highlights and delights along the way
out of graz
after you have left the city in a styleful and gentle manner - no race, you remember! - the stiftingtalstrasse is the perfect warm up with a first little climb up to schaftalberg/prellerberg.
the following descent right down to volkersdorf may be a little chilly in the morning and ends directly at a crossing with the local main street. take care!
as the name bergstrasse suggests the next little climb up to königgraben starts almost immediately. at the end of panoramastrasse with its hopefully great panoramic views towards the "grazer hausberg" called schöckl and surrounding.
at the end of panoramastrasse turn left! prepare mentally to share the road for about 900m with some cars before leaving the local main street via a sharp right turn direction gschwendt. and after a few hundred meters turn left to kumberg.
coffee is ready
after having riden about 28km and nearly 500m of elevation with a nice little final ramp up to the top of picturesque kumberg your legs will be warm enough to let them cool down a little bit, while you are enjoying a wonderful cappuccino, a latte, an espresso or what else.
but keep in mind! the home made cakes are even better.
schöckl/angerkreuz is calling for climb No. 1 of the day - a 9 km long section with about 500m of elevation. after an easy entry passing schloss kainberg two steeper parts (10-12%) are challenging your legs. the first at 2.5k beyond kumberg, and the second at about 6.5k.
pace yourself and take the whole uphill stuff the easy way! calculate around 45 minutes to reach the summit in relax mode... and don’t forget to enjoy e.g. the views, the moment, nice breathless talks... (just kiddin!)
for all KOM/QOM hunters out there: you have to beat 22:54/34:44!
going down
on top of angerkreuz all 209ers please turn right direction arzberg via burgstall.
enjoy the stunning views.
don't forget to brake!
caution: rests of winter grit (streusplit) are possible!
all shorter versions go straight down to plenzengreith. take the first turn left direction semriach.
direction semriach
arrived down in arzberg turn left, left and left direction unterneudorf.
there a smooth 10k uphill segment for cycling connaisseurs begins. or in other words: climb No.2 with approx. 400 metres of elevation. (KOM 18:33/QOM 25:15)
after passing the unfamous small village of anger prepare for a short high speed descent that leads you directly into the heart of the more famous semriach.
enjoy the view! and congratulation! you have reached the most northern point of the
ride!
coffee please! and cake!
or pizza!
after 10k down the hill, turn right and please take care while pedaling a short passage on the B67 (Grazer Strasse) near friesach. some cars expected.
shortcut 2: pass freilichtmuseum stübing to get to gratwein. enjoy pasta at gasthaus ertl on behalf of mr. jangers invitation. take a little rest. and then... wake up again and ride to mittlere schirning.
things are getting tougher
but only a little bit!
after crossing the mur river (hello again!)
the next 20k are 99% uphill.
barely noticable in the beginning, but don’t panic!
the steepest part of the day is not too far away. it starts at around km 18. and although not very long, it is - let's say demanding.
but plesch with its altitude a few meters above the 1.000m mark is near!
and for all non vegans with appetite: schweinsbraten!
or why not sterz! (vegan, isn't it?)
take kehr!
definitley not our best joke, but we hopefully got your attention at this point. because halfway down the road from plesch you have to turn sharp right. and this should happen namely in – kehr!
after mastered this hairpin, enjoy the narrow roads down to schirning!
up again. and a little bit nasty too.
from mittlere schirning the road goes up again for 2k to st. oswald. (KOM 4:14/QOM 5:49)
follow the way left to schloss plankenwarth which you should have in sight almost all the time until you pass the castle.
after having done so, prepare for the most tricky right/left combination of the day (on a downward leading road)!
leave the intuitive direction and turn sharp right into the smaller hofpirkaweg! follow the steep downhill section with care, but only for 200m till you see a side road on the left side!!! (hidden directly behind the building on the picture)
if your brakes are fine and you stay focused we are confident you will catch the even sharper left turn an will finally end up at offenbachweg!
congrats!
it's worth the effort
by the way, effort...! a few short but steep, or should we say nasty ramps are challenging your legs at this point after a total of 108k in the long version, and 75 in the shortest so far.
but this tiny street is so beautiful! and the views! some say, this is the most unexpected spectacular part of the ride!
so take your time! take a deep breath and look back - after you have stopped! you will not regret it! and neither will your legs.
ups... this is does not aplly for our kom/qom hunters 4:30/6:23
only a few more kilometres and you will be rewarded with the most relaxing part of the ride which will lead you from steinberg/oberberg down to hitzendorf.
and then 95% flat to söding and mooskirchen.
have we mentioned the small hill up to stein shortly before söding? an ideal uphill sprint for KOM/QOM aspirants!
the zen part
just a small berg!
having crossed the autobahn reaching fluttenberg it’s uphill time again. not very long, not very steep, but refreshing! kniezenberg we are coming!
on top stay left and pass treitlerwirt
no existing culinary experiences so far handed down! FYI there is an ostrich-farm (straussenfarm) farm nearby. just said!
heading towards pirkaberg and st. stefan ob stainz!
there turn left...
stainz
st. josef
the secret village
but it will get even stranger! in dietersdorf turn right and than left into schloßstraße. but what sounds so lovely ist contrasted by a spooky little village called mühlried. you will not find this place on any official map, nor will you meet any inhabitants there. guess why? and find the answer while passing it (entering is prohibited) on the way up to pöls an der wieserbahn. there turn left heading via lamberg, kühberg, which represents the most southern part of the ride, to weitendorf and kraftwerk mellach. take the R2, the first real radweg of the day towards the north! our special tribute to the tour de mur, an event which is - has anyone said strange?
once you have reached kalsdorf it's time to meet an old friend again. hello mur! or should we say sad old river at this point? form
your own opinion!
hotspot
the way to fernitz is short and straight but heavy traffic may occur.
there the main square, also called the purkarthofer eldorado, is our last collective stop. the right place for an icecream! or a cake. or a soup. you name it!
if the weather is fine, and it will be, this will be the first mass spectacle of the day. beside the start.
if everything went the way we suggested so far, you have (without shortcuts) mastered about 170k until this point and with exception of a few more metres of altitude almost all of todays elevation gain!
shortcut 5: follow the R2 to get to graz within 14 flat k's in half an hour. could be crowded!
from heaven back to graz
the rest is a beautiful and gentle ride first to hausmannstätten and than after a left turn (caution!) in wagersbach up to himmelreich. if heaven really looks like this! but that's another story ...
another höhenstrasse, another steinbergstrasse and another steinberg are leading you to lassnitzhöhe (a luftkurort with a little bit too much traffic). this last section offers you beautiful if not spectacular views esp. toward the schöckl area. you remember?
this is, where an eternity of a few hours ago the ride and you were still fresh as the beautiful morning on an early spring day! (a service for all poetic minded riders)
to keep things short at the end of a long day: hönigtal, schillingsdorf and then on the right and steep
down to stiftingtal (direction mariatrost/caution: bad road in the beginning!)
now inbound to graz!
slow down as soon as you reach the city again. you may be a little tired and you will find way more people on the streets than in the morning.
make your finish of the ride around graz a safe and relaxed one!
and don't forget to enjoy the last kilometres of it.
you have at least over 200 reasons for doing so!
great! epyc! and prost!
