GRAVELING IN SOUTHERN CARINTHIA
Lake Wörthersee in Carinthia is a real grab bag: for the chic elite, it is a hotspot. For many, the STAR Night on Lake Wörthersee—Austria’s biggest music spectacle—is an annual summer highlight. For others, however, Lake Wörthersee is a unique natural gem and an idyllic family region offering countless picturesque spots and an incredible panorama of mountains and lakes, far away from the jet set. A little lifestyle and a lot of Carinthian joie de vivre are always present in the sunny south of Austria. This is not only due to the Mediterranean-Alpine climate in the southern Alps, but also to the proximity of Italy and Slovenia – all within a day’s trip. Gravel bike events such as Jeroboam Austria are also gradually attracting more and more gravel bikers to the diverse region, where tours can take you across the country through mountain streams or past breathtaking lost places in the Carinthian hinterland.
Gravelbike Wörthersee T2 | Gravel Speedway Rosental
The Gravel Speedway Rosental, one of the region’s signature gravel routes, also crosses borders – and does so in brilliant fashion: the moderately difficult gravel route offers 86 km of pure cycling pleasure, peppered with cultural and scenic highlights such as Rosegg Castle, the Celtic World of Frög, and the old Plescherken gold mine tunnel. The Drau Cycle Path, which has been awarded 5 ADFC stars, also features on the route through the Rosental valley south of Carinthia and through the Seen valley. The rugged Karawanken mountains form an impressive backdrop and separate us from Slovenia.
On the way back to Velden am See, we cross the gently rolling Keutschacher Seental valley. Several small lakes are hidden here – time for a swim!
UCI Gravel Race in Velden
Oh, and if you can’t wait until the end of September for the Jeroboam Austria – part of the international Jeroboam Gravel Challenge Series – you can already mark the UCI Gravel Race in Velden am Wörthersee in your calendar. Austria’s most important gravel bike event and qualifying race for the UCI Gravel World Championships kicks off the gravel season in the south of the country in April. Around 2,000 participants from more than 40 countries and approximately 8,000 spectators are expected at the event on the lake. In addition to the competition for professionals, there will also be challenges for ambitious amateur gravel bikers and a Gravel Bike Expo. And, of course, plenty of STAR attractions and top-class entertainment… just as you would expect at Lake Wörthersee.
