Grossglockner from Fusch: 13 km near 10% to the Fuscher Törl

The Grossglockner High Alpine Road is one of the great roads of the Alps: 48 km and 36 bends over the main ridge, inside the Hohe Tauern National Park and in sight of the Grossglockner itself. From Fusch on the northern side it is a 27 km climb to the Hochtor at 2,504 m, and its heart is one brutal stretch: 13 km at close to 10% from the toll gate at Ferleiten to the Fuscher Törl. Here is how the climb is built, how to pace it, and the road's own rules, which matter more here than on most passes.

The climb, in four parts

Kitzbühel Tourism's road-bike tour gives the key heights on this side: the Ferleiten toll gate at 1,115 m, the Fuscher Törl at 2,428 m, a short descent via the Fuscher Lacke at 2,275 m, and then the Hochtor. The road's operator puts the Hochtor at 2,504 m. Our track starts lower, in Fusch itself.

• Fusch to Ferleiten: the valley. The first 7 km are mostly gentle, with one steeper ramp of about 7–10% from around 3 km. Then the road flattens again before the toll gate. Ride this as a warm-up and nothing more.
• Ferleiten to the Fuscher Törl: the climb. This is the Grossglockner. On our track it is 13 km almost without a break, with kilometre after kilometre between 8% and 10.7%, about 1,300 m of climbing, and Kitzbühel Tourism gives the maximum as 12%. There is no easy section in the middle to recover on.
• The dip to the Fuscher Lacke. From the Fuscher Törl the road drops about 150 m in two kilometres to the small lake at the Fuscher Lacke. It is a welcome rest, but you are now high and it can be cold. Put a layer on for it.
• Up to the Hochtor. The last 4 km climb back up, steepening to 7–9% in the final two kilometres, to the pass at 2,504 m. It is not long, but after the descent your legs will need a minute to come back.

How to pace it

Most amateurs take between two and three and a half hours from Fusch to the Hochtor. The pacing problem is simple: the hard part is a single block of well over an hour at nearly 10%, starting a quarter of the way up.

• Arrive at Ferleiten fresh. Treat the first 7 km as part of the warm-up. From the toll gate, settle at 80–85% of FTP and accept that the speed will be slow. Our guide to pacing a climb with power explains why an even effort pays off.
• Gear very low. 13 km at close to 10% is where a 34×34 or similar earns its place. A cadence that collapses to 50 rpm will cost you more than a lower gear ever would. See gearing for climbing.
• Expect less power above 2,000 m. The upper part of the long climb and everything after the Fuscher Törl is high. If your watts drop at the same effort, that is the altitude, not you fading. Altitude training for amateurs explains why.
• Plan the descent. Going back down to Fusch is long and fast. The operator asks cyclists to descend in a controlled way, without cutting corners and without overheating their brakes. Descending faster and safer covers the technique.

The road's story

According to the operator, the first blasting on 30 August 1930 marked the start of construction. The road was planned by the engineer Franz Wallack, with the Salzburg governor Franz Rehrl as its political driving force, and it was opened on 3 August 1935 by the Austrian president, Wilhelm Miklas. The next day a car race was held on it, on a road still covered in sand.

Cycling has kept coming back. The operator names the Glocknerkönig race and the Tour of Austria among the major cycling events on the road. From the top, an access road also leads to the Edelweißspitze at 2,571 m, the highest point you can drive to.

Rules, season and safety

• Season and hours. The road is open only in the summer half of the year. In 2026 the operator lists it open until 1 November inclusive, closing for winter from 2 November, and outside the daily opening hours there is a ban on night-time driving, so plan to be off the road by the evening closing time.
• Check the status before you go. The operator posts closures for cyclists and motorcyclists, for example when the road needs snow chains, and there can be short closures early in the morning when meltwater freezes. Check grossglockner.at on the morning you ride.
• Fees. The operator's cycling page lists no road fee for cyclists, and offers voluntary one-day accident insurance at the pay point in Fusch/Ferleiten.
• Traffic. The operator suggests starting before 8:00 or after 15:00, when there is less traffic. It also asks cyclists not to ride side by side or in groups, to keep right, and to expect cars to overtake closer than you would like.
• Weather. You climb from the valley to more than 2,400 m. Take a jacket and long gloves even on a warm day; cycling in cold weather has the kit list.

Ride it in Moveee Indoor

The route on this page is the real road from Fusch to the Hochtor, with its height at every point. In Moveee Indoor your smart trainer reproduces the gradient as you ride, so the long block from Ferleiten feels as relentless as it is, and the world around you is built from map data of the real place. Very few climbs at home give you an hour at nearly 10%, which is why this one is worth training for indoors: you learn what gear and what power you can keep for that long.

Ride it early in your build, then a few weeks before your trip, and compare the Ferleiten to Fuscher Törl section on your saved rides. Prefer your own device? Download the GPX above and load it into any app that rides GPX files.

The short version

27 km from Fusch to the Hochtor at 2,504 m, with 13 km at close to 10% from Ferleiten to the Fuscher Törl at its heart. Arrive at the toll gate fresh, gear very low and expect less power at altitude. Check the operator's status and opening hours before you ride, and go early to beat the traffic.