Countdown Underway: In Velo Veritas 2024

Only three weeks and three more sleeps until the third occurrence in Retz, which in total happens for the twelfth time: the classic ride In Velo Veritas.
Are your retro racers already cleaned and tuned for this wonderful event? Are your jerseys washed and mended? Have you applied for your absentee ballots (as a reminder: the future EU Parliament is being decided simultaneously)? And most importantly: Have you already sent off your registrations?
On May 25th at exactly 12:00 PM, the online registration closes. After that, those who wish can still register spontaneously on-site on June 8/9. But firstly, it costs eleven euros more, secondly, it causes the organizers extra work at a time when they would rather be chatting, joking, and discussing with you, and thirdly, it means your name won’t be on your bib number – unless you scribble it on temporarily, but let's be honest: In Velo Veritas is an event with style (hence pay attention to the rules: Only bicycles up to the year of manufacture 1987/88 with racing handlebars, external cables, shift levers on the down tube, and without clipless pedals are allowed!) and a sense for beauty …

So, the unique Retz Adventure Cellar, whose centuries-old, underground network of tubes and tunnels is longer than the above-ground road network of the famous wine town, offers special tours on Saturday at 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 16:30, 17:00, and 17:30 (cost including a glass of wine €15,-). Those who arrive by train and can thus present a bicycle-train ticket, even receive a 50% discount, likewise for the tour of the town hall tower. Fritz Hurtl, operator of the Retz Bicycle Museum, is also available all day Saturday for questions and is happy to provide spontaneous special tours through his noteworthy collection of great rarities and quirky bicycle finds. Here, admission is even free, though voluntary donations are gladly accepted.
And then there are traditionally also the warm-up on Saturday at 16:00 (lasting about 1.5 hours), the flea market with old racing bikes and parts for historic bikes, as well as time-appropriate jerseys and clothing (starting at 14:00), and from 19:00 the IVV pre-evening program with musical entertainment, nonchalant knowledge sharing, and cultivated attunement to the ride.

Sadly, Rudi Mitteregger, who will never participate again in this highlight starting early at 6:00 on Sunday in small groups, has passed away. The four-time Glockner king, three-time Tour of Austria winner, and In Velo Veritas fan from the very first hour (in 2014, the cycling legend even celebrated her 70th birthday with start number 70 on the 70s route) died on April 24 at the age of 79.
The IVV community will keep him in their hearts, as they have experienced him live multiple times, and as it fits best with the classic outing through the Weinviertel: "with a smile at the start, with a smile during the ride, with a smile at the finish."