December 2016 | 57
“I hope I’ve done the right thing!”
T
- Keith Gilks and Daniel Federspiel
he first annual Kuftsteinerland Cycle Marathon in the beautiful Austrian region between Salzburg and Innsbruck, had started just a few moments ago to the music of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Large crowds had gathered in the warm late summer sunshine, to support the riders and meet cross country eliminator world champion (twice over) Daniel Federspiel and local professional riders Daniel Pintarelli, Andy Traxi and Michael Mayer- hereby known as “the pros.” I was in the company of top riders and doubting my sporting ability. And with good reason. As I pedalled out of Ebbs, a picturesque town nestled in the Alps, about one hundred club cyclists shot past me left and right, with approximately another four hundred already up the road. Perhaps I should have entered the more relaxed 62 km ‘pleasure route’ rather than the classic Marathon route consisting of 131 km and over 1600m of climbing. The pace from the start was impressive, a pace I knew I would not be able to hold. If ever I needed a strategy to complete a sportive without making an idiot of myself this was it. David Millar’s words from his Vuelta commentary about Chris Froome’s tactics on hill finishes flashed into my mind. “Chris Froome bravely rides within himself ensuring he doesn’t ‘go into the red’, in the knowledge that his competitors will tire, allowing him to catch and pass them.” I would use the same tactic (not that I had a choice). When the event ambulance passes you to follow the last main group you know you are in trouble. I gave a little sigh but held my nerve. After a worrying 6.5 km I reached Kuftstein, and the road turned skyward onto a road I recognised. I and a few others had cycled the climb to Theirsee the day before in the illustrious company of “the pros.” The short ride was
to introduce us to the gorgeous area and act as a little warm up for the Marathon. Therefore, I knew what to expect; 2.9 km at an average of 7%. Much to my relief I immediately saw riders struggling. With ever-increasing confidence, I slowly picked off groups of riders as I judged my pace perfectly. Even the ambulance had pulled over to the side of the road. I crested over the top and freewheeled into the valley and once more feasted my eyes on the wonderful vista of Theirsee and its lake, framed by the impressive Pendling Alp, one of the mountains in the range known as The Kaisers. However, to my right I could see a new challenge; the road to Hintertheirsee, a climb with an 11% average. Again I managed to pass a few riders before catching up with a group that I essentially stayed with for the first half of the ride. At the top, an Austrian cyclist remarked in perfect English (after I had apologised for not speaking German), on how we had only covered 15 km yet climbed over 400 m. It certainly was going to be a challenging route and the organisers were in no danger of being sued for giving false impressions. Not before time, the first real satisfying descent was enjoyed as we headed for Brelton. The road was steep with tight turns so care had to be taken. Then the route looped back to Theirsee and descended back down towards Kuftstein, affording magnificent views of the Kaiser range. It was now time to try out my rouleur skills as the road was almost perfectly flat to Mariastein. If only the wind had been behind me. At about 45 km the route branched off and up a short 12% climb opening out into a beautiful meadow landscape on the road to Breitenbach. This was a lovely rolling countryside section that gave me time to reflect on the weekend and appreciate the unspoilt views including quintessential Austrian alpine cottages covered with flowers. This was my first trip to Austria and if you had asked me my thoughts on the country before my visit, then I would have told you all about winter sports (mainly based on my memories of Ski Sunday and watching Franz Klammer in the 1980s), mountain and hill trekking and of course mountain biking. Road biking would not have naturally come to mind. However, I now have a totally different perspective.