Kitzbüheler Radmarathon Training Plan & Preparation

Course & Elevation

The race starts in Kitzbühel’s Vorderstadt. Via Aurach and Jochberg the field rolls towards Pass Thurn, which sets the day’s first rhythm from kilometre 12 with a good five kilometres at a moderate five percent. A long stretch through the Pinzgau follows, with views of the Großvenediger, before the Gerlos Alpine Road rears up from kilometre 54 in two steps: five kilometres at 6.5 percent, a brief breather, then another four and a half kilometres at eight percent to over 1,500 metres.

The descent into the Zillertal is long and fast, and the valley floor is flat — a place to save energy. At kilometre 112 comes the steepest regular climb of the day, the Kerschbaumer Sattel: 5.7 kilometres averaging 8.8 percent with ramps up to 18 percent. Three short climbs follow through the rolling Brandenberg countryside between kilometres 135 and 147, then the Brixental leads back to Kitzbühel via Kirchberg, Reith and Oberndorf.

Riders in the Klassik classification don’t turn towards the finish there — they turn up the Kitzbüheler Horn: 7.8 kilometres at an average of 11.7 percent, peaking above 19 percent, 911 metres of climbing in one block to the Alpenhaus at around 1,660 metres. A summit finish after more than 200 kilometres — it defines this race more than any other number.

Pacing Strategy

This race is decided on the Kitzbüheler Horn — and frequently lost long before it. The biggest trap is matching stronger riders on the Gerlos and the Kerschbaumer Sattel and spending the reserves you will need at kilometre 212. Treat the final climb as a race of its own: 45 to 75 minutes at your limit on gradients that rarely dip below ten percent.

A good third of the course is flat; riding in a group through the Pinzgau and Zillertal saves substantial energy, so find compatible wheels early. The Gerlos, at 6.5 to eight percent, can be ridden seated and steady; the Kerschbaumer Sattel briefly demands far more with its 18 percent ramps — this is where you learn whether you still have legs for the Horn. The rolling kilometres through the Brixental are your last chance to eat and drink properly; on the Horn itself, little goes down. A very low gear is not a weakness here but a prerequisite — without it the steep ramps force cadences below 60.

12-Week Preparation

For 216 kilometres with a summit finish, plan on eight to eleven hours of riding depending on your level — so the core of your preparation is classic long-distance endurance: base rides building towards five to seven hours over the months, ideally with 2,000 to 3,000 metres of climbing.

The effort is mostly steady and aerobic, punctuated by three long threshold blocks on the Gerlos, the Kerschbaumer Sattel and the Horn. Train climbing blocks of 20 to 45 minutes at or just below threshold, and get used to repeating several of them within one ride.

The Horn adds a specific demand: very steep climbing in deep fatigue. Build sessions that reproduce exactly that — for example a long ride that deliberately ends with a hard 30-to-60-minute climb. Low-cadence strength work on steep ramps prepares your muscles for the double-digit gradients, and a bail-out gear for 15 to 20 percent belongs on the bike well before race day.

At eight-plus hours, fuelling is a training topic in its own right: practise taking in 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour under load. And plan the September race day realistically — an early valley start and a finish at 1,660 metres can span a wide temperature range, so clothing strategy is part of the preparation.