Our readers’ own stories · Austria · 2013

When the rainwear came
up into the sunshine

The rucksack was packed for rain and cold. After about 30 kilometres up the Großglockner, it was 28 degrees at the top.

Hairpin bends on the Großglockner High Alpine Road between the mountains — The Großglockner High Alpine Road winds through the high mountains. Private photograph submitted by a reader.

Everything you might need

The rucksack was packed as though the mountain weather were simply waiting to change.

There were dry clothes, long trousers and a jacket. All sensible enough, because I had read carefully about the Großglockner High Alpine Road before setting off.

It could be cold high up. Rain could arrive even in summer. This was not a road to be taken lightly.

So I set off that morning with the rucksack on my back.

Ahead lay about 30 kilometres through the Austrian high mountains. The road climbed out of the green valley and continued through one hairpin after another. From the bottom, the preparations still seemed sensible.

But the sun kept shining.

As the road climbed, the rucksack became heavier. Not because anything was added, but because it became increasingly clear that I would not need any of the things I had brought.

The jacket was in there. The long trousers were in there.
All of it was carried up the mountain by the legs.

Green Alpine valley with the Großglockner road in the landscape — Lower down, the road runs between green mountainsides. Private photograph submitted by a reader.

At the top

28 degrees

When I reached the top, it was 28 degrees.

No cold. No rain. No dramatic change in the weather. Just heat, sunshine and a rucksack full of clothes that had been given a free ride to the top.

It is the sort of experience that is irritating at first and becomes a good story afterwards. You want to be sensible in the mountains, and you should be. But on a bicycle, no luggage is entirely free.

I made it up. So did the clothes. The only difference was that I had enjoyed the ride.

The road behind the story

High mountains and sudden changes in weather

The Großglockner High Alpine Road is 48 kilometres long and has 36 bends. It crosses high mountain terrain and reaches 2,504 metres at the Hochtor. The road’s official guidance warns of rapid changes in weather, including rain and snow at altitude.

Packing the rucksack was therefore not a bad decision. It was simply a very warm day on which to be well prepared.

Told by a reader who wishes to remain anonymous. Edited by The Evolution of Bikes.

Sources and image notes

The experience itself, the distance and the temperature are the reader’s recollection. The road’s length, number of bends, altitude and changeable weather have been checked against official information from the Großglockner High Alpine Road. The photographs were submitted by the reader with confirmed permission for use.

28 degrees

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