What began as a small MTB race for extreme bikers is now, less than a quarter of a century later, the biggest sports festival for the mountain bike community in the whole of Austria. More than 5,000 bikers from over 40 nations will meet again in Bad Goisern on 13 July 2019 to celebrate the annual ride to hell and back together with spectators and sports enthusiasts. No problem when hell is as beautiful as the mountain and lake landscape of the Salzkammergut, which offers an unimaginable variety of leisure and sports opportunities between alpine pastures and lakes, peaks and valleys.
The road through hell is 210 kilometres long
1998 is year one in the history of the Salzkammergut Trophy. And even in the year of the event's birth, the lovely picture-book landscape of the Salzkammergut showed its claws to the bikers. Back then, 220 participants took to the start line, and the extreme route threw half of the participants off course on its first appearance. The "Trophy" quickly gained the reputation of being one of the toughest mountain bike marathons in Europe. Development has not stopped in the years since then: new routes and new classifications have been added and the Trophy team endeavours to offer the right challenges for beginners and hardened pros alike every year. Seven different distances are available again in 2019. 22, 37, 53, 74 and 119 kilometres, plus the technically demanding "All-Mountain" route over 55 kilometres.
And of course the legendary extreme distance for the 900 toughest bikers under the sun. However, the sun is only just rising when these men and women gather on the market square in Bad Goisern at five o'clock in the morning. The first birds are just beginning to sing as they silently concentrate on what lies ahead of them: 210 kilometres in the mountains of the Salzkammergut, a total altitude difference of a monstrous 7119 metres. By the time the last of them cross the finish line, the sun will have gone to sleep over Bad Goisern. Then the successful participants will receive the black A-distance finisher shirt that has achieved cult status in the scene. And the wisdom that half of the participants had to accept back in 1998 still applies: the feat of "finishing" is not always achieved on the first attempt. It often takes several attempts before the extreme distance bends. And in addition to physical strength and endurance, it also requires a good dose of mental strength. But the eleven refreshment points and the numerous spectators along the route, especially in the fan zones, push the bikers to peak performance.
A bike festival that is second to none
From small beginnings, the Salzkammergut Trophy has blossomed into an event that is not only an annual must for many athletes. The Trophy weekend has become a big festival, with one highlight after another. And it's not just the classic mountain bikers who have their stage. The unicyclists are now just as much an integral part of the programme as the e-bikers who have been competing in the Bosch eMTB Challenge for several years now. The youngest of the competitions is the Cyclocross Marathon powered by Dachstein-Salzkammergut.
A supporting programme accompanies the Trophy throughout the entire race weekend. Bad Goisern is a must for anyone who wants to keep up to date with the latest developments in mountain biking. The Bosch eBike Testival offers the opportunity to extensively test more than 100 e-mountainbikes from various manufacturers throughout the weekend. The sports equipment can either be tried out on a signposted test track - or on one of the guided e-MTB tours under the expert guidance of local guides. The charms of the Salzkammergut are shown to their best advantage on a sunset ride. The E-MTB riding technique training with former World Cup rider Greta Weithaler is also very popular.
The bike fair with its 90 exhibitors is also one of the focal points of the Trophy weekend. Here you can find the latest products and developments in mountain biking, including the opportunity to shop on the spot - from technical equipment to trendy sportswear. There will be special offers and competitions at many stands. Test bikes - both with and without motors - are waiting to be put through their paces. However, many amateur cyclists particularly appreciate the opportunity to chat to the professional team mechanics and pick up a hot tip or two for setting up their own bikes.
On Friday, the bikers prove that they know how to party as well as compete. The "pre-race party" with a live act in the marquee is the traditional start to the weekend. The happily completed marathon is then celebrated on Saturday from 11 p.m. in the covered courtyard of Neuwildenstein Castle with the legendary "After-Race-Party" - marathon-like until the early hours of the morning.
Bosch eMTB Challenge
The route for e-mountainbikes has been part of the Trophy programme for several years, including in 2019 with the Bosch eMTB Challenge supported by Trek. The starters can choose one of three categories. In the "Amateur" and "Advanced" categories, six uphill and downhill sections must be ridden for time without prior training. In these sections, there are lines of varying difficulty to choose from, which are marked in blue and red and can be freely selected depending on the rider's ability. On the transfer routes between these sections, ten checkpoints marked on a map are to be ridden without time pressure. Participants in the "Explorer" category ride around the scoring sections and cover the approximately 30 kilometre route as a tour. This gives families, partners or groups the opportunity to get a taste of the racing atmosphere. Incidentally, anyone who does not yet have their own e-MTB can hire their racing equipment from some of the Bike Expo exhibitors. In addition, the Bosch eMTB Challenge in Bad Goisern will once again be combined with the competitions in Riva on Lake Garda (ITA), Solothurn (SUI), Willingen (GER), Innerleithen (UK) and Avoriaz, Portes du Soleil (FR) to form its own race series.
Cyclocross marathon as a new side event
The Trophy team always has an open ear for the scene in order to pick up on trends and new developments and to be able to offer new routes and competitions. For example, it has been possible to compete on fatbikes or tandems on all routes for several years now. The most recent competition, the Cyclocross Marathon on 13 July, is in line with the gravel bike trend. The course is 63 kilometres long, leads over 2076 metres in altitude and is almost identical to the classic C-distance. Two thirds of the route runs on gravel and forest roads - ideal for cyclocross and cross-country bikes. The Hallstätter Salzberg was removed from the route last year at the request of many race participants. Incidentally, the cross-country cyclists set off from Obertraun in their own starting block.
Slow motion scoring - the last will be first
The SlowMo classification is something very special: not the fastest, not the biggest, but the "slowest" group can win the big prize at the Trophy on 13 July. After the race, the times of all team members are added together. The team that has travelled the longest in total wins. Teams that send a large number of participants into the race are therefore at an advantage. They should cover as long a distance as possible and ideally reach the finish line just before the time limit. Great prizes worth more than 20,000 euros await the winners.
1100 volunteers in action
Apart from the breathtaking scenery, the bikers and their companions can expect a well-organised event. To ensure that the athletes find a perfect environment, the Salzkammergut Trophy will once again be supported by almost 1100 volunteers. Because the safety of the Trophy participants has top priority.
Registration and route information
The 22nd Salzkammergut Trophy will take place from 12 to 14 July 2019. All information and registrations at www.trophy.at
