Sun Trail

Brixental Valley has been one of the most important mountain bike destinations in Tyrol for many years. Lisi Osl, one of Austria's most successful mountain bikers, is a daughter of the region, which has already hosted the Eurobike Demo Days and has a recognised trail network. These include the MTB single trails

• Fleckalm Trail
• Lisi Osl Trail
• Bike Trail Hahnenkamm
• Gaisbergtrail
• Wiegalmtrail
• and of course the Sun Trail

There is also a mountain bike network of over 800 kilometres with tours for e-mountain bikers, trail riders and leisure bikers - in other words, an MTB network for all types of biking. Today we are focussing on a sun-exposed and towel-wide trail in a class of its own - the Sun Trail:

• 2.2 km
• 400 metres in altitude
• towel-wide, sun-drenched trail
• easy & beginner-friendly

We reach the start by pedalling. Alternatively, the cable car can also be used here, but even then there is still a short transfer of around 200 metres uphill. So we pedal the metres up to the start of the trail. First we head towards Brixen and then to the Berggasthof Nieding, then left uphill to the Gsengweg. Now we continue in the direction of Botenalm until we reach the trail entrance on the right-hand side.

The anticipation grows - we quickly strap on our rucksacks and dive into the flow. We quickly find a good rhythm between waves and bends on the smoothly flowing trail. The rays of light shine through the dense coniferous canopy of the spruce forest. We play with every new bend, every new wave and every small berm. From time to time, the bends turn into hairpin bends and the gradient varies again and again. The difficulty remains beginner-friendly, but we also get our money's worth. In the lower section, we cross a small mountain pasture area and then pick up momentum once again on the waves and bends along the course of the stream. After the last few metres through the Ragginggraben, we emerge back in Brixen with a big grin on our faces.

We don't want to leave it at this one ride. After all, we now know all the nooks and crannies of the Sun Trail. So we pedal up again and look forward to another lap on the sun-exposed trail. We round off this trail experience in two stages.

In Kirchberg in Tyrol, you can now sample craft beer. To our surprise, the "Wilde Gams" is brewed here by a New Zealander and an Australian. Chris and Emma have been running the café for several years and brew their own beer once a week. The menu is also centred around the drink: There are beer sauces for roasts, for example, and other by-products of the brewing process also find their way into Emma's menus. Incidentally, Chris is a trained beer sommelier and can therefore recommend the right hoppy drink for any weather, mood or food.

Invigorated and relaxed, we continue towards Kitzbühel. The Streif and its new Hahnenkamm bike trail slowly lure us in. After the warm-up laps on the Sun Trail, we feel ready for the Flow Challenge. On the way, however, we can't avoid a detour to the Schwarzsee. The idyllic moorland lake is home to the local outdoor pool and yet has little to do with a swimming centre as we know it. The historic two-storey changing rooms look sophisticated, while the extensive grounds and panoramic views of the surrounding mountains are more reminiscent of a mountain lake. Above all, however, the moorland lake is pleasantly refreshing. At some point, we do want to set off - after all, we want to experience the Streif legend and the associated single trail on the Hahnenkamm. Because it's one hell of a ride.

And so, in the evening, we look back on an eventful day in the Tyrolean mountains. A day that gave us a taste of the region's variety of experiences and the numerous single trails in the Kitzbühel Alps. A taste of the culinary delights of the Brixental Valley and the refreshing cool-downs. And so we are simply looking forward to MORE.