Grossglockner High Alpine Road

Starting from Winklern, the first approximately 20 km climb 300 m in altitude to Heiligenblut. Starting in Mallnitz, about 60 km must be covered to reach Heiligenblut. Here begins the Grossglockner High Alpine Road: 48 km and 36 hairpins await to be conquered. The demanding route combines a sporting challenge with impressive views of the surrounding mountain landscape and, of course, the Grossglockner, Austria's highest mountain at 3,798 m.

The first section from Heiligenblut (1,291 m) leads to the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe (2,369 m), 16.5 km and about 1,000 m of ascent have to be overcome. There, a magnificent view of Pasterze and Grossglockner awaits. If you want to complete the route faster, you can skip the detour to Franz-Josefs-Höhe and drive directly to the Hochtor (2,576 m), also around 16 km with about 1,300 m ascent, calculated from Heiligenblut. From the Hochtor, it goes briefly downhill and then again a small ascent to the Fuscher Törl (2,428 m). If you want, you can also take the few hairpins to Edelweißspitze (2,571 m).

From now on, it goes downhill for about 20 km to Fusch, a curve delight, which, however, can be impaired by partly heavy excursion traffic. Caution is therefore advised! In Pinzgau, you turn onto the B 311 and ride westwards to Lend at the entrance to the Gastein Valley. Now it goes steadily uphill again past Bad Hofgastein and Bad Gastein to Böckstein station. There, it is time to dismount and change to the train. Via the ÖBB Tauern shuttle, which runs hourly from 6:20 a.m. to 10:20 p.m. (details: www.oebb.at or tel. 05 1717), you reach Mallnitz and thus back to Carinthia.

From Mallnitz, it is about 8 km downhill to Obervellach; there, you turn onto the B 106 and cycle the remaining kilometers along the Möll Valley back to the starting point, which you hopefully reach still in daylight.