I wouldn’t call myself the most travelled bike racer in the world, having only done two overseas trips so far. In 2012, I travelled to Europe for six months, racing from Belgium to Austria and England and a fair few others. It may sound weird but the only time I said to myself “wow I’m in Europe”, was Austria. Belgium had hills, houses and cars. As did Germany and the Czech Republic. But it was the mountains that made all the difference. It’s awe inspiring when you sit at 100om and look up to mountains that are close to 2000m higher than you. Made up not of trees and grass but sheer rock and snow. One key area was Lermoos in the Austrian state of Tyrol.
I passed through here in the Trans Germany, now named Bike Four Peaks. So when I was planning this years trip and the Zugspitze MTB Trophy popped up with all stages based around the Lermoos area, I promptly scheduled it in. Unfortunately, it was cancelled for this year with the news coming in just days after I booked non-refundable accommodation! It wasn’t all bad news though as it fell midway through my trip and would provide me with a good chance to get some training in and explore the area.
I had a smile on my face for 3hrs on my first ride, not including smiling before and after! Over an hour climb up to 2100m, with stunning views. Followed by, what was close to a 20min descent down narrow single track at times hugging cliff edges with sheer drops down to crystal clear lakes below. It was a world away from anything I’d ridden in Australia. A lift-assisted freeride track was my focus on my second ride. Although, being an XC rider it was to be leg assisted as I did my efforts but at least the reward was a steep 5min run back into town over muddy roots and rocks.
Being primarily a winter destination the mountain bike infrastructure isn’t the best. But it was more about the long mountain passes and vistas than endless dedicated single track. There were some hidden gems in the forest that I found, some by chance and others by searching through Strava. There are a few bike guiding tours in the area and every day I saw at least 2-3 groups heading out to the forest to explore. There are a few things to do off the bike but the highlight was taking the gondola up to the Zugspitze. Once you’re at the top, Mt Hotham and Mt Kosciuszko look like pebbles in comparison.
As I said I’m not the most travelled cyclist and I’m sure the single track and mountains of Switzerland and Italy are even more inspiring. One day I’ll get there but for now I’ll be dreaming of Lermoos.