Greatest cycling climbs #9 Großglockner

Grossglockner has appeared 2 times in the Giro d'Italia:

 - 17th stage of the 1971 Giro d'Italia.
 - 13th stage of the 2011 Giro d'Italia.

To cyclists, the Grossglockner is better known as the biggest challenge in the Tour of Austria.  It's history in sport goes back many years. The road up was built in 1930, following a centuries-old foot path track that had long been trodden by pack mules as well as Celt and Roman warriors.

The first race up was held in 1935.  The climb has been used for auto and motorbike hillclimbs, as well as for bicycle road races ever since.

See a great story about the history of Großglockner at Flandriacafe 

Großglockner with Kasereck at 2011 Giro (www.gazzetta.it)

Last year Großglockner Hochalpenstraße AG (responsible for the maintenance of the road) was planning to make money from the masses of cyclotourists who ride up every year. The company announced a fee of five euro per rider, between the times of nine in the morning to three in the afternoon. The announcement escalated immediately protests against the planned fee. In just a few days over 2000 signatures were gathered online by people quite angry about the toll fee. Therefore, the Großglockner Hochalpenstraße AG decided to reverse its decision to charge bicyclists.

Around 20,000 people ride their bikes up the Großglockner each year.

Read more at Velonation

Großglockner was a special place also to Charly Gaul "The Angel of the Mountains". He won a stage up the climb of Grossglockner during the Tour of Austria when he was 17, setting a stage record. It was his first race outside Luxembourg. The writer Charlie Woods said:

"The Grossglockner is slightly higher than Mont Ventoux and just as formidable. One can imagine the youngster engaging rather sheepishly with such a monster. He knew that he could climb well on ordinary hills, but this was no man's land. At half-distance, however, despite his manager's exhortations to caution, his class told and he found himself alone in the lead. A few moments of giddy pleasure were soon dispatched by the ever-present need to keep the pedals turning; he was, after all, still in no man's land. This show of force was greeted by another, a thunderstorm and the first squalls of rain probably cooled the fever of his labours and brought with it a lighter, freer atmosphere. He had always been at ease in rainfall [and] beginning to pedal now with an edge of fierce affirmation, he perhaps completely forgot himself for a long series of ramps and bends... To such an extent that not only did he win the stage but broke the existing record for the climb."

Alchin, Richard and Bell, Adrian (eds), Golden Stages of the Tour de France, Mousehold Press, UK, p. 46

In 1971 (7 June) Giro d'Italia Großglockner appeared in Stage 17: Tarvisio - Grossglockner, 206.00 km

Vianelli Pierfranco won the stage:
   
1. Franco Vianelli 6h08'45"
2. Primo Mori à 1'09"
3. Giancarlo Polidori à 1'37"
4. Andre Poppe à 2'30"
5. Gösta Pettersson à 4'31"    
       
Overall classification
   
Winner: Petterson, Gösta (Sweden) 97hr 24min 3sec
   
2nd Place: Herman Van Springel @ 2min 4sec
   
3rd Place: Ugo Colombo @ 2min 35sec
   
Total distance 3,567 km
   
Average speed km/hr 36.597

First ever and only Grand Tour victory to Nordic countries. Read more about Gösta Petterson at Cyclingnews.

2011 Giro d'Italia: Stage 13 - Spilimbergo to Grossglockner, Friday, May 20, 167 km

2011 Giro - Profile of Stage 13 (www.gazzetta.it)

Stage results

Posn.	Name	Country	Team	Time	d	Time bonus
1	RUJANO GUILLEN Jose'	VEN	AND	4:45:54	0:00	20"
2	CONTADOR Alberto	ESP	SBS	4:45:54	0:00	12"
3	GADRET John	FRA	ALM	4:47:21	1:27	8"
4	DUPONT Hubert	FRA	ALM	4:47:23	1:29
5	ANTON Igor	ESP	EUS	4:47:23	1:29
6	KREUZIGER Roman	CZE	AST	4:47:30	1:36
7	SCARPONI Michele	ITA	LAM	4:47:30	1:36
8	NIBALI Vincenzo	ITA	LIQ	4:47:30	1:36
9	KIRYIENKA Vasili	BLR	MOV	4:47:30	1:36
10	MENCHOV Denis	RUS	GEO	4:47:30	1:36

General classification

Posn.	Name	Country	Team	Time	d
1	CONTADOR Alberto	ESP	SBS	49:40:58	0:00
2	NIBALI Vincenzo	ITA	LIQ	49:44:07	3:09
3	SCARPONI Michele	ITA	LAM	49:44:14	3:16
4	ARROYO DURAN David	ESP	MOV	49:44:23	3:25
5	KREUZIGER Roman	CZE	AST	49:44:27	3:29
6	SIVTSOV Kanstantsin	BLR	THR	49:44:51	3:53
7	ANTON Igor	ESP	EUS	49:45:00	4:02
8	GADRET John	FRA	ALM	49:45:04	4:06
9	CARRARA Matteo	ITA	VCD	49:45:33	4:35
10	DUPONT Hubert	FRA	ALM	49:45:36	4:38