The Alternative Elfstedentocht: Racing Climate Change

Klasina Seinstra, 50; women's winner of the 1997 Elfstedentocht and 4-time winner of the Alternative Elfstedentocht, poses for a portrait on January 26, 2019 in Weissensee, Austria. Seinstra currently coaches a team of speed skaters. The Elfstedentocht is a legendary Dutch speed skating race and a victim of global warming: it hasn't been held in 22 years; the longest such period since its inception. Beginning in 1989, organizers have held an "Alternative Elfstedentocht" race in Weissensee, Austria, where the ice is reliably thick enough to skate the grueling, 200km tour.

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Contained in galleries: The Alternative Elfstedentocht

Klasina Seinstra, 50; women's winner of the 1997 Elfstedentocht and 4-time winner of the Alternative Elfstedentocht, poses for a portrait on January 26, 2019 in Weissensee, Austria. Seinstra currently coaches a team of speed skaters. The Elfstedentocht is a legendary Dutch speed skating race and a victim of global warming: it hasn't been held in 22 years; the longest such period since its inception. Beginning in 1989, organizers have held an "Alternative Elfstedentocht" race in Weissensee, Austria, where the ice is reliably thick enough to skate the grueling, 200km tour.