Austria agrees to the Weissensee Alternative Dutch 11-City Tour 2021

Austria's highest authority has given permission for the 2021 Weissensee Alternative Dutch 11-City Tour. It is clear that this edition will be ‘different from other years’. Organiser and chairman Toine Doreleijers confirms as much.

A fine event

First of all there is joy in the special corona update from Weissensee Alternative Dutch 11-City Tour: “We are of course delighted with the opportunity we have been given to organise our fine event. We will work out the conditions, and the measures that follow from them, over the coming weeks. The most important thing for now is that we have permission from the highest authority in Austria.”

Safely and responsibly

“Everything now depends on organising the Weissensee Alternative Dutch 11-City Tour safely and responsibly”, Doreleijers says on the organisation's official channels. “For the participants, the volunteers and the local community alike.”

The board visited Austria

Recently the board of this much-loved skating event travelled to Austria. On site they discussed various scenarios and put concrete agreements on paper. That consultation was necessary because of COVID-19. The coronavirus has societies on edge, and large-scale events are under pressure. Which makes the “white smoke from the Weissensee” good news.

Skating the Weissensee yourself

The online travel magazine dionvacation takes part in the tour version of the Weissensee Alternative Dutch 11-City Tour every year. Here you can read everything about the experience of the tours and the preparation.

For years there have been several tour days for recreational riders. On those days any enthusiast can try to skate 200 kilometres. So you do not have to be a professional skater. It does help to be strong and fit. And a little basic skating technique is welcome, naturally. There is more to it besides. With practical knowledge from dionvacation you can read up properly beforehand.

The 2021 Weissensee will be ‘different’

This time it is all the wiser to follow the news about the Weissensee, as COVID-19 has brought changes. Doreleijers: “It will be a ‘different from other years’ edition. The world simply looks different and we have to anticipate that. The most important thing, and that is the good news, is that we may start our preparations to skate in winter, actively and healthily.”

An extra tour makes for 5 tour days with fewer people

Returning visitors to the Weissensee know it: there are ‘always’ 4 days for ordinary tour riders. Normally a good 1,000 to 1,500 people can take part per tour. That too will be different, the organisation says.

First: “To give as many tour skaters as possible the chance to take part, an extra tour has been added to the programme, on Thursday 21 January.”
Second: “(…) The number of entries per tour is limited to 800.”

The 2021 Weissensee programme

Finally, the provisional programme for the tour riders, the sporting recreational skaters:

• Thursday 21 January: Weissensee Alternative Dutch 11-City Tour, 200 kilometre tour
• Friday 22 January: Weissensee Alternative Dutch 11-City Tour, 200 kilometre tour
• Monday 25 January: Weissensee Alternative Dutch 11-City Tour, 200 kilometre tour
• Wednesday 27 January: Weissensee Alternative Dutch 11-City Tour, 200 kilometre tour
• Friday 29 January: Weissensee Alternative Dutch 11-City Tour, 200 kilometre tour

The organisation says this programme may change as circumstances require.