THE DONAUINSEL RACES AT THE CYCLODROM

Criterium races at the Cyclodrom on the Danube Island have a long tradition. The first cycle race was held there in 1985, even before the Danube Island was fully developed. The first winner was a prominent figure: Hans Lienhart, a multiple Austrian national champion and World Championship bronze medallist, who has been banned since 2020 for doping.

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In the years that followed, the races were mainly organised by the Vienna Regional Cycling Association. Between 2004 and 2007, the race series was organised by the RCA Tyrolia club as the “International Latella Cup”. Thereafter until 2016, and since 2013 also on a shortened course due to the construction of the water sports centre, it has been run as a junior training race series (“RLM-Vienna Training Cup” of the Vienna Regional Cycling Association).

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Since 2017, the race series has been organised by the cycling club Vienna International Cycle Club (VICC).
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Over the decades, the Danube Island Criteriums have established themselves as training and development races for several top Austrian riders: former elite riders such as Roland Garber (track scratch World Cup winner, track Madison World Championship runner-up) or Wolfgang Eibeck (Paralympic gold, World Cup victories), as well as current elite riders such as Stefan Matzner (European Championship bronze medallist in the track points race) and Nadja Heigl (European Championship bronze medallist in the U23 cyclo-cross) have competed in the series since the U13/U14W age groups and, in some cases, continued to take part on the closed circuit at the Cyclodrom in 2018.

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Since 2017, the Donauinselkriterien have been the only regular road cycling races in Vienna featuring a mass start!
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In addition to the traditional men’s and junior races, there are now also races for women and, on two race days, races for children starting from balance bikes.

In the 2017 and 2018 seasons, an average of around 40 riders took part per race day.