Springtime road cycling tour in the cycling paradise Kärnten (Carinthia) in southern Austria. This incredibly scenic and sunny ride starts at Lavamünd and follows the R1 Drauradweg route from Lavamünd, through pretty Neuhaus, then crosses the magnificent Santa Lucia suspension bridge.
We then cross the newly opened Jauntalbrücke , originally built in 1964 it is 430 meters long & 96 meters high, making it one of the highest railroad bridges in Europe. Completely reconstructed in 2024 as part of the Koralmbahn high-speed railway mega-project, the new double-decker bridge has a dedicated cycle path running underneath the railway making it an absolute highlight of the Drauradweg cycle tour. If you cross on a summer weekend, you are very likely to see the bridge's dedicated bungee jumping gantries in action.
From the Jauntalbrücke, we venture on through the pretty village of Sankt Nikolai, where there is a cycle stop with fresh drinking water and a place to shelter. We then leave the Drauradweg, crossing the river Drau over the Jörg-Haider Brücke to Aich/Dob, where we join the R1D cycle path to Bleiburg.
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