By Eastern Austrian standards, the Zellerrain is a pleasantly high pass in the Ybbstal Alps, right on the border between Lower Austria and Styria. It connects the well-known Marian pilgrimage site of Mariazell in the east with the Ybbstal in the west and is an important transport connection, not only because of the federal highway 71, which was rerouted to the east in 2004. It's actually a shame for the tormentor, as the old road had gradients of well over 20% , good of course for motorized traffic and the rest of the cycling world. Nevertheless, the transition is little used. Apart from a few timber trucks, the motorcyclists, who always appear in packs, only bother the pedaller when contemplatively climbing this mountain road at the weekend.
The Ybbs, which is still called the Ois here, has its source at the foot of the Großer Zellerhut and accompanies cyclists downhill to Lunz am See, where it changes its name.
Due to the heavy rainfall in traffic jams and the resulting risk of avalanches, the Zellerrain is sometimes closed in winter, but on the first spring tours you can see the effects of the forces of nature on the flora and the road - impressive and frightening at the same time. In addition, for the same reason, it is quite prone to rain, if it looks a bit like rain when you get there, you will definitely get wet here.
In the good years of Austrian cycling, the Zellerrain was a mountain classification in the Vienna-Gresten-Vienna classic, which was renamed Uniqa-Classic in 2000 and was held for the last time in 2005.