Nationalpark Bike-Marathon: Course, Elevation & Route Profile

Course & Elevation

After the 7:15 a.m. start in Scuol the route climbs immediately: a first ascent of some 360 metres from kilometre 1.5, then a good ten kilometres at five percent from kilometre 9 up into the Val S-charl. The first categorised main climb comes at kilometre 36.9, 7.5 kilometres and nearly 680 metres over into the Val Müstair; the Costainas crossing sits at 2,251 m.

The race is decided at kilometre 75.4. From the Livigno side, 4.3 kilometres at 15.5 percent average with ramps beyond 35 percent lead to the Pass Chaschauna at 2,692 m, the hardest climb of the loop, on which around 1.3 kilometres are pushed. The long descent back into the Engadine follows, before two short climbs from kilometres 120 and 123 take the last of your legs.

The appeal of this route is the circumnavigation itself. It crosses Costainas, Döss Radond (2,234 m), Alpisella (2,299 m) and Chaschauna, passes through Italian territory in between, and includes some 13 kilometres of singletrack. More than ninety percent of the surface is unsealed: gravel roads, alpine tracks, trails. In 2026 the Nationalpark Bike-Marathon is held for the 25th time, and like every route it finishes in Scuol.

Pacing Strategy

Across 141 kilometres and close to 3,850 metres of climbing, the first half of the race is pure investment. The ten-kilometre climb into the Val S-charl from kilometre 9 is shallow enough to ride too fast and long enough for that to come back at you; hold a power there you could still turn after five hours, and eat regularly from the start.

The race is decided on the Chaschauna from kilometre 75.4. An average of 15.5 percent with ramps beyond 35 percent means part of the climb will be pushed anyway; the skill lies in switching from riding to pushing early rather than emptying yourself on unrideable ramps. Reach that pass with your legs intact and the long descent afterwards hands a lot of time back.

The trap comes later. After the drop into the Engadine, kilometres 120 and 123 bring another 260 metres in two short climbs; after eight hours in the saddle they feel far harder than the profile suggests. Add altitude and weather: at 2,692 m late August can be cold, wet or windy, while the valley sections bake in the midday sun. Food and clothing therefore need to be planned around the pass, not around the valley you started in.

Training plan for Nationalpark Bike-Marathon: 12-week build

Depending on your level, allow roughly seven to eleven hours for the 141 kilometres. The character is endurance-led and mostly aerobic, but not even: four long climbs with technical descents and some 13 kilometres of singletrack between them, plus a pass section partly covered on foot.

That sets the main training content: very long sessions with 2,500 to 3,500 metres of climbing in which the biggest ascent deliberately comes late. The Chaschauna arrives at kilometre 75 and the last climbs after kilometre 120; climbing strength after many hours in the saddle is exactly what this race asks for.

Technique comes on top. More than ninety percent of the route is unsealed, there is singletrack and there are long gravel descents, and about a kilometre of the Chaschauna is pushed. Handling on loose ground, descending under fatigue and pushing the bike on steep terrain all belong in training, or they cost more energy than they need to on the day.

For conditions, altitude and fuelling are what count. The crossings sit between 2,234 and 2,692 m, the weather up there can turn in late August, and long sections between feed stations have to be covered self-sufficiently. Train long days at altitude, test your fuelling strategy across seven hours, and plan clothing for the cold pass section as much as for hot valley kilometres.