TOUR Transalp 2024 - the most important facts in brief
- 16 to 22 June
- 7 stages from Lienz in East Tyrol to Riva del Garda on Lake Garda
- Registration is possible as a team of two or solo
- Info: event.delius-klasing.de/tour-transalp
Kick-off on the balcony
In recent years at the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, the pros have learnt time and again that short mountain stages are harder than long, epic ones. The opening stage of this year's TOUR Transalp will be no different. 73 kilometres sounds harmless, as does the fact that there are no major mountain passes on the stage, which starts in Lienz in East Tyrol and ends in Sillian, just 30 kilometres to the west. But more than 2,100 metres of altitude reveal that the few kilometres will be spiced up with a lot of climbing. The missing passes are replaced by a high-altitude road that hangs in curves on the northern edge of the Pustertal Valley like a garland in a party cellar.
This makes the narrow mountain road so challenging that the Giro d'Italia sent the pros to this gem not far from the Italian border in 1994 and 2007. But before the TOUR Transalp heads up there, the peloton has around 24 flat kilometres through the Drau Valley around Lienz to warm up. The climb then begins in Leisach: the first and, at six kilometres, also the longest climb of this stage up to Bannberg takes a lot of energy with an average gradient of nine per cent.
TOUR Transalp 2024 - Stage 1: Constant ups and downs
At the top, high above the Drau, the mountain road winds its way across a sunny panoramic balcony and collects metres in altitude with constant ups and downs. The view of the rugged, rocky peaks on the other side of the valley is breathtaking. These are the Lienz Dolomites, the western half of the Gailtal Alps, which are up to 2770 metres high. They are not geologically part of the nearby Dolomites, but have been called so since the end of the 19th century because of their similar appearance. The road also seems to follow the profile of the peaks, there are hardly any flat passages, poisonous climbs make the blood throb in your temples. Many ramps reach skyward crests on which the forefathers placed pretty churches, cleverly staged at prominent points in the landscape. On the way towards Sillian, the route slowly reduces in altitude and reaches the valley floor of the Drau again.
However, the planners have come up with a small climb in Sillian as a final challenge. A detour leads the peloton once again out of the valley northwards into the Villgratental valley to Außervillgraten. From there, a small road leads up to the Sillianberg, the approximately 1450 metre high sunny balcony of the market town, from where you have the most beautiful view of the Carnic Alps and of Sillian, which you reach after a few hairpin bends.
Eight towns in the Alps are proud stage towns of this year's TOUR Transalp, overnight stops for the peloton. But they have much more to offer than just a short pit stop. We present the towns for the stages and reveal the best tours in the region. On the first stage, these are Lienz and Sillian in East Tyrol.
Lienz - the sunny town
Lienz in East Tyrol will be the starting point of the TOUR Transalp for the second time in a row in 2024. The town of around 12,000 inhabitants lies in a wide basin where the Drau and Isel rivers, coming from the Pustertal valley, meet. The barren peaks of the Schober group form the backdrop to the north and the Lienz Dolomites to the south. The inner-Alpine location south of the main Alpine ridge protects Lienz from low-pressure areas from the north and gives the town more than 2000 hours of sunshine a year. The local climate is also favoured by the low sea level of less than 700 metres. In the town centre, the main square with the Liebburg castle and the colourful rows of houses in the old town exude Mediterranean flair.
But it's not just the mild climate that makes Lienz interesting for cyclists. Side valleys branch off from the main valleys in a star shape, which can be connected via small passes and thus form a small network around the town. In addition, there are tarmac farm tracks that wind their way up to mountain pastures or connect mountain villages. A prime example is the Pustertaler Höhenstraße, a 30 kilometre long panoramic balcony on the southern flank of the Pustertal Valley. If you want to go even higher, you can even tackle the Grossglockner High Alpine Road via Iselsberg and Mölltal, which reaches an altitude of 2504 metres at the Hochtor tunnel breakthrough.
