A few weeks ago, 76-year-old Gerhard and his recumbent bike set off on a sporty and unforgettable trip through the Alps. Despite his handicap, the senior citizen chose a route that was well worth taking. He started in Isny in the Allgäu, cycled via Füssen and Nassereith to Pfunds. From there he continued to Nauders and Merano. His final destination was Bolzano. Even before his journey, he had already looked carefully at which places would be good for stopovers. On average, he planned to cover around 70 kilometres per trip. The Via Claudia Augusta is a long-distance cycle route that leads across the Alps. Many years ago, this wonderful route was once a Roman trade route. The pensioner explored exactly this route on his journey and now reports on the beautiful views, the exciting cycle paths and even reveals some special hotspots that he discovered. On the first few kilometres of the route from Isny to Füssen, Gerhard mainly cycled through forests and on gravel paths. After that, it was not only through forests, but also increasingly up into the mountains. From this point onwards, the 76-year-old and his Ti-Fly 26 bike from Trike-X-Press had to overcome gradients of up to twenty per cent. He says that he remembers the climbs well, but also the gravel paths downhill and some bottlenecks on the rocks. The first challenge came on the way from Füssen to Nassereith. Here, the experienced recumbent cyclist had to pedal hard to overcome the first challenging stages of the Fernpass. His destination was the Highline 179 in Pflach. 406 metres long and 114 metres high. It is the longest suspension bridge in Austria. He was unable to cross the suspension bridge itself due to his handicap, but "the view was a dream", Gerhard enthused. Overall, the stretch to Nassereith was the most difficult stage of the Fernpass for him. Immediately afterwards, however, he was surprised by the view of a beautiful turquoise-blue lake. "On the route to Fernsteinsee and beyond, small valleys with many great cycle paths and views opened up again and again," said the senior enthusiastically. Another big highlight for Gerhard was the reservoir in Praun. A flooded village and a church tower peeking out of the water in the middle of the lake. At the time the pensioner arrived in Praun, there was little water in the reservoir, so the tower was clearly visible. The incredibly beautiful forests of Tyrol were also an exciting and beautiful experience for the recumbent cyclist. "Encounters with cows are inevitable here. I had to open and close the gates of the pastures myself so that I could then ride my trike through the terrain." Gerhard took the photo below this paragraph directly from his trike. He said that the cows walked alongside or behind the trike and were his companions for a few metres. From time to time he also had to stop because a herd of cows wanted to cross the path. Gerhard notes that it was a great advantage for him that he had already booked the various accommodations before his round trip with the trike. The senior can highly recommend the accommodation in Klösterle Kronenburg in particular. "The food there was extremely good and the hospitality was clearly noticeable." It is also important to mention that the mountains in and around Pfunds are all winter sports resorts and the route should therefore not be underestimated at one point or another, especially in the Pfunds or Nauders regions. From there, the senior set off for Nauders, which lies at an incredible 1,450 metres above sea level. The Reschen Pass, which has to be crossed, is even at 1,500 metres. The route to the Italian town of Miran, on the other hand, was more relaxed and took Gerhard through many apple orchards. For the 76-year-old, it was pure relaxation to sit down in a cosy café in Italy after the strenuous journey to Nauders. From Nauders onwards, there were only a few very small climbs and so from this point onwards, Gerhard's route was mostly downhill until he made his stop in Miran. From there, it was only a short way to Bolzano, with around 30 kilometres still ahead of him at this point. From Bolzano, four other cyclists and the bikes took a shuttle over the pass back to Füssen. Overall, Gerhard is very enthusiastic about the great adventure he has had. Nevertheless, it was also exhausting and challenging in some places. "The gravel and forest sections are not necessarily easy to ride and are not suitable for beginners in my opinion. The stretch between Pfunds and Nauders should also not be underestimated. To be able to complete these routes, the rider needs a good basic level of fitness to be able to cope with the challenge that the Fernpass presents. "But there's always room for improvement," grins Gerhard at the end of the interview. He emphasises once again that a handicap should not be the reason for not undertaking a trip like this, but that it is simply important to prepare well beforehand and to have trained enough or gained enough experience and kilometres with the trike. "After that, anyone can and should explore this wonderful route on a recumbent bike!" Post navigation