Tour Guide Team
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Axel Allgaier
- Tours I will be leading: Best of Europe, Corsica-Sardegna, Breweries & Castles and Adriatic Rollercoaster tours
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: Because I enjoy every moment being on tour with a great bunch of people!
- Favorite destination: The Alps and Australia
- What I like: Winding roads with little traffic!
- What I dislike: Straight roads with heavy traffic!
- Hobbies: Motorcycling and soaring
- My favorite bike: My 1986 Yamaha SRX-6 - simple, small and beautiful!
Axel was born in Southern Germany in 1965. He studied geography in Aachen (a beautiful town at the fringe of a motorcyclists paradise: the Eifel and Ardennes region) and ended up in Darmstadt where he currently lives with his family and enjoys the fact that the Odenwald Forest with its winding roads just begins outside the city limits. A five-year stopover in Melbourne, Australia, showed him that it is possibe to have fun riding a bike on the left side of the road and upside down.
Axel has been exploring the world on the back of a motorbike since 1988 and since 2012 he is leading Edelweiss customers around the world as he found out that this is the perfect way to mix business with pleasure.
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Marko Bauer
- Tours I will be leading: Australia, Italy, Corsica-Sardegna, Europe, Africa and North America
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: I never found an answer to that question (big smile!)!
- Favorite destination: Italy
- What I like: Enjoy life (every single day of it!)!
- What I dislike: Bad weather
- Hobbies: Travelling, sport (running, bicycling, skiing), motorcycling
- My favorite bike: Triumph Speed Triple, Ducati Multistrada, HD Fat Boy - I just can't decide!
Marko was born in Hannover, northern Germany, in 1964, but being a motorcycling and skiing aficionado he had to move closer to the mountains very soon. South-western Bavaria has been the home of his choice for more than 30 years now. Marko joined Edelweiss in 2003 as a dedicated Harley-Davidson tour guide, but his interests diversified considerably since then. Life as a tour guide is never boring for him since it combines motorcycling, traveling and dealing with very interesting people.
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Frank Bergmann
- Tours I will be leading: Tours in Europe
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: I try to make their holidays relaxed and special! Beside that I think psych nurse (real life) and Edelweiss tour guide (part time job) is the perfect combination for a relaxed and safe trip!
- Favorite destination: Talking about riding I would say the Alps, Dolomites and any destination with windy mountain roads and spectacular scenery!
- What I like: Spending time with my little daughter, honest people, spending time outside and enjoy nature, travelling and good food, to show people in summer (Edelweiss tour guide) and winter (ski instructor) beautiful places and share my hobbies with them!
- What I dislike: Dishonest and greedy people and stress
- Hobbies: Riding motorcycles, skiing and hiking on skis, mountain-biking and spending time outside
- My favorite bike: My own bike: KTM 990 Supermotard
Frank is a real Tyrolean, born and raised in Hochfilzen and now living in beautiful Lans, a village on the outskirts of Innsbruck, the provincial capital. Like most people around here he loves everything that happens outdoors, especially skiing and hiking, and he knows how to ride a motorcycle or two!
In his real life Frank works as a nurse in a mental hospital, so you can imagine how important his part-time job as a tour guide is to keep him balanced. He says he got the job with Edelweiss because he was in the right place at the right time. We hope you don’t mean the mental hospital, Frank… ;-)
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Ed Buelsing
- Tours I will be leading: Canada, Mexico, United States and Europe
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: I like to have fun and it rubs off on the tour members!
- Favorite destination: The coast of Oregon (its hard picking just one)
- What I like: Sunshine, twisty roads and smiling faces
- What I dislike: Mean people
- Hobbies: Motorcycles, weightlifting, traveling, football (both US football and soccer).
- My favorite bike: There are so many that I like, but like in destinations, if I have to pick one, then it would be the Ducati 1200 Multistrada S!
Ed was born in 1956 in Cincinnati, Ohia, USA and has been guiding tours for Edelweiss since 2011. He loves to ride motorcycles, travel the world and meet people, so what could be better than working for Edelweiss Bike Travel? Good question, Ed.
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Angela De Haan
- Tours I will be leading: Morocco, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, France, the Alps, and all other destination Edelweiss is going to send me to!
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: My good mood brightens up the rainiest days!
- Favorite destination: I am happy if I am on the road/on the bike - no matter where the tour takes place. There are many wonderful places I have already seen and sure enough there will be more to come which makes it hard to specify. So far I liked best Turkey and the Arab countries (especially the Middle East)!
- What I like: To enjoy life at any moment, sharing a good time with honest, straightforward and positive people, I like challenges and if a plan works!
- What I dislike: Stay-at-homes, cold and wet feet and anything that is hindering advancement
- Hobbies: Modern Dance, hiking and mountain climbing, alpine ski touring, jogging and horseback riding
- My favorite bike: Generally, I'm fine with all bikes; however, I came to enjoy most the 1200 GS, the 1200 RT and the Ducati Multistrada. At home, I enjoy riding my 'all-terrain' Yamaha TT 600.
