Aint no mountain high enough (when your bike has a motor)

Day 3 of our min-break to the Austrian mountain resort of Ischgl and we were presented with bicycles – but not just any bikes, these ones from the Intersport hire shop in the village had motors. Oh yes, cycling two hours to lunch at the Gasthof Zeinisjoch mountain restaurant was going to be a breeze, or so I thought.

And the first bit was. Riding along the valley from Ischgl to the neighbouring resort of Galtuer, with the river on one side and the meadows on the other, was idyllic. The sun came out, it was pleasantly warm – but not hot – and every time we reached a small incline my bike’s little electric motor meant I didn’t even break into a sweat.

Some serious cyclists, near Galtuer…and our motley crew (spot the difference)

The ride was so gentle that I didn’t really need the motor and as it made the bike quite heavy I was wondering if I should have hired a regular mountain bike or road bike instead.

There were some tricky bits when we the cycle path moved from the riverside to the forest; it became quite steep in parts and the bikes were inclined to skid a little on the loose shingle on the descents, but even small children would be able to manage the ride with care.

We reached the village of Galtuer – chocolate-box pretty with a quaint church and chalet-style buildings, surrounded by rolling meadows – but to my surprise (I thought that was our lunch stop) we continued until we reached a hill. Quite a steep hill in fact. Ah, now I knew why my bike had a motor.

Even with it turned on to max I could fee my unfit heart pounding as I peddled upwards – and round every bend where I hoped to see a restaurant there was just more road. Some of our group gave up (yes, it was that steep) and returned to Galtuer for lunch, but on and on the rest of us went – I had to get off and push at one stage – but the scenery was stunning and there was hardly anyone else around, so sometimes it was nice to just stop and stare. Someone had even thoughtfully placed a bench at one particularly good viewing point.

Finally, just before we disappeared into a low-hanging mist, we rounded a bend and there – beyond a magnificent waterfall – was our restaurant, sitting beside an impossibly green lake, a perfect spot for lunch. I felt I’d earned my feast, which was the local speciality of fried potatoes, bacon bits and a fried egg, followed by kaiserschmarrn, a thick pancake with apple and cranberry sauce and cream.

Going back to the village was the best bit though, racing downhill all the way, past gushing rivers, idle cows and the odd walker. There was a steep uphill bit just at the beginning when I overtook two hard-core cyclists (trust me, they looked like extras from the Tour de France). I didn’t catch what they muttered as I easily rode passed them (with the help of my motor), but I like to think it was "wow, she’s amazing", although it was more likely "b***** cheat".

You can book summer packages to Ischgl through Crystal or Inghams. I stayed at the four-star Hotel AlpVita Piz Tasna. E-bikes cost €15 for half a day’s rental. Ischgl has 1,200kms of mountain bike trails, suitable for all levels. A Silvrettacard costs €53.50 for 7-days and gives access to the lift system (so you don’t have to cycle uphill) and also discounts on equipment hire, including mountain bikes.