King of the Lake 2025 Post-Review
22.09.25 08:13 4032025-09-22T08:13:00+02:00Text: PM, NoMan (translated by AI)Photos: Roland Scheichl, sportograf.comImpressive wattage, iron willpower, and a lake as an epic backdrop: On September 20th, the lakeside road around Lake Attersee once again transformed into the stage for the ASVÖ King of the Lake.22.09.25 08:13 5112025-09-22T08:13:00+02:00King of the Lake 2025 Post-Review
22.09.25 08:13 5112025-09-22T08:13:00+02:00 PM, NoMan (translated by AI) Roland Scheichl, sportograf.comImpressive wattage, iron willpower, and a lake as an epic backdrop: On September 20th, the lakeside road around Lake Attersee once again transformed into the stage for the ASVÖ King of the Lake.22.09.25 08:13 5112025-09-22T08:13:00+02:00
1,400 cyclists from 22 nations took on the 47.2 kilometers of the completely closed course and delivered thrilling second-by-second duels from start to finish.
The toughest and at the same time most beautiful time trial in Europe
ASVÖ King of the LakeAmong the women, Astrid Lamprecht rode to the new Queen of the Lake title in 1:07:42.22, while local hero Daniel Hochstraßer once again claimed the King of the Lake title with a new record time of 0:57:39.53.
The junior crowns went to defending champion Elisa Winter (1:05:25.02) and Matthew Dodd (0:56:16.79), both setting new U23 course records. The Elite Queen category also provided excitement in its second year – Lydia Ventker claimed the title with 1:03:22.80. In the men's elite category, Dutch professional Brian Megens crowned himself with a time of 0:55:58.81.
Team spirit reigned supreme in the team competitions: The Radsport Team Gaimersheim secured victory in the 4-person time trial for the fourth time in a row (!) with a time of 0:58:31.53. In the 10-person competition, RH77 Factory Racing set a new benchmark with 0:57:52.61.
Attersee became a sports arena
In nearly midsummer temperatures and radiant sunshine, the course was in perfect condition. The atmosphere along the lake was electrifying: every curve, every climb, and every sprint section brought excitement as the athletes battled for seconds and meters.
Around 150 personnel from the fire department, police, and Red Cross, as well as 20 motorcycle marshals, ensured safety and a smooth operation.
The high-caliber starting field once again demonstrated why the King of the Lake is considered one of the most significant time trials in Europe: Among the participants were extreme cyclist Christoph Strasser, luge Olympic champion Felix Loch, extreme cyclist Philipp Kaider, snowboard Olympic champion Benjamin Karl, time trial specialist Julian Braun, and former Bora professional Marcus Burghardt. From thrilling duels in the elite field to impressive performances by up-and-coming riders, every race category guaranteed excitement – making the KOTL once again an event that captivated both sports enthusiasts and athletes alike.
Course record at the start
The team events kicked off at 1:00 PM, with three 10-person teams breaking the "sound barrier" of one hour. The victory in this category was secured by Team RH77 Factory Racing featuring René Haselbacher, Reto Hollenstein, Matthias Krizek, Felix Ritzinger, Stefan Rabitsch, and professional snowboarder Benjamin Karl. With a record time of 0:57:52.61, they triumphed over last year's winners, the Cycling Team Schwingshandl (0:58:00.10), and Team dranbleibER (0:59:19.81).
Next up was full throttle in the 4-person team time trial. In this category, there was a third consecutive successful title defense: The Radsport Team Gaimersheim managed to secure the victory in this category for the fourth time in a row with a time of 0:58:31.53. Silver went to Team next125 Hackl-Lebensräume, while third place was claimed by the quartet from Team Plasmatreat - RTS Electronic 1 (1:00:08.91).
Astrid Lamprecht crowns herself as Queen
In the women's individual time trial, the coveted title of "Queen of the Lake," powered by Lenzing AG, once again went to Austria. Astrid Lamprecht, from Völkermarkt, celebrated her first coronation at the ASVÖ King of the Lake with a time of 1:07:42.22.
"I am very happy that I was able to win here. I participated for the first time in 2016, back then as a professional. Then I had children, and now I wanted to give it another try in the amateur class. I even improved my time. The race is simply unique – the closed-off course, the scenery, the length of the race – it's just fantastic here," said the Carinthian, delighted with her victory at Lake Attersee.
In second place, with a bit of a gap, was the Dutchwoman Larissa Drysdale with a time of 1:09:34.80. Third place went to Vienna's Victoria Achtig with a time of 1:10:41.46.
Hochstraßer defends title with course record
The race for the title "King of the Lake" turned into a gripping thriller. From the very beginning, pure excitement was delivered in the extremely strong starting field. Daniel Hochstraßer, defending champion and local hero from the organizing cycling club Atterbiker, impressed once again in 2024 with a sensational time of 0:57:39.53, setting a new course record in the men's amateur category. "
It was an incredibly tough race from the start. I started a bit too fast but eventually managed to find my rhythm. When I crossed the finish line, I thought I had fallen behind. But when my wife told me that I had set a new course record and won, it felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders because this race and winning here mean so much to me," said the 33-year-old from Steyr, celebrating his home victory.
Second place was taken by the 2023 Hungarian "King," Daniel Szalay (0:58:03.39). Dominik Tantscher finished third, just 23 seconds behind Szalay.
Hat-trick for Elisa Winter
The youth also had the opportunity to prove their leg strength at the 15th edition of KOTL. For the third time, Elisa Winter crowned herself as the "U23 Queen of the Lake" and broke her own course record from last year in this category with a time of 1:05:25.02. The 21-year-old Styrian triumphed ahead of the two Germans, Anne Schmidhuber (1:07:28.41) and Clara Sophie Nitschmann (1:10:04.38).
Among the U23 men, the Briton Matthew Dodd matched her feat with a time of 0:56:16.79. "It was a tough race, but I knew from my first participation two years ago how I had to pace myself," the 22-year-old expressed enthusiastically about his triumph. He relegated Adrian Stieger (0:57:06.00) and Benjamin Eckerstorfer (0:57:17.78) to the following places.
Lydia Ventker and Brian Menges dominate professionals
In the „Elite Queen of the Lake“, the competition was equally intense. Thanks to the exceptionally strong field of participants, there were duels that could not have been more thrilling. At the end of the day, however, the title went to last year’s runner-up, Lydia Ventker. The German athlete secured the win with an incredible time of 1:03:22.80, just ahead of the strong U23 „Queen“, Elisa Winter. In third place followed the 2023 „Queen“ Anna Kofler.
The battle for the title of „Elite King“ turned out to be even more dramatic. Ultimately, it was the Dutch professional Brian Menges who claimed the victory. With an extremely impressive time of 0:55:58.81, he secured the coveted crown ahead of the strong up-and-coming King Matthew Dodd and Adrian Stieger.
Cycling Festival of the Highest Class
The 15th edition of the ASVÖ King of the Lake once again proved: This event is not just about seconds and times – it’s a true cycling festival. 1,400 athletes from all over the world transformed the Attersee lakeside road into a vibrant racing arena, while spectators were able to experience every turn and sprint live.
For those who couldn’t be there in person, a moderated livestream provided close-up insights into the action. The organizers were thrilled with the unique atmosphere, the sunny late summer weather, and the strong sense of community both on and off the course. “An all-around perfect day: top performances from the athletes, exciting duels, and a fantastic atmosphere among the many spectators – it couldn’t have gone better,” summarized Erwin Mayer from the Atterbiker cycling club.
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