Angela was born and grew up in the Allgäu, the very southern and, as she thinks, the most beautiful part of Germany. Since the mountains predominantly shape the landscape in this area, you better learn to live with the fact that you somehow have to get up and down the mountains anyways. Be it on skies, on sled, on tires, by bicycle, by funicular or on foot – you name it, Angela did it! For Angela, however, the most fascinating way to get up and down a mountain is by riding a motorcycle. To elegantly master her bike through those curvy mountain roads… this is when Angela starts getting really focused. By the time she had gone up and down almost all of these mountains, Angela thought about discovering the other countries in Europe. When she visited the city of Genoa/Italy she found out about the ferry boats that would take her and her motorcycle to even further away destinations. Consequently, she travelled the Northern African countries and later Turkey and the Middle East. Angela came to like especially the last two areas.
But this is not the end of the story! A few years later Angela discovered Edelweiss and very soon figured out that Edelweiss would be the best cure for her need to travel the world! Not only does Angela love to ride a motorcycle, she also likes to get things going, she is fond of languages and of learning about other cultures, and she likes to get to know people from around the globe. These are only a few of the reasons why Edelweiss decided to hire her as a tour guide in 2010! Well, if you want to know more, you better go on tour with her and find out yourself... -
Reinhard Fallbacher
- Tours I will be leading: As many as possible!
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: I like to show people foreign culture, best way to travel is on motorbike!
- Favorite destination: Italy, Africa (Sahara, Morocco, Namibia) and New Zealand
- What I like: Pasta, red wine, good rides and enjoying life
- What I dislike: Bad mood
- Hobbies: Riding motorbikes (of course), diving, photography, sport and traveling
- My favorite bike: I have a lot: two of them are BMW GS 1100/1200 Adventure and Harley Davidson Night Rod
Reinhard was born in 1974 and lives in Munich, the capital of Bavaria. He knows that Americans like short first names, so you are welcome to call him Ray. You may do that even if you’re not American.
Ray joined the ranks of the Edelweiss tour guides in 2012 because he loves riding and traveling and he feels the urge to convey his feelings to other riders and travelers. You found the right place for that, Ray!
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Michael Göbel
- Tours I will be leading: Pyrenees, Pyrenees Extreme, Triumph Highlander Tour, Triumph Celtic Tour, Triumph South-East Asia Tour
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: Because I enjoy being with them and I love riding motorcycles!
- Favorite destination: Thailand
- What I like: Challenging roads and off-road riding
- What I dislike: City traffic
- Hobbies: Motorcycling, off-road riding, trial biking, playing guitar and singing
- My favorite bike: Triumph Tiger Explorer 1200
Even if you haven’t been on tour with Michael you have probably heard of him: he is the Singing Tour Guide, the man with the guitar. For him, the perfect end to a great day on the bike is sitting around the campfire under a star-filled sky, playing and singing and having a good time. Michael was born in 1961 in Würzburg, a small town in northern Bavaria. He worked as an architect for many years, then decided to follow his dreams and joined Edelweiss in 2005. In 2011 he started looking after our new program of Triumph tours.
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Markus Hellrigl
- Tours I will be leading: South Africa
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: I am "Mama Duck" and I always take care of my little "ducklings"! Nevertheless, there is always space for fun and enjoyment. I also know many stories about tours – and there’s always time to share them with others.
- Favorite destination: The ALPS are my playground, that’s where I grew up. GREECE is like the Alps, just more relaxing. SOUTH AFRICA is one of the most versatile countries you can visit with Edelweiss. Varying landscapes, different cultures, friendly people, good food and vines - all this makes this Edelweiss tour to an unforgettable event.
- What I like: Open and honest people to have fun with, good music and a cold beer after a good riding day
- What I dislike: Slowpokes
- Hobbies: Travelling, mountain biking, skiing, badminton and music
- My favorite bike: No specific one.
Tyroleans are usually born with skis already attached to their feet. Markus had them too, but also the fingers of his right hand were bent in an unusual way and he discovered later that they would fit perfectly around the throttle grip of a motorcycle… Markus was born in 1956 in the ancient town of Hall in Tirol, where he still lives today. For many years he didn’t really know what to do with himself, he led a restless life, joined two UNO missions to the Golan Heights, studied sports and geography, and he travelled. And man, did he travel! There is not enough space on this web site to name all the countries he visited, but he especially loves Greece and Norway, Chile and South Africa, the US and the Middle East. Once it took him seven weeks to ride from Innsbruck to the North Cape and back and this trip still stands out as his personal number one.
In 1993 Markus found a way to put the fingers of his right hand to work: he guided his first Edelweiss motorcycle tour and he loved it so much that he hasn’t stopped guiding ever since. It was only in 2012, after 19 ½ years on the road, that he traded the bike seat for an office chair, and his colleagues suspect that he just couldn’t stand the thought of Edelweiss celebrating him for 20 years of service. It would just make him feel sooo old… But with age comes experience, and if there ever was a full-blooded tour guide, Markus would be it. Hundreds of tours, thousands of happy customers, more than a million kilometres on two, four and eight wheels and countless outstanding picnics are firmly tucked under his belt. Somebody once called him a true professional, and that is certainly true. Markus is married with two kids and besides motorcycling and chatting on the phone with his tour guides he loves mountain biking, skiing, and music, and of course he loves spending time with his family. Now, with his new office job, he’s got more time than ever to do that. Right, Markus???
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Martina Hemrich
- Tours I will be leading: This year I’ll be leading tours in the Alps and in Spain
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: I reach my destinations safely, with a lot of fun, enjoying each moment!
