My 2021 Transalp attempt starts with a old time Classic from Uli Stanciu. Uli is a pioneer and pillar in the the European mountain bike scene. His numerous contributions over the years have had worldwide impact and inspired many great things in mountain biking. Few people had so much impact on the European scene as Uli was the founder of the German 'Bike Magazine' plus a trillion other books that has been used as a base for many other transalp tours.Glacier Express plots a route from St. Anton (or Landeck if you prefer) to Lake Garda. With border crossing from Austria, Switzerland and Italy, you'll have to conquer highlights like Uina Schlucht (smugglers path), Madritsjoch and Fimberpass. Although for this particular route I took out the Madritsjoch as I've done it the year before already. (tough cookie I can tell, but definitely worth the effort.)Equipment of use; Specialized Epic S-Works, Roval wheels, Sram Eagle AXS, Magura HS8, Reverb dropper and some Restrap bags. TRANSALP PLANNING
While continuing my trip back home from 🇫🇷, I thought to share some of my Transalp planning experience. I néver really plan out my holidays, but a Transalp is different though as the logistics can be complicated.PLANNING
We made an actual Excel overview (yes, reálly 😆) with a day to day itinerary including all the highlights / mountain passes we want to cover, calculating distance and elevation gain to make sure the daily routes are doable.It’s not always easy to find a place to stay on the way (up in the mountains), so daily distances and sleeping accommodation are interdependent. Most mountain huts also want a down payment upfront, so a planning is a good tracking tool.WHEN?
Best is in summer between mid-June - end of September. By then the mountain passes are usually snow-free.ROUTES
There are different levels of difficulty @komoot provides lots of good routes and tips ( komoot.com/discover/transalp-mtb ). We also used the @uli.stanciu books. PACK LIGHT
Some riders take on a backpack only. I used bar bags and fork bags instead. In any case, due to the (often) challenging Alps terrain and steep, rocky descents, packing light is a must.ACCOMMODATION
Summers months are super busy. Booking accommodation in advance is a pre. Lots of mountain huts were already fully booked months before - after a hard stage, you just want to arrive at the rifugio, put your stuff down, eat, wash and go to bed. 😁CAMPING?
You can do it, but bringing a tent often makes for a heavy bike = not ideal. Wildcamping in the Alps differ per country. Austria: not allowed, Switzerland: only high in the mountains, Italy: only outside of tourist areas. RIDING TIME
Riding time: 5 ½ to 10 hours a day. Don’t plan too long stages. Before you know you’ll end up riding in the dark. 😉