Distance: 8.5 miles
Difficulty: Easy
This area of Austria is quite simply the most stunning village we have ever visited. If you have never experienced The Alps in the summer time then you have not lived.
We found this charming village in Austria in the year 2000 when on a ski trip. It is truly untouched, small, beautiful and very very friendly. A few years later we came back in the summer and fell in love with it even more. The mountain slopes are great for hiking on and even better for cycling on. You have to be fit to live here, and to try to cycle up is not easy. Our first attempt got me halfway, before the sun, heat and shear exhaustion got the better of us.
We stayed at the magnificent Boglerhof hotel in the resort. You can safely bring your own bike and store it in the underground garage or if you prefer you can also use one of their own bikes. They have standard mountain bikes and also e-bikes. These e-bikes are not for me, as I prefer to have a workout when riding a bike, but they are popular and are well used.
Romantik Boglerhof
This ride is based on not going up, but descending from the Wiedesbergerhorn and back to the hotel in Alpbach. Don’t be fooled though by thinking a descent is easy. This is still tricky, as you are descending quickly on loose gravel with numerous hairpin bends on the way. You start at the top of the main lift to the Wiedesbergerhorn and using the files on this page navigate your way down to the village of Inneralpbach.
Please do not just race down the mountain though, take in the beauty of the lush green fields, the wildlife (the hills are covered in cows grazing) and also the stunning rivers and streams that are flowing fast. The water is crystal clear but freezing cold. This was refreshing on my ride down as it was over 30C in the mid-afternoon.
Alpine stream
En route are many mountain retreats to stop at and grab a drink or a snack.
When you do get to Inneralpbach then you have to start to climb up to Alpbach, this is a steep climb over a short distance so make sure you have something left in reserve.
Then back at the hotel you can park up your bike and reward yourself with a wonderful cake, ice cream or just a simple cold beer.
Trail along mountain
The map
Download the route file(s):
Compatible with Strava - upload here (http://labs.strava.com/gpx-to-route)
