Road cycling routes in Austria

Race cycling in Austria is characterised by the Alps, which cover 60 percent of the country. In the very west of Austria lies the province of Vorarlberg, a small but incredibly beautiful area for road cycling. No matter what you are looking for, you will find it here. In the Rhine Valley you can cover a lot of basic kilometres. In the Bregenzerwald you'll find small pistes where there's not much going on. Towards the main ridge of the Alps, the Silvretta High Alpine Road awaits you and many more metres of high altitude. Tyrol, too, is a paradise for all climbing specialists and mountain metre collectors. Legendary passes such as the Hahntennjoch are waiting here, but also enjoyable rounds in the valleys and along rivers.

Salzburg and Vienna are geographically very different, but they have in common that fantastic racing bike routes start directly in the city centre and you can perfectly combine city life and racing cycling in both cities.

Vienna has a very fast route out of the city thanks to the Danube Island and cyclists like to use it. Whether you then tackle the classic after-work loop to Greifenstein or collect a few metres of altitude in the Vienna Woods is up to you. Of course, you can also switch to the north bank of the Danube and follow the beautiful roads into the Weinviertel.

There really are a lot of worthwhile routes around the city of Salzburg: Gaisberg and Rossfeld are just two of the sounding names. In the rest of the province, too, there are great routes in Hülle and Fülle. Whether it's the Großglockner, Dientner Sattel or a detour into Bavaria, you are spoilt for choice.

The two southernmost federal states of Austria, Kärnten and Styria, score points with an early start to the season, as it is usually milder here than further west.

Kärnten offers the perfect combination of numerous lakes and quiet tours. No wonder that many an ex-professional is drawn here to spend their retirement from racing cycling with enjoyable tours. Every day you have the choice between flat stages and challenging climbs.

There are also many Styrian tours.

Styria can also be recommended to all friends of narrow tyres. There are great routes from east to west: in the far east, for example, there is Joglland, in the south there is the hilly landscape around Bad Radkersburg, and the Graz region and western Styria also conceal many a racing bike treasure.

The Styria region also has a lot to offer.

Hilly landscapes are the speciality of Upper Austria. On a dense network of secondary roads and paths you can make long tours with little traffic. Especially the central area around Wels but also the Innviertel are ideal for this. In the north of the Danube, the climbs are longer and the metres of altitude more.

The east of Austria may not offer the high peaks of the west, but it does have beautiful, wide landscapes with a widely ramified network of roads. One region that is particularly suitable for long, lonely laps is the Weinviertel in Lower Austria.

Between Lake Neusiedl and Vulkanland, Burgenland has many cycle paths and beautiful back roads that are perfect for road cycling. While many people around Lake Neusiedl are on the road, Burgenland is still an insider's tip and more hilly than one might think.

In Salzburg lies the Großglockner High Alpine Road, the most famous and highest pass in Austria. For many it is also clearly the most beautiful. The almost 1800-metre climb is a must for every ambitious racing cyclist. The highest point, however, is not the pass itself, but the Edelweiss peak at 2571 metres above sea level.

Another dream tour is the racing bike circuit around the Postalm. Between the Salzburg lake district and the Tennengau, you follow the toll road right through the natural jewel of the Osterhorn group. Even though the pass is not that high, it scores with great scenery.

In the triangle of Salzburg, Carinthia and Styria, the Nockberg Road winds through a biosphere park. Twice it passes the 2000-metre mark. In terms of scenic enjoyment, this loop is certainly one of the highlights in all of Upper Austria.

More tips for fans of high metres

• Timmelsjoch in the Ötztal: A classic from the Ötztal into the Südtiroler Passeiertal.
• Seebergsattel to Slovenia: The Karawanken also offer many beautiful mountain routes. The loop with Loiblpass and Seebergsattel is one of the biggest challenges in the south of Austria.