Hi all,
I wanted to share a quick ride report of a one day tour I did from Salzburg to the Stelvio Pass and back. I rode the following route from Salzburg back to Salzburg, took me about 12 hours including rest stops and scenic breaks (not to mention fiddling with the GoPro!). I only saw two VFRs the whole day (more below) - c'mon Europe what's happening! It was long but more than manageable on a bike like the Bimmer - my 6th Gen would have been a little more uncomfortable, as it lacks the big windscreen and cruise control, but it would have been doable. The cruise control was really great, particularly when set to 160 km/h on the autobahn.
[image: Route from Salzburg to the Stelvio Pass, June 30, 2015]Route from Salzburg to the Stelvio Pass, June 30, 2015
I rented a BMW K1600 GTL in Salzburg, Austria from Salzburg Biking (www.salzburgbiking.com). Here's Guenther from Salzburg Biking looking happy that I brought the bike back in one piece! Guenther was able to find me a brand new bike, and he has lots of gear you can use if you forget yours or don't want to bring your own. NOTE: I have no affiliation with Guenther, other than this one successful rental experience. I found him on Google.
[image: Guenther from www.salzburgbiking.com]Guenther from www.salzburgbiking.com
I set out from Salzburg at 8am, and slabbed it to the Italian border. Although the riding was pretty easy, a nice blast up to 200 km/h (legally!) on the autobahn and the incredible views made it very enjoyable. The first pass I hit was Passo Giovo, elevation 2094m. It starts out with nice sweeping bends, which encouraged me to try some spirited riding, but pretty soon you are deep into hairpins - I remember thinking, "these are some sharp hairpins". Little did I know what was waiting for me!. After a nice ride up to the top, it was time for a coffee!
[image: Sweepers leading up to Passo Giovo]Sweepers leading up to Passo Giovo
from GoPro video
[image: Time for an espresso coffee at Passo Giovo]
Time for an espresso coffee at Passo Giovo
[image: Panorama at Passo Giovo]
Panorama at Passo Giovo
The descent into San Leonardo in Passiria was very nice, lots of trees and of course loads of corners. I tried out the BMW's radio and blasted some Italian pop through the speakers, but I felt like a real loser annoying locals with the music, so quickly turned it off. After a quick tour through town it was time to hightail it to the start of the Stelvio Pass, about 70 km away. Like the Giovo Pass, the Stelvio pass road starts out with some sweepers and medium bends, running alongside an alpine river. The road then gets pretty serious as you start negotiating the "tornantes" (pronounced 'tor-nan-tays') - hairpins in Italian. The big deal about the tornantes of course is there is an elevation change in the corner, something which can be quite tricky on an unfamiliar bike, particularly when the apex speed is about 25 km/h. These are serious corners, and demand your full attention! It gets even more interesting when a camper is descending the corner at the same time you arrive! [image: speedball73 and the BMW K1600 GTL on the Stelvio Pass]
speedball73 and the BMW K1600 GTL on the Stelvio Pass
[image: Stelvio Pass Ascent from North]
Stelvio Pass Ascent from North
GoPro
[image: Stelvio Pass Shops - June 30, 2015]
Stelvio Pass Shops - June 30, 2015
[image: Stelvio Pass descent towards Switzerland]
Stelvio Pass descent towards Switzerland
GoPro
I descended from the Stelvio Pass via the Umbrailpass road which passes through Switzerland before returning to Italy. It is a pretty challenging descent, and has no guardrails at many points, so you *really* don't want to make an error. It was a really fun and scenic road though - I would do it again. So for obligatory VFR content, I did catch this 8th Gen Red VFR800 about 10 minutes after I left the Stelvio Pass, just where the Umbrailpass road crosses from Italy to Switzerland. This was coincidentally the point where I realized I had left my passport in my hotel, and wondered if I might have to prove my citizenship at any point on my remaining route! Anybody know this fellow viffer rider? Time was about 3PM, June 30. [image: 8th Gen Red VFR with Hard Bags - June 30, 2015]
8th Gen Red VFR with Hard Bags - June 30, 2015
I spotted this 8th Gen Red VFR with hard bags at the Italian-Swiss border where the Umbrailpass Road Starts.
I also saw a white VFR1200 in the Swiss town of Nauders later that afternoon, but unfortunately the GoPro was not running at the time so I didn't capture him. The most challenging part of the ride was returning through Italy to Austria on a secondary two lane road that passed through many towns - it would have been easy to make a mistake and have an accident. I would have preferred to stay in Bormio or maybe on Swiss side overnight, then ride back the way I came or take the Swiss route the next day. Unfortunately I only had the one day, and my lovely wife was waiting with dinner in Salzburg when I got back. All in all, ticked something off my bucket list and had an absolute blast in the process.