ÖTZTALER Cycling Marathon – Lukas Kaufmann
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to participate in the ÖTZTALER Cycling Marathon for the 4th time. In the Ötztal, it rained on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday – but yesterday, we had perfect weather.
At the start at 6:30 AM, it was still a bit cold, but by the time I was climbing up to Kühtai, I was nice and warm – after that, we still had Brenner, Jaufenpass, and Timmelsjoch (2474m).
The route is a total of 227 kilometers and 5500 meters of elevation gain. My personal best for the Ötztaler has been 7:15 hours since 2023 – back then, the race was in July and I hadn't ridden Race Across America beforehand. That's why I'm so happy and motivated that I was able to deliver a great performance from start to finish yesterday.
After 7 hours, 22 minutes, and 30 seconds, I crossed the finish line overjoyed as 43rd out of over 4000 starters from all over the world.
The atmosphere at this race – sensational! Not only at the start and finish but also on all the climbs, hundreds of people are always there, cheering you on.
Now I'm really looking forward to the KITZBÜHELER Cycling Marathon next Sunday!
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