Cheers on the roadside – and not just anger among the business community: The Cycling World Championships have Zurich’s Seefeld in their grip
Even before the Cycling World Championships in Zurich, business owners were already expressing discontent about the major event. What is the situation now that the bikes are rolling? An exploratory tour.
Hundreds cheer Katie-George Dunlevy and Linda Kelly from Ireland as they approach Sechseläutenplatz well ahead of the competition. For the visually impaired Dunlevy, this is already the sixth world championship title.
Photos: Matthias Scharrer
The words of a traffic controller in a reflective vest at Stadelhofen station are clear: “Via Römerhof, that’s the only way out. There’s no other way out.” “Shit,” blurts out the person addressed. He turns around, trots to his red van, which has “City of Zurich, Environmental and Health Protection” written on it, and joins the traffic jam on Falkenstrasse.
The Cycling World Championships are taking place in Zurich until Sunday. A few steps away, the first two races of this Wednesday start at Sechseläutenplatz at 10.45 a.m. Team members and a few fans watch the start of the men’s and women’s tandem races.
One of them is Christopher Elliott. The 64-year-old from Bristol in England has come to Zurich for the World Championships. “The situation is nice,” he says in Swiss German with an English accent, while our eyes wander over Lake Zurich to the Üetliberg. His mother once moved from St. Gallen to England, he explains. Last year he was already at the championships in Glasgow, Scotland. How does he like the Zurich Cycling World Championships? “It’s nice that paracycling is included for the first time,” says Elliott. And adds: “It’s a good thing.”
Stressed security people in reflective vests
FDP city councilor Filippo Leutenegger also praised the inclusion of people with disabilities when he, together with mayor Corine Mauch (SP) and city councilor Karin Rykart (Greens), first informed the media in detail about the Cycling World Championships in January 2023. Even then, the traffic restrictions associated with the World Championships were an issue. Now, the displeasure of business people about the major event has dominated the headlines for weeks, with the NZZ, located on Falkenstrasse, particularly standing out.
Final sprint of the men in the tandem race.
Photos: Matthias Scharrer
While the racing convoy is already on its way outside the city on the Gold Coast of Lake Zurich, there is time for a walk to Zurich’s Seefeld. At the corner of Falkenstrasse and Seefeldstrasse, stressed security guards in reflective vests are busy explaining to one driver after another why they are currently not allowed to go any further into the city.
A passerby looks on briefly, her name is Elisabeth Lenggenhager. The 77-year-old tells the writer that she is on her way to the dentist. And: It is wrong that this World Cup is taking place in the middle of the city. It would be too much work. In addition, the pedestrian islands have now been removed from the streets. The city does not care enough about pedestrians anyway.
«Nothing has been happening here in the last few days»
I walk along Seefeldstrasse out of town. The loudspeaker voice from Sechseläutenplatz gradually becomes quieter. It is quiet in Seefeld, with almost no traffic. Chic fashion and home accessories shops line up next to each other. “Slow down, get cozy and enjoy the simple moments in life” is written on handmade paper in one of the shop windows. In English, this means something like: Slow down, take it easy and enjoy the simple moments in life.
The shop is called Herzlich, written with a heart symbol at the beginning. I go in and start talking to the shop owner, Susanna Gasche. She is actually a positive-thinking person, she emphasizes – and starts off by saying that it is cheeky how these cycling world championships are going because the authorities did not think enough about the impact on the business when planning them. “Nothing has been happening here in the last few days,” says Gasche.
Susanna Gasche from the home accessories store Herzlich emphasizes that she is a positive-thinking person. However, the cycling world championships are causing her to lose a lot of revenue.
She estimates the loss in sales at two thirds. Her customers usually come mostly from the Gold Coast and are staying away now that the access road is closed to cars. There are too many large events on Sechseläutenplatz anyway.
A few days ago she watched a paracycling race at Sechseläutenplatz. There were hardly any spectators at the award ceremony. It was nice that athletes with disabilities were also included in this World Cup. But: “I don’t think it’s right that half a city is closed off for this.” Her second shop in Meilen is also affected, as the race tracks for the World Cup run partly along the Gold Coast.
“The Cycling World Championships are the biggest opportunity for Zurich”
Christian Elsener, also a tradesman in Seefeld, sees things very differently. But that is not surprising: he is a bicycle dealer, owner of Velo Elsener – and a cycling fan. “We also feel that things are quieter now,” says the shop owner on Seefeldstrasse. But that has been foreseeable for months. He has accordingly arranged vacation plans with some employees. And: his employees and customers mostly come by bike anyway. They are therefore less affected by the traffic restrictions caused by the World Cup than car drivers.
Not all traders in Seefeld criticize the cycling world championships: Christian Elsener from Velo Elsener is enthusiastic.
“The cycling world championships are the greatest opportunity for Zurich,” says Elsener. The pictures of it went around the world, and the city is benefiting from tourism. And the authorities have done the best they can in the preparations; the local trade association, of which Elsener is a member, has also been well involved. Website of the City of Zurich It is clear when which transport connections are restricted. In addition, the city is handling the closures more loosely than originally announced.
And the fact that the cycling world championships last for nine days is the price to pay for including athletes with disabilities in the championships. “I think it’s good that para-athletes are now being properly recognized,” says Elsener.
Outside, the women’s and men’s tandem races are approaching the finish line. They are a symbol of inclusion, as people with and without disabilities ride tandems together. Hundreds cheer on the side of the road as the Irish women Katie-George Dunlevy and Linda Kelly are the first to reach the finish line on Sechseläutenplatz. For the visually impaired Dunlevy, it is already the sixth world championship title since 2017 – and the second in Zurich.
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