In the deep forests around the Weißensee once lived a Salige, one of those legendary white women who were known for their wisdom and their connection with nature. This Salige, affectionately called Grady by the locals, was prized for her helpfulness and deep knowledge of the surrounding mountains and trails.
One day – it must have been around 1837 – Grady saw from a mountaintop that the distant Wörthersee was suddenly entirely without water and dried up between the hills. It was a terrible sight for Grady, who was used to the glorious turquoise shimmer of her beloved Weißensee. She wanted to get to the bottom of the spook on-site at Lake Wörthersee and began to convert her bike for the arduous ride over hill and dale. After a few days and many new acquaintances, she finally reached Lake Wörthersee and discovered places full of gravel bikers. Amongst them, she met the mischievous Gralf.
Fascinated by his passion for cycling, his enthusiasm for exploring the beauty of nature on two wheels and the sheer host of gravel bike enthusiasts, the two became friends.
Grady, inspired by Gralf’s stories about the gravel bike events at Lake Wörthersee, decided to convince the gravel bikers of the beauty of their Weissensee. However, their condition was:
For the time being, there should only be 100 chosen volunteers to whom she wanted to show the landscape, the special people, the wonderful delicacies and her most secret routes and places on Lake Weissensee that she had discovered on her trip. While Gralf’s buddies were still talking loudly about their bikes’ latest components, only gravel bikers felt inspired by Grady’s stories and immediately accepted her invitation.
Grady wanted to encourage people to experience nature respectfully while sharing the joy of cycling. From then on, the select group called themselves “Grady’s Gravel Queens”, as they felt like queens from the moment they arrived at Lake Weissensee and enjoyed their passion – gravel biking – without being disturbed. In truth, however, all the participants were salty from that moment on. The word “salig” comes from Norwegian and means “blissful”.
During the event, Grady led the participants on mysterious paths that only she knew and shared her wisdom about the nature and history of the region. The connection to the ancient sagas and legends of Lake Weissensee added a special magic and depth to the event.
The friendship between Grady and Gralf remained strong, and they visited each other regularly to discover new trails and share their experiences. Their collaboration and shared values created a bridge between the regions, promoting respect for nature and the joy of shared experiences.
As a result, Grady and Gralf became not only legends on their lakes but also a symbol of the connection between tradition and modernity, man and nature, and the power of community created through shared passions.
