Rodltal-Bergkaiser: Course, Elevation & Route Profile

Course & Elevation

The start is in Rottenegg at 281 metres, down in the Rodl valley. From there the course climbs without detour to the finish at the Gasthof Etzlberger at 525 metres. It is a pure point to point uphill time trial, with no circuit, no turnaround and not a single descent.

The 290 metres of climbing are spread over 7.6 kilometres, which averages under four percent. That is far shallower than an alpine ascent and changes the nature of the task completely: on this gradient you do not grind out of the saddle at your limit but ride in a fast, aerodynamically relevant range. Individual starts mean no draft, and position on the bike matters more than the elevation figure suggests.

Riders set off from 11:00 at one minute intervals, class by class, from women's masters through the men's masters and amateur classes to the licence-free Cycling 4 All entry. All of them ride the same course, which makes a direct comparison across every age class possible.

Pacing Strategy

On a climb averaging under four percent the correct effort control sits closer to a flat time trial than to a mountain race. Power should stay almost constant just above threshold across the whole 7.6 kilometres, and anything spent above that in the opening kilometre cannot be recovered on this gradient.

The second half decides the result. Because the road rises evenly and offers no recovery, from about kilometre four the only remaining question is how cleanly you chose your opening intensity. Riders who go out too hard from the start gate typically lose more than a minute there while the sensation stays the same.

The main trap is gearing and position. On a shallow climb the high speed tempts you into pushing a heavy gear and sitting up. Both cost time: hold a cadence around 85 to 90 and stay as low and as still as the gradient allows. The last 800 metres can be deliberately overspent, because no descent follows.

Training plan for Rodltal-Bergkaiser: 12-week build

For age-group riders the effort lasts roughly 15 to 25 minutes. That is precisely the window in which maximum power at threshold decides the placing, and it forgives neither an opening that is too hard nor a first half that is too cautious.

The demand is one single even effort slightly above threshold, with no accelerations, no draft and no pause. Because the gradient is shallow, air resistance genuinely matters here in a way it does not on a steep hillclimb, which makes the task half physiological and half aerodynamic.

What decides it is the ability to stay at the upper edge of what is rideable for about twenty minutes. Train that as the main content: two to three repetitions of eight to twelve minutes slightly above threshold with short recoveries, plus one session every two weeks covering the full race duration in one go while deliberately varying the opening intensity.

Two course specific priorities come on top. First, position: ride the intervals on a gently rising road in your time trial position rather than sitting upright indoors, because that combination of gradient and aerodynamics is what is distinctive here. Second, the start: an individual start from a standstill invites a far too hard opening kilometre, so it pays to rehearse the first three minutes repeatedly against a power target until the pace is right without looking at the computer.