Part one, the Welcome Briefing

Welcome to the CUA 2103 Ultimate Alps with Angela and Axel 

In the next 10 days we will make our guests' motorcycle hearts beat faster. Because we will take them on a journey through the most beautiful valleys of the Alps in Austria, Switzerland and Italy. Passes like the Stelvio or Susten pass will create unforgettable memories - the endless curves of the Dolomites will make your heart beat faster and faster. We are already looking forward, to sharing our passion - riding a motorcycle with you in a breathtaking environment.

First conversations about the motorcycles the tour and how the tour guide´s will be

The dinner has been good last night and the power is back after the jurney to Obsteig.

The only thing what´s is not realy shure is how is the wheather during the day.

It is 8 o clock and in the top of the mountains are covered slightly with snow - in the words of charles - yung buck (thats me Axel) whats going on up there !!!!? and of course how will the legend take the wheater: we will be fine and thats came true.

After a night full of rain and the daily briefing we startet of to the first picture and historical stop - the gacher view. The first curves on the edellweiss motorcycle started on wet roads and endet up on the first stop, the gacher view with sun in the smiling faces of our group and the first conversations about the road and the conditions.

The view was nice but the target of the day is the famouse stelvio with 48 switchbacks, so we keep on going but befor there has been a other stop - so we went on to the world wide known church in the reschen lake not far away from the first boarder what we crossed (austria into italy). 

This highlights and the fresh air let us feel that we might need a good espresso - specialy when we are already in italy !!!

First italien espresso has been served in glurns a medieval city and gave us the power for the take of to the famouse Stelvio. On top of the stelvio the sun has been shining all over the place, the view just breathtaking but the ride himself up to the top - well there are no words what can dicripe the feeling and that why look at the face of our group - Tom and Thommy - father and son - one passion or douglas and judith the smile say´s all.

And after the first big highlight of the tour it was time for brunos hommade sausage on top of the world - for us today: the stelvio!!!

now it was time to go on because the the final destination is today pontresina where we will sleep tonight.

But in between stelvio an the hotel we crossed the next boarder to Switzerland that is nice but mutch more nicer has been the roads.

That has been our first riding day of our group - thanks for this ride - Axel

Ps: and tomorrow Angela will discover the swiz mountains with our group and i can already promis this roads are breathtaking and our new edelweiss family dont know yet how nice the roads will be

after the first impression of riding - you need a little rest

Today we will take off to the matterhorn but in between there is a suprise waiting.

After a raining night the wether get better and better so that we was looking forward to a other breathtaking day in swizerland. The start was in brunnen and we went at first to the ferry to take over the boat . On the short ride with the ferry i intruduced the tour of the day, with the help of papucho who found a special way to present the map for me .

Mean while the eyes get bigger and bigger becaus of the view over the vierwaldstätter lake. As the ferry touch down on the otherside of the lake, we took of to meringen, where we get in touch with the historry of famous Sherlock Holms. It was also the last stopp befor we took the road high up to the Sustenpass where pedrus did not like us so much. It was cold and cloudy but a short stop for a coffee warmed us up and that was good so, becaus we had to go down throu the clouds on the other side. And as i said it befor there has been also suprise on this ride. Here we go - welcome to Angelas famouse PICKNICK - what a gourches lunch surounded by the mountains. I would say if you look in tha faces the place what Angela have chosen and more importent the lunch what she had prepaird was just perfekt. Well well the day is not over so, we get ready again to take on the mountain roads of switzerland. Next stop - Furkapass and the Rhone Glacier. The winding road on the top of the Furkapass was just that what our biker heart has needed and the best has been that the sun cam more and more out.

To go on a tour with Edelweiss Bike Travel means not that you sit only on the bike !!! 

It means that you discover the country on a bike and you get in touch like the highlight of the rohne glacier. So we parked the bikes and whent into the glacier. Again  - what a day  !!!!!

Finaly we ride down to the valley over numerous turns, switchbacks and all of them on tarmack where biker dreams has been made of.

The goal of the day has been zermatt where we sleep tonight and of cours we have been looking forwar to see the matherhorn. As we came closer the weather was a dream and we had an great view of the Matherhorn. so now we have to go for dinner to get our power back for the next day and the next adventure.

So see you tomorrow for the next part of our trip

Axel 

Today was picnic day. As I couldn't find these visitors on the guest list, I had to politely convince them to leave the scene again

non-public party zone

Shuttling luggage in Zermatt is a challenge The suitcases from the big van need to be squeezed into this little electric shoe box on wheels. Zermatt is one of the few car-free places on earth.

Good morning good morning

Lets get ready to ride from Zermatt into Italy and back to Swizerland /Lugano

Today will take the train down from Zermatt to get back to the bikes, so that we can start into a other unforgatable day. Today we will ride up the Simplonpass where we had our frist coffee break suroundet by an epic panorama. After the little break we crossed the boarder to Italy where took smale winding roads through small dreamy villages so that we can have our Lunch in Cannobio on the Lago di Maggiore.

