SINGLETRACK SYMPHONY
Helene Fruhwirth tells us about the great riding spots within easy reach of Austria’s capital
Ah, Vienna. Home of Mozart, schnitzel and... great riding? That’s what local shredder Helene Fruhwirth reckons. “We have a lot of good spots,” she says. “The hills of the Wienerwald [Vienna Woods] have the perfect elevation for enduro loops and natural, flowy singletrack, and there are jump lines, too. You can find every style of riding here.”
One of Helene’s favourite locations is the Anninger, a mountain south of the city, which has great natural tracks filled with rocks, roots, loam, technical sections and steeps.
Recommendations here include the Kiental trail (aka Canadian trail), which has a fast, flowy top section with flat turns and off-camber traverses, followed by a rough, rooty and rocky bottom half. Also, the descents from the Husarentempel [Temple of the Hussars], which has stunning views over Vienna. There’s a black run with a rocky top half, plus a red that shares the smoothest parts. The nearby Anninger blue trail makes an easy end to the day.
Viennese fancy
An hour’s drive from the city are the Wexl Trails (www.wexltrails.at), which Helene describes as “a mountain biker’s dream spot”. The bike park on the lower slopes offers a tow-lift and eight trails built with progression in mind. Higher up are cross-country routes with incredible views, plus the Wu Trail – a fun, flowy track from the top of the 1,743m Hochwechsel. This is 35km long, with 1,100m of elevation.
In the Area Wien Nord (www.trail forks.com/region/trailarea-wiennord), in the north of Vienna, you’ll find the Wurzel Trail 2.0 – “winding natural singletrack that uses the terrain to perfection”. Up the northern side of