It is certainly the largest, and very likely also the most extraordinary mass sport event for fans of the race against the clock: the ASVÖ King of the Lake. On September 21, 2024, 1,400 cyclists from 17 nations participated once again in the legendary individual and team time trials around Lake Attersee – including Olympic champion Anna Kiesenhofer, her World Tour colleague Carina Schrempf, Race-Across-America champion Christoph Strasser, and many top stars of the time trial scene from Austria and Germany.
What makes the competition so unique: Although primarily intended for hobby racers, true professional conditions prevail thanks to the completely closed-off route. While the 47.2 kilometers along the turquoise shores of Lake Attersee are beautiful on all other days of the year but firmly in the hands of motorized traffic, the lakeside road during the KOTL always transforms into the picturesque dream of every two-wheeled speed junkie – especially under conditions like those at the 14th edition in 2024: sunshine, pleasant temperatures, hardly any wind.
Once around Lake Attersee clockwise; 47.2 km, 280 m elevation gain
The KOTL in briefThe results at a glance
Alexandra Krenmayr crowned herself as the "Queen of the Lake" powered by Lenzing AG with a time of 1:11:42.89. For the men, Daniel Hochstraßer from the organizing club Atterbiker secured the title "King of the Lake" powered by Specialized with a time of 0:58:02.92. Elisa Winter (1:06:32.82) and Leander Scheer (0:59:53.14) claimed the "U23" titles powered by Raiffeisen Oberösterreich.
For the first time, an "Elite Queen of the Lake" powered by Lenzing AG was crowned at Attersee, and Olympic champion Anna Kiesenhofer took this inaugural title with a record time of 1:02:21.64. Julian Braun shone with a time of 0:55:59.20 for the fifth time as "Elite King of the Lake" powered by Garmin.
The cycling team Gaimersheim successfully defended its title in the 4-person team time trial powered by Autohaus Eder & Volkswagen and set a new course record in this class with a time of 0:57:50.70. In the 10-person team race powered by Oberösterreich, the victory went to the Cycling Team Schwingshandl thanks to a record time of 0:58:44.82.
Like the professionals
The 14th edition of the legendary time trial once again brought nail-biting seconds thrillers, burning legs, and a sensational atmosphere. Participants and spectators along the route experienced gripping duels as the athletes gave it their all to secure the coveted titles or "just" a personal best time. Those who couldn't be there in person still had the chance to experience everything up close thanks to moderated livestreams.
This spectacle was made possible by a strong team of around 150 personnel from the fire department, police, Red Cross, and 20 motorcycle marshals, who, along with the organizing team, ensured the safety of the participants and thus created the perfect setting for this unforgettable cycling event.
In the end, it wasn't just the new "queens," "kings," "princesses," and "princes" who were in the spotlight. The true highlight of the event was the beaming faces of all those who took on the legendary course. Among them: BB reporter Johannes Krenn aka dr.hannibal.
"The organization is really top-notch, there's nothing to criticize," he reports. "From the parking lots to the distribution of start numbers, to the culinary offerings in the festival tent and the coffees. There's even a Billa in the immediate vicinity. And there's an expo area where a lot of wicked gear, really cool stuff, is on display, or you can snag a bargain or two."
The first starting signal was given in Schörfling am Attersee at 1 pm, the last around half-past five. In between, first the 10-member teams – seven members must reach the finish line – and then the 4-member teams with 30-second start intervals went into the race. Subsequently, the soloists followed with 15-second gaps.
Strong together
21 ten-man formations started around the lake at an impressive pace right from the beginning, with two teams breaking the "sound barrier" of one hour. The victory in this class was secured by the Cycling Team Schwingshandl. With a record time of 0:58:44.82, they outperformed Team dranbleibER (0:59:57.69).
In the subsequent 4-man team time trial powered by Autohaus Eder and Volkswagen, there was a successful title defense. The Radsport Team Gaimersheim was able to improve on their previous year's time and rode to a new course record in this class with a time of 0:57:50.70. The quartet achieved a triple victory ahead of the second-placed Team TFD, which finished with a time of 0:59:44.48.
Kings, Queens and Commoners
In the women's individual time trial, the coveted title of "Queen of the Lake" powered by Lenzing AG remained in Austria. Alexandra Krenmayr, hailing from Schwanenstadt, was delighted to claim her first title at her home race with a time of 1:11:42.89.
"This is such a cool race, I can recommend participation to everyone. This is my fifth time starting, and it has always been my dream to sit on the throne here!" the 47-year-old rejoiced over her victory.
In second place, with a bit of a respectful gap, was Lena Lechl with a time of 1:13:26.34. Just behind her, Laura Meindlhumer completed the women's podium with a time of 1:13:34.09.
The race for the "King of the Lake" powered by Specialized turned into a thrilling drama among the men due to the extremely strong starting field. The most outstanding performance was delivered by local hero Daniel Hochstraßer, the reigning Austrian amateur time trial champion, with an impressive race time of 0:58:02.92 minutes.
"Everyone had high hopes for me, which was quite a lot of pressure. But I managed to turn it into positive energy. At the beginning, I didn't feel that fast, but halfway through, I realized it was possible. I'm happy that I could really deliver my maximum performance on the day. I've celebrated quite a few successes this year, but nothing was as beautiful as winning here in front of friends, family, and my club," the 32-year-old from Steyr cheered.