- Favorite destination: Up to now the Pyrenees. I feel almost at home there, talk to the inhabitants about the best tapas bar, they tell me the old and new stories about the places we pass by on our tour, and I have a good relationship to the witches and goblins living up in the hills!
- What I like: Living the things that are dear to me and sharing this with our tour guests!
- What I dislike: Complaining and having a negative perception of what’s going on!
- Hobbies: Riding a bike, reading and travelling
- My favorite bike: My old eternal love: a 30 year old Moto Guzzi T3 California; and as tour guide the GS 1200!
Martina was born in 1961 and lives in Würzburg, a city in the far north-western corner of Bavaria. Being a tour guide for Edelweiss perfectly combines everything she loves: riding bikes, travelling the world, being around people having a great time, experiencing adventures while being in good company. Martina joined Edelweiss in 2010.
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Alejandro Herrerias Cirre
- Tours I will be leading: Pyrenees Extreme & Tour of the Pyrenees, Kings & Castles tour and MOA Special Tours
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: I ever shared my passion and good humor with all tour members!
- Favorite destination: The Dolomites, Morocco and the next Edelweiss expedition Around the World
- What I like: Sun, nature, sports & friendly people
- What I dislike: People who make things more difficult (harder) than they really are!
- Hobbies: Climbing, motorcycling, snowboarding and diving
- My favorite bike: My self-made Honda CB 400 "Cafe Racer", and... so many others too!
Alejandro is one of several Spanish tour guides that joined Edelweiss in 2012. He was born in Granada, Spain, in 1978, lived in Majorca for six years, working as a nurse. Later he moved to Augsburg, Germany, also working as a nurse and learning to master the German language at the same time. After 1 ½ years he moved back to Majorca, Germany was just too cold for him.
In 2008 Alejandro met an Edelweiss tour in Spain, chatted with the tour guide and started thinking about becoming a guide himself. He sent his application three years later and was accepted. What took you so long, Alejandro?
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Hector Jimenez
- Tours I will be leading: Baja California and Grand Canyon tours
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: Tour members know that at the end of a long day, their luggage has been neatly stored into their hotel room!
- Favorite destination: My favorite destination is Baja California, Mexico!
- What I like: I like when tour members talk about their great riding day at dinner!
- What I dislike: I dislike RVs that block the highways!
- Hobbies: I like seeing the grey whales each year in Baja California Sur.
- My favorite bike: A favorite bike is the one that runs correctly!
Hector was born in 1968 in Agua Prieta, Mexico, just south of the US border. He likes to work for Edelweiss because it gives him the opportunity to share his Spanish and his Mexican heritage with people from around the world. Hector always makes sure that he treats Tour Members with the upmost professionalism, something he has been doing since 2007.
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Stephan Kaltschmid
- Tours I will be leading: This season I will be leading tours in Croatia, Alaska and everything else where we can explore the world!
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: I like to ride, I like to travel and I like to explore the local places - and I will show this to my groups!
- Favorite destination: I can’t really say that I have got a favourite destination; from north to south and east to west I like everything where we can find an adventure!
- What I like: I like people who enjoy their lives and who have fun while riding - like I do!
- What I dislike: I don’t like captious people!
- Hobbies: Enduro riding, hiking and skiing
- My favorite bike: My KTM 450 for off-road riding and so far I didn’t find my perfect bike for the street!
Stephan was born in 1983. He lives in Igls, a small town outside and above Innsbruck in beautiful Tyrol, Austria, right next to the ski slopes. His interests include motorcycling, travelling and meeting people, so working as a tour guide for Edelweiss comes very natural to him.
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Thomas Kastner
- Tours I will be leading: Kings and Castles and Moto Grand Prix tours
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: My focus is fun on riding for everybody. I know the narrow and tiny roads!
- Favorite destination: Race tracks in Brno and Misano!
- What I like: The smell of gas!
- What I dislike: The smell of diesel!
- Hobbies: Riding, running and draught beer
- My favorite bike: R 1200 GS and all KTMs
Thomas was born in 1965 and lives in Vienna, the beautiful Austrian capital. He loves the racetrack, but he can also take it easy and show people from around the world the beauty of his home lands. Thomas has guided tours for Edelweiss since 2005. For him, this is work and fun at the same time.
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Michael Keller
- Tours I will be leading: Tours in the Alps, Kings & Castles and the Grand Canyon tours
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: Because you can expect me to be young, dynamic and open-minded. In case there is a problem with the motorcycles I can rely on my experience as a MC mechanic!
- Favorite destination: Mallorca, Sardinia and Corsica
- What I like: I like to explore the landscape together with tour members, with whom I can have good dinner with and drink some “Weißbier” together in the evening!
- What I dislike: Cold, rainy weather, captious people – and coffee
- Hobbies: Motorcycling, sports (volleyball, climbing), paragliding, and music (I´m an organist) and I also like action movies (especially those with Angelina Jolie)!
- My favorite bike: At home I ride a Yamaha XJ6 and a MV Agusta F4 750 Evo ´03, but I´m always interested in other bikes too. My actual favorite is Moto Morini Corsaro Veloce, what a great engine!
Michael was born in 1987 in Franconia, in Bamberg to be precise, a beautiful historic city about 40 miles north of Nuremberg. These days he lives in Rottenburg, near Stuttgart, where he studies “BioEnergy” and works in a motorcycle shop as a mechanic. He started working as a guide for Edelweiss in 2012 and he is very excited about it because for him it´s a great opportunity to meet nice people and explore the world. You’re definitively right about that, Michael!
