Furkajoch and Bödele Losenpass

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This route through Vorarlberg combines the ascents of two passes, namely the Furkajoch from the west and the Bödele Losenpass from the east. The climb to the Furkajoch is the toughest in Vorarlberg with 1060 climb effort points (cep). It includes 1300 elevation metres. The Bödele Losenpass is much easier with 372 cep and 440 elevation metres.

These two passes are connected in a loop by relatively long sections on horizontal or slightly sloping roads and bike roads. In these sections the ride largely follows parts of the marked Vorarlberg cycle path network. This applies, if you start in Dornbirn, to the first 20 kilometres through the densely populated Rhine Valley. It also applies to the 20 kilometre long section through the valley of the Bregenzer Ach, which begins at the end of the descent from the Furkajoch in Au and ends at the foot of the climb to the Bödele Losenpass in Schwarzenberg.

For real climbers the last 6.5 kilometres of the climb to the Furkajoch are the highlight of the tour. Here the gradient varies between 9 and 13%, except for a 1.5 kilometre long section approximately in the middle (3-5%). In this part of the tour the landscape is more high alpine than in other parts.

You could also cycle the route in the opposite direction (clockwise), but I prefer the direction suggested here. This way you tackle the Furka from the difficult side so you may add the hardest climb of Vorarlberg to your conquests. In addition, this makes you climb the Bödele Losenpass from the shorter side. The road over this pass is somewhat busy in terms of traffic. Therefore, the shorter eastern side has the advantage that you are bothered by the traffic for a shorter time. If you still want to cycle the loop clockwise, you will climb the following ascents: Bödele Losenpass-west and Furkajoch-east.