Grossglockner Hochalpinstrasse

Looking down on on the road up to the top of the Grossglockner Pass

What a day! Skirting up a valley through small towns, seeing the World Champs for Grass Skiing, watching Austrians go about their business on a sunny Saturday, finally seeing other people wearing helmets, climbing to over 2,500m and being surrounded by behemoth mountains where ever the eye looks. Unforgettable!

It was a another late start again as it seems breakfast is more of a later morning type thing and I prefer to start the day with something in my belly. That may change though as I am realising the day is so much shorter if I wait for the free breakfasts...maybe Italy will be different? But once underway Mr Garmin took me on an awesome ride over a cycle lane through an awesome valley of farmland and through small towns, was really nice to be away from main towns. 

The cycle lanes here are awesome, as they were in Germany! Lanes specific for cycles (and tractors too in Austria sometimes) which are actually well built and thought through, not just a line of paint in the gutter on the side of the road. Today's one was sealed, about the size of a one lane road, and wound its way through farmland. Was fantastic.

View from the cycle lane

Going through the small towns I also bumped into small town living, and saw lots of people out and about doing things. Was such a great atmosphere to be in. 

Then I got to the bottom of the Alpine Pass to a place called Fusch after about 40km of cycling. It was then I realised I had not pressed go on Mr Garmin to start recording...gutted. Oh well, what can you do? I had planned to have some food there and get some for the climb as well but I was out of luck unless I wanted a restaurant meal. In the end I doubled back and found a petrol station, but all it really sold was alcohol and knik-nacks. They did have some water as well as alcohol, some dry bread rolls, Mars and Snickers...so I got one of each, ate the roll and saved the rest. From there it was up hill. 

It was quite amazing really, how they built the road. Suddenly you just start weaving your way back and forth up the side of a hill and the road just somehow been built into it. When you start climbing, it goes to 10% gradient and pretty much stays there for the most part. There are times when it ramps up, but I never saw it above 15%, and you do get a few 5% slops where you can get your breath back (particularly around the bends which I was not expecting as they can be quite steep on other mountains).  

Legs felt OK at the beginning and I watched to keep control of my heart rate. I just went to the granny gear and tried to get into a rhythm, which seemed to work for most of. Once you get above the tree line you suddenly come over a small rise and the top just opens up into view. That is with about 400m of ascent to go before turning off for Edelweissspitze (a short 2km additional rise that goes from the main pass to a higher summit with 360 degrees view). The awesome thing is as soon as you see the top the gradient also comes down a bit as well. 

What I didn't know is that the road up to Edelweissspitze was also cobbled which makes it harder to cycle up after your legs are already a little spent! Hence the rubbish photo at the top, was quite knackered! 

It was a bit crazy at the summit though as I was coming from an idyllic frame of mind into an environment that was overflowing with people arguing over car parks and cars backed up down the hill. At least the views were amazing though as I was surrounded by these monstrous mountains everywhere. Was such awesome scenery was well worth it all though, and was one of those alpine environments you see on the TV, and that I came over here for!

From there I rode down hill...for a very short time before having to go back uphill. My legs protested a bit and I realised I hadn't eaten so tried to fuel up but as it was 2pm all the food except a sausage was gone. Anyway, carried on, and once again the road rose up into a couple of short tunnels. Gutted. They were only short rises though and before long I was having a blast screaming downhill. Was a fantastic descent!!

Coming down the road goes through a town called Heiligenblut; literally a town somehow clinging to the side of a mountain. Looking around and realising the time was around 4pm I stayed for the night.

So tomorrow I will head off to the base of Montes Zoncolon and Crostis, before having a day off, then attacking them after that.

Highlight: The scenery today. Just breathtaking.
Lowlight: The people at the summit of Edelweissspitze (just relax over trivial stuff would you).
Lesson learned: Eating on the bike is important - not the first time I have learned that one (or been remined of it should I say).