Fuscher Törl is where the Grossglockner High Alpine Road stops being a pleasant drive and becomes a stage set. At 2,428 metres, this high saddle gives the first big view over the whole Glockner range, with the Fuscher valley falling away behind you and ranks of rock and snow ahead, and the tiny shapes of cars and cyclists crawling up the hairpins far below. It is a place where most riders cut the engine, take off their gloves, and simply look.
The road was a major engineering feat. It was built in the early 1930s, with thousands of workers employed during the Depression, and opened in 1935, at a time when mass motoring was only beginning. It is still run as a toll road, and the fee is part of the day's cost, so have a card or cash ready at the gate. A short, steep side road starts at the Törl and climbs to the Edelweissspitze, at about 2,570 metres, where a viewpoint offers a still wider panorama, with more than thirty peaks over three thousand metres in sight on a clear day.
The riding on the northern ramp is superb. From the toll gate at Ferleiten the road climbs in broad, well-surfaced hairpins, with a gradient that never tires, and the vegetation falls away from forest to meadow to bare rock. Traffic can be heavy in summer, especially at weekends and in the middle of the day, so start early. Weather matters greatly: the road is open only from about May to early November, and fog, cold rain, or snow can arrive in any month. A warm layer and waterproof gloves are not optional.
A restaurant and a small museum beside the road offer coffee, soup, and the sort of cake that Austrians treat as a serious matter. Marmots live in the rocks nearby, and are used to people, so you will probably see one. Keep your speed down near the cafes, where pedestrians cross without warning.