Cycling and Vienna, with VELETAGE
There’s a good reason why Vienna was at the centre of the Austrian empire – I won’t go into the historical context. Instead, I’ll focus on the fact that Vienna sits close enough to the Alps, Slovenia, Southern Germany and Italy, to make a perfect spot for a cycling trip. I’m quite certain that the Austrian Emperors were thinking this way, when this beautiful city was established. For a city of over 2 million inhabitants, it also has such superb access into the mountains, with nearby mountain climbs less than an hour’s riding away. Yes, situated at the eastern edge of the Alps, you can also take on a cycling tour adventure to Nice, on the western edge of the Apls, or to Trieste – 4 days riding away – on the Italian coast, and with such historic links back to the days when Austria lay at the center of European history.
Neatly situated at Praterstrasse, VELETAGE isn’t simply a bike shop in Vienna. To describe it as such is to fail to understand how it operates and its purpose. Situated only 10 minutes from Saint Stephen’s Cathedral, this cycling hub and retail consultancy (and coffee stop for riders), is a central part of the Vienna cycling scene, and a ‘must visit’ salon for cycling culture, for local cyclists, those travelling the Euro Velo 6 route, or cyclists heading into the Alps. Owned and operated by Kurt, VELETAGE is different from a mere retail store in so many ways. It’s a place filled with some of the best bike brands and products in the world, and where their in-house bikefitting studio will work with you to create your own perfect bike, listening to you, and guiding you on your cycling lifestyle journey, in this most cultural of European cities – Vienna.
Excellence delivered through partnerships
Talking with Kurt, it’s obvious how passionate he is about cycling, the accessibility of Vienna for cyclists, and delivering high-quality and high-performance bikes to cyclists visiting the store. For Kurt and the team, it’s all about creating a partnership between the customer and the store, so that VELETAGE can understand your true needs, before working with you to create your own perfect bike.
They recently developed and created a 25 000 Euro, Italian Sarto custom build for a customer; using this iconic Italian artisan brand at the heart of the bike. This piece of cycling art was put together specifically for a customer and comprised of the best parts in the cycling world: A Sarto Raso TC with SRAM Red AXS; wheels built with rims from ENVE using carbon spokes and Carbon-Ti hubs. Chain rings and brake discs are super lightweight, made by Carbon-Ti. The cockpit is the one-piece AR stem-bar unit, also from ENVE. This was the first time that Sarto has used this cockpit from ENVE - so spacers had to get custom 3D-printed especially for this bike. This is the level of expertise and excellence that cyclists visiting VELETAGE and Vienna get – the very best cycling service in the world.
Alongside such amazing bikes, Kurt and the team frequently work with local clubs and cyclists and others to create bikes at the other end of the pricing spectrum, too. Ultimately, it’s about what bike suits you, your style of riding… and your budget. As mentioned earlier, VELETAGE isn’t simply a cycling retailer – it’s an information portal into another world, filled with some of the best bikes in the world, such as Sarto, Factor and 3T, alongside leading clothing and accessories brands such as Nimble shoes from Italy, PAS Normal Studios clothing, and Lupine Lights -probably the very best cycling lights in the world, on road and trail.
Yes, VELETAGE is an emporium of excellence. It’s the cycling equivalent of visiting the Lindt chocolate factory in Zurich, or a cat falling into a henhouse filled with chickens! VELETAGE is a feast of cycling delights from the global cycling industry, all waiting for you, with some great coffee on hand, too! All you need is to place yourself into the capable hands of Kurt and team, explore the offerings, maybe get the long-overdue bike fit and ride into a brighter cycling future!
The route to cycling heaven can be found in Vienna
Consider then, this: Vienna sits on the renowned and globally popular Euro Velo 6 route; it has cycling route options that include the Danube Cycle Path, the Vienna River Trail, and routes through the Prater and along the Danube Canal; and, it’s so close to the Alps and other European mountains, and you’ve got several great cycling reasons to take a trip. Add to this that VELETAGE is clearly one of the most formidable cycling stores in Europe, and you’ll soon be asking yourself why you haven’t visited Vienna for cycling already! Imagine, setting off on a week-long cycling adventure from Vienna to Nice, heading through the alpine passes that weave across the roof of Europe, before dropping you down to the sea and Nice, on the French Riveria.
Alternatively, you can add some distance and ride the epic ‘Three Peaks cycle route’, taking on the three iconic passes of the Großglockner in Austria, the Col de Sanetsch in Switzerland and Mont Ventoux in France. If that doesn’t get your cycling heart fluttering, then you need to see a cardiac specialist!
Kurt is a fascinating person to spend time talking with and clearly has a passion for cycling and sharing a cycling lifestyle with others. The VELETAGE salon of cycling culture is a unique cycling store, not simply in Europe, but anywhere in the world; and it’s the type of place that ought to be on all cyclist’s bucket lists. After all, I quite like the sound of a custom built Sarto frame road bike… don’t you!
