From the lake up into the hills, heading north. A climb to one of the oldest ski resorts of its kind. From Lake Garda at just 65 meters above sea level to a mountain pass 1,600 meters higher.

Thinking of Alpine road cycling, the big names immediately come to mind — Stelvio, Tourmalet, Galibier. But there’s another, lesser-known yet equally spectacular climb: the Ötztaler Gletscherstraße above Sölden in Tyrol. This 15-kilometre ascent doesn’t serve as a classic mountain pass — it’s a dead-end road leading only to the glaciers. Perhaps that’s why the road builders didn’t bother easing the gradient, leaving us with a real challenge to tackle.