Austria Road Trip with King of the Lake 2025

Season Finale at the King of the Lake Time Trial

Recently, it was time again—the time trial season came to an end. At least for me and most others, and we aero-helmet types traditionally like to do this at Lake Attersee during the King of the Lake (kotl.at), once around the beautiful late summer Attersee at what is at least Europe’s largest time trial.

Stopping? Not Yet!

Beforehand, and because people still ask me about this, yes, I mentioned a year ago that I was thinking of stopping, and I really believed it at that time. Namely, until I was at 100 kilograms. Now I handle it like all bands from the ’90s that also talked about their “last concert” but are now back on tour: I just ride when I feel like it because something would be missing without it. Not as fast as before, but as long as it doesn’t sound like Axl Rose, I can live with it—although my best result this year was probably a third place. And if I don’t feel like it, the weather is bad, or I come up with another excuse, I just don’t ride, see below.

The KOTL and Me

The KOTL holds a special story for me, and for a few years now, I’ve also been marketing the sponsor packages for the Atterbiker, so Friday evening always kicks off with the partner kickoff. This year, there was also a whole fireworks display of top athletes with world championship and Olympic victories, who don’t necessarily and primarily come from cycling but still wanted to give it a go on the 47 kilometers. I didn’t recognize the faces, but I have no idea. Among others: Felix Loch, Benjamin Karl, and with Philipp Kaider, an Austrian who won the Race Across America this year. One of them apparently got so hooked that he now wants to become a pro cyclist at the age of 30. Wishing you the best of luck, young man, you’ve already got the right helmet 😉.

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Taking It Easy

Saturday always starts a bit leisurely, and it really kicks off at 1:00 PM when the road around the lake is completely closed, and with the 10-man and 4-man teams, a total of 1,400 people hit the course. It always starts in 15-second intervals with two starting corridors and works surprisingly well. I haven’t noticed any drafting at least.

Quick Ride Turned Scenic Tour

This year, I actually took a slightly different lap around the lake and paid more attention to the other starters, the beautiful scenery, and the people in the cheering zones and lakeside resorts along the route. Because after about eleven minutes, the little devil on my shoulder won over the angel, and I spontaneously stopped pedaling and pulled over to the right. That’s the luxury when you’re semi-retired and a sports privateer—and have realized that it doesn’t really matter whether you ride for one hour and one minute, two minutes, or ten minutes. It doesn’t sound like the essence of time trialing, but it felt quite fitting at that moment. Once out of rhythm, it’s over with the colorful chase.

Consequence: A Different Perspective
I experienced the race from the outside, watching everyone else screw themselves into the asphalt with knives between their teeth and, for example, bombing down the roller-coaster-like sections in the south of the lake in aero position with head (and sometimes eyes) down. Or I finally shouted something to the guy who cheers me on every year at the climb in Unterach. I don’t know what, but still, thanks for being there every year, buddy!

A Relaxed Time Trial

On the second half, I wouldn’t have minded if there had been a beer wagon at one of the town passages; I probably would have stopped there too. Then I remembered my colleague Granadia, who started twenty minutes before me with the racing bike, completely wired with cameras for the livestream, and I had agreed with him the night before to do something on the course, so I gave it some gas at the end.

Time for the Videos

If you’ve always wanted to see the complete livestream for long sessions on the trainer in the coming months, you’ll find it here.
YouTube Video
And if you want to see the 47 kilometers from the rider’s perspective, including all the struggles on the second half of the course filmed from the bike, visit Mr. Granadia on YouTube and check out my rear end in the last kilometer as I pass him. I’m the one with the neon yellow helmet (see from 1:23:20).
YouTube Video
The condensed highlight video of the event is already online, you can find it here.
YouTube Video
So, and if you’re already itching for the 2026 race, I highly recommend my KOTL guide for free download at my shop.
Link to Guide

Nach dem KOTL ist vor dem KOTL: Mein KOTL-Guide

So, und wer jetzt schon für das 2026er Rennen mit den Füßen scharrt, dem sei nochmal mein KOTL-Guide zum kostenlosen Download bei mit im derbaranski.shop ans Herz gelegt. 

