High Alpine Tour HAT240A
Before the tour starts, everyone involved must of course first arrive at the start hotel and the bikes must also be brought in and prepared accordingly. For us, the timing was so perfect that when the bikes arrived, almost all of the tour participants happened to be in the entrance area of the hotel and witnessed the well-rehearsed choreography of the unloading process. The guides Mark and Holger had only met in person the day before, but "teamwork makes a dream work" and so there was plenty of time for everyone to check the bikes, attend the welcome briefing with handover of the bikes, dinner together and getting to know each other in a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere. One thing is clear - the mood is good and everyone is looking forward to the upcoming time.
Our first touring day is a fact and we are ready to take off to the city of Lienz in the Austrian Alps. After Holger and Mark held the briefing in the lobby next to the fireplace, everyone buckeled up for the departure in the sunny city of Erding. Everyone had to get used to the bikes, so we started by riding some nice windy roads until we reached the Chiemsee lake for a good coffee, just before crossing the German-Austrian border. The asfalt got wetter as we were continuing in Austria, but there was no precipitation, yet... We continued as everyone got used to his bike. Mark decided to pull over and gave a call to put on our raingear at this point. Not even 30 seconds back on the road it started to poor. As if he knew it wil start so soon! We continued our way to the Großglockner Mountain Highway, where the cassier at the toll booth warned us for some slippery conditions, rain and possibly even snow. There was no way back from here. So, confident as we were, we continued our way to the Edelweiss top. The conditions were good, despite the wet asfalt and at the top we stopped for a good and well-deserved lunchbreak. At this point the clouds lifted and it started hailing. Someone even joked to stay at the hotel restaurant for the night, but we're not made of sugar. We got back on our bikes and headed downhill in the rain, hail AND SNOW!!! The conditions changed 180 degrees, the snow got stuck on our helmet visor and windshields. We had to wipe it off regularly.
After yesterday's climb to the highest mountain in Austria, today we are heading to Italy to explore one of the most beautiful mountain landscapes in the world. The Dolomites are not only known for their rugged beauty of mountain peaks but also in motorcycle circles for their unique pass roads and countless bends. First, the path takes us along a panoramic road on the slopes of the Puster Valley, which, despite or perhaps because of the moving clouds, provides epic panoramic and valley views. After celebrating the border crossing with a photo stop, which will probably become a group tradition, the guide's knowledge of the weather will be put to the test. Everyone is happy with the assessment and so, slightly chilled but dry, we roll up to the beautiful Lake Misurina for our first coffee break. This is where the orgy of curves begins and the first “free riding sessions” start over the Passo Tre Croci and Passo Falzarego. On the other passes of the well-known Sella Ronda, some of which we drive on, progress is quite brisk and even some disproportionately wide coaches are overtaken almost without any problems, which may have been due to the targeted use of a typical acoustic signal generator. A small rain shower shortly before the end of the tour washes the day's road dust from the bikes and the flies from the visor, so we park happily, cleanly and contentedly in the hotel garage and spread out in the bar and spa until an excellent dinner.
Isn't it the purpose of a rest day to recover and regenerate? Exactly. And what better way to do that than on the seat of a motorcycle in a dreamlike landscape. Of course, our gentlemen troop took this quite seriously and took part in the offered recreational rides with 4 participants each. Alan, David, Ian, Rainer and Eric have decided to enjoy breakfast in peace and quiet and then go on a 4-hour ride over dream roads and into the South Tyrolean nowhere together with the tour guide Holger. Already the evening before, some technique and riding tips were discussed, which could then be tried out on the curves and hairpin bends of the Mendola Pass and had a visible effect. After a short escape from the rain in the Ulten Valley, everything simply took a back seat at the late lunch when a house was demolished with a grab excavator on the opposite side of the road. Well, men and their toys. The second group was formed by Vico, Randal, David and Paul, who did not take quite as much time with breakfast to dive deeper into the Dolomites again. Due to the planned route, this was necessary to complete a lap over passes a little further away such as the Passo Rolle, the Passo Duran and a trip to the Marmolada. Of course, endless curves and hairpin bends were typical for the Dolomite passes to conquer here, but also one or the other change of clothing was necessary. In the evening, both groups met again in the spa, the bar and at the outstanding dinner and the stories of the day were exchanged. There were even rumors of a rolling burnout, but this could not be officially confirmed. However, the fact that some participants suffered from temporary "Gashand disease" and had to declare the rack of lamb as finger food could be confirmed, as the use of knife and fork was temporarily difficult. All in all, another great day.
After a hearty breakfast, we set off to leave South Tyrol and drive to Switzerland. Since some passes are still closed due to avalanche damage and winter closures, we choose a route over no less spectacular passes and thus bypass the Stelvio National Park via the Mendola Pass, which is very popular and unique in motorcycle communities, through the Val di Sole over the Passo Tonale and thus come back to our normal route with the Passo Aprica and beginning of the Bernina Pass we ride into Switzerland. Today we experience how unpredictable the weather can be in high alpine terrain - while the support vehicle drives all day in the rain and gets into a snowstorm over the Bernina Pass, the tour participants have the best motorcycle weather and only experience a short-term shower. A short stop was made in a place which means a lot to Vico. At the end of the day, the "8 Gentlemen" even experience sunshine and unique pictures with a blue skyat the top of the Bernina Pass. The Beer boat on the church square in Pontresina is a successful conclusion as a surprise and everyone falls asleep satisfied after an excellent dinner despite the altitude of about 1800 meters above sea level.
Today's driving day shows us once again the high Alps in their full glory. Through the green and blooming Graubünden we drive past snow-covered peaks and pass the turn-off to the Albula Pass, which is still closed for winter. No reason for sadness, because at the foot of the alternative pass we once again start one of our "freeriding sessions". Starting from the green valley, everyone rides at their own pace up to the top of the snow-covered Flüela Pass where we use the spectacular scenery for a first coffee break.Thus strengthened, we cruise through the beautiful landscapes of Switzerland and through the Principality of Liechtenstein to one of the culinary highlights of the tour, the schnitzel break in Feldkirch. Even more strengthened, we continue through the Great Walsertal and the Faschina Joch to one of the most famous photo motifs for motorcyclists in Vorarlberg and to our hotel in Warth-Holzgau, where we are warmly welcomed with a "small" cold drink. The particularly familiar ambience of the hotel and the excellent dinner let us fall asleep once again satisfied from a great day.
The experiences of the last few days have overwhelmed us and left their marks after intensive days of driving. At breakfast one or the other has a clutch hand or a throttle wrist to report. We challenge them once again on the winding route through the beautiful Namlostal before we seek relaxation with a photo stop at Neuschwanstein Castle and a typical austrian "Fleischkas" picnic at Plansee. On the way back to the starting hotel of the tour, we of course do not miss the opportunity to cover a few meters on the unlimited german Autobahn before we arrive with the diverse impressions of the last week and enjoy a last evening together. The tour guide team Mark and Holger say thank you for the great time with Eric, Randal, Paul, Ian, Vico, Alan, David and David and we hope to welcome you again on one of the next tours. ... and of course special thanks to Roberto ;-)