Lipizzaner Tour

Piber has been the home of the historic Lipizzaner horses since 1920. It is one of the possible starting points for a lovely tour of Western Styria. In the hope of catching a glimpse of the fine horses we start at the car park at the stud farm in Piber.This way we have two chances; perhaps they have just been let out on the meadows or if not, when we get back. There is also the option of having a guided tour of the stud farm. We steer left straight away and head uphill to admire the stud farm again from another angle shortly after setting off. We then carry on downhill to Kainach and then along the valley of the same name. In Afling we have to decide; shall we follow the little the river and ride up the ‘royal stage’, which is unbelievably charming but also physically demanding, to “Heiligen Wasser" at almost 900m above sea level? We have two stops to fill up water bottles; the first one on the slight climb shortly before Kainach at an old water wheel on the right-hand side of the road and the second one on a slight detour at ‘Heiligen Wasser’ itself after a real climb.Once we arrive at the enclosed spring we have every right to feel proud. We have just mastered the most challenging part of the tour. We only have to go back a little way and then uphill to the summit. From there it is a winding downhill path to Geistthal, then past wonderfully restored farms before a slight downhill into the market town of Stallhofen. There we take the road on the right up to the church and past it up to Muggauberg. On a slightly shortened route we turn onto a nice minor road which goes along the ridge and enjoys the same lovely views as on the ‘3 Markets Tour’Past the church in St. Johann ob Hohenburg we cross the street to free-wheel on the flats on one of the typical cycle paths through corn and pumpkin fields. After the bridge over the motorway we end up in the lovely, well-kept and flower-bedecked market town of Mooskirchen. We do a little lap of honour and free-wheel to Fluttendorf. Then we continue on quiet smaller routes; for a while identical to the Schilcherradtour-Nord (northern Schilcher cycle route) and then on to Hallersdorf. Past Dietenberg, Ligist and Krottendorf we arrive in Gaisfeld a few minutes later where we branch off at Teigitschgraben. Past lots of pretty rifts, always following the streams we arrive at Maria Lankowitz and do a lap of the “Freizeitinsel Piberstein” (lake with leisure facilities). This sport and relaxation centre where the lake’s water is good enough to drink is the site of a former coal mine. Past the pilgrimage church of Maria Lankowitz we come to Köflach and shortly after that to the Therme NOVA (spa). The road takes us under the monorail which links the spa and its hotel.  And then were are back at square one at the starting point of the tour in Piber and hope to be welcomed by the Lipizzaner horses.