Start: 03:42 on Wednesday, 24 July 2024, Sauerlach, Germany
Elapsed Time: 18:26:32
Moving Time: 14:04:16
Distance: 340.03 km
Elevation: 4034 m
In theory, I’ve done it before. But this time, I chose to tackle the Grossglockner – one of the toughest climbs in the Alps. It’s long, it’s steep, and it promised to push me to the limit.
The ride from the hotel to Zell am See, where the climb began, was a mix of the uneventful and the annoying. I hit the first of what would be many routing issues. Somehow, I managed to put myself on narrow farm roads winding through southern Germany. Slow and frustrating. I knew I hated those roads, and I’d gone to great lengths to avoid them – or so I thought!
But soon enough, I crossed into Austria and started the ride towards Zell am See. Things were looking up. I even made a quick stop to grab some Bepanthen for saddle sores – no idea if I’d find it further south, so better safe than sorry.
My knee pain hadn’t let up though, which had me a little worried. I couldn’t push as hard as I wanted, which made me nervous for the climb ahead.
The weather didn’t do me any favors either. The rain had left the roads wet, and the clouds were hanging low, stubbornly refusing to clear. $
The landscape as typical alpine – I love it 😊😊.
Finally, I reached the base of the Grossglockner and began the ascent. It was brutal. Several kilometers of relentless 10% gradients. No hairpins to give the legs a break – just straight, punishing road. I’d trained for this climb a few times on my indoor trainer, but that was without 1,000 km already in the legs, sleep deprivation, and a fully loaded bike. My gearing was right on the edge of what I could manage.
Lately, I’ve taken to listening to Metallica on these tough climbs – keeps the rhythm steady and helps me keep a higher cadence. But despite the music, I wasn’t feeling great. The climb was tougher than I expected, and the knee pain wasn’t helping.
About two-thirds of the way up, I had to stop for a, let’s say, lightening of the load. (I’ll let you imagine the details there!) Once I shed the extra weight, both my body and legs felt better. The final third of the climb was still tough, but I got through it.
The Grossglockner has two summits. After reaching the first, you get a brief descent before climbing another 300-400 meters at the same unforgiving +10% gradient. But once you’re through, it’s all downhill for over 100 km.
My route planning, again, wasn’t ideal. I found myself descending on a major road towards Villach. My original plan was to turn off, climb a smaller mountain, and cut a corner to get to Italy faster. But on the road, I decided to head straight to Villach and call it a night.
As I rode, a friendly woman waved me down. She was following the race and wished me good luck – such a cool moment. Not long after, Geraldine called, and we chatted about Poppy, which made everything feel a bit lighter 😊.
Initially, I planned to push on to Italy, but by the time I reached Villach, I decided to stay the night. I checked into a B&B Hotel at around 10 PM. The woman at reception was really interested and impressed – apparently, I wasn’t the first rider to check in that night. Villach was a natural stop as two major alpine routes converged there.
After my usual evening routine, I crashed hard, catching about four hours of sleep from 23 PM to 3.
Leave a Reply