Steep wall (Meerane)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Steep face by Meerane
View from below of the steep face of Meerane
height 275  m above sea level NHN
place Meerane , Saxony , Germany
Coordinates 50 ° 50 ′ 41 ″  N , 12 ° 28 ′ 21 ″  E Coordinates: 50 ° 50 ′ 41 ″  N , 12 ° 28 ′ 21 ″  E
Height difference 33 m
length 248 m
Average slope 12%
Maximum gradient 13%

The steep face of Meerane is a street in Meerane in Saxony . It was best known as a part of road bike races . It gained supra-regional importance , in particular through the International Peace Tour.

Sports history

Originally located on Bergstrasse, the more than 11 percent increase was renamed "On the Steep Wall" in 1960, when the 13th International Peace Tour passed through Meerane.

It is 340 meters long and has a height difference of 32.6 meters.

In 1952 , the section was used for the first time on the 8th stage of the Peace Tour from Leipzig to Karl-Marx-Stadt . At the highest point of the road there was a mountain classification won by the Belgian Raymond Van Hoven. Since then, it has achieved cult status in the cycling scene. In the first few years of their crossing, partly due to the technical nature of the racing bikes and the uneven cobblestones, some dramatic images of drivers who had to get off their bikes on this only 248 meter long climb could be conveyed. For many drivers, the incline was only manageable on foot.

Overall, there have been mountain ratings in the peace ride on the steep face of Meerane in 15 years. During the last Peace Tour in 2006 , the wall was once again the focus of interest. It had to be crossed three times ( Lars Wackernagel was the first to cross the crest twice) and was also the destination of the stage that Erwin Thijs won.

The steep wall was included in the course of a bike race for the first time before the peace ride passed over it. In 1951 the 7th stage of the GDR tour led from Erfurt to Karl-Marx-Stadt over the steep wall. Bernhard Trefflich was the first cyclist to cross it in a race.

The 29th  International Women's Tour of Thuringia also took this route in 2016, as did the Tour of Saxony . The goal of the Sachsen-Rundfahrt was already at the summit of the climb in 2006.

In 2004, the 7th stage of the Germany Tour led over the ascent.

Later competitions for amateur athletes, juniors and celebrity races (organized by the TV channel MDR ) took place on the steep wall. In 2011, a “Steile Wand” cycling club was founded, which placed a plaque at the foot of the route.

The mountain classification winners of the peace ride on the steep wall

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Steile Wand - Historisches. In: steile-wand.de. May 5, 2014, accessed July 12, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Schwarz Druck (Ed.): The steep wall of Meerane. Legend and landmark . Meerane 1997.
  3. ↑ Maik Märtin: 50 years of Course de la Paix . Agency Construct, Leipzig 1998, p. 78 .
  4. ↑ Carmen Kayser: 15,000 fans make steep walls an experience. In: live-radsport.ch. May 18, 2006, accessed July 22, 2020 .
  5. ↑ New cycling event on the legendary "Steile Wand" in Meerane - TV West Saxony. In: westsachsen.tv. April 20, 2010, accessed July 12, 2020 .
  6. ↑ Frank Selig: Meerane: The crazy cyclists of the steep wall. In: bild.de. BILD, July 15, 2015, accessed on July 22, 2020 .