Tour tip 1: Around the Lienz Dolomites
- 113 kilometres
- 1660 metres altitude
The crux of this tour, which starts in Lienz and follows the Drau river flat to Waidach, are the subsequent climbs over the Gailbergsattel (982 m) and, above all, over the 1530 metre high Kartitscher Sattel, which leads back into the Drau valley below Sillian. In addition, many waves and ramps spread over the entire route demand a lot of energy. If you love this change of pace, you can even add the Pustertaler Höhenstraße to the profile at the end. In the version without the mountain road, the route corresponds to the route of the Dolomites Cycling Tour, which takes place annually in Lienz, information on this can be found at www.dolomitensport.at/de/events/dolomitenradrundfahrt.html
Tour tip 2: Stitch to the Glocknerblick
- 80 kilometres
- 1300 metres altitude
Twenty kilometres northwest of Lienz, the high valley of Kals branches off to the north. The ascent there is a charming and quieter alternative to the busy Grossglockner High Alpine Road. And those who make it to the Lucknerhaus at 1924 metres above sea level are rewarded with a similarly spectacular view of the Großglockner (3798 m) as can be seen from the southern ramp of the famous glacier road - only from the Lucknerhaus you can see the south face of Austria's highest mountain. The out-and-back route is around 80 kilometres long and follows the Iseltal cycle path for 20 kilometres at the start, past Kienburg Castle to Huben. There, where the well-known Defereggen Valley branches off to the west, the difficult part begins. Over the next 20 kilometres, you have to overcome 1165 metres in altitude.
Sillian - in the forecourt of the Dolomites
The village of Sillian, which has a population of around 2000, developed from a typical Pustertal street settlement. It lies around 1100 metres above sea level and thus almost at the culmination point of the Pustertal Valley, which is located at 1180 metres above sea level a little further west near Toblach. It is only a few kilometres from Sillian to the border with Italy. The Pustertal Valley, also known as the "Green Valley", is geologically interesting as it runs along the main Alpine ridge from west to east and has an entrance and exit at both ends. And because it is shielded from the weather on all sides, Sillian, like Lienz, enjoys many sunny days throughout the year. But it's not just the friendly weather that invites you to go road cycling there. The valleys branching off to the south form entrances to the Dolomites, making Sillian and the Pustertal an ideal starting point for pass tours. The highlight for racing cyclists is the high Staller Sattel, located 2052 metres north of the Pustertal Valley, which leads from Bruneck to the Austrian Defereggen Valley and enables a difficult round tour via Lienz, around 150 kilometres long and peppered with almost 1900 metres of altitude.
Tour tip 1: Around the Three Peaks
- 112 kilometres
- 1800 vertical metres
The tour, which starts and ends in Sillian, offers views of the Three Peaks, which are among the most famous mountains in the Dolomites. However, this will cost you some sweat, as you first cross the Kreuzberg Pass, the Passo di Monte Croce di Comélico (1636 m), then the Passo San Antonio (1489 m) and on to the Lago di Misurina, which is a good 1700 metres above sea level. There, good climbers can even take a detour to the Rifugio Auronzo, which lies directly at the foot of the peaks at 2320 metres above sea level. However, these additional 600 metres in altitude are among the most difficult in the Dolomites and are peppered with long, up to 16 percent steep ramps. However, the view of the Dolomites from the hut is worth every drop of sweat. If you leave the cul-de-sac on the right in Misurina, you will have 1800 metres of altitude in your legs in Sillian.
Tour tip 2: To the Pragser Wildsee lake
- 63 kilometres
- 620 metres altitude
The emerald-green Pragser Wildsee lake, 30 kilometres west of the start and finish in Sillian, is considered one of the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful mountain lake in the Alps. It is located in the Fanes Nature Park and is part of the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site. Unfortunately, you can expect it to be very busy with tourists. But racing cyclists who are on the road early and avoid the weekend can, with a bit of luck, still experience the lake as a quiet beauty. The 65-kilometre tour runs there and back on the perfect cycle path through the Puster Valley. The moderately difficult ascent to the lake starts in Villabassa-Braies and has an elevation gain of around 400 metres.
