At the Bikepark & Bergbahn St. Johann • only 20 minutes to Kitzbühel • Hiking and climbing at the Wilder Kaiser • SuperSki Card ski pass with 2,750 km of slopes
1,300 km of bike tours • Top bike destination in the Alps • Hiking & climbing • 179 lifts / 508 km of slopes • Only 600 m to the Hochzillertal ski area • 10 min to the Zillertal Arena
In town: St. Kathrein Thermal Spa & Römerbad • 15 minutes from the most beautiful bathing lakes in Carinthia • incl. Sunshine Card • September & October including Carinthia Card with free cable car & more
Great location in the Kuhflucht nature and recreation park with views of the Zugspitze and Alpspitze • 5km to Garmisch-Partenkirchen • Eibsee • Partnachklamm • Near the hotel: heated outdoor pool, sports center
Open since November 15, 2024 • Skiing at over 3,000 m • Austria's largest glacier • 4 ski areas • Alpine pastures and mountain lakes • Stubai High Trail • Schlick 2000 Bike Park
Germany's southernmost holiday resort • perfect starting point for mountain hikes and bike tours • 200 km of hiking trails at all altitudes • Germany's largest and highest ski area
Piz Buin, Silvretta-Montafon with 300km of ski slopes • Silvretta High Alpine Road • directly at the Mountain Beach, 270km of bike trails
Ideal location at the valley station of the Hinterstoder cable car • Just a few steps from the village center • Active Card: 40 free and 20 bonus services daily
At the Alpspitzbahn in Nesselwang with summer tobogganing & Alpspitzkick • only 20 minutes to the royal castles • slopes, ski school, children's ski area & daily night skiing directly at the hotel
A few minutes from the famous Königssee • Berchtesgaden National Park • Watzmann • Kehlsteinhaus • Berchtesgaden Salt Mine • Outdoor pool only 200 m away • NEW: Jenner cable car
AREA 47 • 1,600 km of hiking trails • 870 km of mountain bike routes • WIDIVERSUM • Ötzi Village • Umhausen Birds of Prey Park • Stuibenfall
Facts about the Ötztal Cycle Marathon and a look ahead to the 2024 race
There's a ton of information about the Ötztal Cycle Marathon! Find out all the important facts about this superlative cycling event and this year's 2024 race.
#1 The myth of the Ötztal Cycle Marathon
The Ötztal Cycle Marathon takes place every year in Sölden and is considered the most challenging cycling race in the Alps. Each year, around 4,000 racing cyclists take on the "Ötztaler" and attempt to master the 227-kilometer route with 5,500 meters of elevation gain over four Alpine passes.
The History of the Race
August 22, 1982 was the deadline for the first Ötztal Cycle Marathon. Back then, 115 cyclists embarked on the adventure, unsure of the outcome. Half of the participants reached the finish line. The initiator of the event was Heli Maier. The challenging route was intended to discourage "wimps" and used to start and finish in Innsbruck, Austria. Mottos like "I have a dream..." have accompanied the Ötztal Cycle Marathon since 1999. At the end of 2001, the URC Ötztal Cycling Club acquired the naming rights to the spectacular cycling race. Since then, the traditional event has finally found its home in Sölden. To mark the 40th anniversary of the Ötztal Cycle Marathon, long-time organizer Ernst Lorenzi published the book "A new dream begins..." with exciting stories about the legendary cycling event.
#2 The tough route
Sölden – Kühtai – Innsbruck – Brenner – Jaufen – Timmelsjoch – Sölden
This corresponds to: 227 km and 5,500 m of elevation gain.
The highlights of the route
Four Alpine passes provide the route's highlights:
| Kühtai | 2,020 m |
| Brenner Pass | 1,377 m |
| Jaufen Pass | 2,090 m |
| Timmelsjoch | 2,474 m |
The route starts in Sölden. First, it's a relatively downhill stretch to Oetz (800 m). This is followed by Kühtai. You'll have to overcome a maximum gradient of 16% and 1,200 meters of elevation gain. Once you've conquered Kühtai, the route continues to Innsbruck (600 m) and the Brenner Pass with a maximum gradient of 12%. After the Brenner Pass, it descends to Sterzing (960 m). Next comes the finish: the Jaufen Pass. You'll cycle up 1,130 meters of elevation gain. Before the grand finale, there's the descent to St. Leonhard in the Passeier Valley (700 m) in South Tyrol. Now it gets really tough again! It goes up to the Timmelsjoch with a maximum gradient of 14%. You'll overcome 1,724 meters of elevation gain on the way up. Arriving in Sölden, you've done it! You've conquered the most challenging cycling marathon in the Alps!
#3 Exciting facts about the event of superlatives
- Safety is our top priority! 4 km of barriers, over 300 signal cones, and over 400 information signs mark the route in Tyrol.
- A participant burns approximately 9,000 kcal. That's four times the average daily calorie consumption.
- On average, a participant needs around 10 hours to complete the route. If you drive the route, it will take approximately 3.5 hours.
- Since 2019, Mathias Nothegger has held the course record. With a time of 6 hours and 47 minutes, the then 40-year-old set the course record.
19,000 athletes applied for the 2023 race. Of these, 4,335 participants from 36 nations competed. 15 participants had already participated more than 20 times. Among them was record holder Raimund Frischmann, who participated for the 36th time.
Last year, Italian cyclist Manuel Senni took the win. He won with a time of 6:49:18. Janine Meyer was the best female cyclist at the Ötztaler Cycle Marathon 2023 with a time of 7:27:47.
The journey is the destination!
However, the Ötztaler Cycle Marathon is less about winning. Due to the challenging course, all cyclists who start and finish are winners. Anyone who even completes the "Ötztaler" can be incredibly proud of themselves. True to the motto: "The journey is the destination!"
The date for 2024 has been set!
#4 The Ötztal Cycle Marathon 2024
This year, the 43rd Ötztal Cycle Marathon will take place on September 1st. The start is at 6:30 a.m. in Sölden.
Registration
- Registration for the Ötztal Cycle Marathon takes place from January 1st to 31st, 2024.
- A small registration fee is due for registration.
- Individual registrations, mini-group registrations (2-4 people), or team registrations (5-35 people) are possible.
Draw-off
- Since the number of participants is limited to 4,000 racing cyclists, starting places will be drawn in mid-February and mid-April 2024.
- You will receive a special starting place for 2024 if you have registered unsuccessfully in the last 3 years (2020, 2022, 2023).
Don't worry, the Ötztal Cycle Marathon 2025 is coming! Enough incentive to start preparing, right?
Workbench, bike storage, etc.
Perfectly equipped for road cyclists!
