3M bitchin´ biker team cross the Alps <- clicken Sie here ...

700 kilometers and more 6000 meters in altitude, from Füssen in the South of Germany via Austria to Lake Garda in Italy, all in 10 days: Excellent stuff! Mario, Mathias and I had a fantastic time in the mountains.

We drove by car to the German town Füssen at the Northern foot of the Alps. From there we quickly crossed the border into Austria, making our way higher and higher into the Alps. After crossing the Fernpass at 1200 meters altitude one of the highlights of the tour was the Uina canyon, where an WWI military trail was chiseled into the mountain by the Swiss. This highly dangerous passage starts at 1200 meters above sea level and took us to the top of our tour of 2300 meters. We quite some difficulties we made it to the top in about 8 hours. Here we saw lots of marmots and Mario was even able to pick an Edelweiß, a rare plant that only grows in remote regions of the Alps.

After the difficult climb from Füssen to the top of the Uina canyon we crossed the border to Italy, and the next days were filled with light downhill riding along the valley of the river Etsch. Image the Etsch valley to be Italy´s sunny garden, filled with vineyards and ripe tomato fields. For two days we rode along a perfect bike track, well paved and with a constant 1% decline. Image how well the bike runs if you´re riding downhill for such a long time! Interesting enough this part of Italy called South-Tyrol is mainly German-speaking, so it was nice to be able to talk to the locals a bit.

In Bozen we made a turn North-East into the famous Dolomites, said to be the most magnificent mountains in the Alps. We spent three days around the area of the Schlern, until we turned South towards our final destination, lake Garda.

Further South Italy quickly turns very Mediterranean, where cicadas chirp under olive trees, and in the heat of high noon everyone takes a nap. This relaxing athmosphere is very contageous. Another three days and we finally hit lake Garda, and were able to relax in this emerald lake.

Check out the pics and get a feel for the tour ... and then get a bike and travel.