Stage 01
Salzburg → St. Johann
After the rainy day, we finally set off. The first stage was ideal for finding a rhythm and switching from waiting back to riding.
64.9 km470 m6:23 h
Salzburg · Alps · Italy · Adriatic
Alpe Adria.
To the sea.
Five stages, one rainy day and 397 kilometres from Salzburg across the Alps to Grado — with luggage, a tent and everything that comes with life on the road.
5Stages
397 kmTotal distance
2,710 mClimbing
1Sea
The real start
Plans are useful.
Weather decides.
On Friday, the ICE took us from Mannheim to Salzburg with a reserved bike space. The tent was soon pitched at the Aigen campsite — but Saturday brought continuous rain.
No kilometres on the clock, just wet gear and waiting when all you want is to set off. Looking back, that day belongs to the story. Without it, this would have been a different ride.
Rainy day in SalzburgSometimes waiting is as much a part of the ride as cycling.
The route
Five days
heading south.
Stage 02
St. Johann → Mallnitz
The steady climb made stage two much tougher. Bike, legs and mind had to work together — the ride was truly underway.
49.8 km750 m4:20 h
Stage 03
Mallnitz → Villach
The turning point: no longer settling into the ride, but fully in it. The body had found its rhythm and the route began to flow.
84.1 km530 m5:31 h
Stage 04
Villach → Udine
The longest stage: 139 kilometres demanded consistency, focus and endurance. At the same time, the landscape opened up and Italy drew closer with every kilometre.
139 km890 m7:36 h
Stage 05
Udine → Grado
Flat, fast and completely different in character. Then the sea suddenly appeared — not a loud finish, but the quiet feeling of truly having arrived.
59.1 km70 m3:20 h
Conclusion
The line is not the ride.
The Alpe Adria route is shaped by its beautiful sections and by the moments in between. The rainy day in Salzburg was as much part of the journey as reaching the sea.
A ride is more than a line on a map. It is everything that happens along the way, even when you are not riding.