone it?
Big legs and fast sprints at Berlin's fastest kilometre as part of GENERALI VeloCity Berlin 2024| © SCC EVENTS_Petko Beier
The 60-kilometre distance at the Capital City Cycle Race
On Sunday morning, countless bicycles decorated the Straße des 17. Juni early on - despite the rain, which gave the scenery a completely different setting to the bright sunshine of the day before.
Either way, the start/finish area between the Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Column is probably quite unique for a cycling festival of this size. Lined up in a westerly direction towards the so-called Goldelese, the approximately 2,750 registered participants set off at 8.00 a.m. on the 60-kilometre lap.
Right in the middle was the women's block. The organisers are particularly keen to further increase the proportion of female cyclists at GENERALI VeloCity Berlin, and the separate starting block for women is one way of doing this.
Jens Voigt and Rick Zabel at GENERALI VeloCity Berlin
The fact that the cycling community is made of tough stuff became clear at the latest when the rain started to fall harder, but many participants continued to roll over the starting line. Among them were cycling legends Rick Zabel and Jens Voigt. Before the start, Zabel emphasised: "There is probably no better opportunity than this 60-kilometre race to see Berlin and its sights on two wheels."
Jens Voigt added in his usual relaxed manner: "Don't let the little bit of rain stop you and just enjoy the GENERALI VeloCity Berlin 2024." If you are now curious about the traffic-free course along all of Berlin's legendary sights, including the notorious Havelchaussee, click here to view the detailed interactive map.
Pedelecs (limited to 25 km/h) were also permitted for the first time this year. For them, the start was exclusively over the 60 km distance and only from the last starting block. The pedelecs were included in the results in alphabetical order without being ranked.
Shortly before the start of the 60 kilometres - from left to right Jan Dietrich (Generali Germany), Rick Zabel, Jens Voigt and Jürgen Lock (CEO of SCC EVENTS) | © SCC EVENTS_Jean-Marc Wiesner
The 100-kilometre race through Berlin and Brandenburg
Over 3,620 athletes had registered for the 100 kilometre distance. And while the first 60 kilometres crossed the finish line, the 100-kilometre riders started pedalling. By now it was dry again, which livened up the EXPO. As in the 60 kilometre field, there were also so-called safety guides in the 100 kilometre field.
Labeled with jerseys, they provided additional safety - especially in this year's wet conditions, the novelty of the safety guides was very welcome. The fact that the GENERALI VeloCity Berlin is now gaining an international foothold is documented by the starters from the USA, Scandinavia, Australia, Ghana, India, Mexico and Peru. In addition to the sightseeing tour through Berlin, the participants in the "long distance" also enjoyed a detour to beautiful Brandenburg (a visit to the interactive map is also recommended here).
In the meantime, at 10.15 a.m. the Rad Race Fixies set off towards the finish line on Straße des 17. Juni as part of the unofficial FIXED42 World Championship. Fixie bikes are characterised by a fixed gear, without freewheel, with a single gear and usually without brakes.
Record number of entrants despite or perhaps because of the holidays in Berlin
While the fixies were all about times and placings, the GENERALI VeloCity Berlin 60 and 100 kilometre races are different. The performance aspect is deliberately placed in the background, with the communal sporting experience of cycling races taking centre stage. This is also the reason why there is no winner's honour. Of course, all placings and times are recorded and can be accessed here.
With a total of 6,680 participants, the GENERALI VeloCity 2024 Berlin set a new registration record. In the run-up to the event, there was much discussion about the date of the event during the school holidays in Berlin.
The new record number of registrations proves that the timing did not detract from the popularity of the event; in fact, it may even have led to the high turnout: after all, Berlin is always worth a visit. Obviously, many foreigners took this to heart and travelled to the capital for the GENERALI VeloCity Berlin.
It stopped raining just in time for the first 60-kilometre participants to cross the finish line | © SCC EVENTS_Jean-Marc Wiesner