Road cycling in Austria’s “Bucklige Welt”

Bucklige Welt dream region: gain altitude on lonely back roads

Fed up with the same old training circuit? In Austria’s “Bucklige Welt”, a dense network of half-forgotten side roads awaits road cyclists eager to explore – and rewards riders with dreamlike views around every bend.

On some roads, you have to share the mountain with a thousand others. In Austria’s “Bucklige Welt” you have 1,000 mountains to yourself. “Where the Alps ebb away towards Hungary, in Lower Austria lies an almost forgotten region with a finely woven network of back roads - and countless hills that promise many metres of altitude,” Europe’s biggest racing bike magazine raved in a cycling travel report. Nevertheless, Austria’s “Bucklige Welt” remained an insider tip. Low-traffic, scenic – a paradise for pleasure cyclists and serious athletes alike.

1,000 hills – and 1,000 possibilities

In the “Land of 1,000 hills”, even frequent riders always discover a new little road here or there. There are plenty of metres in altitude on almost every tour – even if you are usually “only” at an altitude of between 400 and 800 metres. If you feel like it, you can extend your trip in the direction of Semmering, Burgenland or Styria. A quick stop to keep that hunger at bay? On the way, there are stops in almost every town for a quick cappuccino or thorough carb-loading.

One day is not enough

Fancy a few more kilometres? Numerous hotels and guesthouses have their own offers for racing cyclists, above all, the bike expert, Krumbacherhof. There, the “cycling host”, Andreas Ottner, offers guided road bike and mountain bike tours. And generously shares the insider tips of the local scene with his guests.