The Bike at Klagenfurt: Two Rolling Laps That Decide Your Marathon

The course in a nutshell

Two laps of roughly 90 km around the Carinthian lakes, returning to town at the halfway point. The stated elevation gain in recent editions is in the 1,400-1,600 m range: check the official 2027 map before making final plans. It's not a flat course and it's not a mountain course. It's a rolling course: constant ups and downs, real climbs (the Rupertiberg is the one most mentioned in race reports), fast descents and recovery straights.

The trap is exactly that alternation. The straights invite you to push, the climbs break your rhythm, the descents gift you average speed. Riders who only watch their average speed on lap one usually pay for all of it on lap two.

Pacing: lap one is a test, lap two is the race

The number to tape to your bars: 70-72% of your FTP on the first lap. No more. The pass through town at halfway, with the crowds clearly visible from the center, is a beautiful and dangerous moment: the adrenaline spikes, and so do the watts. Resist.

What to do in practice:

• Climb at a steady effort: on the Rupertiberg and the punchy risers, don't exceed your normalized power target. Gaining 2 minutes on a climb costs 15 minutes in the marathon.
• Re-accelerating after descents: this is where free time gets lost. Train it in your build: descent, corner, progressive re-acceleration with no spikes.
• Second lap: if you've paced well, hold steady here. If you feel like a rocket at 120 km, you're probably doing it right. If you feel like a rocket at 60 km, you're doing it wrong.

Gearing and equipment

With repeated but not overly long climbs, a compact or semi-compact chainring with an 11-30 or 11-32 cassette lets you climb seated at a high cadence and save your legs. Mid-depth wheels (40-60 mm) are a sensible choice: fast enough on the straights, manageable on the descents if wind or rain shows up.

The weather is part of the course

June in Carinthia means sun, heat and Alpine thunderstorms can all show up on the same day. The race info sheet lists 18-28 °C air temperature, but an afternoon storm can change everything: wet tarmac on the descents, temperature plummeting.

Concrete plan:

• Put a rain shell and lightweight gloves in your T1 gear bag. They weigh nothing and can save your race.
• Check the forecast the night before and set your descent strategy: if rain is forecast, plan to lose 2-3 minutes on the descents and win them back with a cool head in the marathon.
• Practice the clothing change in training: pulling on a rain shell with cold fingers is a skill, not a detail.

How to prepare for it

From now until race day, swap generic long rides for rolling routes that replicate the profile: 60-90 minute blocks with 5-15 minute climbs at race pace, descents and re-accelerations. Two or three times before the race, do a long ride of 4-5 hours with the last hour at your second-lap power target, followed by a 20-30 minute brick run. If you hold the pace there, you'll hold it on June 13.

The decision to make now: set your wattage number for the first lap and write it down. On race day it's non-negotiable.

Note: sections and elevation gain refer to the 2023-2026 editions. Check the official 2027 map before the race.