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AMA Alps Challenge 2023 - Part II (SPT23017)

Sunday, August 20, 2023 | Wim Doms / Michael Göbel | Europe

After Part 1 follows, in most cases, Part 2. 

That's exactly how it goes with the AMA Alps Challenge. Part 1 was only just in the bag, when a new group of motorcycle enthusiasts from the United States and Japan met up with a couple of guests from the first group in the Italian city of Milan. 

Up next? Seven new riding days in a totally different, and just as spectacular, part of the Alps. 

Stay tuned! 

Day 1 - Benvenuti in Milano!

Milan is "just across the mountain" from Edelweiss' Austrian headquarters. So after a good six hours on the road, our trusty luggage van pulled the two-wheeled fleet for AMA Alps Challenge II onto.Italian soil. Looks promising!
Temperatures on our welcome evening were hitting high Italian figures, so with a bit of McGyver-ing, tourguides Michael and Wim managed to set up a nice.little outdoors briefing "room".

Day 2 - Milan to Pontresina - First passes? Check!

First riding day in motorcycle paradise! Really narrow but fun was the Passo Vivione, where we had lunch. 

Bernina Pass in sunshine, what a ride! A group of great riders, we had a perfect day!

Coffee in San Pelegrino
Lunch in Passo di Vivione
Bernina Pass
Hisako our model
John at the top
Special desert for Charlie

Day 3 - Pontresina to Andermatt - The grand tour of Switzerland

Well, maybe not the entire grand tour of Europe's very special country, but still quite a major part of it already, with endless twisties on a number of the Top 40 Alpine passes! 

Time for our second morning briefing. This time not under scorching Italian.heat, but in crisp Swiss mountain air. We like the outdoors, you see.
Not even one hour into the day, and Julierpass already provided us with that endless Alpine.quietness.
John back in St. Moritz
Conquered Julier Pass!
When riding in the mountains just keeps on... giving!
.... and giving some more!
A new passenger
Mitch at San Bernardino Pass
Bootbeer time!
Hasn't been more than two days on the road, but this bunch of people... has just got it!

Day 4 - Restday Andermatt

Restday? What restday? The group wanted to ride, at least a short loop around Andermatt.

Team Japan and Charlie wanted the full programm. Susten, Grimsel, Furka, Gotthard and Tremola were the names of the passes. What a wonderful riding day in sunshine!

Top of Susten Pass
Grimsel Hospiz
Looking down from Furka Pass
Rhone Glacier
Charlie at Tremola Pass, an old cobblestone road
Small bikes. BIG landscapes!
Tony, Tammy, Dave and Billie went up the mountain in a very different way today and turns out...
... the views up there are even, erm... higher!
Boy picture. Stomachs in, look tough! (Well... sort of)
The restday rides left ample time for some wandering around the little town of Andermatt, relaxing and, of course, a bit of shopping. And in Switzerland, the equivalent of a kid in a candy store, is a biker in an official Swiss army knife shop. Boys and their toys, you know...

Day 5 - Andermatt to Chamonix - Bienvenue en France!

Time to say goodbye to Switzerland and head into country number three of our tour. New scenery, new landscapes, new people, new language. Oh, and the odd twisty road along the way, maybe  

No way to get out of Switzerland without a big mountain road. Tammy and Tony celebrated the first one on top of Furka.
On pass number two, Nufenen, John found a cute little dog! And he took it home too. Not many Saint Bernards fit on a Yamaha Tracer, but this one did!
After a hot stretch West through the Rhone valley, time to head up the twisties again to Col du Croix du Coeur. French names start popping up! And flying people too...
French or German... the views stay just as endless...
Here's our amazing bunch of (fast) people. Fast riders, fast coffee drinkers, fast lunch-eaters, fast fuel-stoppers, fast everything! Picture was taken... well... fast.
On our last stop, all cellphone cameras came out. We found Tammy a LOT of cows. Cows make Tammy happy.
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Filesize: 30 MB
No wait... cow BELLS make Tammy happy. Make all of us happy, really.
And then, time to get ready for dinner. With our table specially set to enjoy it with a view on Europe's highest mountain: Mont Blanc!
Dinner with a view!

