The mountains are his EldoRADo

Alois Kronthaler has been pedalling since childhood. Preferably every day and over long distances. He lives out this passion in the Kitzbühel Alps mountains and passes on his knowledge to the junior team of the RC ARBÖ Wörgl as a certified trainer.

Anyone who rides a mountain bike or road bike from home to work, year in, year out, and who deliberately includes a mountain route in his daily training, must be passionate about what he does. Alois Kronthaler is. He is head of the engineering department in a large pharmaceutical company and admits: "I arrive at the office energised when I’ve already cycled 1,000 metres of altitude early in the morning, while others line up tired for their second coffee.” The weather, be it rain, storm, snow or sunshine, doesn’t influence Alois.

One of his strongest character traits can be clearly interpreted from this attitude: ambition. Growing up on a mountain farm as a child, there was only one way for him to get out into the wide world: the bicycle. From then on, he climbed the mountain peaks around the Kitzbühel Alps and the Hohe Salve every free minute he had on his 17-kg city bike. "That was my path to freedom."

Maximum performance in the midst of unspoilt nature proved to be the optimal combination for the athlete. No wonder, then, that he was drawn to competitive sports. "After graduating from the Institute of Higher Education, I rose to the elite level as an amateur." Cycling is as much a part of his life as brushing his teeth every day. Today, in addition to his day job, he is responsible for the young talents of RC ARBÖ Wörgl as a qualified trainer and cycling instructor. The club's successes are impressive. "Our racing cyclist Felix Gall became the first Austrian World Champion in road racing in the junior class in Richmond in the US in 2015."

Helping children achieve such dreams is what he aspires to as a coach. "It is fulfilling to see how knowledge passed on makes a sense of achievement possible. We are pioneers and mentors for our youth between the ages of 12 and 18. Of course, we sometimes struggle together against setbacks, missed training goals or injuries, but ultimately these young people go out into the world more mature. It's a school for the rest of their lives."

Alois himself loves mountain biking just as much as road biking. "Both have their appeal. With a mountain bike you train your coordination, while with a racing bike you focus on speed and cover huge distances." For him, the bike is not only a piece of sports equipment. In his opinion it makes an important ecological contribution: "If more people switched from a car seat to a saddle, that would be a very climate-friendly approach." Alois himself relies on regional technology; his bike is from the Steinbach selection, a bike supplier that advertises "custom-made bikes from Kitzbühel" and whose claim it is to produce the lightest bikes in the world.

The e-bike also contributes to the change of image: "The e-bike gives everyone the opportunity to reach a mountain peak. It's much better to ride an e-bike than none at all, that's beyond discussion for me. However, what would be advisable for anyone, is technique training in advance to ensure the thrill of the downhill." Ultimately, personal responsibility is essential. "Everyone has to be able to remain on track, and everyone is responsible for what they do. In sport there is no Ctrl + Z (Undo) key.

#KitzbühelerAlpen | #LebenswegeTirol | #KATbikeTirol