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Albert Knapp
- Tours I will be leading: I will guide tours in Spain, Cuba and the Alps
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: I am a humorous person, able to infect others with my good vibrations!
- Favorite destination: Pyrenees
- What I like: Good food, good tar conditions on my trip, snooker & Moto-GP
- What I dislike: Racism and dirty and noisy hotel rooms
- Hobbies: I am a musician, I love to listen to Jazz, I enjoy travelling and spending time with my family!
- My favorite bike: KTM 990 SMT
Albert, born in 1973 in Gnadenwald, lives now in Telfs, a multi-cultural town near our Edelweiss headquarters, Tyrol, Austria. He joined Edelweiss in 2012 to be a tour guide, because he likes to be around people pursuing their favorite hobby. But Albert also spends plenty of time in the company’s workshop to help fixing bikes, preparing vans and cleaning up picnic equipment.
Well, that’s what happens if you live too close…
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Oliver Kraft
- Tours I will be leading: Europe and wherever Edelweiss wants me to guide!
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: I love travelling on a bike with a group of people and it shows!
- Favorite destination: the Alps
- What I like: Early morning rides
- What I dislike: Tour buses
- Hobbies: Enduro riding
- My favorite bike: Still the R 1200 GS
Oliver – his friends and colleagues are allowed to call him Olli – was born in 1968 and lives in Worms, an ancient city on the banks of the river Rhine. He has been guiding tours for Edelweiss for many, many, many years, but being the busy business man he is Olli can only guide tours part time any more.
He says he only does it for the money, but if you ever get to travel with him you’ll see that his experience and his sense of humor make him a great guide. And who knows: sooner or later you can maybe call him Olli, too!
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Michael Kreuzmeir
- Tours I will be leading: Adventure Silk Road, Alps and Lakes and the Viking Experience tours
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: I am a hopeless optimist and always in a good mood!
- Favorite destination: There are too many nice places to list them here!
- What I like: Adventures, curves, sun and time to enjoy all that
- What I dislike: Highways and bad weather
- Hobbies: Enduro, fitness, climbing, motorcycles and travelling
- My favorite bike: A mixture of the BMW F 800 GS and KTM 690 Enduro – that would be it!
Michael was born in 1988 and lives in Rosenheim, in southern Bavaria. In 2011 he started working for Edelweiss as a tour guide, a job that seems to be just right for him since he loves to share his passions – motorcycling and travelling – with people from around the world.
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Matthias Kuhlmann
- Tours I will be leading: Ultimate Alps Tour, Alps Extreme, Alps & Lakes and everything else Edelweiss has on offer!
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: No Stress: travelling by motorcycle should be fun for everybody involved – that’s what it’s all about!
- Favorite destination: Never stop exploring: the world is full of scenic places and nice people!
- What I like: Good mood, curiosity, respect and fairness and a good company! To make the best of it!
- What I dislike: Arrogance, moaners and prejudice
- Hobbies: Hiking, travelling and good food
- My favorite bike: There are many great bikes, for me it is important that it takes me safely and comfortably to where I want to go!
Matthias was born in the Swinging Sixties not far from Osnabrück, a city in north-western Germany. In 2010 he spent eight months in southern Africa, travelling around on a motorcycle. After returning home he obviously wanted to continue his “Best Ride There Is” and managed to join Edelweiss as a tour guide in 2012. Eight months on the bike – guiding the Worldtour would be like a walk in the park for you, Matthias, don’t you think?
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Paul Kustermann
- Tours I will be leading: Alps and Lakes, Grand Alps and High Alpine Tour
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: I guess people like being on tour with me because I have a way of making everyone feel good about themselves. Young and eager and able. Ready for challenge. And sensitive to beauty and bounty of this crazy wild world. If you connect up with me you just might get infected with the thrill of seeing the beauty of this land through new and wondrous eyes. After living here for 30 years, I am re-discovering the highlights by being able to show them to others. Get on board and be inspired.
- Favorite destination: Wherever we're going today!
- What I like: Warm and dry shoes
- What I dislike: Cold and wet shoes
- Hobbies: Sailing, writing, reading, cooking, photography and graphic design
- My favorite bike: Suzuki 1500 Intruder in blue with raised handlebars
Paul, or Pazlo as his friends call him, was born in 1955 and grew up in Minneapolis, USA. He moved around the US quite a bit, lived in Boulder, Boston, San Francisco and Eureka, CA, then set out to discover the world and took up work in metropolises like Tokyo, Amsterdam, Berlin and Achenkirch, Austria. He seems to like it in good old Europe, because he has not left it during the last 30 years other than for purely recreational purposes.
Pazlo has everything a tour guide needs to have: he loves to travel, he likes to meet good people and make new friends, he values good food and he loves to ride motorcycles. He joined the Edelweiss team in 2012 and we’re sure he’s going to love it!
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Alan Magnoni
- Tours I will be leading: Rome to Sicily, Tour of Tuscany and several tours in the Alps
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: I am easy going, always know a solution and the best lunch spots (I like good food!). And sharing a cool beer at night I very much enjoy telling good stories and listening to interesting people!
- Favorite destination: All places on the Rome to Sicily tour: There's the best food, the tastiest wines, awesome roads, always sunshine, beaches, mountains and outside cities no traffic ... what else do we need?
