The multi-frontier Tour 7 of the GLME Summercamp. From Imst in Austria, through Switzerland and then back to Austria over the Reschen Pass (1507 m.) to Italy for a coffee pause on the shores of the Reschensee, where they speak German and Italian.
The Italian route to the Passo dello Stelvio is famous and notorious for its 49 numbered hairpin bends. It’s a challenge which attracts motorcyclists in huge number plus sports cars and cyclists. The gradients are steep and the hairpin turns tight plus it’s a marathon because of the sheer number of turns.
Our two groups paused the col, 2757 m., for lunch watching the traffic chaos gradually building as the traffic increased.

Read more: Passo dello Stelvio - 2757 m.

Only a morning to play on this mythic road before the coaches and caravans arrived and blocked any fun. Not to mention the speed cameras. But the Großglockner-Hochalpenstraße remains a fantastic road to ride: just do it! Lots of bikers and bikes at the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe: view of the Grossglockner glacier and the Großglockner peak (3798 m.) as the weather closed in slightly. My photo is a bit of a Bruegel with all the groups doing things in the scene, also look how far back the glacier has receded: that’s global warming.

Read more: Großglockner-Hochalpenstraße

Riding on from Imst, the names on the signposts look like a winter holidays brochure: Zillertal, Mayrhofen. Suddenly the route changes from seemingly endless villages, each with its own speed camera, to a more challenging route up from the valley floor. Massive civil engineering brings the route up in altitude to twisted pine trees and views of snowy mountains and glaciers. At last - on this trip - the pretty Austria that I came to ride. A halt at a view of the Durlassboden reservoir and a short chat with two guys on a road trip out from the Netherlands. 

Read more: Gerlos - Krimml - Großglockner

Breakfast high up on the Hahntennjoch, the hills alive to the sound of 210 gay bikers enjoying breakfast in leathers at altitude. The hotel really put themselves out to make this, to me, the most memorable and distinctive event in this GLME Summercamp so far.
Then on to ride up the Ötztal valley to ride the Timmelsjoch Hochalpenstrasse. 4°C at the 2500 m. Not much wildlife, it's a big rocky velley with no sign of marmottes. I met a couple of guys riding mopeds who are really in to the gear, mohawks on their crash helmets etc, and we made some photos of each other. On to share a good coffee down on the Italian side. Unfortunately I lost my prescription ear-plugs so it’s back to one day ear-plugs until I can get replacement back in London. Despite that, it really doesn’t get much better than this. The best of times is now... so make this moment last...

• Arlberg Pass and Silvretta Hochalpenstraße
• Passo dello Stelvio - 2757 m.
• Großglockner-Hochalpenstraße
• Gerlos - Krimml - Großglockner
• Neuschwanstein and Hahntennjoch, 1894 m.
• Imst rain dawn