The 2nd Schöckl Bike Test Festival: The Tausender is here.
Two days on the Schöckl, and one thing is clear: the 2nd Biketest Festival was, if official statements are to be believed, a “resounding success”. And yes, it certainly was a full house, at least as far as the number of people milling about on the mountain was concerned. 18 and 19 April were all about mud, suspension travel and the smell of fresh brake pads heating up. The weather even played along – for the most part.
There were test bikes galore, and the big-name brands had brought out all their top-of-the-range models. For anyone who wanted to find out what 150 mm of suspension travel feels like before pulling out their credit card, this was certainly a good opportunity. After all, you rarely get the chance to take a bike for a few laps that costs more than a decent small flat on Grieskai.
But the real highlight was, of course, the opening of the 1000-metre enduro trail. It’s finally here, the thousand-metre trail! After all the announcements and the talk, you can now actually ride it. And yes, it delivers. Anyone who thought the Schöckl was only for hikers and Sunday day-trippers was proven wrong. The trail is crisp, technical and a real blast. You no longer have to drive all the way to Slovenia to burn off some serious altitude on the descent.
Getting there was, as always, a bit of a challenge – parking at the Schöckl is a mystery – but anyone who knows the mountain knows: the journey is part of the experience. At the top, the usual crowds at the gondolas and lifts, but the atmosphere was good. Everyone wanted to get up there, everyone wanted to give it a go, everyone wanted to ride the new trail. You could see that Graz definitely has a mountain bike scene that doesn’t just do its laps at Plabutsch, but also wants something ‘real’ now and then. The Murradweg was surprisingly empty on Sunday – probably because everyone was up on the mountain. Or recovering from the exertions. You don’t have to overdo it straight away.
Were you at the Schöckl too and did you rock the 1000? Show us your muddy tracks! #bikegraz on Instagram or Bluesky.
