The Osttirol region is the southwestern corner of Austria. It may not be the most famous region when it comes to biking, but it offers 2 interesting bike parks and network of around 600 km of bike trails. One of the best place for biking in Osttirol is Bike Park Lienz, which is located in the city of the same name. Today we invite you to a report from trails of Bike park Lienz.
Osttirol – Lienz
Osttirol, or East Tyrol, is a small mountain paradise in which the Hohe Tauern and Lienz Dolomites are located. A small town – Lienz is the heart and capital of the region. It lies in a deep valley and is surrounded by massive peaks, most of which exceed 2000 m above sea level. In winter, this region attracts primarily skiers. In summer, some of the infrastructure is used by hikers and bikers. Within the city of Lienz, on the slopes of the Hochstein mountain, there is the Lienz Bike Park. It is also accompanied by numerous hiking trails, the Ostirodler mountain railway and many other attractions. This place is definitely not the largest or most popular Austrian resort, but it definitely has its charm and advantages. Getting from Warsaw directly to Lienz takes about 12 hours, most of which is via good network of highways. However, you need to pay special attention not to confuse it with the Austrian city of Linz, which is located in the north of the country.
Bike Park Lienz
Bike Park Lienz is located in the western part of the city, on the slopes of the Hochstein mountain. In total, we have 4 different trails available along two lifts. By Austrian standards, these numbers are not very impressive. However, it must be taken into account that ride up with both lifts allows you to overcome 815 meters of elevation. The longest combination of 2 trails gives You almost 9 km of nice descent. And if you add various alternative options, it turns out that this is the place for lot more than just couple simple runs.
Bike park Lienz – Infrastructure
The lower lift station of the Lienz bike park is located close to one of the city’s main streets. So there’s no problem getting here. There is a large parking area available. If it fills up, the second one is located right next to it, on the other side of the street. There is also a small pumptrack on site, which can be a perfect warm-up option. There is also a Bike Bar with a small shop and bike service. Like any decent bike park, there are washers for bikes and basic tools available. At the Bike Bar after the ride you can have a beer and eat some snacks. On site there is also a bicycle rental service that have selection of great Specialized E-bikes. There are also toilets on the premises. In short – there is absolutely everything you need here. Also there is a large supermarket and a pizzeria nearby. If you plan to spend more time in a bike park, a convenient solution will be to stay overnight in a nearby guesthouse, e.g. Gasthof Schlossberghof, which we can recommend, as a perfect “bike friendly” place.
Bike park Lienz – Lifts
There are 2 lifts for transport up to the trails of the Lienz bike park. The Schlossbergbahn, which is a modern cable car with gondolas and chairs, starts from the parking lot. Both variants are comfortable and, of course, adapted to safely transport bicycles. The lower lift takes you quickly and efficiently to the intermediate station. There, you can either take one of two descent options or continue higher on the Hochstein II lift. The upper chairlift is quite an old one, which, let’s be honest, is not a speed demon. It takes a lot of time to climb it, but it covers almost 500 meters of altitude and takes you to the start of the crown route of the Lienz bike park. The longer way up is deinitely worth to take. The chairlift is of course, equipped with appropriate bicycle holders.
Bike park Lienz – Trails
In total, we have almost 12 km of trails with 4 variants at our disposal. Only one of the trails is the blue-easy variant. The next two are red, are intended for more advanced bikers. There is also a short but very interesting black section, which is very difficult. Two trails are located along the lower lift and another two along the upper lift.
Bike park Lienz – Family Flow – Blue flow line
Family Flow is intended to be an easy route that is passable even for amateur bikers. At the same time, those who are more experienced will find plenty of alternative lines and additional take offs that will allow for nice air time. I didn’t check this trail at all before the first ride, and this variant surprised me very much. The main line is pretty gentle and offers a lot of rollers, tables and well-shaped berms. It quickly turned out that when I released the brakes and started using alternative take offs, this trail turned into an amazing jump line. If I had to make 2 or 3 approaches to some of the jumps on the Family Flow trail, it meant that it wasn’t very easy. However, it is definitely worth combining all these additional options. The line is floowy and very pleasant, although I had to put a few cranks in at a few points. However, it is possible that it was a matter of the fact that the day before my visit it rained a bit and the ground conditions were not the fastest possible. The Family Flow Trail begins right where the Peter Sagan Trail ends. From the upper station of the lower lift, you have to ride a bit on gravel road, but numerous signs and arrows make it easy to get to. The end of the route is slightly above the historic castle. There You need to stick to the variant shown on the maps and in a moment You will be back at the lower station of the lift via a short asphalt access road.
Bike park Lienz – Alban Lakata Trail – Red DH/Flow line
Another route of the Lienz Bike Park is the Alban Lakata Trail. This is a trail for advanced riders, with steep sections, a lot of bumps and more natural obstacles. There are also several jumps with gaps. If you ride it at a leisurely pace, this trail can be relatively easy, but if you push harder, this variant can really show off its strength. After the first descent, I was not impressed by this variant. The berms already had soime brake bumps and the ride was pretty bumpy. However, when I stopped treating this descent as a smooth flow line and started attacking it more like a DH route, I quickly changed my opinion about it. Technical jumps, drop into the berm and other interesting elements make faster riding this variant very interesting. The Alban Lakata Trail starts right next to the upper station of the gondola lift and ends at the bike bar and parking lot at the bottom.