- What I like: Old school bikes, pizza and pasta, wine and beer and pretty girls
- What I dislike: Troubles, bad food and sometimes high technology
- Hobbies: I studied sport science at the university so i like all kind of sports! Especially football (soccer for the Americanos), tennis, bicycling, swimming, hiking, skiing (free ride), music, theatre and art!
- My favorite bike: A nice Triumph Scrambler
Merano, a town in South Tyrol, is not only one of the cradles of modern tourism, but also Alan’s home town. He was born here, in the land of wine and apples, at some point during the last quarter of the 20th century, and he grew up climbing the surrounding mountains and riding the twisty roads that were all around him.
He likes to travel and he loves to move around on two wheels, therefore he loves his work as a tour guide. In his spare time he prefers his bicycle, though, because he likes to work out and keep fit. Which is good, because you get older even if you keep your age to yourself, Alan…
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Manuel Marabese
- Tours I will be leading: Alps, Tuscany, Southern Italy, Norway.
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: A smile and a deep knowledge of the tour is a good combination for a happy guest.
- Favorite destination: Anywhere I haven't been yet... the discovery is simply fabulous.
- What I like: The breeze of the coastal roads, the heat of the deserts, the breathtaking curves of the mountains, the sound of the motorbikes, the life on the road.
- What I dislike: Unhappy skies.
- Hobbies: Travelling, trekking, diving, snowboarding, dog-sledding, snowmobiling, reading, photography.
- My favorite bike: HONDA CBR 600 F, my private lover.
Manuel, born in 1982, is one of the Italians reinforcing the ranks of Edelweiss tour guides. He grew up in Bolzano, surrounded by the Dolomites and their incredible alpine roads. This favourable setting – and having a great rider as a father – invited him to start riding motorbikes at the age of 14. Now at over 30 he is still enjoying every km of road as it was the first time. After his bachelor in philosophy Manuel realised that Nirvana can be reached while travelling; he moved to northern Norway and spent several seasons above the Arctic Circle working as a tour guide. In 2009 he finally had the opportunity to combine his passions guiding, travelling and riding a motorcycle by joining Edelweiss. Since then he has guided many tours in Europe, mostly in Italy and in Scandinavia. The Alps and nearby areas like Slovenia and Croatia come in from time to time, as a gentle touch between the extreme North and deep South, together with tours around charming Central Europe.
Even after studying in Denmark and becoming a Master of Tourism in the process it is hard for Manuel to nominate his preferred Edelweiss tour. One of the things he likes most is meeting rider companions from previous tours and lead them into new discoveries. His past as pure tour guide and ‘philosopher’ gives him a fair deal of communication skills and he truly loves the daily briefings and the stops along the way, when he can share his knowledge with the group. He likes to add a bit of irony, because a great laugh is the best icebreaker while starting a new tour. Besides riding and travelling, he also likes photography, snowboarding, scuba diving, rock music and a good beer after a long ride under a perfect sunny day. Although there is a Honda CBR in his garage his favourite bikes for touring are GS, RT, Multistrada and Triumph Tiger. Edelweiss guides are spoiled enough to have the fortune to ride all of them on tour so we don’t really have to choose only a single favourite one... And, no, like you, Manuel does not like rain too much, but sometimes it is part of the deal. In fact he agrees with the famous Norwegian motto that says: “There is no bad weather, only bad clothes”.
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Hans Öggl
- Tours I will be leading: Dolomites, Tuscany
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: I like to laugh and make a day easy going with cruising the Alps und tasting new food.
- Favorite destination: This is always depending on the weather report.
- What I like: Skiing, reading, music, nature, mountain bikes
- What I dislike: Chocolate ice cream, traffic jam and getting lost
- Hobbies: Skiing, mountain biking, motorbikes and fast cars
- My favorite bike: Ducati Multistrada – a scalpel on wheels
Hans was born in 1964 in Tyrol, Austria. He loves his mountains and the quiet, peaceful way of life in the Stubai Valley, while at the same time being close to Innsbruck, which is, by Austrian standards, a big city. For more than 25 years Hans has worked as a paramedic. He has seen it all, there is hardly a thing that can make him nervous.
He can accurately judge people’s ability to ride on the twisty Tyrolean roads before they even get on their bikes, a fact that makes him the instructor of choice for the Alpine Training that Edelweiss offers prior to most tours in the Alps. Working as a guide for Edelweiss perfectly balances Hans’ life as a paramedic: he loves to travel, he likes good company and he can’t resist a motorcycle if he sees one, especially if it is a hot new Ducati Multistrada.
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Franz Pan
- Tours I will be leading: High Alpine Tour, The Ultimate Alps Tour, Ducati tours in Italy and Australia and the Kings and Castles tour
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: Main reason I guess is because of my very calm and handsome attitude to interact with people. Therefore I always try to understand every person and his needs and to make guest feeling at their highest comfort. And because I am most of the time in good mood!
- Favorite destination: Australia, Cuba, Patagonia, Alaska and all other places around the world!
- What I like: If people let it go, let it flow, seeing every tour as a new experience and a bit like an adventure, taking the things as they are and enjoying the landscape and people we meet on the way, even if some things doesn’t work out as we planned!
- What I dislike: Beans, fried eggs and tomato for breakfast.
