The road to Leithe Wirt is actually a short additional climb from Serfaus. It is best combined with the climb from Tschuppbach and provides extra altitude meters. It’s only a very short stretch, but since 2012 it’s been fully paved and it runs nicely above Serfaus through the meadows to the Leithe Wirt restaurant. In…
In July 2012, I stay in Westendorf, about a 20-minute drive from Kitzbühel. There lies the infamous panoramic road to the Alpenhaus on the Kitzbüheler Horn at 1670 meters altitude. Notorious not so much because of its length (about 7.5 kilometers), but because of the average gradient. Various values are indicated on websites, it is…
In 2008, I stayed with my family and other relatives in Kaltenbach, Zillertal. This is one of the possible starting points towards the Zillertaler Hohenstrasse. This (toll) road runs high above the Zillertal with a maximum altitude of just over 2000 meters at Melchboden above Hippach. There is quite a lot of information available on…
Schlegeis, a reservoir behind Mayrhofen, caught my eye on several cycling websites as a potentially interesting climb. Of course, I’m not on vacation just to cycle, so it’s not a must. But when the family decides to drive to the Schlegeisspeicher by car because there’s supposedly beautiful hiking there, well, what do you do? Fifteen…
The last afternoon of our stay during the summer vacation of 2008 in the Zillertal is spent climbing the road to Hochfugen. This is also the finish location of the first stage of the Deutschland Tour at the end of August, won by Linus Gerdemann. It is an unknown climb; I could find little to…
The Pillerhöhe is a very convenient pass that connects the Pitztal with the Oberinntal. By using this pass, you can avoid the busy Reschenstrasse between Landeck and Prutz. The pass can be reached from the Oberinntal from two places; the steep climb from Fliess (Neuer Zoll on the Reschenstrasse) or from Prutz. And because it…
From Ried, in the Inntal, you cycle across the river Inn towards Fiss/Serfaus. The climb is 6 1/2 kilometers long, but due to its constant gradient of around 10 percent, it’s quite challenging. After crossing the river Inn, the road turns right, and until the first hairpin bend (which leads to Ladis), it’s manageable. Immediately…
In the summer of 1998, I stay in Austria for the first time in my life. Actually, it’s my first time in the Alps as well. While on vacation in Serfaus, one day we decide to drive through the Kaunertal to the glacier (endpoint 2750 meters). Along the way, we see some cyclists struggling their…
The Stelvio Pass is located in northern Italy. The area is bilingual, which is why the mountain pass is also referred to as the ‘Stilfser Joch’. The Alpine pass is situated near the border with Switzerland, on the map to the left of Merano (Italy). This well-known pass for cyclists boasts an incredible 48 hairpin…