Today’s ride is characterised more by valleys and rivers than big passes. From Sölden I ride down the Ötztal, the air still icy cold in the shade of the mountains. The bike path here is well marked and leads over forest tracks most of the time.
After briefly riding along the Inn River, I start the climb up to the Hahntennjoch in Imst. The pass into the Lech valley is the lowest so far, at just 1900 m, but it’s still a 1200 m ascent. I ride up pretty quickly, mainly, because an old, very loud and stinking tractor is also working up its way and it’s just about as fast as me.
On the way down into the Lech valley, I take a short break by a small river. At the bottom of the valley, I turn West along the Lech river on a good bike path. A dark cloud passes by, but I catch only a few drops of rain. As the valley narrows near Steeg, I start the climb towards Warth, but my legs feel tired and I soon find a decent spot to camp for the night.
