When you think about Vienna, the first things that come to mind are classical music, Wiener Schnitzel, old pompous buildings from another period and lots of cafés and cakes… Well, maybe it is time to add mountainbiking to that list.
My name is Helene, I was born and raised on the outskirts of Vienna, and have spent most of my life here, in between traveling the world to race world cups.
ANNINGER
One of my favorite riding spots, is located on the Anninger hill. The tracks are natural here, you will find rocks, roots, loam, technical and steep sections.
The smell and look of the dark umbrella pine trees, the limestone soil and the rock formations make you feel like you are in the Mediterranean area.
My favourite loop takes me up to the top of the hill, where you’ll find the start of the Kiental trail. The top of the trail is fast with lots of flat turns and off camber traverses but as soon as you get into the lower half, the trail changes completely and becomes rocky and rough.
The trail ends on a fire road that will you up to the Husarentemple and its black graded trail.
The view over Vienna is stunning from up there, and it’s my favorite place to get lost in time.
Don’t get too lost though, because the return to reality can be a tough one. Indeed, the Husarentempel trail is a rough trail, and you need to be well awake to tackle it, as it is made almost exclusively of rock, with the odd root garden here and there.
WEXL TRAILS
Time to move on to Wexl Trails, a short hour drive away from Vienna and I don’t exaggerate when I say it’s probably every mountain biker’s dream spot.
There is a bike park located on the lower part of the mountain, with a tow lift that covers an unimpressive 200 meters of elevation. Don’t be fooled by the size, the trails are built in a very efficient way, to minimize breaking, and maximize length. Really making the most of what the hill has to offer.
Every trail there is built with progression in mind. A perfect mix of confidence-inspiring trails suitable for riders trying to progress but which are also fun to ride and for more advanced riders.
When I am there you will mostly find me lapping all day long on the Jumpline or the DH track. These trails are the two most advanced trails in the park.
The jump line is a mix of tables, hips, step-ups and step-downs, linked together by the biggest smoothest berms ever. Some of the jumps are really big, but built in a very safe and precise way. It’s almost surprising how easy they are to ride for how big they are. Oh and don’t expect to find breaking bumps here, the trail is built to minimize breaking and the trail crew does an amazing job at keeping it in perfect condition.
The downhill line is the newest addition to the park and it is the shortest trail there as it goes almost straight down the hill. It isn’t too steep but is off-camber and very rooty almost the whole way, making it very challenging in the wet.
The bike park will entertain most riders for a while, but it is worth noting that the hill is much bigger and offers tours with incredible views over the surrounding mountains. And on top of that, there is the Wu Trail, a fun flowy trail at the very top of the Hochwechsel.
Although this tour is doable with a regular mountainbike, I would recommend doing it on an e-bike. If you have your own one, perfect! If not, don’t worry, head to the bike shop at the bottom of the bikepark and grab yourself one of their rentals for the day.
VIENNA
What better way to take a break in your riding week, than going for a day out in one the most beautiful cities in Europe?
My favorite way to explore the city is of course by bike! You can rent a bike reasonably cheaply at one of the many pickup/drop-off stations the city has to offer. This is great because you can drop off the bike anytime and anywhere if you want to go into a café or just walk around, and can pick one up again later if needed.
I like to follow the “Ring Strasse”, a street built in the 19th century, that circles around the “Inner Stadt”, the historical center of Vienna. From the Ring Strasse, you can easily pick your way between the historic Gardens, Palaces and Churches.
TRAIL AREA VIENNA NORTH
As the name suggests it is located in the North of Vienna. You can park in “Weidlingbach” at the end of the Dornbach Trail. The parking spot is marked on Trailforks. From there you can go either side of the valley to find good trails.
Let’s start with the southern side. That way you will find the Wurzel Trail 2.0. The old Wurzel Trail, an earlier mixed trail, has now become for hikers only and the Wurzel Trail 2.0 was built next to it for mountain bikes.
It drops into the woods with some nice turns and some root gardens, nothing too tricky but a very nice windy natural singletrail that uses the terrain to perfection to provide rollers and turns. It feels like a rollercoaster!
You can go back to the car for a quick snack before heading up the northern side of the valley. Here you will find another two trails, named Fun Line and Flow Line. Both these trails are much more man-made than the Wurzel Trail, with berms, jumps and rollers to spice up the ride.
TRAIL CENTER HOEWAND WIESE
Last but certainly not least is trail center Hohewand Wiese, also located in the North of Vienna.
The small hill is home to a summer sledge track, no less than ten super fun mountainbike trails, and even a small lift.
If you go there outside of the summer season, the lift is open for bikers. It will take you about halfway up the hill. From there, you can choose to lap the lower part of the park, or pedal to the top following the super smooth uphill line to get to the longest downhill runs.
Unfortunately, during the summer season, the lift is only for summer sledging, which will mean getting up the hill on your own power, or like us, with electrically assisted bikes.
At the top, you will find a nice chill area with benches and tables made out of pallets. The perfect spot for a drink or a chat in the shade.
From there, you have multiple choices on what to ride. From blue-graded flow lines to steep, off-camber downhill lines, and of course jump lines. If you know me a little bit, you will know that my preference normally goes towards airtime.
Today is no different and we drop into the Kenda Line, a flowy upper part with some intermediate size jumps that quickly goes into the Kenda Airline. This is when it becomes serious, big tables with steep takeoffs and landings, step-downs, and shark fins. The challenge is to keep the rhythm with the jumps and turns being tight together.
The feeling of getting it right and linking it all together is exhilarating and as the sun is going down, we can’t stop ourselves from going up again for another run.
