CUA 2403 - The Ultimate Alps Tour
The first day already takes us through 3 countries, Austria, Italy and Switzerland and over the first passes. We started on fairly narrow tyrollean Mountain Roads to get used to the Bikes, crossed the border to Italy at the Reschenpass and arrived at the foothills of the majestic Ortler Mountain. The first highlight of the Tour “Passo dello Stelvio”, is now right in front of us. The highest paved Pass in Italy should be on every Bikers Bucketlist - at least to build up an own opinion about the road. Nico took the Tourist Group up the famous north ramp from Prad, while Michael chose the third option from Val Müstair over the Umbrail Pass to give his sporty Group the Option ride the northern side down and up again during the Lunch Stop. In the Afternoon we continued down to Bormio, over to Livigno and finished the Day with the Bernina Pass and a typical swiss Dinner (Zürcher Geschnetzeltes) in Pontresina.
Our second riding day started very promising with our daily briefing in the Sun, which just peaked over the surrounding mountains. It was still cold, but perfect conditions to cover the first miles to St. Moritz and look at the fancy Hotels and Casinos that we passed. Our first pass of the Day is always a surprise for our guests, because St. Moritz and the Silvaplana Lake are at the End of the Engadin plateau and before you realize you are on the "Top" of the pass, you are already on your way down. The Maloja Pass and the winding roads afterwards take us down to Chiavenna where we turned right and started to climb the 51 Switchbacks of italian side of the Splügen Pass. The Coffeestop (where you should opt for delicious hot choclate) was definitely needed afterwards. We had a delicious Pizza in the Valley after San Bernadino Pass and even tho we are in Switzerland again, it is the "italian" Part of Switzerland and the Pizza made you feel like you are in their motherland. This day really was a rollercoaster up and down several passes and through various regions. Would you spot all the differences in the architecture for example? It was a very long and exhausting day, but at one of the last stops on top of Oberalp Pass in the afternoon sun I whished we could’ve stayed there and get a room in the Hospiz. But we still had to cover 66km towards Schwyz, a very old town which later gave it's Name to the whole country.
This day began with a slightly earlier start, as we wanted to catch the ferry across Lake Lucerne and hold the briefing at the dock. With a wonderful panoramic view, we discussed the route for the day and thus clarified the motto of the day. A few beautiful lakes and, of course, more ascents and descents awaited us. What we hadn't expected, however, were the more than 3000 road cyclists in the region around Andermatt who were to accompany us half the day. Unsuspecting, after the crossing we first passed small farms, through forests and past two smaller lakes to the Brünig Pass and on to Innertkirchen. Then the fun began on the Susten Pass, which was surprisingly easy to ride despite the traffic and some road constructions. To fortify us for the afternoon, our van driver Alex conjured up a delicious picnic for us below the Göschener Alp and after a quick photo of the glacier, we plunged into the traffic from Andermatt towards the Furka Pass. From here, we were met by a stream of oncoming cyclists who had set off on the “Alpenbrevet” route in the morning and were already on their way back. Here, mutual consideration and a lot of patience counted, because we all want to enjoy “our” mountains and with our e-bike tours we also have a heart for cyclists. Unfortunately, we were only able to enjoy most of the highlights on the Furka and Grimsel Passes, such as the Rhone Glacier and the famous photo bend at the old Hotel Belvedere, as we drove past. We'll probably have to come back another time, like our guests Diane and Roger, who are doing the Ultimate Alps for the third time and have a different experience every time. Speaking of experiences. The destination for the next two nights is Zermatt...
While most of the participants explored Zermatt and the surrounding area, some went off on their own or visited Freddie Mercury in Montreux with tour guide Michael. In honor of his birthday, 4 days of celebrations with Queen and Freddie Mercury cover bands and singers.
What a varied day of riding. From Zermatt, we head over the Simplon Pass down to the Mediterranean flair of Lake Maggiore. The town of Cannobio is picture-book Italy and our choice for lunch. As the ferry across Lake Maggiore was on strike, part of the group decided to circle the lake to the north and the other part to the south. There was a lot of traffic, but the places on the lake are an absolute dream. Four of us also decided to take the narrow roads and hairpin bends of the “Passo Sant'Antonio” to Lugano.
Today it is Time to say Goodbye to Switzerland. After beating the rush Hour of Lugano we crossed the border to Italy once more and arrived at Lago di Como very quickly. After the (succesfull!) Ferry Ride from Menaggio to Verenna there were two options. Nico took a small group on the more direct way to Val di Sole from the Lake up North towards Sondrio. As expected we had some more traffic on the main roads but were looking forward to an amazing afternoon. Right before lunch we slayed up Passo della Aprica and had a very delicious and typical meal at a local restaurant on the way down. Further on we rode over Passo del Tonale from Lombardia into South Tyrol and visited the military sanctuary on the top. From there it was not far to our destination and we met another Edelweiss Tour at the Gas Station. Just when you think it can't get any better, Edelweiss Bike Travel sends you off in the morning along Lake Maggiore and Lake Como. The sun glistens in the gentle waves of the water, the engine hums and takes you through dreamlike areas of Switzerland and northern Italy. What more could a biker's heart want? After the ferry, Michael takes his group on narrow and challenging mountain pass roads that demand a lot from even the most experienced riders. But the results on arrival were unanimous: What a sensational day!
Another exciting day of driving awaits us, taking us first through the Adamello / Branta National Park and past the famous ski resort of Madonna di Campiglio. After a short cultural excursion to the castle-like pilgrimage site of San Romedio, Alex was waiting for us with another picnic. Freshly fortified, we continued on to the Mendel Pass and the Penegal. From up there you have a sensational view of the Dolomites, the Ortler, the Brenta mountains and the city of Bolzano, as well as Lake Kaltern, which is 1,500 meters lower down. We conquer these altitude meters over numerous hairpin bends until we reach the South Tyrolean capital of Bolzano and our stage destination of Klobenstein (Collabo) on the Ritten shortly afterwards.