Bike park Lienz – Peter Sagan Trail – Red Flow Line
Personally I do not know much about Peter Sagan person, but I’m connecting him with road cycling rather than with gravity riding. I don’t quite know where this trail name came from. Anyway, Peter Sagan Trail is a long and twisty flow line with lots of jumps, berms and interesting step ups. Although most obstacles can be safely ridden thru, the trails is marked in red. If You want to jump here, the obstacles can be demanding. Already after After the first turn, there is a step-down, immediately followed by a large gap jump. There are many different flights on this trail, including a rhythm section leading to a high and steep table jump. Some of the take-offs and landings are very wide for great transfer options. There are also a few flat spots on the trail, where You must work to keep up the momentum, but they are not long. One of the middle sections has interesting short turns off the gravel road. You have to keep a high speed there, and then you can fly very nicely. The Peter Sagan Trail starts at the upper station of the Hochstein II chairlift. The end of this route is where the Family Flow trail begins.
Bike park Lienz – Welcome to the Jungle – Black DH/Enduro natural
Welcome to the Jungle is a relatively short variant which you can take when riding the Peter Sagan Trail. It is not without reason that this is a difficult variant marked in black. This entire section is on a steep descent full of roots and rocks. Only in a few places small support berms has been built, the rest is completely natural. The section is quite wide and has a bit of a freeride character. Personally, I crossed it with a different line and in a different way each time. A great challenge that nicely diversifies riding on the red flow line Peter Sagan. If you like technical riding on natural terrain, this is a much more interesting option than the main flow line, which at the moment consists section with berms. I liked this variant very much and I rode the entire Peter Sagan line only once. For the next descents I always chose the Welcome to the Jungle variant. The only time I wouldn’t recommend it is when it’s wet. Then I strongly advise you to stick to the profiled turns of the main flow line.
Bike park Lienz – My visit
Despite the not very big trail network, Bike park Lienz is interesting place. It took me some time to unlock all the options to fly. Fortunately, on the days when the lifts were not working, I managed to verify the trails on the Turbo Levo rented on site. On Saturday, when the both lifts were operating, I already had a good idea of the terrain, knew the obstacles and could focus on having fun on my enduro bike. Initially, I thought it was a place for one day of riding, but in the end it turned out that it was definitely better to have more time here. Bike Park Lienz will certainly be appreciated by advanced people who are not afraid of jumps and various transfers. Flow variants are really interesting and once the lines are fully unlocked they are giving a lot of fun. The Family Flow despite the mellow name is definitely not to be missed. A very nice addition to this is the Alban Lakata DH trail and the great Welcome to the Jungle variant. The only small problems are the pretty slow upper lift and the fact that sometimes You must work pretty hard to maintain good speed. This second issue may be due to the rain the day before my ride. The clay in the corners was a bit tricky and possibly a lot slower than when it’s dry here. Overall, considering the end of the season, the trails were in good condition. There were some braking bumps at times, but it was nothing major. I had a great time here and I can really recommend this bike park!
Bike park Lienz – When to visit and bike pass info
Contrary to the rainy forecast just before our visit to Osttirol, the end of September turned out to be kind to us weather-wise. We have already heard that rain forecasts are very rarely accurate here and if it rains, it rains only briefly in the evening. Ultimately, it rained only once during our six-day stay, for half a day. All the most up-to-date information regarding prices and opening hours can be found at official web site of bike park. In the 2023 season, Bike Park Lienz operated from mid-June to the end of October. Outside the high summer season, the center is open only from Friday to Sunday. However, you must also take into account that these are the opening dates of only the lower lift. The upper chairlift, which takes you to the start of the Peter Sagan Trail, operates only on weekends outside the high summer season. A day of riding at the Lienz bike park in 2023 costs EUR 40. However, this resort also accepts Gravity Card.
Lienz – City and attractions
The city of Lienz as the heart of the Osttirol region, although not very large, has many attractions to offer. Right next to the bike park there is the historic Schloss Bruck castle. In the bike park, at the level of the transfer stations, there is a large mini-golf course, a mini zoo and an adrenaline park. The Osttirodler mountain railway also starts from there. From the lower ski lift station, you can have short walk to the very center of the city. There are numerous cafes and restaurants. The city prides itself on the fact that, despite its location between high Alpine peaks, it has a Mediterranean atmosphere. Lienz is also an ideal starting point for exploring the Hohe Tauern National Park, and from the south the city is also surrounded by the impressive Lienz Dolomites.
Osttirol – On Bikes
During our stay in Lienz, we also visited the nearby Grossglockner bike park, more about which soon. Besides two great bike parks, we had e-bikes at our disposal. Thanks to them we went on the Zettersfeldrunde scenic route, which we extended a bit and rode also to the Steinermandl peak for some amazing views. We also managed to visit the Tristacher See lake, which offers a pleasant swimming area in summer. We also went for a nice ride along a part of the Drauradweg route, a long-distance trail along the Drawa River. The Osttirol region offers many more well-marked and organized bicycle routes for cyclists of various skill levels and interests. The easiest way to find the right option for You is at Osttirol official web page.
More of our articles about Osttirol region:
- 43ride – Osttirol – Grossglockner bike park
- Travel blog Bałkany rudej [PL] – Lienz i okolice – praktykalia
This article was made with cooperation of 43RIDE with Rasoulution and Tourismusverband Osttirol.
About Osttirol
Osttirol, or East Tirol, is surrounded by 266 peaks with more than three-thousand meeters of elevation. The Hohe Tauern Mountains rise on one side and the Lienz Dolomites on the another. Thanks to this, it is a travel destination at any time of the year. It’s a true paradise for outdoor fans. There are 2 bike parks and an impresive network of 600 km of various trails for bikers.
Oficial web site: osttirol.com
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