Day 17 (20th August) – Lahn to Innsbruck. Up early and over Gerlospass (1,626m) connecting the provinces of Salzburg and Tirol. Not quite as demanding as the big climbs we’ve tackled so far, we were able to see Krimmler Wasserfälle in… Continue reading

Day 16 (19th August) – Zell am See to Lahn. In cycling parlance, “transition days” typically refer to stages in a race that are designed to move the event from one significant stage to another without being a major challenge themselves.… Continue reading

Day 13 (16th Augst) – Lienz to Zell am See. A big day today. The Großglockner Hochalpenstraße or Grossglockner High Alpine Road topping out at 2,571m. The route over the mountain has been used for over 3,500 years. The modern road,… Continue reading

Day 12 (15th August) – Lienz. Lienz is located in a stunning setting at the confluence of the Isel and Drava rivers (tributaries of the Danube). To the north is the Hohe Tauern range and national park, the largest protected area in the Alps and Großglockner,… Continue reading

Day 11 (14th August) – Bad Gastein to Lienz. Known as the “Monte Carlo of the Alps,” Bad Gastein has been a famous and fashionable spa (“Bad”) town since the Middle Ages. Particularly during the 19th century, the healing properties of the… Continue reading

Day 10 (13th August) – Sarstein to Bad Gastein. Following last night’s downpour, we set off on wet roads and in fog. Today was a day for the puncheurs, rolling terrain with short steep climbs, the kind that for racing ‘puncheurs’… Continue reading

Day 9 (12th August) – Sarstein. Rest day. A much needed sleep in and a slow day. A wonderful walk in the woods, lunch at a lovely ‘log cabin’ restaurant and a delicious swim in the fast flowing river. Also… Continue reading

Day 8 (11th August) – Oberwölz Stadt to Sarstein. A predominant feature of our tour so far has been mild mornings then sudden jumps in temperature and scorching afternoons. This may be due to a phenomenon known as the Föhn wind.… Continue reading