The last couple of days have been amazing, bright sunshine, blue skies – so its been a bit chilly at times but it is December and we are in the Alps afterall. The lack of light making its way into the room was a bit of a warning, even before we got up, that today wasn'y going to be a repeat. When we got to breakfast it was clear that everyone had a case of 'weather downer', beyond the windows it was decidedly grey and if not actually raining, damp.

“We still doing the Pass?” I asked Dad.
“I think so, the forecast is better later this morming, it'll probably be bright sunshine on the Pass.”

I remained unconvinced but I guess getting wet is par for the course, its not like we melt is it?

“You know which way to go Roni?” Dad queried as we prepared to set off.
“I think so, up into the town and left at that big junction then we just follow the road up the valley.”
“Okay, ride tempo, I'm sure the seniors will be trying to catch up but its not a race okay? Gaby?”
I sighed, “yes Dad.”
“Right then, we'll try to keep behind you but don't worry if we get split through the towns, just keep going and we'll catch up to you. Off you go, see you at the top.”

We peeled out of the car park and caught the lights at green, everyone keen to get warmed up, we got straight down to it. It wasn't actually raining at the moment, we had to dodge some seriously big puddles along the bus lane, it hardly seemed we were going before we got to the corner where we turn towards Innsbruck and points east. We just missed the green so had to sit through a full rotation before we could get going again.

The Saab was right behind us through the junction, under the Schloss and Ron led us onto the bike lane out of the traffic. That was all well and good as we climbed through the gorge but less good as it took us away from the main road.

“We've lost your Dad,” Tal mentioned as we joined a quiet lane.
“We'll find him further up,” I confidently opined.
“We just follow the Bludenz signs then take the Pass road there,” Ron told us, “you're dad'll pick us up there if not before.”

It sounded like a reasonable plan so we pressed on.

 
I'm not sure where we went wrong, or if indeed we did but instead of getting back to the main road we ended up on a lane that I'm guessing was the original valley road, being quite wide but a bit bendy. It was going the right way and there was pretty much no traffic as we tapped along through the Austrian countryside. Not that we could see much, low cloud was cloaking pretty much everything above tree height and we were now being persisted on.

Eventually we came to the main road but there was no sign of Dad or indeed of the other group so we followed the signs for Bludenz which somehow put us onto a trail alongside the river. It was a pretty good surface so we whipped along quite happily then suddenly we arrived at Bludenz. I say at, the trail took us through some industrial stuff then popped us out in front of the railway station.

It was still damping and after an hours riding, Dad's prediction of sunshine was looking about as likely as finding a pasty in the bakery. There was a sign pointing to Innsbruck, not where we're going but the right direction at least, so we pressed on through the town. We nearly missed the turn as we blindly followed the Innsbruck signs, Tal saving us from heading onto the Autobahn.

So far its been a very steady climb, apart from that first bit out of Feldkirch, but it was clear that that was about to change.

“Guess this is the start of the Pass proper,” I suggested as we followed the railway line in a now much narrower valley.
“Thanks for that cheering thought,” Gret complained.
“Its the same for everyone,” Mand pointed out.
“Huh!”

Same it might be and all too soon the road angled steeply up under the railway line halting any sort of conversation. It wasn't a long climb, the road levelled out, not to flat but certainly not far off which allowed a resumption of conversation.

“Wonder where your dad's got to,” Ron queried.
“Probably waiting up the road, he must've been loads quicker getting to Bludenz, he'll be sat in a lay by up here somewhere.”
“Yeah, the others'll be in front too,” Tal suggested.
“That snow up there?” Mand asked nodding towards the semi visible valley sides.
I looked over,” looks like it, nothing down here though.”
“I'm sure its getting colder,” Gret grumped.
“That's what happens when you get higher,” Roni pointed out.

Clearly most motor traffic uses the motorway, there was very little traffic as we continued the steady climb through Braz, only the local bus actually passing us. The wet had eased off, the clouds clearing a little which revealled that snow line much closer than I thought. A couple of cars went the other direction, decorated with white stuff, thats not good.

“You see that?” Ron enquired.
“Bet they've come from up the mountains somewhere,” I suggested more in hope than confidence.

The road abruptly turned and we crossed the now single lane each way autobahn before dipping a little.

“A tunnel?” Gret mentioned.
“Looks like it,” Tal answered.
“Its only three hundred metres,” I pointed out having spotted the sign.

There was a bit of a kink in the tunnel so we couldn't see the top but it was lit so we enjoyed the respite from the damp as we climbed through the rock. Maybe if we could've seen what awaited us we'd have been more circumspect.
 
“I don't think this is rain,” Tal mused.

It wasn't exactly rain thats for sure and the patchy white on the verges and beyond suggested a more wintry deposit.

“This can give up,” Gret complained.
“Yeah,” I agreed.

The road was still clear but wet as it gained more metres, the stuff falling was now most definitely snow and sticking to our clothing.

“How far to the top?” Mand asked.
“We've done over thirty,” Ron stated, “got to be less than twenty.”
“Twenty K of this?” Gret exclaimed.
 
