Gravel Heaven
Graz, Austria · Oct 24, 2023
A ride with a short adventure built into the start: a 40 minute train south to Leibnitz, then a gravel-leaning route back toward Graz. It rolls through the Styrian Wine Route around Kitzeck, a hilly patch of vineyards and rustic Buschenschanken near the Slovenian border, before stitching together field roads and finishing past the Schwarzl swimming lake. Of the three loops in the guide, this one offers the highest proportion of gravel.
Gravel Heaven is the ride to choose when you want the highest gravel share around Graz and do not mind a little logistics. It begins with a short train hop south from Graz to Leibnitz, a 40 minute trip that gives the day an adventurous edge. Trains run roughly every half hour through the week, but buy a separate ticket for your bike to avoid a fine. Then roll out of the small town and let the route carry you north again on dirt and quiet lanes. This is a point-to-point, so the train does the outbound work and your legs bring you home.
From Leibnitz the cycling path along the river Sulm leads to the picturesque village of Kitzeck, the heart of the Styrian Wine Route, a region tucked against the Slovenian border. This is hilly country, a patchwork of vineyards and Buschenschanken where you can stop for regional specialties and, of course, wine. The climbs here are honest but never serious, and each one pays out in long views and a satisfying downhill on the far side.
This route is one of Gerald Haueisen's picks from his Graz gravel guide, and of his three loops it serves up the most dirt under your tires.
After the wine hills the character shifts to open farmland, with the lovely gravel roads through the fields that give the ride its name. A few ups and downs lead into the best of the dirt, where roughly a quarter of the day rolls off-pavement and the riding feels properly rural. A short final climb then tips you back toward the city, passing the Schwarzl lake on the southern edge of Graz, a fine place to cool off on a warm day before the last stretch into town. After the quiet of the fields, this swimming lake makes a natural marker that the ride is almost done.
Pack tires with a bit of width and easy gearing for the field roads and the rolling vineyard climbs, though nothing here demands a dedicated gravel bike. The ride is at its best from spring to autumn, when the Buschenschanken are open and the wine route is in full swing. Above all, check the train timetable before you set out, since the schedule shapes the whole day and decides when you start in Leibnitz and when you finish back in Graz.
