Bruck is a small village in the Salzach valley, on the edge of the Pinzgau, and for most riders it has one job: it is the doorstep to the Grossglockner High Alpine Road. Zell am See and its lake lie a few kilometres to the east, the broad glacier-carved valley runs on to the west, and above it, to the south, the main ridge of the Hohe Tauern rises in long, dark flanks with ice on top. At about 750 metres, the village is warm and green in summer, with farmhouses, hay meadows and the sound of church bells.
The high road itself, which you join a short way up the side valley toward Fusch and Ferleiten, is one of the great engineering projects of the twentieth century in the Alps. Construction began in 1930, in the middle of an economic depression, as a way to give work to thousands of unemployed men, and it opened in 1935. Around fifty kilometres of road, with some thirty-six hairpins, climb to a crossing at 2,504 metres near the Hochtor, designed so that cars could cross the main Alpine ridge at a gentle gradient. A toll is charged, and it is not small, but riders usually agree it is worth it.
The road is open in summer only, with opening dates that vary from year to year, typically from late spring to early November, and it can close at short notice for snow, even in the middle of the season. Early starts pay off, because by midday the traffic of buses, camper vans, cyclists and bikes can slow things to a crawl. Weather also tends to cloud up in the afternoon. Check forecasts and webcams before you set off, and bring warm layers, because the top is often near freezing even in July.
At Bruck, you will find fuel, a supermarket, a bakery and a few small guesthouses, and the larger town of Zell am See, only four kilometres away, has anything else you might need. Try a Kaiserschmarrn, the shredded pancake that Austrian mountain restaurants do with real pride, at one of the cafes on the way up. It is a gentle start to a very big day.