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Background

On a recent family trip to Germany/Austria, having what I thought was a decent pair of climbing legs and balls of steel, I thought I'd take the roadbike to try out some of those serious mountain climbs in the region.

In preparation for the trip, I'd done some homework and with the use of Google Earth found an ideal loop close to where we were staying on the German/Austrian border. The loop would only be 12 miles long, but this was a perfect distance allowing me to set off early on the short ride whilst the family was still asleep, and arriving back in time to share breakfast (my second) with everyone.

The planned route would start off with a hard 6 mile climb followed by a fast 6 mile descent. As it happened, the loop I'd randomly chosen turned out to be a designated scenic route called the 'Roßfeldstraße'. Thank you Google Earth.

Roßfeldstraße - the first ride

The first morning I rode the Roßfeldstraße, the weather was typically British with the damp air and wet roads thankfully keeping the temperatures low for the seemingly endless climb. The climb was tougher than expected. Back in the UK, I'd climbed steeper gradients than a 1:8 many times before, but this climb was energy sapping and went on for miles.

Eventually, after a very slow climb, and with noticeably thinner air at this altitude, I arrived at the summit. To be at the summit above the clouds at 5000ft was something very special.

Thankfully, I'd always watched the riders on alpine Tour stages using wind-proofs (with some riders even opting for a simple newspaper shoved down the front of the jersey) to try to keep warm on the fast mountain descents. With this in mind, I'd set off fully prepared for the cooler temperatures with arm warmers and a windproof.

The descent was tricky due to the wet roads and the cool temperature. On the climb, the road-spray wasn't an issue at my pitiful climbing pace, but on the descent with road-spray up the backside and numb hands guarding the brakes it was a thrilling (albeit slightly uncomfortable) experience.

Roßfeldstraße - the second ride

After my first experience riding the loop on damp roads, the second time I rode the loop I opted for a cool sunny morning.

The air was still cool, but this time the visibility was somewhat improved without the mist.

Once at the summit, after a long stop for lots of photographs, the road continued on through the cloud once again, but this time with milder air temperatures due to the bright sunshine.

The descent took in some incredibly tight switchbacks. Pity I forgot to pack my balls of steel for this trip, as I was still a little overly cautious on the corners even in the dry. However, even with cautious cornering, I still managed to top 50mph on some of the straighter sections.

This has to be the most impressive road I've ever ridden on. And I've ridden along the Champs-Elysées without traffic.

The tarmac here is smooth, the traffic is almost non-existent and the scenery is spectacular. If you ever get the chance to ride, hike or even drive this road, I'd heavily recommend doing so.

Some more views of the road at sunset.