Perhaps no other city in the world is surrounded by as much rideable terrain as Innsbruck. The Austrian city is surrounded by eight ski areas, with the closest – Nordkette – a swift 20 minutes from the city centre by cable car.
And Nordkette is no city novelty, boasting some of the steepest runs in Europe with gradients of 70 per cent (the HariKari run). If you want to work 9 to 5 and ride, Innsbruck, which has twice hosted the Olympic Winter Games, is your best bet.