Day 6 - Restday Chamonix

Easy to sum up the Chamonix restday on AMA Alps Challenge II: it's either UP the white mountain, or AROUND the white mountain. Both options were taken, both turned out some memorable highlights! 

Up the white mountain went Tammy, Tony, Billie and Dave. Good thing there's some specially adapted transportation for that.
Close to 4.000m up, it does seem to get a little chilly though...
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With snow to make the experience complete. Actual snow. In August!
Tammy and Tony loved it just as much! No cows up there though...
Charlie, John and Team Japan opted for the restday ride around Mont Blanc. Turns out views there weren't exactly horrible either.
Best of them all? Col de l'Arpettaz. So we decided to sit down, rest, and have a lunch there. With all ingredients literally coming straight off the mountain.
Group picture! Of some sort...
Honest, delicious, hearty mountain lunch!
All back down in Chamonix after a very diverse restday. But Mont Blanc greats us with the exact same grandeur as it did yesterday!
Time to celebrate our last night in France with a very typical Savoyard dinner....
... and.what could be more typically Savoyard than the real, authentic, cheese fondue!

Day 7 - Chamonix to Aosta - Our last border crossing!

A beautiful day with several passes, it was very hot in the Valley, but nice and cool at the high passes. One of the highlights was our Edelweiss picnic at Passo San Carlo and later on saying hello to the  St. Bernard dogs at the Grand St. Bernard Pass....

Tammy and Tony in love
Let's just say that... there may have been some food involved, in that hidden Italian corner of AMA Alps Challenge II
Let's also say that, there wasn't much food left after a hungry biker group came down the pass.
Tammy likes dogs!
Grand St. Bernard Pass
The dogs...
And then... there was something quite special to celebrate: 39 years of marriage!

Day 8 - Aosta to Varese - The final Italian job

One last riding day left on AMA Alps Challenge Part II.... and it.wouldn't be one without a challenge or two. Sure, a little stroll through northern Italy's countryside sounds oh so relaxing. But then come just about a thousand curves, a screw where it's not supposed to be, and....a duck! 

Must say... when these guys greeted us from cool high altitude above Aosta this morning, we were that little bit jealous of their way of.travelling.
Because.where we were going... things got HOT. Already at our first stop at Castel Bard, temperatures were on the rise, and fast! Kaz's facial expression.means either "hot" or "fancy castle". Not sure which...
One thing about riding through non-touristy Italy: the perfect espresso awaits, round every corner. Just have a quick shot on the village square, straight off the topcase, and ready for more twisties!
Until a lost torxhead screw somewhere on the road decided otherwise for.Tony and Tammy's Yamaha.Tracer... A flat tyre, right.in front.of.a.tyre.shop. Great timing, and after a few phonecalls from friendly locals, all was plugged and ready to go again!
On we went, to Italy's postcard lake district...
Icecream heaven on a blistering hot afternoon! And then...
... we met a duck! Named Tim! (We think)
Billie had a good long talk with Tim the duck. Both agreed they were walking kinda funny.
And then, just like that, we hit the final higjhlight of the tour: our.ferry ride across Lago Maggiore!
Splendid views to.end a splendid tour. Final destination Varese is not far now...
And with a cosy, happy, cowbell-featuring (yup, made Tammy happy) farewell dinner, AMA Alps Challenge Part II comes to an end!
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Add a comment Rate this post
John Weicht
Monday, August 21, 2023 at 21:01

What a fantastic trip! Outstanding roads and scenery, a wonderful group of riders and passengers, and a pair of excellent tour guides in Wim and Michael who brought everything together to make it truly fun and memorable. Thanks!
Wim Doms
Tuesday, August 22, 2023 at 09:44

Sir John! Thanks so much for your kind words! Means a lot to us that you've enjoyed it so much.
Will be a pleasure to welcome you again on another Edelweiss adventure!
Dave Watkins
Sunday, August 20, 2023 at 06:54

A wonderful trip thanks to our fantastic tour guides Wim and Michael
Wim
Sunday, August 20, 2023 at 09:15

Thank you Dave, glad you enjoyed it!
We had a wonderful time with you guys!
Christoph Berg
Tuesday, August 15, 2023 at 21:22

Klasse Wetter und tolle Pässe ! Ich wünsche Euch weiterhin viel Spaß !

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