As you will see on the pictures - there was no better place to have lunch !!!!!

The sun was shining and a light prices was cooling us while we was enjoying the italien cuisine.

After Lunch we had to get a ferry to reach our Hotel for tonight in Lugano.

The whole day was just a pleasure and at the dinner in the garden of the hotel with the smile in our faces we did not need any words to comfirm that the riding on this day was a ride which nobody will forget anymor.

Time to go to bed - tomorrow wie will crossing the boarder to Italy once again and we stay in Italy for the next view days

I know Charles - when the jung buck - that's me Axel - says: just around the corner, it could be a longer walk

Today will ride to Italy and will say good bye to Swizerland and spend the next days in Italy befor we will go back to Austria

On the next few kilometers we will cross the boarder from Schwizerland to Italy and will take a ferry in Menaggio to Varenna over the famouse Comer lake. Wehther wise we just wake up with a blue sky and and sun in our faces - it will be just perfekt for our ride today.

So here we go, once on the ferry in Menaggio we had a breathtaking view over the lake and that all souroundet by the green Mountains. What a start - there was not one picture what you could take where you would say is not good it was like on a postcard.

Every ferry ride has an end so we took of to the north and took on the next passes wich has been differend to all the days befor. The passes hier has been covered with forest but the road was just peppered with curves , what a pleasur.

Towards the end of the day we had more Pass - Passo di Tonal and a dreamlike riding day has been almost over. 

Finaly we came to the Hotel where a big choclate cake was waiting for James - becaus it was his birthday.

The suprise has been working out, but even if we has been a large group we did not finish the cake

Well a other day passed by and tomorrow we will go to Klobenstein where we stay for 2 days.

See you tomorrow for the next breathtaking ride.

Hallo again from Madonna di campillio

Waking up after a cake challeng is not easy but some how everybody was rolling out of his bed and got ready to ride.

The first highlight except from dreamlike roads down the valley has been the cristal clear lago die Molveno. after the Fotostop we took on to the chappel of san Romedio where we had the oppertunity to see the little hidden treasure wich is sourounded by cliffs.

After this taff hick up to the chappel wich is 70 m high above - what means axel says already it is just around the corner - we went to Daniels Picknick and as a suprise we had more cake from the day befor, so that the cake chalenge went on.

after a relaxing time and the one or other took a little nap we have been ready for the mendelpass wich has been a nother breathtaking road on our bucked list for today.

Now it has been time to ride down to Bolzano and climbing up again on winding roads to Kolbenstein where we spend the next to days.

Tanks for the gources ride with you on this day

Today is Dolomites Day 

What means we will ride / discover the dolomites and it will be a perfekt day - i can promis already 

The dolomites are the playground of playgrouds for riders like us - because of the this i will not write mutch mor and let the picture speak for himself.

Just on side on this day we returning to the same hotel in Klobestein where we start in the morning.

Good Morning Good Morning

Welcome to the last riding day on the Ultimate alps tour.

To day we are facing to sides of the coin - on one side we will had the passes in front of us like Penser Joch / Jaufenpass/ Timmelsjoch and on the other side everybody knows that we riding the last time on the tour and we have to bring back the be loved motorcycles to the garage in Mieming.

But befor we get sad and passing the bikes away lets have a ride.

So we did - after a briefen as usualy in the morning we took a smal winding road down to the Sarnen valley - it was just a perfekt start no traffik at all and the road has been ours.

On the end of the valley we climed up to the top of the penser Joch where we enjoyed the view and a good capuccino. Later we took the road over the Jaufenpass that we came just right to the Andreas Hofer hous where we had lunch and the fresh cottage chees dumplings - stuffed mith plum as a dessert.

And now what has been left over ?

Of curse the highligt of the day - The Timmels Joch - The weather was great the road winding himself up to the top and all around us it looks like the postcards what you might have seen somwhere years befor - but her in this moment everything became alive.

Well once on the top we was riding down into the  valley of Ötztal and finaly to garage of Edelweiss Bike Travel, where we had to give our bikes back, but there was a other highlight. Because Toby one of our CEO´s has been on the garage so that everybody hat the chance to ask any questions to the son of the founder of Edelweiss Bike Travel.

After this not planed highlight we get to the hotel where we have been startet on the first day. So everybody got ready for the fare well dinner and the also be loved flashback moment when we all sit together after the dinner. The evening after dinner took a while, becaus of all the memories which has been created along the trour.

After dinner we met in a seprat room where we startet our flashback moment.

All master maps has been on the wall and you could see that everybody was looking at it and had already some moments in his mind what he will never forget.

In the Name of Angela, Daniel and Me i like to Thank you

It was a awsome ride - and i looking forward that we will see us again on day on a bike to ride

Thanks 

Axel 

PS: I have to say it again - IT IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER