A hill climb promises maximum climbing fun and a personal performance test at the same time - here you can really see how many watts you can put on the pedals. Tactics play no role for the majority of the starters - all that counts is the personal battle against the steep road and thin air. This is exactly what makes the Glocknerkönig so appealing: a personal test of strength against Austria's most famous climb.
There are two variants on offer: the classic route with 1672 metres of ascent and the ultra variant with 1815 metres of ascent. After the start in Bruck, you have around ten kilometres to get into the swing of things with a low gradient percentage. The warm-up phase ends abruptly at the Ferleiten toll station: from then on, the Grossglockner High Alpine Road climbs upwards in long ramps.
Top events 2025: Brutal climbs on the Glocknerkönig
The gradient rarely falls below 10 per cent, and on the ultra variant it peaks at up to 14 per cent. The following hairpin bends all have their own name. If you hit the first climbs full of euphoria, you will soon regret it. The ultimate mental test awaits in the "witch's kitchen" at the latest: if you lift your head all the way up, you can recognise the destination - but the road there still seems endless.
At the Glocknerkönig, the top group needs around 80 minutes to cover the 1672 metres of altitude on the classic route. The traditional finish is at the Fuscher Törl. The Ultra variant adds the altitude metres to the Edelweißspitze at 2571 metres above sea level.
The most important information at a glance
- Date: 1 June 2025
- Start location: Bruck an der Glocknerstraße
- Route: 27.3 km/1672 metres in altitude or 28.9 km/1,815 metres in altitude
- Costs: 75 Euro
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