Standing On The Edge of Summer
By Amber Pierce
My running shoes were clearly a poor choice, I thought as I tested my foothold and pulled myself over the rock face, one of many such obstacles on the trail my teammates and I were now negotiating on our hike up the Hochschwab (a 2277-meter-high peak in the Austrian Alps). I paused and looked up to find the next good hand-hold, but got distracted by – of all things – a Chamois 1 seated on the promontory above me, quietly observing my clumsy progress over the trail. I laughed out loud. What could be more poetic than to see a lone Chamois on our team’s end-of-season hike?
My teammates and I (very) briskly negotiated the rocky trail over steep alpine terrain, gaining elevation with surprising speed. We crested the peak in under three hours, a full hour and a half less than predicted by the trailhead sign. Although the exposed peak offered stunning views, an icy wind drove us quickly back down the trail to the next meadow, where we sought refuge and Kaiserschmarrn 2 in the Hütte 3 there before descending the mountain.
Sipping hot cocoa in the warm Hütte, I smiled and thought our end-of-season celebration could not have been more fun, or more thoroughly Austrian.
The previous day we won our final race of the season (also the final race of the Austria Women’s Cup Series), a technical criterium through narrow village streets in the world-renowned Viennese Weinland (wine country). In an excellent display of teamwork, Dani countered a move by Berni and got away with one other rider, while I covered bridge attempts and won the field sprint for 3rd. We stacked the podium and sealed our team’s lead in the Women’s Cup standings. Booyah!
I ordered a round of Sturm 4 from the local Winzer (vintner) who had set up a stand on the race course. Bundled up in beanies and coats in the brisk autumn afternoon, we toasted the win and the season’s end, as the men raced by in their last hurrah of 2010. We lost track of time, and in the midst of our second round of Sturm found ourselves being paged by the announcer and running to the podium, throwing off jackets and scarves and donning our jerseys for the Siegererung (podium ceremony) in the waning autumn light.
With armfuls of colorful bouquets (Austrian races have the most beautiful arrangements for the podium), we piled into the local Heuriger 5 for a lavish Jause (in Vienna this means dinner) of homemade rolls, Liptauer (spicy cheese spread, a regional specialty), cold cuts and, of course, Wienerschnitzel.
The next day we drove south from Vienna into Styria and hit the alpine trail for our end-of-season hike up the Hochschwab. Five and a half hours and 1000 vertical meters later, my body, my camera’s memory card and my German vocabulary exhausted, I looked back over a hazy glow of sunlight low across the mountains and officially bid my 2010 season tschüss.
Do you have questions for me? Is there a particular topic you’d like me to cover in future columns? Please write your questions or suggestions in the comments section of the column, and I’ll do my best to address them in future entries!
Amber Pierce - An American expat living in Austria, Amber has made the leap across the Atlantic in pursuit of her dreams on the road. After making a name for herself as one of the top road cyclists in the US, she now faces new challenges in her life on the road in Europe.
Amber's path to full-time racing in Europe has been anything but linear. From high school valedictorian holding national swimming records, to scholarship athlete at Stanford University and researcher on the open ocean, she has found herself in countless adventures all over the globe. With 53 career victories under her belt, however, Amber appears to have found her calling on the bicycle.
Follow Amber's adventures as an American cyclist and expat in Europe and beyond, as she shares the journey through her own words on Anywhere Road.
Photos: Courtesy of Amber Pierce
- A species of goat-elk, native to the European continent that inhabits the European Alps. Leather made from Chamois hide was originally used in the earliest version of cycling shorts to reduce chafing from the saddle, and although modern cycling shorts use synthetic materials, they are still called Chamois. ↩
- An Austrian specialty comprised of scrambled pancake and warm fruit compote. ↩
- A small cabin where hikers (or skiers) can stop for food and drink, and in some cases, a room or cot for the night. Supplies must be hiked in to the establishment or in some cases, delivered via a specialized cable system. ↩
- A local specialty of Austrian vintners, Sturm is wine in its first phase of fermentation. The fermenting freshly pressed grape juice produces a delightful combination of tangy fruit flavor and soft effervescence. Read more about Sturm here: http://amberrais.wordpress.com ↩
- A Heuriger is a specific type of Austrian wine tavern (esp prevalent in Vienna and Lower Austria), in which only wine produced on the property can be sold. An establishment must meet very specific criteria to be called a Heuriger. No beer or coffee may be offered, nor is pre-recorded music allowed. A selection of cold meat and sausages, baked goods and Weinerschnitzel may also offered. ↩
Related Posts:
3 Responses »
Leave a Response
Entries(RSS)
Hello Amber,
Greetings from Belgium. I am a cyclist myself, non competitive tough, and I've been following your blog's for a while now. Because you're living in Austria and the conditions in winter are harder then in Belgium, I was wondering how you do cycling there? Specialy if it's possible to go for a trip on your road bike. I think it would be interesting to know how a winter training plan in Austria looks like.
Thanks for reading my comment and i hope to learn more about the subject.
Kind regards, Mathijs.
Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment! Your question is a good one and very timely. I've learned a lot about cold weather training since moving to Graz, and I'd be happy to share those insights. I'll put together a column outlining some tips and anecdotes from my winter training experiences here in Austria. Keep an eye out for it! Thanks again for reading. -A
Hi Amber,
Great way to wrap-up the season, especially after that frightful start.
Good luck the new Pasta team - it sounds like an awesome line-up!
Maxwell
btw - great pics