Since Austria only makes international news when someone is caught storing things in cellars other than wine, it seemed only fair that I re-familiarise myself with what the country is also known for: the Alps.
Cycling through this great landscape is something else. The mountains never fail to look anything less than impressive, but its their ease of access that makes them so inviting. You are never far away from humanity, mobile phone coverage is almost everywhere, and there are ancient huts or old farmhouses sprinkled across the meadows that serve hot food and drink .
And yet you can still feel completely isolated, surrounded by silence as you count hairpin turns in your head.
It was one of the first days of Spring warm enough to head into the high mountains and I decided to check out the Postalm. It's a climb that begins near Abtenau, about 25km from where I live, and drops down the other side to Strobl in the beautiful Lakes District. I will be racing over it in just a few weeks in one of the many "Rad-Marathons" that are held across Europe throughout the summer, usually over distances topping 200km.
A popular winter and summer recreational area, the Postalm lies within a small group of mountains that reach around 1700m. A privately owned piece of asphalt (cars and motorbikes must pay a toll) the road itself peaks at 1325m above sea level, a full 800m higher than the valley floor.
Since the race I will compete in approaches the climb from the Strobl side, I wanted to ride over it from Abtenau, descend into the valley to Strobl, then turn around and climb it once more in the opposite direction.
The road from Abtenau is steady enough, not getting much steeper than 10%, but it goes on. And on. The whole thing is drawn out over 15km, with a few downhill sections that give a brief respite.
Looking out towards the world famous Schladming ski resort and the mighty Dachstein Glacier, the views on the way up are quite outstanding and, for the last few kilometres, walls of snow line the route.
Before you know it, the winding pass opens out to an alpine station area, complete with dormant ski lifts and the obligatory snack hut with odours of cooking sausage wafting out.
Down towards Strobl and the hairpin bends are conveniently numbered and marked with their elevation. It's an exhilarating descent, with plenty of vision ahead to safely cut corners.
Strobl isn't the most exciting village, so I didn't hang around, u-turning back up the mountain and beginning the hairpin count. The ascent from this side was certainly more consistent, covering 10km including the lead-up through the valley.
Once it gets steeper, the road maintains a relentless 9% the entire stretch with just the ever-so-slightly flatter edges of the bends to recover on, but wasn't long before I again spun past the chairlifts and begun the rapid descent towards Abtenau and home.
This is Europe afterall, so I rewarded my efforts like every good alpinist: with a cold beer and a couple of frankfurthers with mustard, horseradish and bread. The Alps don't get better than that.
The facts:
Start/ finish: Hallein, 15km South of Salzburg, Austria.
South to Golling on the B159, then turn left towards Abtenau on the B162. Take a left in Voglau onto the Postalmstrasse. Follow the road over the top and u-turn in Strobl, retracing your route.
Distance: 110km
Vertical climbing: 2000m
