HAT220A High Alpine Tour
The group at the bridge in Wasserburg am Inn Refreshed after a realy good Coffee stop on the way some lucky guy´s at the Chimsee, behind the group you see the castle of Herrenchimsee. It is located on an island and has never been completed Some bikes need a rest..... ....the group too ......in a wonderful place This way we are coming up..... At the top of Austria the Edelweißspitze (2571m)
We had a relaxing overnight stay in a quaint hotel in downtown Lienz. Today's ride takes us into the Dolomite mountains, which are famous for their predominant rock formations. Another riding gem, the Pustertaler High Alpine Road, however, made us almost jodeling high up on the mountain. That is how nice of a ride it was early in the morning. We finalised the riding day in our beautiful hotel up the Ritten mountain. Today, Dominik was in charge of juggling the luggage. What an amazing view from high up the Pustertaler Höhenstraße Happy campers Steve ... ... and Ferg The first mountain of the Dolomites right in front of us. Yipeee we are in Italy ;) At our coffee stopp at Lake Misurina Passo Falzarego is one of the riding highlights among the passes in the Dolomites Unfortunately, it didn't make sense to take the gondola up the Lagazuoi rock. The clouds covered the top of the mountain for too long. Instead, we were spoiled with Dominik's delicious picnic lunch. Not too bad either, ey? :) The afternoon gave us a great opportunity to train our riding skills in wet weather conditions. Passo Pordoi welcomed us with a bucket or two ;) The view from the Sella Joch Still a bit cloudy up on the Sella Joch, but soon the weather turned a bit better again. Smiley and the mountain - this rocks :) And what do we get to see here ... ? Being in South Tyrol, obviously, it is hard getting around an apple strudle with vanilla sauce, isn't it Mike? :) The view from our beautiful hotel on the Ritten.
It goes without saying that the riding around Bolzano and the Dolomites deserve an extra riding day. Some riders decided to go for a leisurely half day's ride to the western Dolomites, while other riders were voting for the longer loop to the eastern Dolomites. Both rides were very enjoyable. Angela was guiding 5 riders via Mendel Pass up to the Penegal mountain. The view is spectacular - if the clouds allow it. They were moving so fast that it was impossible to get a group picture together with the view. The Mendel Pass and the Penegal mountain from the distance The view from our lunch spot towards a set of mountain peaks called "The Rose Garden" A Buschenschank is a small restaurant run by local people. What a great lunch these "Schlutzer" In the middle of nowhere we found this very old smal chapel .....an ancient place of pilgrimage with a special place in the forest near by 3 lucky guys at the Lago Lavazè on the same named Pass A coffee stop at the Rolle Pass The lunch stop at the Passo Duran here we get one of the best lunches some rest stop with a beautiful view a smal bridge with a tunnel....... .......and a spectacular gorge underneath The great Marmolada in the backround with the happy guys in front
Today starts with a highlight that every rider in the group was anxiously waiting for: we finally tackle Stelvio Pass. Which rider is not dreaming of mastering this challenging ride at least once? The rides over Gavia Pass and Bernina Pass lead us into Pontresina in Switzerland. In order to make it a great ride for everyone in the group, Angela explained the special way of taking the 48 tricky hairpin turns in a detailed morning briefing. Here it is - the eastern side of Stelvio Pass with its 48 narrow hairpin turns And these are the wonderful twisties on Stelvio's western side. As challenging as the other curves are, these are all the more fun to ride. Although Gavia Pass did not show itself from its sunny side, we all enjoyed the challenge of climbing up and riding down again the small street. At the top of the pass, a typical hot Italian chocolate warmed us up again.
With fantastic weather and fresh 8 degrees we start in Ponteresina and make our way back to Austria via Lichtentein. On the way, Angela prepares us an excellent picnic. The temperatures in the Rhine Valley are again well over 25 degrees and we are happy to be able to flee again into the Austrian mountains towards Warth The daily briefing for today A happy conqueror at the Flüelapass at 2383m we had a great coffee stop there Angela's picnic at it ́s best Vaduz Castle back in Austria at the top of Furkapass... ...with a stunning view... ...and a good coffee to go here we are....in Warth (Austria)
Looking out of the window this morning, the weather surprises us with rain and wet streets. We start in the direction of Erding and after a few kilometers it is fortunately getting drier and drier. Already in the lower Lechtal we are again on the road at over 20 degrees and sun. After a short stop at Neuschwanstein Castle and a great lunch at Lake Starnberg, we reach our starting hotel in Erding in the early afternoon. Too bad that the tour is already over. Good morning from high up the mountains above the Lech Valley. Despite the breathtkaing view, today's ride started out with a bit of rain. This is a good example of a typical house of the area. Still today the shigles are a popular way to cover a house from the outside. Bruce and Dave, starting the last day of this High Alpine Tour