Michael Strasser has set the first solo, unsupported Fastest Known Time on Austria's Seven Summits route. He linked the highest peak of every federal state by his own power alone.
Seven peaks, 1,100 kilometres, no help
The Austrian athlete started before dawn on a Tuesday at the Wiesbadener Hütte. He climbed the Grosse Piz Buin first, then cycled and ran across the country. He ticked off the Grossvenediger, Grossglockner, Hoher Dachstein, Schneeberg, Geschriebenstein and, last, the Hermannskogel in Vienna.
Strasser carried all his own gear on the bike — road bike, crampons and a warm jacket. He took no crew, no support vehicle and no mountain partner. On the Grossglockner leg he had to ride the mountain road twice, adding 60 km and 1,200 m of climb.
Alone against a supported record
The route covers about 1,100 km and 21,000 m of climbing, roughly 130 km of it on foot. The supported best stands at 111.5 hours, set by Christian Bruckner with a 30-person crew. Wolfgang Fasching once finished the tour supported in 5 days, 7 hours and 29 minutes.
Strasser knew he could not match that mark alone. "It's important to me to complete the project alone and without outside help," he told reporters before the start. No solo, self-supported time existed for the route until now.
From near-fatal crash to first tracks
In June 2022 a turning truck struck Strasser on a training ride. He spent a year and a half in therapy, then returned to solo riding. In 2024 he crossed the seven highest Alpine summits alone, proof that he could shift his own limits.
His record book already held a solo Pan-American ride of 84 days and a Cairo-to-Cape Town crossing. The Seven Summits Austria route now carries the first self-supported name in the FKT listings. Each attempt redefines what one person can carry alone.