Second place went to Lower Austrian Nikolaus Svaza (0:59:10.03). Felix Hermanutz, the 2019 winner, was only a narrow 17 seconds behind Svaza in third place. The multiple Race Across America winner Christoph Strasser finished in 13th place with a time of 1:00:05.65.
That was by far the most beautiful victory I have ever had the pleasure to celebrate
King of the Lake Daniel HochstraßerAnd Dr. Hannibal? He fought, suffered, and enjoyed. "My start time was 16:03, but before that, I had to get the bike ready, get dressed, and warm up on the rollers.
Lining up ten minutes before the start is enough - professional conditions, of course!" he says.
"Shortly before it's your turn, you climb the stairs to the starting ramp and take your assigned place. You're held for clipping into the pedal, then a countdown begins - and off you go!
Thanks to the starting ramp, you can start right away with the big chainring and pick up speed quite well. Some have a lot of respect for the ramp, after all, people have already crashed there. One girl even said that once the ramp is conquered, the rest is easy.
As for the ride itself: The closed road with the incredible scenery is really mega awesome, especially since the weather was perfect again this year. With little wind, there are no excuses.
The first half is rather flat or flows smoothly. On the return trip, some hills begin that can really hurt - once even a 13° incline, but luckily only briefly. From there, it's about 5 km to the finish, and it's all in!!!
Unfortunately, I just missed my target time of 1:08 hours. 1:09:03 was what my Garmin 840 showed at the end, but also 383 meters of elevation gain. No wonder it took me longer if I have to ride 100 more meters of elevation than everyone else ;-)!
An incredible backdrop and some hills that can really hurt
The route according to dr.hannibalThe youth also had the opportunity to prove their leg strength again. At the third "U23 Queen of the Lake" powered by Raiffeisen Upper Austria, Elisa Winter once again crowned herself with a time of 1:06:32.82.
"It was such a great day and the weather was perfect, which showcased the beautiful area here even better. I achieved my goal of defending the title, and especially my personal goal of improving my time," said the 20-year-old Styrian, who secured the victory ahead of the German Anne Schmidhuber (1:08:18.88) and Lara Schönauer (1:20:51.43).
The title of "U23 King" powered by Raiffeisen Upper Austria, awarded for the fourth time, was claimed by the German Leander Scheer with a time of 0:59:53.14 after a spirited race.
"I am here for the first time and am thrilled by the great race and the organization. I was very pleased and somewhat surprised that I was able to break the 1-hour barrier," said the 19-year-old enthusiastically about his triumph. He narrowly pushed the Austrian Paul Viehböck (1:00:11.79) to second place, while Lukas Enzenhofer fought for third place with 1:01:23.60.
Olympic champion set a record mark
In the women's category, the debut of the "Elite Queen of the Lake" powered by Lenzing AG was celebrated. Thanks to the extremely strong starting field, there were duels that couldn't have been more exciting. At the end of the day, however, the premiere title went to the top favorite Anna Kiesenhofer. The Tokyo Olympic champion demonstrated her true class with a stunning time of 1:02:21.64, setting a new women's course record and relegating the strong German Lydia Ventker (1:03:57.94) to second place.
"I'm still amazed by the impressions. The race was really tough, but I paced myself very well since I still had power at the end. But I'm very relieved; as a professional, you do go into the race with a bit more pressure. The atmosphere was really great! And it's so nice that so many people, including amateurs, are at the start. That's what sports are about because any time can be a great time since you never know what someone had to do to achieve it. I'll definitely come back if it fits with my racing calendar," said Anna Kiesenhofer, enthusiastic about her first appearance at the ASVÖ King of the Lake.
In third place followed last year's queen Anna Kofler (1:04:43.06), who also started in the elite class. The second World Tour rider alongside Kiesenhofer, Carina Schrempf, was unfortunately plagued by bad luck and lost a lot of time due to a defect but still finished fourth in the women's elite field.
The battle for the title of "Elite King" powered by Garmin was hardly surpassed in drama. The question of all questions: Would four-time winner Julian Braun, who came second in 2023, be able to reclaim the crown?
And lo and behold: The German completed a spectacular lap around the lake and drove to his now fifth victory at Lake Attersee. With a sensational time of 0:55:59.20, he once again secured the coveted title ahead of the strong Dutchman Brian Megens (0:56:21.75).
"It's a very special feeling! After my second place last year, it's even nicer to be back on the top of the podium. It certainly doesn't get easier to improve the times, not even for me. It also depends a lot on the conditions, which were very good today," said the soon-to-be 29-year-old, overjoyed with his early birthday present. The third place was taken by the "King" of 2020 and 2021, Tobias Häckl, with a time of 0:56:56.43.
Unique
Thanks to comprehensive safety precautions and the discipline of all involved, the event went smoothly, making it a true cycling experience for participants and spectators alike, which could be fully enjoyed.
“It is indeed difficult to get a starting spot as the places are drawn. But participating here is really an experience—not only because there is otherwise such heavy traffic. The chance to have the road all to yourself in such a beautiful setting is unique and something every cycling fan should cherish. Who knows, maybe I'll be lucky again next year?” reflects dr.hannibal.
The organizers also drew a satisfied conclusion: “It was a fantastic day! The weather played along perfectly, leading to impressive times. The numerous sporting highlights and the electrifying atmosphere of the spectators made the race incredibly exciting. It couldn't have gone better,” said Erwin Mayer from the organizing cycling club Atterbiker.
Here are the results
The results at a glance |
Like the professionals |
Strong together |
Kings, Queens and Commoners |
Olympic champion set a record mark |
Unique |
Links |