Moving to HiFi TRAX Part Deux (Teil Zwei) with the PNW legend turned Austrian speedster Seth Patla! We're continuing to spotlight rides that members of the HiFi community love, and we're going international for this edition. It's time for Kaiserbuche!
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Each HiFi TRAX comes with a song. For Kaiserbuche, Seth pairs his ride with the Europop-ish tune "Walking on Air" by Elijah N. Seth describes it as: "Just plain great to cruise along to." That's this video below, right Seth!? I'm sure y'all know that Mozart was Austrian. Did you also know that Falco, of "Rock Me Amadeus" fame, is too?
Kaiserbuche
by Seth Patla
This area is my favorite "let's just get out and ride" area. It is located in the hills just north of Salzburg, Austria. It has mellow climbs and descents for variety, spectacular views of the Alps in the distance, churches/chapels/farmland/farms up close, and quiet paved roads. If I want to go hard I can find some steep (and really steep!) hills. And if I want to just chill, there are all kinds of options to zig-zag around and create variations with not too much elevation gain.
This route includes a bunch of my favorites: Eugendorf (bakery), Unzing (alpacas), Seekirchen (alpacas!), Obertrum (featuring Trumer Brewery and, just outside the city, alpacas!), Kaiserbuche (memorial), and Anthering (more alpacas!). Much of this route is south-facing, so it makes for some excellent winter/late fall/early spring riding; it feels like I can ride forever when I'm out here.
The Kaiserbuche itself is a memorial tree (the original was knocked down by a storm in 2004 and a new one planted) that commemorates the unofficial visit of Kaiser Joseph II on October 28, 1779. (Kaiser = emperor, and Buche = beech). It also has a rock pyramid with a crown (built 1865) and a small chapel (built 1898). It makes a great goal to reach (there are multiple variations of routes to it), and the views from here are spectacular.
This route is a road ride, so for me it's usually full gas with HiFi 45s and road tires mounted up, but current early spring/late winter conditions means the bike paths still have pea gravel on them to help with traction due to snow or lingering threat of snow (yes, Austria does it right: fully maintained bike paths, even in snow!), so I'm currently rolling with a little wider/grippier tires while awaiting warmer days.
The Bike | The Photos
- Ren Cycles Ivan (titanium cyclocross/gravel frame)
- HiFi The 45 Disc Carbon Clinchers with 23mm internal rim width
- Schwalbe G-One All-Around 35mm
- Shimano 2x12 GRX
- Frame finish by Radhauspdx
