Ultimate Alps - CUA2601
Today, on our first day, we set out by train from Seefeld to take a tour of Innsbruck. Even the train ride on the Mittenwaldbahn offers us spectacular views of the valleys surrounded by the 4,000-meter peaks all around us. Upon arriving in Innsbruck, we enter the city directly through the Triumphal Arch, a symbol of both joy and sorrow. On this Sunday morning, Maria-Theresien-Straße is quiet because the shops are closed, allowing us to better enjoy the pedestrian zone—laid out 700 years ago—with its Baroque architecture. We walk from the “Neustadt” to the Old Town to see one of the most famous landmarks, the Golden Roof, which is adorned with 2,657 fire-gilded copper tiles. To get a better view, we climb the 133 steps of the City Tower; although Harry had mentioned that he isn’t very comfortable with heights, that wasn’t a problem at all, but later in the day we’ll put that to the test. St. James’s Cathedral impresses us with its beautiful artwork on the ceiling. A short walk in the shade of the Hofgarten leads us to the cable car, which takes us to the summit of Innsbruck, the 2,343-meter-high Nordkette. The Karwendel Mountains offer us breathtaking views of the high-Alpine scenery. This definitely makes us even more excited to explore the Alps on our motorcycles!
What a wonderful start. We rode in perfect weather and stunning scenery through Austria, Italy and Switzerland. The highlight was the famous Passo Stelvio a real challenge with 48 hairpins on the north side and 47 on the south side. Everybody made it. Three passes later we arrived in Pontresina Switzerland. Some rain the last half an hour, but that did not bother us.
Beautiful weather conditions sweeten up our morning after yesterday’s rainy arrival. First stop: viewpoint over St. Moritz and the lake. From there we’re headed straight to the first pass - breathing sceneries about to come. The temperatures slowly rise, but traffic is not luckily. Along beautiful little villages and unmistakably gorgeous landscapes we go corner after corner, pass after pass until we arrive at the Wilhelm Tell monument 1/2h before our journey ends with a relaxing roll along Lake Lucern all the way to Hotel Waldstätterhof.
We started early today, the ferry over Lake Lucerne could not have been bothered waiting. From Beckenried the other side of the lake, we started out with an easy warm up section before hitting our first pass of the day. One more quick coffee stop and off we went. Susten Pass also brought some relief from the heat and a few people were actually lying down in the snow up there. Next stop was a quirky but beautiful, hidden Tavern for our lunch in the smallest village of Switzerland, Zumdorf. We were served a delicious old fashioned meat and cheese platter before heading out to Furkapass and the Rhône Glacier. On the way down we took a last coffee break at the bottom of the pass before riding to Täsch to be picked up by the shuttle buses that got us to the town of Zermatt safe and sound.
After conquering countless spectacular Alpine passes, we arrive in Zermatt, where a well-deserved day of rest awaits us. The legendary Matterhorn is already visible from our hotel, and we take the historic train even higher into the mountains to see it up close. Surrounded by glaciers, towering 4,500-meter peaks, and breathtaking views, this unforgettable experience is the perfect highlight of our Alpine adventure. Steven and Sang Jin were more in to riding and we did 2 challenging passes and had a great day. ln the afternoon we took a little hike through Gorner Gorge which was not only beautiful to look at but also refreshing as the mist cooled off the air.
Another hot day in the Alps. Going over the Simplon Pass did not really cool us down. A very special moment was when a Nun passed by and blessed us for our ride. From there we had a shorter and a longer version to go to Lugano. On the long one we had our challenges on extremely narrow roads, but it was fun... Even on today’s short leg of the trip, we never got bored: After crossing the Simplon Pass, we parted ways with the other group, which continued on to Italy, and drove through a gorge on narrow, winding roads. We had lunch at a typical Italian restaurant and enjoyed homemade ravioli and delicious risotto while taking in the view of the impressive “Della Madonna” pilgrimage church. We arrived in Lugano early enough to take a walk along the lake before dinner.
Today we started out early since we had a ferry to catch over Lake Como. After 45min and the heat already picking up the boat ride brought a welcome breeze with it. From our landing in Varenna we rode 1/2h uo north to Colico to dip our shirts into the lake before taking off to the Valtellina Valley. Exiting over the Aprica Pass brought some relief from the heat as well as a well deserved lunch - pizza, what else when in ltalty! From there we were headed out for Passo del Tonale. The closer we got, the darker the sky became so we all agreed on putting on rain clothes before. lt should be a smart decision as we later learned. lndeed the rain eventually hit hard when descending the pass - only for a few minutes, though. Rolling into Hotel Sasso Rosso the streets were dry again. We ended the day with our first multi-course menu of the tour, classic italian.
Another great day in the Alps, and it’s finally cooled off a bit. We leave the Val di Sole and, as soon as we head deeper into the mountains, we reach our first pass a small, narrow side road with plenty of shade and pleasant temperatures. For our first coffee break, we dip our jerseys and Buffs in the fountain to stay cool for the next leg of the ride. On the way down the valley, a bike race is taking place, and we have to take a small detour, which means we cross the finish line without actually being part of the race. Our lunch break at Restaurant San Michele is actually a wonderfully prepared picnic, cooked up by our very best chef: Michael. Part of the group took the easy ride up to the Passo di Mendola and enjoyed riding at their own pace. At the end of the day, a thunderstorm was raging all around us, but it only hit us with a few drops; on the final leg to Collalbo, we already got our first taste of the Dolomites. Anticipation for the next day is building.
Today, on our rest day, we rode through the Dolomites and split into three groups: One group set out earlier to do the long ride, while the other two groups split into a medium and a short ride. The group on the short tour took the gondola up to one of the fantastic Dolomite peaks, while the other groups focused on riding as many mountain passes as possible. Just before we reached the top of a pass, we even got caught in a hailstorm. Luckily, we found a restaurant up there where we could warm up with some hot soup and wait until the storm passed. It was a fantastic day in the Dolomites for all of us.
It’s the last day of our tour, and the weather is finally pleasant. We leave the Dolomites behind and ride up a beautiful, small, winding road through the forest to our final mountain passes: the Penserjoch with its breathtaking views, followed by the Jaufen Pass, and finally the majestic Timmelsjoch, whose steep switchbacks take us to an altitude of 2,500 meters. Once at the top, we visited the motorcycle museum before riding down into the valley and ending the tour at our headquarters in Mieming.