Road bike tour Road cycling tour: Sölden - Ötztal Glacier Road up to Rettenbach Glacier

Sölden /
Difficulty ratings:
Route length: 29.6 km
Duration: 3:28 h

To the peak of the Alps. At least if you go by paved roads. At 2,830 meters, the air on the road bike starts to get thin - but perhaps this is also due to the average 10.5 % gradient.

Tour character

This challenging road bike tour leads from Sölden up the 2,830-metre-high glacier road with a constant 13% gradient. Be sure to bring lights for the 1.8-kilometre-long Rosi Mittermeier Tunnel.

Tour information

  • Length: 29.6 km
  • Duration: 3:28 h
  • Elevation uphill:1,457 hm
  • Elevation downhill:1,457 hm
Highest point2,798 m

Starting point

Freizeit Arena Sölden

Finishing point

Freizeit Arena Sölden
  • Fitness level 4 / 6
  • Technique 6 / 6

Best time of year

  • January
  • February
  • March
  • April
  • May
  • June
  • July
  • August
  • September
  • October
  • November
  • December

Equipment

National road traffic regulations apply. Generally valid and common rules of conduct.

Please note that there is an increased risk of accidents and injuries in road cycling sports. Despite accurate tour planning, there is always a basic risk. Appropriate tour preparation including endurance sports, suitable training programs and further education as well as personal circumspection considerably reduce accidents and risks.

The personal cycling equipment must be safe, ready for use and correspond to the respective technical standard. Additionally, road cyclists are strongly recommended to find out more about the planned tours in specialist literature or on site. Complete road cycling equipment is recommended even for very experienced cyclists!

Special tip: Bicycle lighting is advisable for the partially sparsely illuminated tunnels.

Description

At the southern edge of Sölden the road branches off to the right, towards the two glacier ski areas of Rettenbach Glacier (popular Alpine Ski World Cup Season Opening) and Tiefenbach Glacier, and to Hochsölden. With an average gradient of 10.5 %, the Ötztal Glacier Road is not an easy task. The challenging route along the road built in 1972 leads from Sölden through the spectacular Rettenbachtal valley up to the glacier ski areas in Ötztal. The wildly romantic beauty of the high Alpine terrain is just as breathtaking as the increasingly thin mountain air. The panoramic road to the event stadium of Rettenbach Glacier surely requires the last reserves of energy. But you have made it only as soon as you reach the parking area above Rettenbach Glacier, next to the steel sculpture.

The cycle tour up to the Ötztal Glacier Ski Area also includes an unrivaled superlative: "highest point in the Alps that can be reached by road bicycle". For record hunters this may be enough incentive to conquer the Glacier Road covered with a wonderfully smooth asphalt surface in 2004, but also for all those who are mainly interested in scenic natural beauty, an excursion on two wheels into the eternal ice is worthwhile.

In 2005 and 2007 the Glacier Road was conquered by the cyclists of the Deutschland Tour. From 2015 to 2017, Rettenbach Glacier was the queen's stage finish of the renowned Tour de Suisse.

PS: "The red-white-red highlight at 2830 meters altitude: Jan Ulrich described the climb as 'cruelty to animals' and Jens Voigt wanted to call the mountain rescue team for an avalanche warning. Any questions?"

Hard-nosed cyclists then continue to Tiefenbach Glacier on a further 3.4 kilometer long stretch with 210 altitude meters. (Bicycle lighting is advisable for the tunnel leading to Tiefenbach Glacier).


Getting here

  • Arrival by public transport

    Enjoy a both comfortable and relaxing train ride to the train station in Ötztal Bahnhof. You get off the train in ÖTZTAL Bahnhof where you change to a public bus or local taxi. The current bus schedule can be found at: http://fahrplan.vvt.at

  • Parking

    The following parking facilities are available in Sölden:

    • Parking lot Postplatz
    • parking lot Stiegele
    • stair parking
    • Giggijochbahn + underground garage
    • Gaislachkoglbahn + underground garage
    • Parking Hochsölden
    • parking garage Hochsölden 1. parking lot

    All parking is free during the day.

    Parking for several days (eg hike tour):

    • Postplatz, Parkticket available at the information Sölden
    • Parkgarage Gaislachkoglbahn, Parkticket either online or directly at the cash desk of the Gaislachkoglbahn

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