American Corner Innsbruck

    Lecture by Ashley Norris and Jered Gruber

    EXPLORING THE ALPS BY BIKE:
    Riding the Famous, the Common, and the Forgotten Roads in and around Innsbruck

    June 24, 2009, 7.00 p.m., 50101/1 (University of Innsbruck, GeiWi-Building)

    link to invitation (pdf)

    norris1

    Ashley Norris, a UNO student of international studies with environmental emphasis who is currently doing an internship at the American Corner, and Jered Gruber, a professional cyclist and sports journalist, shared their experiences of cycling in and around Innsbruck with the audience.
    With less information on actual environmental factors than initially announced, the presentation nevertheless remained informative for bike aficionados and appealing to anyone with an interest in nicely taken photographs which did not fail to reproduce the splendor of Tyrolean nature with its open meadows, dark forests, and vacant bike roads.
    Apart from advice on several rewarding routes to Hinterhornalm, Hasental, or Kleinvolderberg, several slides presented American perspectives on strange encounters of the traditional kind (e.g. with the Krampus or people wearing Tracht) reflecting an entertaining impression of culture shock many Americans must experience when in the Tyrol for the first time.

    The discussion of challenging climbs and Tyrolean customs was continued over vegetable snacks providing the energy for further rides on the famous, the common, and the forgotten roads in and around Innsbruck.

    (text: Andreas Leisner)

    Abstract

    Innsbruck is a world-renowned leader for all things mountain. Skiing and hiking are arguably the two most famous forms of outdoor activity related to the mountains of Tirol, but there is another incredible activity to be had in this great region - cycling. The roads of Tirol range from highway to main road to tourist throughway to forgotten unpaved farm path. The mountains beckon for anyone with the legs, gears, and willingness to ride uphill. The area is a veritable cyclists’ playground, and we have taken the mission upon ourselves to explore everything.

    Ashley Norris is a student from the University of New Orleans who has been studying with the Academic Year Abroad program at the University of Innsbruck for the past year. She also studied with the UNO-Innsbruck summer school program in 2007, and plans to take courses again this summer. Ashley is majoring in International Studies with a concentration in Environmental Studies. She has done research on Invasive Species in several regions of China, and wishes to pursue Graduate School in the Yunan Province. She is joined in this lecture by her boyfriend Jered Gruber, who is a journalist and a professional cyclist. Jered has raced at the elite level for five years and as a professional for the past two. Jered has spent a fair bit of time in Austria in the past. He worked on a farm in Vorarlberg for a summer, and has family stretched across the country from one end to the other.


     

     

    aci_logosmall
    American Corner Innsbruck
    Department of American Studies
    Herzog Friedrich Straße 3, 1. Stock (Altstadt, Claudiana)
    6020 Innsbruck
    T +43 512 507-7064, F +43 512 507-2879
    americancorner@uibk.ac.at,     http://www.uibk.ac.at/americancorner