CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Out of Bludenz, one way: 204 km, roughly 3 h 49 in the saddle. On the way it passes Partenen, Bielerhohe and Galtur. The highest point is about 2,300 m. Bielerhöhe is subject to seasonal closure - check it is open before you set off. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
For about 30 km this is Silvretta High Alpine Road, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it — expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast.
This part of the ride is 124 km of Silvretta High Alpine Road.
Check the pass is open before you commit to it.
Bludenz sits at the meeting of several valleys, and that is its whole story. The Walgau runs northwest toward the Rhine, the Klostertal heads east to the Arlberg, the Brandnertal climbs south to the Lünersee, and the Montafon carries the Ill river up to the Silvretta. At 588 metres, the town is a low point in a landscape of high peaks, with the Rätikon walls rising behind the old centre and a compact medieval core of arcades and painted houses. It is an ideal place to begin a ride into the mountains.
Read the complete Bludenz food stop write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Bludenz is where the day begins. Next is Partenen.
Partenen is the last proper village at the head of the Montafon, the long valley that runs south-east from Bludenz toward the Silvretta range. After here the valley narrows, the trees close in and the road starts to climb toward the high lakes. It is a small place, a scatter of farmhouses and guest houses along the Ill, with the mountains standing so close that the sun arrives late and leaves early.
Read the complete Partenen write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Partenen comes up about 30 km into the recorded legs. Next is Bielerhohe.
The Bielerhöhe is the high point of the Silvretta High Alpine Road, a broad saddle at 2,032 metres where Vorarlberg meets Tyrol and where the water changes its mind about where it wants to go. Rain that falls on the western side runs into the Ill and the Rhine, eventually reaching the North Sea; rain on the eastern side drains into the Trisanna, the Inn and the Danube, and finally the Black Sea. Standing at the top, with a lake beside you, it is satisfying to know you are on a European watershed.
Read the complete Bielerhohe write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
about 154 km into the recorded legs you reach Bielerhohe. Nothing on this route is higher. Next is Galtur, mostly downhill.
Galtür stands at about 1,600 metres at the head of the Paznaun valley, and the first thing you notice is a concrete wall. It is long, curved and tall, and it was built after the avalanche of February 1999, when a wall of snow roared down into the village and killed thirty-one people. The wall now shields the centre, and a museum beside it, the Alpinarium, tells the story of the disaster and, more broadly, of living under snow. It is a serious place, and a thoughtful stop even for riders who normally only want coffee.
Read the complete Galtür write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Galtur, late in the day. Next is Landeck.
Landeck sits at the meeting of valleys in the Tyrolean Alps, where the Inn river swings from its long upper valley into a gorge and the Sanna comes tumbling down from the Arlberg side. At around 800 metres, it is a modest height for the Alps, but the mountains rise steeply on all sides, and the old castle on its rock above the town gives the place the look of a doorway. Burg Landeck dates from the thirteenth century and now houses a museum. The town has about 7,700 people, and the old centre is small, with painted houses and cafes.
Read the complete Landeck write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Finish at Landeck. That is the ride.
Bludenz → Partenen is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Partenen → Bielerhohe is 124 km. This is the part worth slowing down for - look through the bends and use the pull-offs.
Bielerhöhe → Galtur is 11 km. Brakes and eyes forward; the views are behind the corners, not in them.
Galtur → Landeck is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.