Stage 1: Innsbruck – Imst
From Innsbruck to Imst you could just as easily cycle through the Inn Valley if it weren't for the Kühtai Pass, a classic in the history of the TOUR Transalp. It really was about time for that again.
The Kühtai Pass rises 1400 metres above the Inn Valley - 600 metres above sea level at the bottom of the river, 2000 metres at the top of the saddle. It's been a long, long time since we were allowed to add it to the altitude profile. The last time the transalpine riders braved this climb was in 2016, but that was from the other side. The last time they went up there from Kematen in the Inn Valley was in 2014, just like now in 2025. All the more reason for the starters to be happy about this Tyrolean road bike pass in the category of honour, which has become a star year after year as part of the great Ötztaler Radmarathon. From Innsbruck, the Tyrolean capital, it is only a stone's throw along the River Inn before the climb begins. Now the pass road seeks its way upwards in a rather untypical manner without much tam-tam and skirmishing bends. Fortunately, the 1400 metres of ascent are stretched over around 19 kilometres, which makes the medium gradient bearable. This gives you hope that you won't be on your last legs on the first mountain and that you'll still have an eye for the mountain landscape, which soon gets bigger crank turn after crank turn. The world of three thousand metre peaks is not long in coming this year - we start straight into the summit parade of the Sellrain and the Ötztal Alps.
With all the blah blah about cycling, effort, watts and metres in altitude, it's important not to forget: The Kühtai is also a beautiful pass where the Tyrolean mountains to the right and left show themselves from their most beautiful side. The pass presents a new side, at least for all transalpine cyclists, when it goes downhill again at the back. After a short descent on the ‘original route’, the side road branches off in Ochsengarten over the Sattele, onto a small pass that leads over a shoulder directly back into the Inn Valley. There is only a small ascent of around 200 metres in altitude, but this is followed by a racy descent, which later offers a fantastic panoramic view over the Inn Valley. This is a charming variant of the Kühtai Pass, which had to wait a while before it finally made it onto the Transalp route. Down by the river, the sporting aspects are almost over. This is followed by a show run in the valley, into the region of our stage town of Imst. A few small side roads and cycle routes lead there, which you can enjoy in a relaxed manner after the first serious uphill test at the Kühtai.