We climbed up through some trees and when we emerged from the cover the road was now dusted with the white stuff.

“This is so not good,” Tal muttered.

It was snowing quite persistently and we were at the name board before the village appeared through the white.

“This is stupid, I'm going back,” Gret told us.
“We'll probably run out of it in a bit,” I suggested without much conviction.
“And if you don't?”
“I'll come with you,” Mand offered.
“Tal?”
“Gab's probably right, it'll be stopped up the road.”
“Come on then Mand,” Gret suggested, “we'll see you guys later.”

The pair of them made u turns and then we were three.
 
The village, Dalaas, seemed quite busy and disturbingly everything was blanketed in several centimetres of the white stuff. We continued up through the homes and businesses but it was clear that far from running out of it, it was getting worse.

“Maybe we should turn around too,” Ron opined.
“We could wait it out for a bit, there's a bushalterstelle over there.”

We angled over and were soon in the shelteer of the wooden shack.

“Wonder where Dad is?” I mused.
“Not sat in a bus shelter freezing to death,” Tal noted.

Ron didn't say anything as she sat watching the snow descend around us.
 

“Where do you think they are?” Petra asked, peering through the wet on the windscreen.
“No idea,” Dave admitted, “its like they've just evaporated.”
“If they followed that back road it would've brought them out at that Nenzing place.”
“But where did they go from there, we've been up and down twice now.”
“They're all sensible girls Dave, Ron knows where to head for,” Pet observed, “perhaps we just missed them and they're ahead of us?”
“Maybe,” Dave allowed, “i'm guessing we missed the others somewhere along the way too.”

He restarted the car and pulled back onto the road, the only explanation was that they'd somehow missed each other in which case they should be well up the Pass by now. Hmm, if we go up to the top and come back down we can't possibly miss them if they're on the right road. There's a junction onto the autobahn a bit further up, that'll be the quickest way up.

Once on the motorway, Dave did a fair immitation of his wifes driving, but unlike when they were in the little A Klasse, you at least felt a bit more in control in the Saab. They were soon passing Bludenz, if there's no sign on the Arlberg he'd try the Silvretta road but worry about that later.

“Isn't that George?” Petra suggested when an oncoming car flashed them.
“You're right.”

A quick bit of arm waving as they passed and a plan was made, Dave pulled into the next rest area and waited for George and Kat to turn around.

“Whats going on Dave?” George asked after slipping into the back of the Saab to escape the wet.
“Wish I knew, I take it you haven't seen my lot?”
“We thought they were still ahead of us as we hadn't caught them, but I guess not if you're here.”
“We sort of got seperated just outside Feldkirch, we think they used the bike route towards Bludenz, we were just on our way up to catch them on the Pass. Hang on, why are you here?”
“We got up to the first tunnel and there was snow on the topside, white over, blowing a blizzard.”
“You don't think the youngsters rode up further?” Petra asked with some concern in her voice.
“There weren't any bike tracks so if they did it was perhaps not snowing then,” George offered.
“So where're Jen and the others?”
“Going back down to Bludenz, we're meeting at that chocolate place, Mike's following them down.”
“How far up is this snow?”
“Ten maybe.”
Dave made a snap decision, “i'll go up as far as I can get and try the back road, can you ring the Polizei George, they aren't exactly kitted out for a blizzard.”
“Done.”
“Thanks George, might be best not to tell Jen just yet.”

 
Manda and Gret pulled to a grateful stop inside the tunnel. Whilst the road had been okayish before they turned back the snow had pretty much covered it by the time they started back down. If they had but known, the senior group were only a few minutes ahead of them, taking their time to drop back down the road they'd just climbed.

“My hands are flippin' freezing,” Mand announced, sticking them into her pits to try to get some feeling back.
“You think the others'll be okay?” Gret queried.
“Probably holed up in a bakery drinking chocolate if I know Gabs.”
“We should push on, its got to be warmer lower down.”
“Yeah,” Mand agreed, “come on then.”

 
“This isn't getting any better Gabs,” Ron noted.
“Worse if anything,” Tal added, “and I'm getting pretty cold too.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, “back down then.”

We brushed the snow off the bikes and cautiously set off. It hadn't seemed that far or that steep up through Dalaas but going down the snow covered road on pretty much racing bikes was a nervous job. The snowplough heading up hill didn't exactly instill confidence in the state of the road but by keeping our speed in careful check we got down the steepest bit through the trees before stopping to regroup just below the motorway junction.

“Who's idea was this?” Tal griped.
“Got a better one?”
“Come on,” Ron suggested, “it can't be that far to the tunnel, we can shelter there for a bit.”

It was still snowing quite enthusiastically but maybe without quite as much vigour as up in Dalaas. We pushed off and carefully picked our way down the road, the white reducing a little as the coating reduced, the odd lump of ice causing heart in mouth moments for both me and Ron. Then there it was, the entrance to the tunnel.

“Yay!” I announced, “made it.”
“Watch that lump Gab,” Tal called out.
“What lump, oh sugar!”

