The organisers of King of the Lake have recorded 1,600 entries for the 16th edition – a first. The race starts on 26 September at 1.00 pm in Kammer/Schörfling. Participants from 24 nations are travelling to the event to take part in the individual time trial around Lake Salzkammergut.
King of the Lake Team Time Trial
The 10-rider team time trial, powered by Upper Austria, gets the race underway at 1.00 pm. Twenty-six teams are taking part, including defending champions Team RH77 Factory Racing, led by René Haselbacher. The results are based on the best seven team members; at least seven riders must cross the finish line.
105 teams will be competing in the 4-man team time trial, powered by Autohaus Eder & Volkswagen. Team Radsport Gaimersheim 1 has already won this category in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Former professional Marcus Burghardt will also be competing as part of a four-man team.
Battle for the crowns at King of the Lake
Defending champion Daniel Hochstrasser will face Julian Braun at the KOTL powered by Specialized, with Braun competing in the amateur category for the first time. Hochstrasser is the time trial world champion in the 35–39 age group, whilst Braun is the world runner-up in the 19–34 age group. The 2023 Hungarian winner Daniel Szalay, who finished second last year, rounds off the line-up of favourites. Hochstrasser, a member of the organising cycling club Atterbiker.at, is aiming to defend his title in the rainbow jersey.
In the women’s race, Anna Kofler has held the course record of 1:03:51.03 since 2023. She will be up against last year’s third-placed finisher, Victoria Achtig from Vienna, and the 2024 winner, Alexandra Krenmayr. In the Elite Queen category, covering the full 47.2 kilometres, record holder Anna Kiesenhofer (1:02:21.64) will not be taking part. Elisa Winter, a three-time U23 winner, will compete in both the Elite Queen and the U23 Queen categories.
Elite class and young talent
Max Walscheid of Lidl-Trek will be competing in the Elite King race. The German WorldTour professional and reigning German runner-up in the elite individual time trial is among the favourites. In the U23 categories powered by Raiffeisen, the young riders will be competing for the titles at the U23 King of the Lake and the U23 Queen of the Lake.
King of the Lake route
The B152 will be closed from 12.15 pm to 6.45 pm between the B152/Agerstraße junction and the B152/Schörfling bypass junction. The section from the Schörfling bypass to Unterach will be closed to traffic from 12.30 pm to 6.00 pm. The B151 will be closed from 1.00 pm to 6.45 pm between the Seewalchen motorway exit and the junction with the B152 in Unterach. From 17:25, the B152 behind the road maintenance vehicle may be gradually reopened.
150 emergency service personnel from the fire brigade, police, Red Cross and emergency doctors are on hand to ensure safety along the route. Four fan zones along the lake allow spectators to cheer on the riders. Attersee-Schifffahrt is offering additional boat services: Services 33, 34, 35 and 36 will operate on the North Circuit, whilst services 14 and 15 will operate on the South Circuit. Bus services on routes 564 and 596 will be suspended entirely between 12.15 pm and 6.45 pm. Buses on route 561 to and from Vöcklabruck will start and end their journeys at the Seewalchen Anton-Bruckner-Straße bus stop.
After the race, the prize-giving ceremony will take place in the marquee. This will be followed by the ninth Marina Autumn Festival. A live stream powered by Specialized, live updates and live timing are available on www.kotl.at available.
Kristian Bauer
Editor
