Leogang is the oldest bike park in Austria. We were there and tell you which tracks are worthwhile - the descriptions can be found on the following pages:
1st World Cup-worthy: The Speedster
2. bouncy castle - Flying Gangster
3rd flow shower: The Steinberg line
4th Alpine experience: Hangman 1
5th speed track: Hotshots
- Bongo Bongo
- Black leo
- Matzalm
- Antony
- Forester's yard
1st World Cup-worthy: The Speedster
The world's fastest racers compete on this downhill run in Leogang every year. The character of the course: rough, selective, difficult.
If anything in the UCI World Cup is here to stay, it's the stop of the World Cup circus in Leogang. The Downhill World Championships will even be held here in 2020. However, if you ask in the paddock, the course is not exactly one of the favourites of the professional racers. The reason: too much bike park character. But perhaps that makes it the ideal DH descent for us amateur racers!
Officially, the descent is called Speedster and starts from the middle station as the Jumpline Flying Gangster. After a smooth 3-person tableline, the descent leads to the actual UCI course just before the many wooden berms. Terrain steps, bends with loose rubble, gap jumps that can be avoided, steep sections and root fields require a high level of concentration and a skilful choice of line. Around the middle, the DH track uses the same route as the Flying Gangster, a high-speed passage with some quite wide table jumps, then turns back onto its own track with a sizeable gap before returning to the jump track. Our favourite segment comes after two XXL wooden berms. This is where the track gets really rough, steep and challenging. Determination and a good eye for the ideal line are also required in the following stone field. Then comes the final steep descent with a big finish jump - done! The fastest racers complete the entire descent in under three and a half minutes. Wow!
Conclusion:
The Speedster has remained virtually unchanged for years, yet the course is what modern downhill descents should look like in our eyes: a mix of rough DH terrain and jumps. It's challenging, exhausting, rumbles and gives you feelings of happiness! Definitely big bike terrain!
Plus
> Airtime
> Lots of variety
> Fast
Minus
> Risky for hobby bikers in wet conditions
For whom?
> Racers
> Downhill fans
Favourite bike:
> Bigbike
2. bouncy castle - Flying Gangster
For many, the Flying Gangster is the epitome of a red freeride route. It is one of the original routes, but is it still up to date?
The Flying Gangster is the favourite of park visitors in Leogang, because everyone has fun here. Unfortunately, that's what all airtime-loving bikers think. Because they need the momentum for the many jumps on the jump track and are annoyed by park novices who block the track as rolling obstacles. The only drawback of the track: the passages in steep terrain with rapidly appearing braking grooves.
The Flying Gangster is a red descent. Red sounds very pleasant. But if you want to take all the features by train, red becomes deep red or even grey. From the middle station, it's down into the valley with challenging table jumps; some a little too long, some a little too short, but still fun. Jumping experience is required here. Especially because of the often slippery crushed sand. Not so much fun: the steep sections where the track reduces height in loops instead of being fun. The centrepiece of the course: the long, fast straight with lots of table jumps. Experts can jump over wooden ramps in the XXL jump (be careful in windy conditions!), while those who are hesitant are better off taking the smaller jumps. Our very own fun: the jump over the bridge. If you get stuck here, you pay for the next round. Also great fun: the fat wooden landings, which take you out very high with a subsequent step-down. After that, unfortunately, it gets rather boring as the gradient becomes really steep. You just curve down, wear out brake pads and scrape over brake grooves. There are three old-school drops in the forest. We only recommend the small one. The others feel twice as high as they actually are.
Conclusion:
The Flying Gangster is a challenging jump route. It is wide and mostly leads down into the valley on crushed sand. However, the many braking grooves on the rather bland berm sections are annoying.
Plus
> Airtime
> Long
> Many features
Minus
> Braking grooves
> Last berm passage
> Old school drops
For whom?
