Istria: still learning after 30 years

After more than 30 years of cycle touring around Europe and beyond, it would be reasonable to imagine we had ironed out all the wrinkles. But our first two day trips over a long weekend in Croatian Istria soon proved us wrong.

We have a stack of well-used Bikeline books of long distance routes. Indeed spotting the Istrian edition in a bookshop prompted the long-weekend trip. So we know how to find our way using these guides.

After the initial long and arduous climb on our first outing from Buzet, we missed the first turning and climbed a lot further than necessary.

Finally, realising our mistake, we rolled back to the intended turning and resumed the route. Before long we were lost and from there things, literally and figuratively, went downhill. We found our way back in the end but found the Bikeline route descriptions lacking in useful guidance - like mentioning the signposts.

Rovinj - lunch on board and ready for the start but unprepared for the rough track

Day two and things started well heading out of Rovinj. But when we came to the indicated “gravel” stretch found it almost impossible for anything but a mountain bike. Our touring bikes were floundering in deep hollows of loose stones the size of Oxo cubes. Again we opted out and found an alternative asphalt route.

Route 502 - if you aren't climbing, then you are on a precipitous descent

Twice bitten, day three was going to go smoothly. Route 502 set by Istriabike, the local tourist organisation, is all asphalt. We also had a profile and know there is over 600m of climbing. And what a lovely ride! Through small vineyards, olive groves, woods and tiny, ancient villages. Well signposted and with a map clearly illustrating distance between junctions and simple rally- style images for each turn - nothing could go wrong. And it didn't. 

Some of the ups and downs of route 502 

The great gate into Buzet

However, getting to the official start at Sovinjak was interesting. Just 8km. 5km along the Mirna valley, turn left and....250 vertical metres at 10% a bit more than we had bargained for. And along route 502, it was non stop climbing and descending, sometimes steeper than 10%. Even going down was slow as it was so steep.

Day 4 and we took our chances with the Bikeline book and managed a modest circular route on good asphalt from Groznjan with only one slip up. 

There's quite a network of surfaced roads in Istria and many of them are very quiet. All you need to find them is a really good map and some suggestions from the local tourist offices who have good information and guides available free, 

Istria has invested a lot of effort in setting up bike routes and making them easily accessible with good printed material. But many of these are unsurfaced tracks and if you are sticking to the asphalt, be ready to ride with traffic on some busy through routes. Either way, there is plenty of good, healthy climbing ahead in beautiful rural surroundings.

D_I_Y bike service facility in Groznjan
including pump, Allen keys etc

Rovinj from across the bay

Coffee: Croatia has excellent coffee if you like it strong. Highly recommended is the cafe at the foot of the hill to the Buzet old town (Stari Grad). A double espresso macchiato will get you up the steep and winding climb, and even over the horrendous cobbles, as you pass through the gate. An it costs just 12 Kuna. (less than €2)

Back on the road again...early!

Riding towards the Tennengebirge from Salzburg

It’s just so good to be back in the saddle. Back on the road. After four months of snow. Salt, grit and ice on the roads. Four months of grinding on the rollers.

Cold in the early mornings. Just a few lean and hungry riders getting race fit. Too cold for the e-bikers. Warmer as the day progresses, but still the lanes and bike trails are almost empty.

 

Mondsee in the Salzkammergut - riding through that bank of cloud was very cold

The surrounding mountains are thick with late snow. As if someone had spread icing with a spatula. They gleam in the sun. The peaks sharply outlined against the deep blue sky.

 

Early morning view of the Tenengebirge - snow like thickly-spread icing

The winter months have left their mark. Some grit remains. New potholes have appeared, old ones have become cavernous. Roads have cracked in the frost.

The sights and smells of spring are emerging. The woods reek of wild garlic. A few wild flowers are nudging their way into the light.

 

The fortress at Höhenwerfen - on the Tauern and Alpe Adria cycle routes

After the monochrome months, the colours are striking even though the greens are not yet green – everything is brown and flattened by the snow. Pedalling round the local circuits, it’s as if for the first time.

The urge to plan the summer’s tours is strong. Maps, ideas, articles, lie in piles about the house. Watch this space…

St Wolfgang with the Scharfberg behind

Chasing views - not the clock

The Salzatal reservoir on the Grimming ride

The blog before this mentioned bike rides to achieve goals; chasing for better times, longer distances and so on. Not all rides are like this. Not even the best rides are like this. There are some bike excursions which are purely to enjoy the fresh air, amazing views and for the great feeling produced by exercise in beautiful surroundings.

Autumn is a marvellous time in Austria’s Alps. Crisp mornings, warm days, crystal clear skies and wonderful colours. As the colder air marches down from the peaks, so the larches in turn change from lighter green to gold in a cascade of colour.