So of course I caught the lump, one second I was upright, the next I was sprawled on the road.

“You alright Gab,” Ron asked as she dumped her own bike to come to my assistance.
“Think so,” I scrambled upright.
“How's the bike,” Tal enquired.

I dragged my steed to the vertical, it certainly looked okay apart from the chain being off, on the other hand, my wrist was feeling decidedly sore.

“Looks okay.”
“Lets get into the tunnel, sort it out under cover,” Ron proposed.

I did a sort of semi limp cum hobble down the road, not aided by nylon cleats slipping on the snowy surface. My wrist was hurting something chronic, just my flippin' luck.

Ron clearly saw me wince, “what is it Gab?”
“Think I might've done my wrist,” I admitted.
“Bum, what do we do now?” Tal posed.
“Get her to the hospital,” Ron stated, “can you hold the bars Gab?”
“What're you thinking Ron?”
“There's a village just below the tunnel, I bet its less than a kilometre, if we can get you there we can phone for an ambulance.”
“Guess I can try.”

 
When the Saab emerged from the tunnel the road was white over, passable but for how much further? Dave tamed the speed and let the car pull itself up the incline. He wasn't sure what to think when he spotted a snowplough on the old road, if they're ploughing the road's still open right.
The autobahn passed into another tunnel, a longer one this time.

“We'll find them Dave,” Petra stated.
“Lets hope so.”

As George hadn't seen them they had to be above that tunnel didn't they? The snow was laying ten centimetres deep when they returned to daylight and progress slowed once more. But they were still moving and the flashing lights of another snowplough suggested the highways authority were trying to keep the route open.

They finally made it to the next junction and Dave eased them off the autobahn, if the girls got further than this, well he couldn't see how they could given the amount of snow, on a mountain bike perhaps but not on road bikes. The car had a bit of a squiggle on the slip road, nah, there's no way they could ride on this stuff.

It was more of a crawl than driving down the old road back towards Bludenz, they followed the local bus which was still running but had chains on which at least compressed the surface enough for the Saab to progress. They crossed another snowplough, or maybe it was the one they'd seen earlier.

“Looks like a village ahead,” Petra mentioned, “they could get under cover to wait it out.”
“Not if I know my daughter, still best keep an eye out for their bikes.”

They passed the bus when it stopped in the middle of the village.

“Stop, stop!” Petra yelled.
“What?” Dave asked as the car slid to a halt.
“On the side there, looks like bike tracks.”

It did indeed look like the narrow tracks of skinny tyres crossing the path onto the road but whether it was his girls or just some local who can tell?
 
The road out of the village was passable having been scraped but was it rideable? When the road tilted down through the trees Dave doubted it was, the car was sliding a bit so what hope on a bike? Beyond the motorway junction though there were several clear tyre tracks on the unploughed road, as it was still snowing that could only mean the makers weren't that far ahead.

They dropped through the tunnel into, could you believe it, bright sunshine.

“Over there,” Petra exclaimed, pointing toward a bus shelter.

Dave did a one point turn and pulled up, his seatbelt was off, the door open before the motor died.

“Thank god, you all okay? where've you been, where're the others?” it came out as one continuous sentence.
“Gab came off,” Roni supplied, “I think her wrist's broken, its all swollen.”
“Where are the others?” Petra repeated Daves question.
“They turned back before us,” Tal told her, “haven't you seen them?”
“We went up the autobahn, maybe George has found them.”
“Weren't they ahead of us?” Tal queried.
“They turned at the tunnel,” Dad supplied, “lets have a look at this wrist kiddo, you called an ambulance Roni?”
“We haven't seen a phone, we were going to push Gab along until we found one.”

“Ouch!”
“Sorry kiddo, can you move your fingers for me.”

I waggled my digits about, it was when I tried to grip or bend my wrist that it hurt.

“I don't think its actually broken.”
“It hurts like hell,” I told him with another wince.
“Not saying it doesn't kiddo, lets get you to a hospital and checked out. Ron, you and Tali go down to Bludenz, George is waiting somewhere by the bahnhof with the seniors, let him know whats happened, get the Polizei called off if Amanda and Gret have found George. I'll take Gaby directly to A&E.”
“Okay Mr B.”

Tal and Ron quickly set off leaving me with Dad and Petra.

“Get yourself inside kiddo, I'll get your bike in the back and we can get off.”

Pet helped me get my wet jacket off and strapped in before wrapping me in her ski jacket and climbing in beside me, by which time Dad, with the practice of many years, had my bike in the back. We drove back to the motorway and we headed for a destination no one ever really wants to have. The heater was on full belt and I started to defrost a bit despite my wet bibs and shoes – its not like I can take my tights off is it, I'm er, you know, au naturel underneath, even in winter you don't wear undies when there's a pad fitted.

I wasn't really taking notice of where we were going, I'm sure there's a hospital in Bludenz but I recognised that we were going through Feldkirch, I guess its a bigger place.
 
© Maddy Bell 15.03.2019