Finally riding alpine passes!

Sometimes things just take a little longer. For many years, a motorcycle tour through the Alps has been on my list. However, due to personal or professional reasons, it kept getting postponed. Finally, in September 2022, everything falls into place. My first time riding Alpine passes on a motorcycle. My expectations: endless curves, preferably above the tree line, with perfect visibility and no unexpected oncoming traffic.

In early September, I load my DB3 onto the trailer and drive about 400 kilometers to my friend Thomas in Bensheim. There, we load his BMW F800, and the next morning, we set off together for Sölden in Austria, where we have booked a hotel as our base for the tours. Our list includes day trips to Timmelsjoch, Jaufen Pass, Stelvio Pass, Umbrail Pass, and overnight tours to Gavia Pass, Staller Sattel, or Großglockner High Alpine Road. We haven’t planned everything in detail since September weather can be quite unpredictable, and it’s better to stay flexible and react to the forecasts.

In the late afternoon, after almost 500 kilometers, we arrive at the hotel. Quite a long journey just to get to the first Alpine pass curve on two wheels – but I definitely want to experience one today! So, in the evening, we ride the 15 kilometers up to the Timmelsjoch toll station. That just whets my appetite for more! Diverse curves in a stunning landscape – exactly as I had imagined. We head back to the hotel, as the sun has long disappeared behind the mountains and the air is getting quite chilly. I don’t mind and decide to ride up the Ötztal Glacier Road into the Sölden ski area.

The next morning, it’s 9:30 AM by the time we finally get going and refuel the bikes in Sölden. Then, at last, my first full pass ride in the Alps begins. Around 50 kilometers over the Timmelsjoch to St. Leonhard in Italy.

The Italian side of the pass is particularly fun. The roads here are a bit rougher and narrower, but they are packed with fantastic curves and switchbacks. In St. Leonhard, we take a coffee break before continuing eastward over Jaufen Pass towards Sterzing. The section above the tree line is perfect for riding—well-developed, fully visible, and no sudden surprises from oncoming traffic.

Shortly before reaching Sterzing, we stop to check the latest weather forecast. Should we take the old Brenner Road via Innsbruck back to the Ötztal, or head south over Penser Joch towards Bolzano? The weather in the Dolomites still looks good, but the forecast for Sölden is concerning. A weather shift is expected, bringing heavy rain and cold temperatures by the evening. The next few days will stay wet and cold, with temperatures barely above 10°C in the valleys. Riding passes over 2000 m high in such conditions is not a good option.

So, we decide to turn back and visit the Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum at the Timmelsjoch toll station, just 15 kilometers from our hotel. Thus, my first Alpine pass day ends after just 90 kilometers and two passes. Well, better than nothing—and we still have to cross those two passes again on the way back!

The Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum is definitely worth a visit. On 4,500 square meters of exhibition space, nearly 600 motorcycles are displayed. Fortunately, there are also four Bimotas among them: an SB2, a Tesi 1D, an SB6 R, and a YB11.

As we leave the museum, dark clouds start rolling in. The first raindrops hit us on the way back to the hotel. Then, the forecasted weather shift arrives. Maximum temperatures of 13°C in the valley mean just 3°C and sleet on the pass. During dinner, we check multiple weather services, but they all agree: the entire Alps will remain wet and cold for the next few days. The only regions with somewhat dry and warm conditions are northwest of the Alps—specifically, the Allgäu, Black Forest, and Vosges Mountains.

Frustrated but ultimately making the sensible choice, we pack up our things the next morning, load the bikes, and head for Freiburg im Breisgau to do some riding in the Vosges and Black Forest instead. There are no endless serpentine roads there, but the Vosges loop the next day, including Ballon de Servance, Lac de Gérardmer, and Col de la Schlucht, makes up for it somewhat with sunny weather.

But that, too, comes to an end a day later. The bad weather reaches the Vosges and Black Forest. The forecast gives us only until early afternoon before the rain arrives. We make one last attempt: riding the Schauinslandstraße from Freiburg. But at around 1,000 meters altitude, we find ourselves in the clouds, getting wetter with every meter. We turn around, ride towards Münstertal, through Präger Kessel to Todtnau, and back via Notschrei Pass to Schauinslandstraße. The clouds have lifted slightly, but the roads are still wet.

After 177 kilometers, we return to Freiburg, load the bikes while it’s still dry, and set off for Bensheim in the early afternoon. The rain front arrives there a bit later, but by the evening, it’s pouring.

Thus, my first Alpine tour ends with only one day of riding in the Alps, one in the Vosges, and one in the Black Forest. A lot of effort for just 630 kilometers on the motorcycle—while the kilometers spent in the car were more than three times that! But, next season is coming, and we’ll try again.