The front Zillertal hides true treasures for mountain bikers. Even without direct contact with the mountain giants of the main Alpine ridge, you can still go on full-blown bike tours here. For example, the tour around the Kellerjoch from Fügen is a great undertaking for fit bikers. At 2,344 metres, the Kellerjoch is the first striking elevation south of the Inn Valley. It forms the northernmost foothills of the Tux Pre-Alps. The long but never too steep ascent over the Kupfnerberg and the Finsingtal valley is an ideal endurance workout and is also scenically attractive. Once you have reached Hochfügen, the rest of the way to the Loassattel is a breeze. There are two places to stop for a well-earned lunch break - Gasthof Gamsstein and Gasthof Loas. A little culinary tip: the schnitzels at the Loas inn are extremely tasty and huge. From Fügen, you first drive to the church of St Pancratz, which sits picturesquely on a small hill and can be seen from afar. The subsequent ascent to the Kupfnerberg is still tarmac. The beautiful forest road through the long and quiet Finsingtal valley up to Hochfügen begins on the Kupfnerberg itself.
The rest of the way from Hochfügen to the Loassattel is almost effortless. Immediately after the saddle, just before the Gamsstein inn, a fantastic Karwendel panorama opens up.
After stopping for refreshments at one of the two inns, the route is mainly downhill towards the Inn Valley. The route is very varied and leads over the Grafenaste through the Bruderwald forest. Here, a final long climb of around 500 metres in altitude awaits just below the Mehrerkopf.
A long descent leads down to Hof. Take your time on the rest of the route and enjoy the tranquillity of the unspoilt villages of Hof, Hochgalzein, Obertroi and Untertroi. It almost seems as if time has stood still here. You certainly don't feel the proximity of the bustling Inn Valley.
At the bottom of the Inn Valley, you suddenly plunge back into civilisation. The Inntal cycle path leads back to Strass im Zillertal, and the Zillertal cycle path takes you back to the starting point of the tour in Fügen.
One more tip: If you realise during the tour that the 2,000 metres in altitude are a bit steep, you can easily take a shortcut after the Grafenaste, before the ascent to the Mehrerkopf or in Hof and simply cycle down into the Inntal valley. From there, take the Inntal cycle path back to the Zillertal.
The road book for the Kellerjochrunde is available as a free PDF download.
