Grossglockner (North side)
Distance: 23.33 km
Elevation Gain: 1513 m
Elevation Loss: 554 m
Difficulty:
1541 (Extreme)
FIETS Index: 9.63 FIETS
Avg Grade: 7.05 %
Max cat climb: HC
Min elevation: 1157 m
Max elevation: 2523 m
Ride Category:
Epic Climb
From Ferleiten, in Salzburg, Austria, the north side of the Grossglockner High Alpine Road climbs to the Fuscher Törl, the Tour of Austria’s most traditional climb. The race crowns its best climber here as Glocknerkönig, a title once almost as prized as the overall win. In 2018 Pieter Weening attacked 15 km from the top, won the stage and took the title for the second year running.
This ride starts at the Ferleiten toll gate, where work on the road began with a ceremonial blast in 1930; the short course of the Glocknerkönig sportive also sets off from here. The road climbs to the Fuscher Törl and dips to the Fuscher Lacke, where a museum tells the story of the road’s engineer, Franz Wallack. It then climbs again to the Hochtor tunnel on the border with Carinthia. The ride ends on the far side, near the Wallackhaus, an inn named after him.