- Hobbies: Biking with and without engine, Telemark-skiing and cross-country, diving, rafting, badminton, ultimate freesbee and most relaxing of all, listening to good music and DJ-ing in between
- My favorite bike: KTM LC4 640 or 690 SMC, Ducati Hypermotard 1100, Ducati Multistrada 1200 s and Triumph Tiger 1200
Franz Pan was born in 1968 in Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy. He grew up there and still lives there today, which doesn’t mean that he didn’t get around. He studied law, all the way up to a doctor’s degree, and worked in law-related jobs for several years. But his heart was outdoors. As a student he had spent his holidays working as skiing instructor, lifeguard and rafting guide, and now, with his office job, he yearned to be outside again. So he grabbed his backpack and travelled around the world, a trip that was supposed to last one year, but eventually took two to complete. He mostly used public transport, lived in Australia and Brazil for a while, became a certified dive master and only returned home when he ran out of money.
Apart from invaluable experiences this trip also gave him plenty of opportunity to hone his language skills: Franz speaks German, Italian, English, Spanish and Portuguese and probably a dozen lesser known languages. Like many globetrotters Franz found it difficult to resume his old office-life, but he eventually managed to get back on track. He worked as real estate consultant, teacher, and manager for a steel company before finally, in 2010, he found his true destiny: being a tour guide for Edelweiss Bike Travel. By the way: Franz does not have a brother named Peter!
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Ursula Peter
- Tours I will be leading: Tour of Tuscany, Royal Edelweiss Dream, High Alpine Tour, Morocco Tour, Rome to Sicily and Alps Extreme
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: Try it out and you'll see! But be careful - you might get addicted!
- Favorite destination: Tuscany, because of the chaotic, open-hearted, passionate Italians mixed with twisty, windy roads, awesome food and even better wine!
- What I like: Gummy bears, get-up-and-go people, the unexpected and good friends
- What I dislike: Pedants, holes in socks, wet motorcycle boots, iced windshields and bad food
- Hobbies: Cooking and eating with friends, a good glass of wine, languages and all kind of sports
- My favorite bike: What a question! The R 1200 GS of course. If you know anything better, please let me know!
Quite a few female tour guides are working for Edelweiss these days, but when Ursula started guiding groups back in 2004 she was the only one. She doesn’t want us to know how old she is, which is ok since she happily gives away plenty of other information: born, raised and still living in south-western Bavaria, in a lovely region known as the Allgäu, pronounced Ull-goy.
For Ursula this is the most beautiful spot our planet has to offer, but she still loves to go out and see other places, most notably Italy. She loves to ride big bikes but secretly adores the Vespa 300. She’s a lot of fun to be on tour with, so make sure you give it a try. And if you ask her how she and Edelweiss got together all she’ll tell you is: it was just inevitable…
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Steven Phillips
- Tours I will be leading: Baja California, Canada West, Grand Canyon, Wild West, Southern California Backroads and Highway Number 1 tours
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: I always find the best lunch stops!
- Favorite destination: Mexico
- What I like: When tour members feel the freedom of curves and twisties!
- What I dislike: Large tour buses at my coffee and lunch stops and riding in high winds
- Hobbies: I like swimming and adventure riding!
- My favorite bike: KTM 990 Adventure
Steve, leader of Edelweiss’ North American task force, was born in 1969 in Tucson, Arizona, deep in the Southwest of the USA. He loves motorcycling and sharing the motorcycling experience with Tour Members, something he has done extensively since 2007, all over the western states and in Mexico. No wonder you always find the best lunch stops, Steve!
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Christian Preining
- Tours I will be leading: Anywhere in the world!
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: You better like what you have to do anyway and often people loose their free will after the first contact already. That's how it is if you get caught by a drug dealer. My mission is to get you addicted. Warning: Success rate - high!
- Favorite destination: New Zealand - Roosting or leaned over all the way through paradise - how much better can it get?
- What I like: Curves - round, tight, anytime, anywhere!
- What I dislike: Anything that hinders momentum sucks!
- Hobbies: Reading, running, moto-X, skiing, snowboarding - things that allow my mind and body to take a flight!
- My favorite bike: BMW R 1200 GS - constant fun factor - from the Autobahn of Munich to the dunes of Pismo Beach!
Despite the fact that many people, especially those from English speaking countries, frequently mispronounce his last name, Christian consistently delivers a top tour-guiding performance. He has worked for Edelweiss for many, many, many years, for so long actually that hardly anybody remembers the time before. During these years he travelled to every country you can possibly think of, riding his motorcycle through scorching deserts, across snow-covered mountain passes, through dripping wet rainforests and in and out of heavily congested cities, and he always manages to convince his faithfully following group that this is the best fun they ever had.
Christian was born in Austria in 1956 and he still lives there, in the hills outside Linz, in an old farmhouse that he lovingly restored. He used to be a professional motocross racer, then guided trekking- and adventure tours in the US for years before joining the Edelweiss team in 1994. If you asked him why he still loves guiding tours for Edelweiss, this would be his answer: “Where else could I find a job where I constantly get to meet new friends while being sent out to the most exotic locations of the planet in order to attack those wicked, cool, twisting roads on the newest, best-performing motorcycles? And then they force me to have a beer!”
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Rick Ren
- Tours I will be leading: Tibet and China
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: I know some "unofficial" places on the tours.