> Airtime friends
> Freeriders
> Jump junkies
Favourite bike:
> Bigbike
3rd flow shower: The Steinberg line
The Steinberg Line starts at the summit, is brand new and forever long. Is it the flow trail we've all been waiting for in Leogang?
Leogang has created five new routes - most of them single trails. In our opinion, the Steinberg Line is the most successful. It starts from the mountain station and is aimed at curve fans and flow addicts.
For beginners, park newcomers or single trail fans, the offer in Leogang has been rather meagre so far. The operators wanted to change that - and they succeeded! Ideally with the Steinberg Line. It starts right at the top of the mountain and curves down into the valley for an impressive ten kilometres. The earth is still soft and velvety because it is so fresh - this creates flow and the tyres purr through the many berms. Here you can push your Enduro into dips and rock through turns until the centrifugal force beguiles the senses. In our eyes, the flow route can certainly keep up with the parade flow route Flow Country on the Geißkopf - that's a big compliment! On a straight section along the slope, the track becomes so narrow that you have to concentrate on your steering to avoid rolling down the slope. This passage is not without danger for beginners! After the beautiful cornering delirium, the trail ends on a gravel road and leads into the Hangman 2 trail, which is rather bland in direct comparison. It's only at the very bottom that you can scrape the bend and return to the independent route to the Steinberg valley station. If the cable car is in operation (Thu-Sun), it's easy back up again, or you can traverse back to the Asitz cable car on cycle paths.
Conclusion:
The Steinberg Line is a successful flow course with countless fun berms, bumps and loop turns. Great: the varied route layout - it never gets boring. Top!
Plus
> Flow!
> Good curve radii
> Variety
Minus
> Second part of the route
> Sensitive to wetness
For whom?
> Beginners and experts
> Flow track fans
Favourite bike:
> Trailbike, Enduro
4th Alpine experience: Hangman 1
Hangman 1 starts from the mountain station - first flowy, then steep.
Hangman 1 leads from the mountain station towards the middle station. The character of the route alternates between a nature trail and a northshore descent.
We love the start of Hangman 1, which undulates along the mountain ridge with steps, roots and small jumps - the gradient is gentle, the flow high. The first Northshore element gets the pulse racing: a drop about 1.5 metres high. If you leave the brakes open after that, you'll make it over the gap that follows. And again and again roots. They require a trained eye when choosing your line. The trail then leaves the forest and swings down the ski slope in wide bends, becoming exciting again at a small wood. Here there are three 1.5 metre high wooden jumps in a row: a boner log, a drop and another boner log. All the jumps are well dimensioned - you should slow down slightly for the drop in the centre to hit the landing. After that, Hangman 1 turns back into a natural trail - the last section of bends on the meadow is for bikers who want to work on their cornering technique. Good: Hangman 1 ends at the start of the fun Flow-Link jump trail. Incidentally, the following Hangman 2 did not convince us at all - it has hardly any stunts and is simply boring.
Conclusion:
Hangman 1 is a varied nature trail with lots of roots. Fun: the few but well-built Northshore elements.
Plus
> Flowy
> Versatile
> Flow link to the middle station
Minus
> Last passage
For whom?
> Endurists
> Trail bikers
> Fans of nature trails
Favourite bike:
> Enduro or big bike
5th speed track: Hotshots
The Hotshots wants to be a Canadian-style jumpline. But the descent from the middle station is too fast and rough to be really fun.
The idea is great: an extra-wide jumpline with lots of table jumps - the A-Line in Whistler is a prime example. Trails like this are supposed to lift bikers into the air with ease and fill their veins with dopamine. Can the Hotshots do the same?
