To Werfen

September 20, 2021

We know we’re leaving Salzburg today. We have to - the hotel we’re staying at is fully booked tonight so we have to relocate to somewhere; and anyway I already posted the fact that we’re moving on so we feel committed to doing it. We just don’t know where we’re going quite yet.

The issue is the bicycles. We have an appointment at Vogl Bike to have our brake pads replaced and Rachael’s gears adjusted. The brake work in particular is essential before we head south into the mountains. They’ve been overdue for a week or two and are starting to border on feeling unsafe. When we spoke to Vogl over the phone last week they said to just bring them in at 9 when they open this morning, and we should be able to get them back by the afternoon. Since we don’t know when or even if the work will be completed today, we can’t really commit to a destination yet. We have two hotels targeted though: one 20 miles away in Golling, and another 30 miles away in Werfen.

Oh, and there’s the weather to consider. It looks marginal today, with the chance of showers or rain off and on. We won’t like it if the bikes aren’t ready until late afternoon and it’s cold and rainy. It’s possible that a short train ride could figure into the day before we’re done.

We time things to perfection and wheel up to Vogl Bike at 8:58.

It’s with some anxiety that I enter the store, hoping they’ll remember the call and agree to fit us in. Fortunately they do, and one of the employees speaks English so we can communicate effectively. Almost his first question is to ask if we brought the brake pads with us, which reminds me again of how grateful I am for that shop two or three months back that sold them to us, advising us that they might be hard to come by when we needed them.

Vogl Bike is open from 9-12; then closes for a long lunch and reopens from 3-6. They say they’ll do their best to have the bikes out by noon, but otherwise we’ll need to wait for the afternoon sometime. In the meantime we walk a half mile to the Starbucks by the train station and hang out for a few hours.

We return at 11:30 and are elated to see the bikes on the sidewalk leaning against the front of the store. They’re ready! We square our account (51 euros), I’m given the old pads as souvenirs, and a few minutes later we bike off, happily testing out our brakes.

We’re not leaving town yet though, because we don’t have a room booked yet. We bike back to Starbucks to book a room in Werfen, and as long as we’re there and it’s nearly noon we down a few sandwiches. Now we’re really ready to leave town, happy to be getting such an early start on the ride and really happy that the weather is looking reasonable.

But we don’t get far. About four blocks from Starbucks I suddenly realize I’m not wearing my helmet. We return to Starbucks, hoping I’d left it there and that it’s still there; but it isn’t. So we bike back to the Vogl Bike. The helmet’s there alright, sitting inside the store on the bench where I left it. Unfortunately by now it’s 12:20, the store is dark, and everyone is gone for lunch.

It’s not the worst thing. I’ve been due for a new helmet for some time anyway so we bike off, planning to keep an eye out for bike stores as we go. It makes Rachael anxious seeing me biking without a helmet but I’m not really worried. Probably 90% of the bikers here ride helmetless anyway, and most of our ride in the coming days will be on bike paths anyway. I’m confident that an open bike store will show up before too long.

And one does. just five blocks away we pass Carlavelorep, before we’ve even reached the river. And they’re open, and they sell suitable helmets. Brain saved, for what little it’s still worth.

So finally we’re on the way. It’s nearly one, we’ve put in over four miles already, and we haven’t even gotten down to the river yet; but there’s still plenty of day. And our brakes and gears work. And it’s dry. And the wind is in our favor. It’s all good.

Leaving Salzburg, a city we really should have found time to explore more.

It’s thirty miles to Werfen, nearly all of them on bike paths following the Salzach. It’s a fairly level ride the whole way, and with the grey day offering few compelling reasons to stop with the camera we make steady progress for the first 20 miles until approaching Golling an der Salzach, the other town where we had considered staying tonight. And besides, our friend Susan rode this way several days ago and grabbed all the best shots. Not much left for us to document.

First though let’s get a preview from the first video shot with Rachael’s new GoPro 9:

Video sound track: Once in a While, by Clifford brown and Art Blakey

Looking across the grey Salzach at the grey rocks and grey sky above.

Rachael, ever the competitor, decides to challenge this small logging truck to a race.

And the winner is - - - the logging truck! Without the hill though I’m sure Rachael would’ve been right there at the wire.

Golling an der Salzach doesn’t look like the most compelling place on the map, but it does advertise what I’m sure is a very impressive waterfall. We pass the turnoff to it, see the signs claiming it is only 200 meters away, so we decide we have time and energy to follow this side road uphill to check it out. Soon another sign announces it is now only 150 meters away; then 100; then 50. The excitement builds to a crescendo, matching the roar we can hear of water rushing nearby. Enthusiasm instantly drops to zero though when we come to a last sign: at a ticket office, with another sign indicating the actual falls are still a ten minute walk away on the other side of the gate. Very irksome.

Somewhere up around the bend is the spectacular Golling Waterfall. If you see it, let us know if it was worth the price of admission.

