Cycling the Austrian Alps. Italy Austria Odyssey Episode 23

In this Episode I take a major detour off my planned route after talking to locals who inform me the pass on the Eurovelo 7 is practically immposible on a touring bike. Instead they guide me to an alternate route over the Grossglockner pass which turns out to be spectacular!

All routes and ride stats can be found on my Komoot profile.
https://www.komoot.com/user/3198098439500

You you 14th of June setting off to Mel nits got to go up 600 m in elevation but it’s only about 55k and it’s supposed to rain 89% chance of rain I’ve wrapped up all my wet stuff in a bag cuz halfway through dinner it started raining I had to scramble into

The tent and I left everything I’d washed out in the rain forgot about it so it’s all saturated I don’t know whether to hang it off the bike or leave it in the bag I leave it in the bag it won’t rain I’d love to know why they have

These lines through the names of the towns what the hell is that all about I’m going to have to Google that I I’ll be heading around to the left to the valley that goes to the left Mel nits is just a small little town at 1200 about 1200 M

Elevation it does have a grocery store a bill and a campground and a hotel for backup banana break I entered austal in the state of Corinthia and would spend 4 days there in total Corinthia is known for its breathtaking Alpine scenery pristine lakes and Charming towns as well as

Excellent cycleways Corinthia has around 40 mountain bike trails with a route Network covering around 3,000 km and with over 200 pristine Lakes Corinthia has a smallus board of outdoor activities I well this place is a little gem it’s just on the outskirts of saxenburg and it’s right on the Euro 7 best cappuccino

I’ve had in 2000 K comes with cream they bring out a little chocolate little thing of milk if you want more milk bloody Ripper and it was only $270 or something €270 about 32k to go and I got to go up about 630 elevation it’s only 10:30

11:00 plenty of time so it’s turned out to be a nice morning considering they were saying showers all morning they stripped these Big Pine trees and turn it into a little Christmas tree at the top it’s an Austrian thing picnic time at the picnic table with a

View well I just met a lovely Austrian woman who lent me her tap to get some water and she said I have to talk to her husband cuz I told her I was going over the pass and she said oh no not possible and luckily I decided to meet a

Husband and he said he’s a mountain biker and he said I wouldn’t do that pass with a Touring bike too dangerous it’s too narrow it’s not ridable and I’d have to take all the panes off and carry them down separately and then walk back up and carry my bike down because it’s

Super narrow it’s super Steep and it’s just not ridable even mountain bikers carry their bike down so now face with a decision to go to Mel nits and take the train through a tunnel or take the alternate route around that this guy’s given me and I

Don’t really know what I’m going to do yet well I’ve decided to go the alternate route that he gave me I now got to do 62k so now I really got to haul my butt and I got to go up 630 M or something but it’s not steep he said

Mel Nets it’s steep but this way is not steep so time to hammer I’m just praying it doesn’t rain yeah if it rains I got to put jacket on and on my gear and just be miserable cuz I’ll be sweating my bottle well it’s raining just pulled

Over and put my gear on yeah might be a bit of a suffer Fest for the rest of the way I think that another 30k this is beautiful through here next to this Creek there’s a guy fly fishing back there and sun’s coming out again

Well I got to get there by 6 the grocery store closes so it’s just turned into a Time Trail now up 600 met Ascent with 40 kilos that’ll clear your lungs out the sun’s out on that Peak up there with the snow on it what a pretty Valley I see

Snow I’ve just seen a Lamborghini and Aston Martin or something so this must be a scenic route it’s the only other time I’ve seen those cars is on the Ste stelvio pass the guy I talked to and his wife said this this is a really really scenic route and it’s the highest pass

In Austria that’s a good constellation cuz I was really looking forward to tomorrow going over that other pass well I went past a grocery store and then 200 M later I went past a campsite and I’m about 10K from where I was going to go and I decided to just

Call it a day because I’ve got food and a campsite and it’s all I need the weather window has turned into like a 3 or 4 day weather window so I don’t care if I just have a 10day 10K day tomorrow just to get to the town that I need to

Launch from to go over this pass I’ll call it a rest day now I’ve got to figure out how I’m going to alter my route because I’m way off my route now I’m all set up I’m going the same again veggies and sausage and noodles and it’s so good loving

It well 15th of June all packed up going to head back into town I only have to do 10K today to heling boot I think and that’s where I launch to go over the gross glockner pass tomorrow so I go and have a coffee and I have to fill in a

Few hours doing 10K really slow yeah easy day we made it to Hing boot Hing Bo and this is where I camp tonight before I go over the pass and I think after climbing up 17 70 M or something I think I’ve got to go down to the campsite I think it’s down

There B I found a great little picnic spot just made some sandwiches finishing off my chips and look at that view can you believe it they’re playing Men at Work Land Down Under on the radio here I had some lunch did my shopping heading to Camp it’s about 3:30 so yeah

Cruisy day good rest day early night tonight up early for the past tomorrow this Campground has the nicest view yet I think I’ll set up right next to that tree in the shade and I’ve got a little picnic table right here and power next to it if it’ll

Fit and I bet it doesn’t if I hadn’t known I would have bought an adapter I’m all set up it’s quite chilly it’s going to be a low five tonight it’s probably going to be the it’ll be the coldest night of the trip I would say

It’s a top of 14 tomorrow at heling but and it’s probably going to be very cold at the top of the pass so it’ll be interesting to see just how cold it is up there okay root notes this is my original route from that day going around to Mel

Nits and then from Mel nits I was supposed to go over this pass I met the that nice couple austrialian couple around here somewhere and they said do not go that way you can see here on Google satellite images he said this hagna hoot Hotel you can get to there no problem

This is the top basically um this building here is a hotel and he said he’s been up there quite a few times and had a beer and gone home and a couple of times he’s been down the other side but he’s only walked walked down because it’s so it’s

So bad but this is the route the Euro 7 tells you to take and he said it’s do not do it cuz it’s so steep you have need one hand to hold onto the side of the mountain and you have to carry your bike on your

Shoulder to get down this is M nits here so I kept going past here and around to dollak and then following day to Hing a blute and over the pass the following day and I end up getting back onto my route in Johan in St troll St troll here you know

A few days later so I end up cutting the corner off my route and not going to salsburg originally my route went to salsburg this is a bit of Germany coming in here and across this Slither of Germany back into meet up with Johan in St troll there and then my route keeps

Going to inbrook and back into Italy so I basically cut the corner off my route by going through here going over the gr Glock a pass which was spectacular anyway so um who knows how hard it would have been it was probably doable but it

Was probably a lot of work to take the paniers off carry the paniers down walk back up get your bike carry your bike down um but yeah that’s what I decided to do change the route and I don’t regret it at all because this ride around through here was just

Unreal so nice so yeah I’m happy with what I did and I should mention there is a train if you go the Euro 7 and you ride up to mil nits here there’s a train from melnitz going straight Under the Mountain coming out at Badin I think it

Is and it takes like 5 or 10 minutes straight Under the Mountain get back on your bike and keep going on the Euro 7 so that’s another option as well