The 45th Kitzbüheler Horn Mountain Time Trial took place in Kitzbühel. It was the first time I heard about the event, so I was curious to give it a go.
Even the location itself was special. We started at 805 metres above sea level and had to climb to 1,670 metres over a distance of 7.2 kilometres. That meant an average gradient of 12%, with a total elevation gain of 865 metres, and in places, the slope reached up to 22% (officially listed as 22.3%).
This photo shows what the road looks like in clear weather. But not wat I saw during the race.
For late July, the weather was unusually cold. It rained throughout the race, and the mountain was completely wrapped in thick fog. Since it was a hill climb time trial, riders were sent off one by one. My start time was 10:27.
For this race, I chose the Cannondale, as its lighter frame seemed like the smarter option on such steep gradients. The downside was the gearing. The Cannondale runs an 11-30 cassette, while my Orbea has an 11-34.
I was curious to see how riding at this altitude would feel. Back home in Hungary, our highest climb, Kékestető ends roughly where this race starts. From the very first metres, the mountain hit me straight in the face. The hairpins often kicked up beyond 20%, and with the wet tarmac, you had to stay focused, especially when getting out of the saddle to avoid losing traction or spinning out. The last thing you want is the bike stalling under you with the rear wheel just slipping.
We were riding through a cloud almost the entire time — visibility was down to around 10 metres. I knew this was likely, so it didn’t catch me off guard, but it was definitely unusual. The high humidity and the altitude made it noticeably harder to breathe — it felt like you had to bite into the air just to get enough oxygen.
I had to go full gas the whole way, but the unique setting and the atmosphere of the event kept the motivation high. Cowbells rang from the necks of grazing cattle on the hillside, bringing a touch of that classic Tour de France vibe to the experience.
The cable car that runs in a straight line from the start area takes about 30 minutes to reach the Alpenhaus – the finish line of the race. For me, it took 39 minutes and 52.76 seconds to get there by bike, which was good enough for second place.
Both the atmosphere and the prize made the event unforgettable. The trophy itself was a real eye-catcher, featuring Kitzbühel’s iconic mountain goat as a symbol of the climb.
The whole event was fantastic. I’ll be back next year if I get the chance.
