SPT 24035 Riders Paradise Corsica

Today is finally the day!!!! We are in Florence and from here we start our journey. But before we turn the ignition key for the first time there is our welcome briefing where I introduce the tour and the most important thing!!! Everyone gets their motorcycle key!!! The arrival day / start of the tour begins at 5 pm as some usually arrive on that day and the first riding day is then day 2, because riding a motorcycle with us at Edelweiss is not just riding!!!! It's riding with friends - even if you arrive alone at the beginning of the trip I can promise you that you will have a new riding buddy at the end of the tour, wherever they may come from. In our case, everyone comes from Canada and yet the first meeting is always something special. Everyone introduce himself and where they come from and what bikes they ride and most of the time you hear the most incredible stories about what one or the other has experienced and after my part where I introducing the tour, we went to the motorcycles because today everyone has to pack their bikes so that they have everything on board, because from tomorrow on it's just us and the motorcycles. After exploring the motorcycles, we went to dinner together for the first time and let me put it this way: my instinct tells me that this tour is going to be a lot of fun. Well then, it's off to bed for us because tomorrow the adventure begins. Axel

First riding day of the tour - the adventure begins it´s 8:30 and the morning briefing is the first must have on this day. After some words about the todays ride we went out into the morning traffi of Florence and i can tell you 45 min feels like 3 hours. After we managed to get out of town we went north and towards the mountain range where we have been more than less alone on the road. Smale twisty roads has been winding up the mountains and if the weather would be not that cloudy and the rain would stop - this day would be a perfekt start in the tour. But anyway we had a good first ride and the highlight on the end of the day has been for sure Pisa. The first day is over and tomorrow we will tak the ferry to Corsica - the wakeup call will be at 5 so it´s gonne be a early start in the day. So lets see what tomorrow brings Axel

It is 5:45 am and the we are already on the bikes. Yes it is early - verry early - but for a good reason!!!! We have get on the ferry to corsica, because today is the day where will enter the playground corsica. On top of the early bird it is raining what makes the ride to the ferry not much better - but hey we made it and in corsica the weather was slightly better and on the last bit of the ride it was more than less sunny!!! All in one it was a good start on the island and the landscape even in rain and the small narrow roads has been a big pleasure to ride on. Now we are in Calvi where we spend 2 nights and will go out for dinner tonight. So we got to go!!! See you tomorrow for the Rest Day Ride Axel

Good morning from the sunny west coast of Corsica's Yes, it's sunny!!!! Which means that some of us have a ride of about 230 km ahead of us and the highlight in the middle of the ride will be Monte Cinto at 2706 m, the highest mountain on the island. To get there, we traveled on breathtaking roads - narrow, winding and everything else there is to say about a motorcycle dream road!!! One of the highlights was definitely the D147, which is a road through a gorge and the only way to get there. To get back down we got back on the D147 and the smiles on the drivers faces told me that this was the kind of road tehy craved for. For the rest of the ride we continued on similar roads and apart from a small rain shower, this was the best day of the tour so far. The other part of the group discovered Calvi, a wonderful town on the coast, and once again we will be going out for dinner tonight. I would say - life could be worse!!! Another day is over and tomorrow we continue south. So stay tuned for updates Axel

Good Morning Sunshine - Good Morning Perfect Ride Today we had one of the best riding days - I can tell you that!!! Not just because of the weather - no, just the whole day - it started with a breakfast that left nothing to be desired and continued with a ride that we will remember forever. From Calvi we headed south along the coast road with the cliffs on the right hand side of the road and the mountains on the left and the road itself winding along the coast. It is from roads like this that this tour takes its name. About halfway through today's route, we left the coastal road and drove up Corsica's highest mountain pass, the Col de Vergio (1467 m). It was another breathtaking drive up into the mountains - the huge pine forest is a real eye-catcher!!! But you have to be careful because the pigs love the forest too, so you might bump into a whole family after a blind bend. Once at the top we stopped for a few photos and had some lunch around the corner. So that was 50% of the day and the other 50% was breathtaking too!!! First we headed back down to the coast and then we followed the coast road once more. At the end of the day we all couldn't stop smiling because days like this are the reason to ride a motorcycle!!! If it were up to us, we would ride the same route again tomorrow. But there's still more to discover, so tomorrow we'll continue towards the southernmost tip of the island. See you tomorrow Axel

Bonifacio here we come! Hello and welcome to the winding paradise of Corsica on day 6. If you like bends and narrow roads? you'll definitely have another day today that will leave you with a smile on your face. First we headed roughly south-east before crossing the island through the mountains to the east coast. Other passes such as the Col de Saint Eustache (1040) and the Col de Bavella (1218 m) sweetened the day for our motorcycle fanatics. One thing I have to say is that in some places here you really have to think about where you are riding your motorcycle because the landscape is sometimes like in Andalusia and then you feel like you are riding in New Zealand. It's simply fantastic down here. In the end, we rode the last stretch along the coast to Bonifacio and, as we were on our way quickly, we had enough time to visit Bonifacio. Another brilliant day comes to an end and tomorrow we're heading north again Good night Axel

Off through the center, from the south of the island up to Bastia and all that through the mountains Our last day on the island and an extra portion of curves for breakfast, lunch and dessert. We'll be riding around 280 km today and according to the weather forecast it should be full of sunshine. And well, when we woke up it was as far away from the forecast as it could be. Anyway, we have waterproof clothes and we want to see the rest of the island!!! So off we went heading north. At this point I would like to write something about the landscape but it was hidden in thick fog and unfortunately it lasted more or less the whole day. In the end we were lucky and were able to enjoy the day. It's definitely hard to say goodbye to the island because the roads, coasts and mountains down here are incredibly beautiful! If someone were to ask me whether Corsica should be on their bucket list, it would be a resounding YES!!! So if you are thinking about whether or not to go then my tip would be - DO IT!!! Well, let's go to bed now because tomorrow morning we're going on the ferry back to Italy. See you tomorrow Axel

I don't know if good morning is appropriate at 5:15 a.m., but that's when our alarm clock went off today. Days on which we go on a ferry are usually early and so it is in our case. After a quick breakfast, we took the bikes to the harbor and boarded the ferry. Now we had 4.5 hours to kill before we were back in the saddle. After a relaxing ride in not so nice weather, we got back on the motorcycles at 1 pm and the last part of our trip was about to begin. From Livorno we went to San Gimignano and from there through the Chianti back to Florence where we all started. After the saddest moment of the trip - the motorcycle return - we had a last dinner together where we reminisced and laughed heartily about so many moments. Yes and tomorrow is day 9 where I load up all the bikes and bring them back to Austria and the rest of the team starts the journey home. It was a fantastic tour and I hope we will ride together again in the not too distant future. See you soon Axel