- Favorite destination: Tibet
- What I like: Adventure tours, off-road riding and off-road adventure tours
- What I dislike: Staying in the office and paper work
- Hobbies: Riding, reading and writing
- My favorite bike: Yamaha XT 660 Z Tenere & Honda CRF 450 X
Rick was born in 1977 in Xi’an, China’s ancient capital and home of the famous Terracotta Army. He grew up there, studied computer science in one of the city’s 26 (!) universities and finally moved to Beijing, where he still lives today. He started his own computer company and an import-export business, worked for the Beijing dealerships of Harley-Davidson and BMW, and did a million other things, usually all at the same time.
In 2005 he started to work for Edelweiss, and his job wasn’t just to guide the groups, but to arrange everything from hotels, motorcycles, support crew, local guides, government permits, etc, etc, etc. He was very busy! Over the years things became gradually easier as Rick and Edelweiss learned how to play the game, but even after almost 40 tours in China it never gets boring there. Every tour is an adventure, but we can manage (almost) everything. Rick can!
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Thomas Ritt
- Tours I will be leading: New Zealand, Tibet, Kilimanjaro, Scotland, and everything else that comes my way!
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: Because I can show them how to eat with chop sticks!
- Favorite destination: New Zealand, Tibet and the Alps
- What I like: A great day on the bike!
- What I dislike: Cold pizza and warm beer!
- Hobbies: Motorcycling, travelling, bicycling and hiking
- My favorite bike: My faithful old Suzuki and my not quite as faithful and even older Yamaha.
Tom was born in Munich in 1972, only a stone’s throw from the Oktoberfest site. The beautiful Bavarian capital has been his home ever since, he loves the laid-back lifestyle of the “million-people-village” and the proximity to mountains, lakes and forests. Tom has guided tours on all continents since he started working for Edelweiss in 2003. The job satisfies his desire to be on the road and on a bike and gives him the chance to practice his intercultural communications skills…
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Jens Ruprecht
- Tours I will be leading: Best of Europe and Cuba
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: Because I take it easy!
- Favorite destination: That is difficult to answer because I don't know all destinations. Some of my favorites tours are run in South America, China, Morocco, Cuba and Scotland!
- What I like: Travelling on all the different kind of vehicles either with Edelweiss or my own family!
- What I dislike: Bus tourists
- Hobbies: Travelling, cooking, playing with my little son and fixing my old house!
- My favorite bike: A lot of bikes are great so it is hard to make a choice!
Jens, one of the longest-serving tour guides in the team, “retired” to the office in 2012, after twelve years on the road. His young family, especially his son Pablo, turned the restless traveler into a settled man. For many years Jens, born in 1969, lived in Worms, a town on the banks of the Rhine. Throughout his life he loved to travel, he went to Africa, Thailand, Australia and the US, he lived in Madrid and in Corsica and he criss-crossed South America on two wheels, left to right, top to bottom. For him work as a tour guide meant a perfect match of his favorite hobbies and the inevitable need to make a living. After his son was born in 2009 Jens yearned for more time at home.When a position became available in the head office he seized the opportunity and moved to Austria. Now he designs custom tours for groups from every conceivable country, from Israel to Brazil, from Taiwan to Canada. Spanish speaking groups from South and Central America are his favorites; his Spanish, you see, is better than his English. Some people say it’s even better than his German… ;-) Whenever he is not in the office or on tour (he still looks after the Best of Europe), Jens is at home, cooking, fixing his old house or playing with his son. A real family guy! If you’re ever in the area, drop in for a coffee: Jens loves to talk about riding the roads of the great wide world.
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Julio Sanchez Ballesteros
- Tours I will be leading: Tours in Spain and Italy
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: I'm a bit mechanic, a bit chef, a bit photographer… and an expert making your trip more funny and without problems than you would expect!
- Favorite destination: It doesn't matter. The longer the ride, the better!
- What I like: I love riding my bikes, repairing them and improving them. And of course to travel with them!
- What I dislike: People who always think about the problem and not the solution!
- Hobbies: Bikes, mechanic and the internet
- My favorite bike: A boxer engine one… better if it is old!
Julio, one of the new Spanish guides that started working for Edelweiss in 2012, was born in Malaga in 1977. He still lives there, on the beautiful southern coast of Spain, unless he is away, on his bike, finding adventure and meeting new friends.
For him, it was inevitable that sooner or later Edelweiss would come along, find him and make him a guide. It took a while, but in the end we found you, Julio!
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Florian Schmidbauer
- Tours I will be leading: Tours in South America, Alps, Spain and New Zealand
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: With me every tour is becoming an adventure and I am getting a lot of contact to the locals - „Please can you tell me how I get to...“ ;-)!
- Favorite destination: All of my tours are fantastic in their own way!
- What I like: Streets, on which you even lay down in the curves while driving them by car!
- What I dislike: Motorway by motorcycle!
- Hobbies: Sport in the mountains, at the sea or simply at home!
- My favorite bike: A specialized Allez!
It was late in 2007 when Florian received the call. He was working in New Zealand at the time and when Edelweiss needed somebody to co-guide a special tour down there he jumped on board. Florian was born in 1975 and grew up in a small town outside of Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
He is a carpenter by trade, worked in the field for years and actually still does, whenever he is not out on tour. Recently he spent a year in South America, working and travelling and learning to speak Spanish, and right after he returned home Edelweiss called – again – and sent him straight back to guide a tour in Peru. It’s not that easy to quit, Florian!