Beyond Golling comes what we believe will be the only real work of the day - a short, steep climb over Pass Lueg. Susan mentioned this pass in her blog, describing it as a piece of work but otherwise not worth really commenting on.

Our experience only five days later was quite different. The bike route takes us through a tunnel partway into the climb. Today though the tunnel is marked as prohibited for cyclists. There’s a steep side road branching off here which I assume climbs above the tunnel and drops down the other side. We’re just looking at our Garmins and considering our options when a bus appears, traveling very slowly down to this steep side road, and then stops next to us. The driver with limited English indicates we should hop on or prepare to wait an hour. So we hop on, joining about 10 other cyclists and their bikes. It’s apparently a temporary measure to shuttle bikes past a construction project. What luck that the bus just happened by and stopped for us!

Unfortunately, we have no idea where the bus is going. Several miles later the bus is racing down the highway, in what I think is back toward at least Golling or maybe even Salzburg. Disconcerting. So I ask if any of the other bikers speak English, and one does. He says they’re all going to Werfen themselves. Hooray!

Soon we enter a long, dark tunnel. When we emerge, presumably on the south side of Pass Lueg, we’re blinded by the sun. A cheer spontaneously arises feom the bikers on the bus. Sun!

The bus soon pulls off at a stop and everyone gets off. We’re only four miles from Werfen now, biking in the sun before a strong tailwind coming down from the pass. We’re surrounded by mountains, and a few miles further on we see Hohenwerfen Castle dramatically perched in a gap with Werfen just on the other side. An exhilarating end to a quite unusual day.

Looking back behind us at the dense clouds throttling Pass Lueg.

Stunning, especially after spending the rest of the day under a solidly overcast sky.

Hohenwerfen Castle, seen from the northern approach.

It’s nearly 4:30 when we check in to our hotel. 45 minutes later the sun is just dropping behind the high ridge to the west, so it’s really lucky we caught that bus. While Rachael showers I walk out for a quick look around town before the sun goes down, and then we head out to enjoy a fine fish dinner at the restaurant next door.

In Werfen. A flock of about a hundred pigeons was gyrating above, and then abruptly disappeared.

In Hohenwerfen. You can’t see it now, but there’s a massive limestone peak buried behind those clouds.

Our home for the night. Has all the essentials.

Heart

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Ride stats today: 33 miles, 1,600’; for the tour: 1,333 miles, 44,700’

Today's ride: 33 miles (53 km)
Total: 1,333 miles (2,145 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	11
Comment on this entry	Comment	9

Rich FrasierYou guys really know how to pack a lot of stuff into a single day. I’m seriously impressed! Quelle aventure! And that GoPro9 looks marvelous!
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Rich FrasierYes, it’s been too long since we had any real adventures here. We like to mix things up to keep our viewers interested.
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2 years ago

Jon AylingThis brought back a few memories of last year!

The Lueg is indeed a bit of work (and the very narrow gorge section to the South is a bit sketchy, particularly with the road works). I think the tunnel was closed to cyclists when I went through it as well - I naughtily ignored this in order to avoid the steep cutoff. Looks like good timing with the bus!
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2 years ago

Ben ParkeThe ride down from pass lueg is a really pretty ride. The bit roughly from Tenneck to Werfen is pretty swell. The bit from the pass to there is a little sketchier with traffic. No room for a cycle lane. I think the train may pass through the mountain there. You’ve got a real fun climb coming south of Schwarzach. Extra credit if you manage to cycle all the way up it. The Kitzlochklamm near Schwarzach is quite a nice hike up the gorge. They also charge admission though. Too bad you’re on a mission to get to Italy. The Krimml falls and the rest of the Tauern Radweg are really great. By far my favorite ride in Europe.
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Ben ParkeYou’re right about the lift from Schwarzach, and we do claim extra credit. Just drop it in my account, if you don’t mind. And I’m sure you’re right that this region deserves more time. I’ve been thinking the same thing as we’ve biked down. On the other hand, we want to get through to the Italian side before the weather breaks.
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2 years ago

Suzanne GibsonI'm loving the virtual ride with you! And better weather on that stretch than we had. Btw, Janos was able to identify your music within seconds. I always make him guess. Clifford Brown wasn't so easy since he had such a short life.
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Suzanne GibsonWe’ll, I’m impressed. I’m not sure I’d have recognized a Clifford Brown song myself. I’ll have to lean on Rocky to let me pick the music more often to see if we can challenge him.
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Jon AylingI wondered about just blasting through the tunnel too. We hadn’t gotten around to checking out our options yet but it looks like it’s really the only choice by bike without backtracking and catching the train. It was just dumb luck (my favorite type) that the bus showed up and made the decision for us.
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2 years ago

Lyle McLeodEcho John A’s comments. Great that you got the bus, the section of road you avoided was very narrow, very twisty and when we rode it in Oct ‘17, there was a lot of traffic (including logging trucks). It was one of the only times we felt really unsafe riding in Austria or Germany.
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2 years ago