Bikepacking Österreich - Schnee am Großglockner im Sommer | uNick Adventures
Sandra: Spontaneous vacation and didn't check the weather beforehand. It's best to watch the video to see how it all ends. We started in Salzburg, rode to Lake Wolfgang, up and down Postalmstrasse and slept in Flachau.
On the 2nd day we cycled via Obertauern and the Schönfeldsattel to Lake Millstatt. And from there we went on our 3rd day through the Mölltal towards Großglockner. Arrived at the top of the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, you better have a look for yourself ...
Nick: Good morning, we're on the road again. We just started in Salzburg, that's the panorama we have over there. However, we are going in that direction. Yes, we have planned a little 5-day bikepacking trip on the tarmac. And .. let's see where it takes us.
We have now firmly planned the first 2 days. Today it goes first over the Wolfgangsee to Flachau and then on to Carinthia tomorrow. And then we will make decide regarding to the weather forecast. Actually we only booked sunshine, but the low-pressure areas Manfred and Nick * laughs *, they probably thwart our plans and a lot of rain and low temperatures are forecasted. That means we have our winter clothes with us * laughs *.
We are now riding on well-known paths towards Lake Wolfgang and will hear from each other later. We have packed our bikepacking bags full of rainwear and lots of warm clothes, because although we had ordered nice weather, the weather was pretty bad and of course we wanted to be prepared to survive our tour unscathed. But first we enjoy the time when the sun is still shining.
After the short break, we continue towards Lake Wolfgang. We decide to take our lunch break earlier and not to stop after the ascent of Postalmstrasse, because it should start raining right away and if we eat beforehand, we will be dry while eating. Nick: So, we just ate something: half a pizza, cake, coffee and a cola for everyone. And unfortunately the rain caught us during that time. But that was announced.
We have just waited for a rain break to ride on. Let's see how it goes on right now. In any case, we are now cycling the Postalmstraße, we are just under the start arch and I think it goes 13 km uphill to 1300 m. The rain was dripping, the streets were wet and the visibility was getting worse. But the fog created an unforgettable atmosphere. At some point we rode out of the fog again.
We were above the clouds! Well, not exactly. But that also meant that the descent would come soon. I had a little respect for that, because I feared that it might well get cold. Nick: This site is much nicer. Sandra: Brrr, it just got really cold on the descent.
In addition, the water came through the overshoes. Now I've got about a lake in each shoe and I'm shaking a bit. But from now on, I think it's only going to be a little uphill. So maybe we could get warm again. Sandra: We feared that we would have to take a huge detour because the road was closed. But luckily the bridge was already built and we could cross.
Nick: Lucky us! Best tarmac. Until there, sh ***! Sandra: Almost there, just a few more kilometers to roll, then we would search a restaurant to eat and to warm up until we could come to our Warmshowers host. Sandra: So, we're packing up our stuff right here. It's raining a bit and we are highly motivated to start cycling right now! * laughs * Nick: No! Nick: Ideal, first of all a 2-minute break at the traffic lights.
Sandra: Day 2 led us first towards Obertauern. It was raining and it was raining ... Nick: Well, everything fit? * laughs * That was definitely a thumbs up. Sandra: ... and it was raining, yippii! We also got hungry pretty quickly, so when we got to the top we first looked for something to eat.
Cocoa, tea, yeast dumplings, coffee, sandwiches, cakes ... Well, we spent maybe two hours here. We didn't want to go back outside into the cold and rain and go downhill and freeze.
In any case, it went further downhill in the rain afterwards. And then this happened: the sun came out. Awesome! Nick: Sun! Sun! Sandra: We have currently running the challenge, how often we can stop in about 10 minutes * laughs * Pee and take off some clothes once, then sunscreen and now take off a little more. Let's see when we will put on our rain gear again, because it looks quite dark over there and that will probably come towards us. Our tour took us on along beautiful little streets. We enjoyed the view and the warmth of the sunrays on our skin.
Sandra: The last descent for today. Nick stayed a little behind me so that I could be on the video. But then, of course, he passed by and whizzed away. That night we can stay with a friend of Nick's.
But first we look for something to eat and take a detour to Spittal an der Drau. With full bellies and with the onset of dusk, we now pass Lake Millstatt to where we sleep. Oh yes, by the way, we still don't know what tomorrow will look like for us. Are we going to the Grossglockner? Don't we do it? Are we going back home by train? Are we going further south? There are many options, but time is short.
Because of this. Well, we'll decide that tomorrow morning. Good night! Sandra: When Sandra plans road bike routes ... Nick: Good morning from Lake Millstatt down there. We just started. A little later than usual - a lot later. I think it is half past ten, maybe quarter to 11.
We have now caught a gravel path here because we wanted to do a few more meters in altitude. And, yes ... we're going up the Drautal for a while and then straight into the Mölltal. And today it should go in the direction of the Großglockner. Snow may have been reported at the top. We have now decided to do it anyway and ...
... yes, we are curious to see how it will be, whether we can make it. We then booked a hotel through booking.com and ... let's see. Sandra: First short meal break after ... how much? 20 km? And ... closing the bag. Well, let's blame it on the prefect effect. It was nice and warm and the sun was shining. We looked optimistically at what would still await us.
But also with a lot of respect. And then we already saw it, this wall of rain. It was only a few kilometers to Winklern, where we wanted to take a break to eat. But considering the situation, we decided to stop at this hut to put on our rain gear.
And the stopover was really worth it. Otherwise we would have gotten soaking wet. Nick: Ciao! Sandra: After a break with sandwiches, coffee, Coke and apple strudel, it went on. Sandra: We had to wait forever at the toll station because it was actually closed to bicycles and motorbikes all day. When we arrived, cars weren't even allowed to pass because there was snow on top. And before it was cleared away, nobody was allowed up.
We tried to cancel our hotel - didn't work. So we talked to the woman at the toll station. After some back and forth, she organized for us that someone from above could possibly take us down on the other site. So we were allowed to continue and of course we were curious ... ... about the snow above and also whether someone could really take us down.
First of all, it was time for rain gear again. With this film snippet, my GoPro showed me that the battery was low - at 30%. But it was probably so cold that she just shut itself down. From now on there are only videos of Nick - with his camera. Nick: I wanted to hold on to the rain. Nick: It's a beautiful journey! Yes! After all, it's not snowing yet.
But it is cold. And wet. And snow is up there. Nick: Really, plus 1 ° C? Can't be true. Sandra: But my navigation system showed -3 ° C.
Are we getting dressed now? Nick: Yeah. Sandra: We already knew the descent between Hochtor and Fuscher Törl from last year. And last year it was already cold.
But .. that couldn't be compared to this year. We could hardly grip the brakes with our fingers, let alone operate them. We had to use all of our hands to do this. The feet felt like a block of ice too. And the cold air hurt my face. During the descent I thought almost continuously about whether there would really be someone up there who could take us down. Because, with the best will in the world, I didn't know how else to get back down from up there.
Cycling, stopping every minute to somehow get your hands and feet warm again? Well, hardly possible somehow. On foot? That would kind of take forever. So I really hoped that a car would take us. When we arrived at Fuscher Törl, we were allowed to get into a car straight away and put the bikes in the back. And then we waited until the end of the shift, so to speak, and then we went down. My life hack from this trip: A rescue blanket can be used flexibly! Sandra: The next morning it was still raining.
And I really didn't feel like cycling anymore. So: I'm going home by train. I don't care what you do. You can come with me or ride your bike. And so we decided to take the train together.
2021-10-27 17:01
