THE ULTIMATE ALPS TOUR (CUA2603)
Beautiful weather welcomes us on the first day of the stunning Ultimate Alps Tour in Seefeld. While most of our riders arrive at the Hotel Eden or explore the town and surrounding of this famous ski resort, Micheal an Leann from Austrailia join Tourguide Gottfried on the Edelweiss Riding School (ERS) for some training and already the first curves up to Kühtai Pass for some Apple Strudel. In the evening we welcome (almost) everybody for the Welcome Briefing and our first dinner together. What a perfect day to start into our adventure!
And finally, it’s time to go! Days, weeks, even months of waiting have finally come to an end. Everyone is excited beyond words and can’t wait to fire up their bikes, feel the asphalt beneath them, feel the gentle breeze on their faces, and breathe in the wonderful aroma of… freshly spread manure from the surrounding fields. Well… luckily, that only lasts for the first few kilometres.
After a nice dinner the night before and a stroll through Pontresinas main street festival, we continued our ride via St. Moritz and Maloja Pass into Italy, our third country on this trip. Shortly after we rode up Splügenpass back into Switzerland and had a nice lunch at a pizzeria next to a waterfall. After that we continued towards Airolo and the famous Gotthard Pass and along Lake Lucerne towards our destination Brunnen, with a hotel right on the lake, where another festival took place.
Little by little, we’re getting to know each other — participants and tour guides alike — and everything starts to become more relaxed, more casual, and a lot more fun. Today, we’re heading to Zermatt, a beautiful mountain village at the foot of the Matterhorn. We set off early because our first ferry crossing is waiting for us. We cross the breathtaking Lake Lucerne and continue towards Meiringen, where one of the most spectacular mountain passes of the entire journey awaits us: the Susten Pass. Simply incredible. The road, the scenery, the panorama from the top — absolutely breathtaking. Following in the footsteps of James Bond, we then climb the Furka Pass, though not without a few challenges along the way. Down in the valley, we strengthen ourselves with a hearty meal before the weather decides to put on a show of its own. What starts with sunshine quickly turns into heavy rain — and then hail! What an experience! At one point, we were seriously considering turning around. But at the summit, we catch a few precious rays of sunshine and decide to chase them. And the incredible thing is… they were waiting for us. They warmed us, gave us strength, and sent us on our way. And there’s hardly anything more beautiful than being carried down into the valley by warm sunshine after riding through rain and even hail. The adventure continues to Visp, where we make a sharp left turn and head straight towards Zermatt. What an incredible adventure!
Zermatt greets us with perfect weather in the morning an we can see majestic Matterhorn mountain from our hotel windows. John, Ray and Chuck head up to Sunnegg to conquer the 5 lake walk high above Zermatt, while the rest of the group enjoy the nice setting and the beautiful landscape.
After an incredibly relaxing day in Zermatt, which still included plenty of activities such as hiking, shopping, taking the train, and simply watching the world go by in the streets, today we headed towards Lugano. Over the Simplon Pass and through Domodossola, we made our way straight to Cannobio for lunch. Even here, we could already feel the unmistakable Italian flair. No one tells you, and you can’t quite explain it — you simply feel the relaxed attitude of the locals: la Dolce Vita. We ordered a mix of pizza and pasta and let ourselves be enchanted by the atmosphere. You simply couldn’t enjoy a holiday any better. After a short stroll along the lakeside, we continued to the ferry in Intra. We crossed the lake to Laveno, got off the ferry, and then headed up towards Passo Sant’Antonio. It feels like surfing over the mountain passes. The roads are narrow, but we swing our bikes from one corner to the next with huge grins beneath our helmets. Once we arrived in Lugano, a quick cold shower was all we needed before heading straight to the beach bar opposite our hotel. This is exactly how a holiday should continue! 🤘🏍️🌴
The sun is shining and the air is crisp as we head out of Lugano for an early start to catch the ferry from Menaggio across Lake Como. From the easternm shor we head into the Bergamasche mountains, through Taleggio valley and four passes, with the most technical riding on Passo Vivione, with challenging narrow roads. Our seventh riding day ends on top of Passo Tonale, the gateway to Val di Sole.
Another glorious day in the Italian Alps awaits us on day 8 of our tour. We leave Passo Tonale towards Val di Sole and then make a right in direction of Madonna die Campiglio, a well known skiing area. After a short stop at Lago Moreno we head into Val di Non, where Rolly prepared a delicious Picknick for us. Then on to Monte Penegal to see what is going on in Bolzano, where we arrive in the heat after a breathtaking ride down Passo Mendola
Today the weather forecast predicts rain and heavy thunderstorms. A few brave still decide to conquer the dolomites in rain gear, while the rest of our riders stay in the beautiful city of Bolzano to relax and enjoy the stunning Hotel Magdalenerhof. The motorcycle group takes off and rides up the winding road towards Klobenstein, to then proceed to the other side of the valley and into Val Gardena through dense traffic. Finally we make it to the first passes of the Sella Ronda with its breathtaking views and perfect roads. Shortly after finishing the last pass of the day, we escape a hail storm by heading into a nice italian restaurant to have some freshly made Spaghetti Carbonara. After the storm has passed we head back to the hotel to enjoy dinner with the whole group.
Today, it’s not only the weather that is gloomy – our mood is a little gloomy as well. The last daily briefing is coming up, and it’s hard to believe that today is supposed to be our final day of riding. Of course, we’re all as excited as giant babies about the day ahead, but the fact that it’s already the last day is still difficult to grasp. Especially now that we’ve grown so close as a group, now that we get along so well, support each other whenever help is needed, tease each other, and simply have fun together. So, about today: We’re heading via Klobenstein and Wangen towards the Penserjoch. The road from Wangen to the junction in the Sarntal Valley is the perfect opportunity to really warm up. A dream come true for every biker! At the Penserjoch, it starts to rain a little. Nevertheless, we don’t miss out on our obligatory coffee stop at the Alpenrosenhof. After a short break, we continue towards Sterzing. Since the mountains are hidden in the fog and the rain just won’t stop, we decide to take the country road over the Brenner Pass. I can’t remember who once said this, but the route from Matrei am Brenner, underneath the Europabrücke and all the way to Mutters, is simply a huge amount of fun. Oh yeah… that was me. 😄 Just before Innsbruck, we turn left towards the famous Kühtai, where we also stop for lunch. After a fantastic meal, we carve our way through the curves down into the Inn Valley and soon find ourselves in the garage at Edelweiss Bike Travel. There, we take care of some paperwork, return the motorcycles, and enjoy one or two bottles of beer. We chat about motorcycles and tours, who is booking the next tour with whom at Edelweiss, and just how wonderful this tour has been. At the farewell dinner, all the stories and memories of the things we experienced together come back once again. Wonderful… except for the fact that the tour is now coming to an end. Thank you for these wonderful days, Brian, Ray, Chuck, Nancee, Jeff, Leanne, Michael, and John. It was truly a pleasure sharing this adventure with you all!!! ❤️🏍️