The Ötztal Cycle Marathon cooperates with the Tour of Austria. The Ötztal Cycle Marathon Community Ride takes place for the first time on 12 July. This enables cycling fans to take part in the fourth stage of the Tour of Austria from Innsbruck to Kühtai. The start is at 10:00 am at the Acherkogelbahn valley station in Oetz - the route leads via Oetzerau and Ochsengarten up to Kühtai - directly to the highest point of the stage. Arrival on the closed route in Kühtai is planned for around 12:00 noon. This means that participants will be able to experience the first passage of the pro race live. According to the timetable, this is expected from 12.45 pm - the finish is expected from around 2 pm. The stage can also be followed on an LED screen. Tour director Thomas Pupp calls it a "summit meeting with the pros" and hopes for a lively turnout. Participation is free of charge.
Tour of Austria in Kühtai
On 12 July, the penultimate stage of the Tour of Austria takes place. The start is at the Landhaus in Innsbruck and there are 117 kilometres and 3,500 metres of climbing on the day's programme. With Kühtai at 2,000 metres above sea level and the Ötztal Sattele, there are two mountain classifications in the HC category. A total of four mountain classifications - in addition to Götzens and Kühtai Bergbahnen Dorfstadl - and two sprint classifications in Inzing/Freudenthaler and Telfs are on the programme. From Innsbruck, the route is flat through the Inntal valley to Telfs and back via Kühtai for the first time. This is followed by a rapid descent to Ötz with a loop and the final ascent to Kühtai via Ötztal Sattele.
Ötztal Cycle Marathon in Kühtai
On 31 August 2025, the starting signal for the 44th Ötztal Cycling Marathon, one of the most challenging mass sports events in cycling, will be given in Sölden. Participants can expect a 227-kilometre route with a total of 5,500 metres of elevation gain. The route leads over the Alpine passes Kühtai, Brenner, Jaufenpass and the dreaded Timmelsjoch. With 25,280 registrations from 50 countries, the organiser has recorded an all-time high. Heike Klotz from the organisation management emphasises that the aim of this year's edition is to attract more women to the event. With 459 female starters, there are almost 20 per cent more women than last year.
Ötztal Cycle Marathon on stream
ÖRM TV will start on 16 July with the first programme at 18:00, in which this year's finisher jersey will be presented, among other things. Further broadcasts will follow on 13 August and 29 August. On 30 August, the drivers' briefing will be streamed live before a 15-hour live day awaits viewers from 6:15 am on race day itself. Last year, the livestream recorded 113,216 views. In addition, there is a monthly podcast by Marco Brugger, in which he talks to guests such as former ski star Thomas Dreßen about cycling topics and training progress.
Ötztal routing
The Ötztal Cycle Marathon leads over four challenging Alpine passes: Kühtai (2,020 metres), Brenner (1,377 metres), Jaufenpass (2,090 metres) and Timmelsjoch (2,509 metres). The total distance is 227 kilometres with 5,500 metres in altitude. The start is at 6.30 am in Sölden. Nine SKODA electric vehicles will be used as support vehicles along the route. Several refreshment stations will provide refreshments for the participants.
Kristian Bauer
Editor
