Carinthia200

Freitag, 18. September 2026 · 14:30 Uhr · Treffpunkt voco Hotel Villach, Europaplatz 1, 9500 Villach

Super-G world champion Nici Schmidhofer and former pro cyclist Paco Wrolich take you on this Carinthia200 loop – and it packs a punch: Lake Faak, Kanzianiberg and the climb to Finkenstein Castle. Relaxed pace, but with almost 500 metres of climbing a real taste of Carinthia’s south.

The route at a glance

Distance	38,6 km
Elevation gain	496 m
Pace	24 – 26 km/h
Character	rolling with a scenic climb

From Villach south to Lake Faak, on over the Kanzianiberg to Finkenstein Castle and back to the city on the Drau.

Route highlights

Lake Faak – Austria’s southernmost swimming lake glows in a turquoise usually associated with the Mediterranean. The Mittagskogel towers above the water, and Slovenia begins just beyond. Postcard panorama guaranteed.

Burgarena Finkenstein – The climb to the castle ruins is the heart of the loop. At the top you are rewarded with one of Carinthia’s most spectacular views: Lake Faak, the Karawanks and the entire Villach basin in one sweep. Today the ruins serve as an open-air concert stage.

Kanzianiberg – Long a favourite with rock climbers; for road cyclists a short, punchy hill with views over Lake Faak. Just the right stretch to wake up the legs for Sunday.

Your guides

Nici Schmidhofer – Born in Friesach, she is the 2017 Super-G world champion and won the downhill World Cup title in 2019. Since retiring she is known as a ski expert for Austrian broadcaster ORF. The Carinthia200 is her first road cycling event – and she admits the excitement is big.

Paco Wrolich – Peter “Paco” Wrolich grew up in Latschach on Lake Faak – so this ride runs straight through his home turf. From 1999 to 2011 he raced as a professional for Team Gerolsteiner and Team Milram, winning the Herald Sun Tour in Australia and Rund um Köln, among others. Today he is Carinthia’s cycling coordinator and knows every bend of the route better than anyone.

Both will line up at the start with you on Sunday and take the stage with the other ambassadors on Saturday at 5:00 pm.