St. Pongratzen-Svetij Duh - The (re)way is the goal.

Name: St. Pongratzen-Svetij Duh - The (re)way is the goal.
Brand: Steiermark
Rating: 4 (4 reviews)

The St. Pongratzen - Svetij Duh loop is an extension of the St. Pongratzen - Kapla Lake loop. And thus a diversion from Kapla via Sveti Duh back to Eibiswald. But that is exactly the goal.

This mountain bike tour offers the same highlights as the shorter version up to Kapla Lake. From the junction below Kapla, the "diversions" begins, which pays off in several ways. Firstly, in terms of the riders' physical condition. Secondly, because the climb from Gradisce to Sveti Duh is one of the region's gravel classics. Thirdly, because the power spot around the Sveti Duh church gives incredible strength. And last but not least, because in Svetij Duh, at the 1000-year-old lime tree, one of the coolest inns in the border region awaits a stop.

"St. Pongratzen - Svetij Duh - the extension of the Kapla Lake Circuit. Or: The (re-)way is the goal" is the bike tour of your choice if you want to

are looking for a really cool gravel bike tour or want to try out your new gravel bike on the super easy gravel roads of the Remschnigg,
want it to be really quiet and remote for once, are prepared to let this silence have an effect on you and want to combine a short holiday in seclusion with a thoroughly challenging bike tour,
love water and want to enjoy the jewel of a natural lake, Lake Kapla, in a completely unsuspected place,
want to soak up the "best of both worlds" on this mountain bike or e-bike tour, namely the incomparable view from St. Pongratzen into south-western Styria as well as the view on the Slovenian side of the Pohorje Mountains and over towards the Styrian Alps,
take a short detour from the tour to the mini-town of Kapla and enjoy a great espresso and snack in the shade of the church at the legendary Bar Olga,
really test your fitness and give it a good boost at the same time,
would like to get to grips with one of the easiest gravel climbs in southern Styria from Gradisce to Svetij Duh,want to spend some time and leisure around the Svetij Duh church and take in one of the most energetic power spots in the border region,
want to enjoy a super good Kimbo espresso or traditional Slovenian cuisine under the 1000-year-old linden tree in Svetij Duh,
after the Sveti Duh ascent, you still feel like climbing more metres and want to climb from Leutschach over the Kreuzbergwarte to Großklein.

Characteristics

Skill

Fitness

Best season

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

The tour in numbers

medium

Level of difficulty

77,9 km

Route

5:00 h

Time

1347 hm

Uphill

1358 hm

Downhill

870 m

Highest point

Map & downloads

Download GPX data

Download KML data

More information

Plan your journey via Google Maps to the starting point of the tour: www.google.at/maps

Directions from Graz / Vienna to Lieboch:

Take the motorway towards Graz (A2) to the Lieboch exit. Continue on the B76 in the direction of Eibiswald.

Directions from Carinthia:

On the motorway in the direction of Klagenfurt (A2) as far as the Lieboch exit. Continue on the B76 in the direction of Eibiswald.

Directions from Leibnitz:

Drive via Arnfels, Oberhaag to Eibiswald.

Directions from Slovenia/Eibiswald:

Drive over the Radlpass on the B76 towards Eibiswald.

Start from the starting point at the church in Eibiswald in an easterly direction and follow the route via Hörmsdorf, Feisternitz and the Feisternitzberg (short, poisonous climb) to Oberlatein.
From Oberlatein you start the beautiful, physically demanding climb to St. Pongratzen (around 400 metres of ascent).
At the latest on the small plateau below the church at Gasthof Legat, you should take a break as a cycling holidaymaker and enjoy the fantastic view of south-western Styria.
From the Legat Inn, we recommend a detour to the St. Pongratzen Church, which can be reached via a hiking trail (only on foot) or a very steep forest path (also possible by bike). If you are lucky, the south-facing door to the church tower is open. In this case, you can climb the observation platform of the church tower and have a 360-degree panoramic view of southern Styria and Slovenia from there.
From Gasthaus Legat, you then follow the gravel road around the St. Pongratzen-Kogel to the Oberhaag border crossing.
From there, a wonderful panoramic section begins in a southerly direction, offering fantastic views of the Pohorje Mountains and across to the Steiner Alps.
After a short, winding gravel downhill, take a sharp left and follow the gravel road to Kapla Lake or "Odomovo jezero".
From Kapla Lake, follow the asphalt road to the crossroads below the small village of Kapla, which can be recognised south of the trail by a small cluster of houses and the church tower.
It pays to make a detour into the village and just chill somewhere in the shade or enjoy a very good espresso at Bar Olga.
From the crossroads below Kapla, follow the asphalt road in an east-southeast direction, roll through Gradisce, literally leave the turnoff to "Austrija" to the small border crossing in Schlossberg on the left and only turn half left towards Svetij Duh about 500-700m after this turnoff.
From there, an asphalt road leads in the direction of Svetij Duh, but after about 1.5 km it turns into a super cool gravel section.
About 2km before Svetij Duh, the asphalt road begins again. Shortly before the intermediate destination, you have to overcome a very poisonous short climb, then you have arrived in Svetij Duh.
From Svetij Duh you follow the road down to Leutschach, before climbing over the Eichberg to the Kreuzbergwarte in Leutschach and thus tackling the third long climb of the day.
From Großklein you finally roll comfortably along the cycle path back to Eibiswald.

With ÖBB to Wies, then by bus or guest taxi to Eibiswald.

ÖBB www.oebb.at or Verbundlinie Steiermark www.busbahnbim.at

With the BusBahnBim app of the Verbundlinie, timetable information has never been easier: all connections by bus, train and tram in Austria can be queried by entering places and / or addresses, stops or important points. The app is available as a free app for smartphones (Android, iOS) - on Google Play and in the App Store.

There is ample parking near the church square.

Plan directions via Google Maps to a nearby car park for the tour.

www.google.at/maps

Map with all mountain bike tours available at the businesses and at the tourist office Schilcherland Eibiswald-Wies or can be ordered at Schilcherland.at!

Tip: the Styria Tours App, available free of charge on Google Play and in the App Store (Android, iOS) offers detailed first-hand information: short facts (length, duration, difficulty, ascent and descent in metres of altitude, ratings), map, route descriptions, altimeter, compass, summit finder, navigation along the tour. In addition, you can create your personal list of favourite tours and points, save tours and excursion destinations offline, play on social media channels and more.

Map with all mountain bike tours available at the businesses and at the tourist office Schilcherland Eibiswald-Wies, Lerchhaus 82, 8552 Eibiswald oder auf Schilcherland.at bestellbar! Map with all mountain bike tours available at the businesses and at the tourist office Schilcherland Eibiswald-Wies!