Ötztaler Radmarathon Training Plan & Preparation

Course & Elevation

The course starts and finishes in Sölden, looping through the Inn valley, the Wipptal and the Passeiertal. Out of the start, the road rises in four staggered ramps – the longest just over four kilometres – up to Kühtai by kilometre 47; with roughly a quarter of the route climbing and close to 30 percent descending, the profile is restless from the first hour.

A long, flat drag over the Brenner follows before kilometre 140 brings the Jaufenpass: a 15-kilometre uninterrupted climb, the first genuinely hard test of the day. After the descent into the Passeiertal, the closing climb to the Timmelsjoch begins around kilometre 185 – a gentler lower section first, then steep closing ramps up past 2,400 metres, just short of the highest point on the loop.

More than 16 percent of the entire route sits in especially steep climbing or descending sections, a higher share than comparable Alpine loops. A long descent from the pass returns riders to Sölden; over the full circuit, climbing and descending net out almost exactly, so nothing is given away at the end.

Pacing Strategy

The pacing trap sits in the first third: the four staggered ramps to Kühtai tempt riders to match moves in the bunch and burn matches early, even though the Jaufenpass and the Timmelsjoch – the passes that actually decide the race – are still to come. On the long, flat drag to the Brenner, sitting in and saving energy pays off far more than answering surges; no race is won there.

The race-deciding section is the Jaufenpass at kilometre 140: 15 uninterrupted kilometres with no let-up, the first point after more than 100 kilometres that separates riders with reserves from those without. Push it too hard and there's nothing left for the Timmelsjoch.

The closing climb itself asks a second pacing question: its flatter lower section invites riders to lift the pace too early, before the steep final ramps above 2,400 metres actually arrive. Staying even there rather than attacking keeps the long descent back into Sölden under control.

12-Week Preparation

For a competitive age-group rider, total time in the saddle runs from around nine to over twelve hours – with more than 7,600 metres of climbing over 227 kilometres, the Ötztaler Radmarathon sits among the longest single-day efforts on the calendar. The demand shifts through the day: the long, steady climbs to Kühtai and especially the uninterrupted 15-kilometre Jaufenpass call for sustained aerobic output with few changes of rhythm, while the steepest sections – over 16 percent of the route sits in this range – trigger short anaerobic surges.

Long, technical descents add a further demand, testing concentration and descending skill rather than raw power after hours in the saddle. Two sections decide the race: the Jaufenpass at kilometre 140, which after more than 100 kilometres already separates riders with reserves from those without, and the closing Timmelsjoch climb from kilometre 185, which asks for another long, partly steep effort at the end of a full day before the final descent into Sölden.

Preparation should therefore favour long rides with climbing loaded into the back half, rather than front-loading the vertical. Targeted intervals on sustained 15- to 45-minute climbs build the specific fitness for Kühtai, the Jaufenpass and the Timmelsjoch, while descending under fatigue – for example at the end of a long ride – sharpens the technique needed for the second half of the day.

With summits above 2,400 metres and a late-August date that still brings summer heat to the lower valley sections, some deliberate heat exposure for the lower-altitude stretches is worth building in too.