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Gerhard Schmittlein
- Tours I will be leading: Alps and Lakes Tour, Ultimate Alps Tour and maybe some more...
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: Riding at my back wheel can intensify your feeling free on the road!
- Favorite destination: Apart from home? Any destination that offers fun, culture, new things to see, learn and enjoy and hopefully bendy roads!
- What I like: Real bikes, real people and real roads
- What I dislike: Car drivers and motorcycle riders oncoming on my lane!
- Hobbies: Motorcycling, mountaineering, cycling, diving, cooking, friends and my family of course!
- My favorite bike: Yamaha MT-01 - more iron between the legs means less agility!
1965, April 27, 6:41 am: Gerhard sees the light of day for the first time. 47 years later: Gerhard joins Edelweiss as a tour guide. Many other things happened during those years, we’re sure of that, but we don’t know, so you’ll have to go on tour with him and ask him in order to find out.
Gerhard likes being a guide for Edelweiss because he says this is the best way to meet the world’s coolest motorcycle riders. He lives in Niedertaufkirchen, a small town about 50 miles east of Munich, Germany.
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Manuel Taschner
- Tours I will be leading: Touring Center Dolomites, Alps Extreme, Touring Center Alps, Ducati Majestic Alps, Alps and Lakes and Kings and Castles Tour
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: I give them free massages... just kidding!
- Favorite destination: The Dolomites, because they are the perfect playground for motorcyclists!
- What I like: Breakfast
- What I dislike: Pimples
- Hobbies: Long walks at the beach, motocross riding and snowboarding
- My favorite bike: The BMW R 1200 GS - it's a "multi-tool"!
Among all the old Edelweiss tour guides Manuel is the youngest one. He was born in 1984 in Linz, Austria, where he still lives today. Inspired by a close member of his family he joined Edelweiss at only 23 years of age.
His colleagues were tempted to just call him “Bua”, which is Austrian for “boy”, but Manuel showed them quickly that he could indeed fulfill his duties in a very professional manner if he really had to. That said, he still likes to practice wheelies, stoppies and doughnuts when nobody’s looking. If you ask him why he works for Edelweiss he’ll just say he is trying to stick to his talents…
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Tobias Wachter
- Tours I will be leading: Alps and Eastern Europe
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: Life can be so easy when I'm around.
- Favorite destination: Everywhere in the Alps
- What I like: Empty roads!
- What I dislike: Things which keep me from moving on
- Hobbies: Fun stuff!
- My favorite bike: Puch Maxi S in green
Before you ask: of course there’s a reason why Tobias has the same family name as Werner Wachter, founder & owner of Edelweiss: Tobi (as his friends call him) is Werner’s son. And if you’re wondering if Tobi gets preferred treatment while guiding a tour simply because he is Werner’s son, the answer would be: no, he has to do picnics, carry heavy bags, and fix flat tires just like everybody else.
Now that this is clear let’s get to the facts: Tobi was born in 1986 in Tyrol, Austria’s most mountainous province, and he still lives there today. While travelling in New Zealand in 2008 he received order to assist guiding a group of Taiwanese around this beautiful country; this was his first assignment as a tour guide. Later he started studying sports management in Innsbruck, Austria, but during the holidays he guides as many tours as he can. Ask him why he likes being a tour guide and he’ll say: Traveling has always been a passion and doing that with a bunch of cool guys is like a dream come true.
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Thomas Walker
- Tours I will be leading: High Alpine Tour and Rome to Sicily
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: With me as a guide everybody will be in safe hands!
- Favorite destination: There is none specific, I like all kind of destination!
- What I like: Good food, open-minded people that I can learn from, getting to know foreign countries and cultures!
- What I dislike: Winter, posers and slow moving traffic
- Hobbies: Travelling and making music
- My favorite bike: Ducati Multistrada 1200
Thomas was born in 1978 in Switzerland and lives in Altdorf, a small town about 45 miles south of Zürich. Looking for a way to make his interests (e.g. travelling) and his abilities (e.g. motorcycling) to work for him he found Edelweiss and became a tour guide in 2012. Thomas loves to get in touch with people from around the world and to show them the beauty of the Alps.
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Christoph Zimmermann
- Tours I will be leading: in Europe, Africa, South and North America and Russia
- Reason why people enjoy being on tour with me: I’m optimistic, relaxed and for me there is no situation that couldn’t be enjoyed!
- Favorite destination: Wherever you find some curves.
- What I like: Good food, the ocean and curves.
- What I dislike: Mosquitoes
- Hobbies: Travelling, motorcycle riding, skiing and hiking
- My favorite bike: KTM 950sm and on Edelweiss tours the Ducati Multistrada.
Christoph was born in 1985 in Bavaria. He studied Strategic Management in Innsbruck, Austria, and started guiding tours for Edelweiss in 2008 in order to complement his studies. Strategically managing a motorcycle tour can be a tough job as we all know, so the job was well chosen.
And on top of it all it gave him the opportunity to travel the world, get to know people and cultures from around the globe, and – this is the best part – do it all with his favorite piece of equipment: the motorcycle. Since finishing his studies in 2011 Christoph has been trying to find a better job, but turns out to be a difficult task. Meanwhile he keeps on riding…
