High Alpine Tour 2502
Our small, but very international group arrived in Erding. John and Jack from the States, Keith and Enzo from Australia and Phoom and Vansa from Thailand. After the welcome briefing and a nice dinner everybody is excited and ready to go.
We had a great first riding day. An easy warmup in the morning until we reached the Alps. Later on we did the Großglockner High Alpine road, a fantastic mountain road with breathtaking scenery. We could even do an extra loop to the Franz Joseph Glacier. The last 20 minutes we were caught by a thunderstorm, but everybody was happy and it was no problem.
Today we were blessed with bright sunshine. Due to the predicted heat, we set off half an hour earlier than usual. After just 10 minutes, we reached the first highlight of the day: the Pustertal High Road. This beautiful, very narrow panoramic road runs for 30 km high up on the sunny slope above the Drau Valley, parallel to the busy main road. We were practically alone on the road for the entire route and were able to enjoy a view that made our mouths water. After an hour's drive, we crossed the border into Italy, not without taking the obligatory group photo in front of the beautiful border house, of course. Another half hour later, we stopped for coffee at the beautiful Lago Misurina. Then the eagerly awaited chase through the curves of the South Tyrolean passes began. Via the Col Sant'Angelo and the Passo Tre Croci, we reached our lunch destination, the 2,105 m high Passo Falzarego. But we didn't just drive over it; instead, we took the cable car up to the 2,700-meter-high Monte Lagazuoi. Once at the top, everyone was amazed – the endless Dolomite mountains we saw from up there were simply breathtaking. After a delicious lunch, we headed back down and plunged over the next passes in glorious weather: Passo di Valparola, Passo Campolongo, and Passo Pordoi. After a quick bathroom and coffee break, we continued straight on over the Sella Pass up to the Panider Saddle. On the beautiful terrace of the Hotel Pinei, we enjoyed an affogato (espresso with vanilla ice cream) before tackling the last 30 km over a very narrow but indescribably beautiful and spectacular mountain road to our fantastic hotel in Klobensein. The many construction sites and the associated heavy traffic were not really necessary – from bicycles to campers to huge buses, there was everything that can make life difficult for a motorcyclist. Everyone was pretty exhausted after this 220 km long pass extravaganza, but they all agreed: it was a super-great and impressive day and everyone would do it again in a heartbeat.
Today we explored the other side of Bolzano, Passo di Mendola, an uphill racracetrack was the riding highlight, but our coffee stop at Penegal overlooking Bolzano and going on twisty roads through the vinyards and appleplantations was also fun.
What a great riding day in motorcycle paradise. Passo di Umbrail and the famous Passo di Stelvio were on our todo list today. Countless switchbacks and stunning scenery. Coffee in the medieval town of Glurns and ending up in a charming hotel in Pontresina. What else can you ask for?
Today started with another highlight, one of my favorite passes in Switzerland: the Albula Pass, where we stopped for our first coffee break. Countless curves, beautiful scenery, bridges, and red trains later, we stopped for lunch at the Heidihof in Maienfeld. After a delicious meal, we drove through the small principality of Liechtenstein and then crossed the border into Austria. Now came the challenge that had been announced that morning to our guests from overseas: the ultra-narrow road up to the Furkajoch – I love this route. We stopped for a quick coffee at my friend Charly's place at the top of the pass before tackling the last part of our day trip, the Hochtannberg Pass, for dessert. A few minutes later, we had already reached our destination for the day: the unique, beautiful Hotel Jägeralpe in Warth. An eventful day came to an end accompanied by dozens of cowbells.
It is a pitty, this was our last riding day of the tour, but it offered al we needed. Great riding, with the unforgetable Namlos Valley, a perfect Edelweiss picnic at the beautiful Plansee and a strech of German Autobahn without speedlimit. What a fantastic tour with a great group of people. Hope to see you again soon.