Swimming in Lake Attersee

For me, the KOTL ended with a smile, no big fuss, directly at the finish line with a big beer, and then with rolled-up suit directly in the lake. Nearly 30°C air and 20°C water temperature made it possible, and in hindsight, I should have done that in the last years too. In total, I was in the water five times during those days, and it was just great because at home in Hamburg, it had already been a good month of autumn.
A Proud Achievement
What I can definitely confirm: After 3.8 kilometers of swimming, it’s not that easy to get back into the vertical. Especially when the exit is as slippery as at the marina at Lake Attersee, where boats are usually pulled out.

Worauf ich im Nachgang fast ein bisschen stolz bin, sind die 250 Watt für einen immer noch knappen 40er Schnitt. Wobei ich sicher die Hälfte der Zeit am Basislenker gefahren bin, um zu winken. So richtig schlecht war das offenbar alles nicht von der Position und Material. Mehr geht da aber immer. Vielleicht ja 2026 wieder.

Results and More

If you’re interested in the results, here is the list of individual starters with TT bikes. Results Link

And if you want to get a cool time trial vehicle like Daniel, you can do that at my shop. And because you’ve been nice and read all the way down here, there’s a fat 10{ede87e2b6b7ec35409166576a2251fcad2ac50faad4b902e97ed34aff05f0ff6} off your next order at my shop in October. This applies once, from a shopping cart of 50 euros, is not combinable with other discounts, and is valid with the code “Lorne” or this link. Link to Shop

Specialized Social Ride with Christoph Strasser

In Lorne, Australia, the UCI Masters World Championships will take place from October 16 to 18, where the young man from Vöcklabruck is, at least for me, one of the hot candidates. The thumbs are already crossed from here!
Social Ride After the KOTLAfter the KOTL and the evening near the tap in the festival tent, it went on Sunday morning with Mr. Strasser from Graz on the social ride with Specialized. They are his sponsor and, thankfully, also a main sponsor of the KOTL for a full four years. Especially in these times of great lamenting in the bicycle industry, that’s a great thing from Morgan Hill, respectively Holzkirchen, many thanks for that to Michael Richter and his crew. And yes, next year we’ll both ride faster around the lake again! The date will move one week later to September 26, 2026.

Heading to Vienna

I’ve always wanted to go back to Vienna, and, watch out, dialect, this year it finally worked out. First, I was still with my colleagues from Bikeboard in Wiener Neustadt (it’s different from Vienna), and then my wife, dog, and I made the 10th and other more or less wild districts unsafe until summer was finally over, and it rained all day.
#TimeTrialTuesday RideOn #TimeTrialTuesday, there was still a highlight: a ride from the bike shop mountainbiker.at, starting first along the Danube and then through the Wienerwald (no, not the fried chicken shop!) back down to Vienna, after the Dopplerhütte was climbed beforehand. Thanks to Thomas from the shop for guiding and the pictures.

Thanks to Washboy

Thanks also to the former national champion in the sprint, Mr. Waringer aka washboy_deluxe for the track, i.e., the one on Komoot and Strava. Unfortunately, he was so full of anticipation and probably a bit nervous that he fell down the stairs shortly before and broke his legs. But he still limped by briefly to wave. Well then, to a better Gran Canaria in 2026, Muchacho.

Final Highlight: Night RideFinal highlight for me on the ride: descending through the forest to Vienna in the dark and then dealing with streetcar tracks at the city entrance, oh boy!

Final culinary highlight on the last evening: a real Wiener Schnitzel, away from the tourist traps, of which there seem to be more in Vienna than anywhere else. Thanks to Mr. Granadia for the supervised eating.

Finally, a big thank you to Sportograf, Christoph Strasser, Fotorika, Thomas Lechner, and Roland Scheichl for the photos. And thanks again to the Atterbiker team for the fantastic event every autumn!