Stories from Bad Kleinkirchheim

Author: Stefan Heinisch

It’s leaning pitifully against the shelves in my office at the Tourismusverband Bad Kleinkirchheim, far away from the challenging bike-trails of the Nock Mountains. The saddle, far too low and not adjusted correctly at all, reveals the real purpose of my bicycle, which has gone through an awful lot with me since its birth at the KTM works in 2003. But our relationship has been low-key. Unfortunately.

In  longer “non-biking” periods, I can generally live off of the memory of my last bike trip, which, unfortunately, wasn’t very satisfying. Wolfgang Krainer, from the Bikezentrum Feld am See, and I accompanied a journalist who wanted to try one of the locally offered tours with someone who knows what he’s doing (meaning Wolfgang Krainer, not me!), but had very little time (something that happens to media reps). And so it happened that, after overcoming 1,000 m altitude, we used the Kaiserburg gondola, to reach the Kaiserburg. And because I’m an avowed touring-biker (note: I’m talking about the touring-biker who is proud of every meter in altitude he has completed) this is something I totally dislike. Having arrived on the top, not proud of my technical “vertical jump” on to Bad Kleinkirchheim’s peak at all, it was time for the downhill (in an unusual order for me) towards the direction of the Feldpanalm, which lays high above Feld am See. About 20 minutes later, having conquered roughly 7 to 10 meters altitude by my own muscular strength, I sat in front of the Klammerhütte-cottage on a wooden bench between Wolfgang and Lorenz (that was the journalists name), glancing upon the huge board full of cold cuts (“Brettljause”) in front of us. No, that’s not what biking is all about, my inner voice told me – but it eventually lost against the seductive smell of smoked ham, fresh horseradish and creamy “Glundner” cheese.

I could go on and tell you about the rather unusual ending of this biking-tour but I will end it here, as October will hopefully bring many opportunities to take away all the sadness of my “KTM Team Race”. And so, after spending a month of dry office air and carpet under its tires, take the bike to the trails and paths of the Nock Mountains. But without the gondola, that’s for sure!

Image and text courtesy of Stefan Heinisch for the editorial team of the website www.badkleinkirchheim.at