Kufsteinerland Radmarathon Training Plan & Preparation

Course & Elevation

The Radmarathon is the flagship distance of the Kufsteinerland Radmarathon, a granfondo held since 2016 that starts and finishes on Kufstein's upper town square. Its 120 kilometres and roughly 1,800 metres of climbing loop through the Kufsteinerland region, past the Reintal lakes and through the Thiersee and Brandenberg valleys.

The opening is restless. Four climbs arrive between kilometres 2 and 14, the strongest from kilometre 8.5 with two kilometres at 8.5 percent. The course then opens into a long, mostly flat to rolling passage through the Inn valley, a good 42 percent of the route is level, perfect terrain for working in a group.

The selection happens in the final third. From kilometre 60 comes the hardest climb of the day, 4.2 kilometres at an average of 9.2 percent with pitches above 30 percent and 387 metres of gain. At kilometre 73 a short, nasty ramp averaging nearly 12 percent follows, before one last kicker at kilometre 95 tests the legs and the road rolls back to Kufstein. The event is built as an amateur-friendly granfondo, ending with communal pasta and a sociable finish-area atmosphere.

Pacing Strategy

The key lies in the course's two halves. The first 15 kilometres bring four climbs in quick succession, including two category-4 and one category-3 ascent — the most common trap is taking them too hard in the pull of the group. Ride them controlled, because a long middle section follows, 42 percent of it flat, where you should use a group for pace and shelter and eat.

The race is decided on the category-2 climb from kilometre 60: 4.2 kilometres averaging 9.2 percent with ramps over 30 percent and nearly 400 metres of gain. Arrive here with fresh legs and you make the difference. Shortly after, at kilometre 73, a steep category-3 climb of around 12 percent bites on tired legs. Ration your strength so you can ride the second half on these two climbs rather than spending it in the first.

12-Week Preparation

Plan on four to five and a half hours for 120 kilometres with roughly 1,800 metres of climbing as a recreational rider. The effort profile is split in two, long steady aerobic stretches on the flat alternate with hard, partly anaerobic climbing, concentrated in the final third.

The decisive section is the climb from kilometre 60, 4.2 kilometres at 9.2 percent with ramps above 30 percent, followed by the steep rise at kilometre 73. Both arrive after more than two hours of riding, so your training should rehearse climbing on tired legs, long rides of three to five hours with two or three solid ascents placed deliberately in the second half.

The steep pitches demand strength endurance, threshold intervals of five to fifteen minutes uphill plus low-cadence work on short ramps. Check your gearing too, with maximum gradients above 30 percent an easy gear decides whether you can stay seated and steady.

Because a good 42 percent of the course is flat, group riding skills matter a great deal here. Practise riding in a draft and holding an even output at brisk pace, that is where you save the energy you will need for the finale. Sort out fueling for a full morning in the saddle, and since the race falls in late August, some heat exposure in the preceding weeks is a sensible addition.