Elfstedentocht

Elfstedentocht
Most recent season or competition:
1997
Statue in Leeuwarden of an Elfstedentocht competitor. The eleven cities and all the winners are listed on the plinth
SportTour skating and speed skating
Founded1909; 115 years ago (1909)
CountriesWorld

The Elfstedentocht (Dutch pronunciation: [ɛl(ə)fˈsteːdə(n)tɔxt]; West Frisian: Alvestêdetocht [ɔlvəˈstɛːdətɔχt], English: Eleven cities tour) is a long-distance tour skating event on natural ice, almost 200 kilometres (120 mi) long, which is held both as a speed skating competition (with 300 contestants) and a leisure tour (with 16,000 skaters). The Elfstedentocht is the biggest ice-skating tour in the world.[1]

The tour is held in the province of Friesland in the north of the Netherlands, leading past all eleven historical cities of the province. The tour is held at most once a year, only when the natural ice along the entire course is at least 15 centimetres (6 in) thick;[2] sometimes on consecutive years, other times with gaps that may exceed 20 years. When the ice is suitable, the tour is announced and starts within 48 hours.

The Elfstedentocht has been declared to be in danger of "extinction" due to climate change.[3][4][5] In the past 50 years, the Elfstedentocht has taken place only three times, most recently in 1997.[6]

  1. ^ "Elfstedentocht - a 200 kilometre ice skating tour". holland.com. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Geschiedenis Schrijft elfstedengeschiedenis. Schrijf mee! ["Geschiedenis" writes the Eleven Cities History. Please contribute]". VPRO [Dutch Television Station]. Archived from the original on 2020-03-24. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
  3. ^ "Elfstedentocht: The outdoor skating race that brings the Netherlands to a standstill". CBSNews.com. CBC News. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  4. ^ Abuzer van Leeuwen (10 February 2021). "Why the Netherlands will never have an 'Elfstedentocht' (Eleven Cities Tour) again". dutchreview.com. Dutch Review. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  5. ^ Rick Maese (7 March 2019). "GAME CHANGER: Waning winters". Washington Post. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Historie" (in Dutch). “Koninklijke Vereniging De Friese Elf Steden”. Retrieved 3 November 2022.