Fabulous autumn colours along the "forbidden" trail through the Salzatal

Two recent rides inspired this blog. One of the routes I wrote about in a blog a couple of years ago. Looking back, it is still one of the best autumn circuits – circling the base of the huge monolithic Grimming mountain. Cruising through neat and tidy open meadows, puffing up a steep trail through golden woods, and bumping along beside a narrow gorge, autumn colours reflected in the lake.

europeanrandonneur.blogspot.com/2015/10/grimming-gorgeous-not-grim.html

The second is in the Salzkammergut – Salzburg’s lake district. Here a network of cycle tracks, well-signed bike routes on tiny, quiet lanes can lead safely in and out of towns and villages while affording fabulous and surprising lake views.

 

The Drachenwand

Austrians are a very organised folk and it appears that most people, regardless of the weather, put their bicycles down into the cellar on October 1 and don’t bring them out until May 1. This means that the cycle routes, busy in summer with families, couples, racers and cruisers, are quiet at this time of year.

 

Early morning sun glitters on the Mondsee while cloud drift down through the valleys

The Mondsee glitters in the early sun. The distant mountains are blue and grey. Great blankets of white fog slither from the connecting valleys down to the water.

The Drachenwand rises like a great ragged tooth from a wreath of white cloud.

The day warms on the approach to the Attersee – a long lake lined on the far side by mountains. The water turquoise, the mountains indigo. The bike trail parallels the lake, but mostly high above the road, ducking and diving and frequently bursting over a ridge to offer up a new vista of lake and mountain.

 

Along the Attersee the bike trail ducks and dives with fabulous views

Finally, at the end of the lake there is just a short hop back to the Mondsee. The bike track skirts the end of the lake and dives into a tunnel – solely for cyclists. It must be nearly one kilometre long, winding back and forth with a few openings for extra lake views.

 

Cycling heaven beside the Attersee

Riding a circuit like this should not be hurried. Stop to admire the views. Ride a bit more. Look back and wonder. You can’t fail to be inspired and thrilled. Yes, it’s the social and scenic rides that are far more memorable than those chasing the clock.

The route returns to the Mondsee with the Drachenwand in the distance



Distance 57km
Ascent 475

The Attersee, clear and blue as in the tropics - but just a little colder

Climbing: what's the attraction?

The Hochkönig towers over Dienten's iconic church

After the euphoria of climbing Pyrenean cols made famous by the Tour de France, (see previous blog) it is easy to forget about the passes on our Alpine doorstep. Riding over a pass so close to home, and not for the first time, it is easy to become blasé. To see it as if for the first time requires a conscious effort.

In this part of Austria, most passes are not as long as the big cols in France. But there are still challenges to overcome which act as a lure, a goal to be scored. “Can I still do it? How will I feel at the top?” It’s so tempting: the satisfaction of ticking off another pass, another few hundred vertical metres. 

The road to our nearest pass begins at the bridge over the Salzach river and immediately begins snaking upward through a deep narrow gorge. The sun doesn’t get down here for much of the year. It is cold and damp. The stream rushes and crashes its way along beside the road.

 

There's always work to be done along the road to Dienten

The climb is steady rather than very steep. The effort soon dispels the chill. While riding it is difficult to see the sky in the narrow gap above your head. The rocks on each side rise almost vertically, then give way to steep wooded hillsides. In winter it is beset by avalanches, and in summer, mudslides and rocks often cause delays. This road is one of the most expensive to maintain in the country.

The trees are gold and bronze. There won’t be many more rides up this road this year. There’s little traffic and none of it on two wheels.

The road rises steadily for 10km to the pretty ski village of Dienten with it’s iconic church against the huge backdrop of the Hochkönig mountain. It’s tempting to stop at the café in the village centre, but better to keep on going.

Before long there’s a choice. Left to the Filzen Sattel at 1290m or right to the Dientner Sattel a bit higher. Either way it is steep – the next few kilometres rise at up to 14% - steeper than many French passes. Turning left, is the route taken recently by Iron Man contestants and markings urging riders to dig deep are still visible.

After a kilometre or so, it looks as if the summit is around the next bend. Alas, the road keeps on climbing and climbing until finally it eases off just before the top.

 

Goal achieved

The summit of the Filzen Sattel pass isn’t something to get excited about. A small car park filled with hikers’ cars and a sign marking the altitude…and that’s it. No café, no cyclists comparing heart rate records. A bit of an anti-climax. But a goal has been achieved and this is always a good feeling.

Profile of the circular route over the Filzen Sattel

Mountain views just as impressive as in France

There are bike rides and bike rides. Some are just a pleasant saunter through the countryside. But rides with goals are different – whether the goal is a distance, an average speed, a time or ticking off another few hundred altitude meters. And at this time of year there’s not much time left to meet annual targets.

The road onwards down to Maria Alm is a joy. Steep, smooth and sinuous it drops at 15% with tight bends that invite throwing caution to the wind. The ride back to the start along tiny lanes, through farming hamlets and along the beautiful lake at Zell am See, make the remains of the ride just a pleasant saunter through the countryside – goal successfully scored.

 

The circuit includes a ride along the lake at Zell am See

The facts:

Complete circuit 70km

Vertical ascent 880m