Airtime is an exhilarating experience. There are few things that feel as exhilarating as leaping into the air on a bike, hovering and landing again - magic! The Hotshots aims to create this exhilaration. It starts quickly with a long straight - too quickly, in our opinion. This is followed by long table jumps that match the speed of the course. The jumps are rather flat and shoot the rider forwards more like a cannonball than weightlessly upwards. This is a pity, because the coveted airtime sensation is hardly ever realised. The high speed paired with the rather rough surface also makes the air numbers more dangerous than necessary and encourages more frequent braking manoeuvres - because nobody wants to crash here. The result: braking grooves. On the Hotshots, you therefore have to hold on tight to the handlebars. Some of the tables are well dimensioned, some are too long, a few are too short. Good: the hip jump in the upper section. This is where you really get that coveted Whistler airtime feeling. Whilst the upper part of the hotshots is better, the lower part looks uninspired. In our eyes, the jumps on the rather short follow-up trail Flow-Link are better. However, we have to admit that we are very critical of jumplines, as we know the best in the world.
Conclusion:
The Hotshot is a jump course with lots of table jumps. The course polarises. Some are happy: airtime at last! Others take a rather critical view of the combination of lots of speed with flat jumps because it is dangerous and offers little airtime sensation.
Plus
> Wide piste
> Curve radii
Minus
> Rough surface
> Track concept
> Low stunt density
For whom?
> Freeriders
> High-speed fans
Favourite bike:
> Bigbike
FURTHER INFORMATION
Other trails in Leogang: Bongo Bongo, Schwarzleo, Matzalm, Antonius or Forsthof.
1 Rider's Playground is what the people of Leogang call the area near the valley station. Here there are drop batteries, table lines, a fun boner jump (photo), bag jump and a brand new pump track. The pump track will be the venue for the World Championship qualifiers during the BIKE Festival (13-15 September).
2 The Schwarzleo Trail is a tame, short singletrail descent in the forest. It curves down into the valley on crushed sand in many turns. Ideal for beginners and families.
3 Roots, steps, stones and mud: the Matzalm trail is a black natural descent - sometimes slow, sometimes fast, but always very selective. We liked it very much. Caution: It gets scary when it's wet! Annoying: The last section is on the road. The Steinberg cable car runs from Thursday to Sunday - otherwise you have to plan a long transfer back to the Asitz cable car.
4 Short but sweet! The flow link is just 800 metres long, but the course concept is better than the Hotshots: moderate course speed paired with many small but well-built jumps.
Saalfelden Leogang
The bike park in Leogang can be reached in two hours from Munich. In addition to the main trails, there is also a bag jump, kids' course, beginners' course and the Lumberjack slopestyle course. The BIKE Festival takes place here in September. There's a fan weekend in October. The UCI World Championships will be held here for the second time in 2020.
INFO
Routes 10
Lift Gondola (Asitz cable car), Steinberg cable car, Thursday to Sunday
Hire / Courses Yes / Yes
Season End of May to end of October daily
Opening hours 9 am - 4 pm
Day ticket 44 € (adults), 33 € (young people), 22 € (children), one free ascent if you stay overnight in Saalfelden Leogang.
More info at bikepark.saalfelden-leogang.com
CLARTEXT
Wolfgang Watzke:
"Leogang is worth a visit. However, the tracks sometimes lack the finishing touches. You can't always trust the track speed, but have to adjust your speed from time to time to avoid overshooting or casing the landing."
Laurin Lehner:
"The new trails are successful and are a great addition, especially for single trail fans and beginners; the old trails are tried and tested. However, I do have one gripe: I can't do anything with Hotshots and Hangman 2."
Dimitri Lehner:
"There used to only be challenging routes in Leogang. That's different now - very good! With the new tracks, it feels like the bike park has doubled in size. I still always have to laugh about the high drop in the forest (Flying Gangster) - so old school and unnecessarily dangerous!"
Tim Folchert:
"My favourite is the downhill. But I also liked the rooty Matzalm trail because it's nice and challenging. However, it's a bit of a bummer that it leads down into the valley on the road for a long time at the end. If the Steinberg cable car isn't running, you have to pedal ten minutes back to the Asitz cable car."
Downloads:
Laurin Lehner
Editor
