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The Albrecht-Route
Tour report: 7-day-variant
- route
- Day 1: The Fernpass
- Day 2: The Verwall Valley
- Day 3: Fimber Pass, Pass da Costainas, Val Müstair
- Day 4: Val Mora, Passo Verva, Grosio
- Day 5: Valle di Rezzalo, Gavia
- Day 6: Montozzo
- Day 7: The Bears’s Pass, Lake Garda
- 6-day-variant with overnight stay in La Baita (Val di Rézzalo)
Appendix
- Packing list
- Disclaimer
- Notes on the content

About the author:

Andreas Albrecht gave up his safe 9 to 5 in order to live his dream. Imperceptibly his hobby of bike riding, specifically mountain biking has grown into much, much more. Over the years, through his website » www.transalp.info where Andreas presents his tour reports, an ever growing fan base has built up. The move to book author was a logical next step. When asked why this all came about he replies “don't search for the way, the way finds you”.

The Albrecht-Route

Inspired by the tour reports in the mountain biking magazines I started taking my bike into the Alps and around Lake Garda. At the beginning I decided to stay on the safe side, and kept to tried and tested tours, starting to experiment as I gained experience. Step by step, year by year a picture developed in my mind of how an “ideal” transalp could be. Whoever finds themselves travelling through the Alps soon sees that the mountain bike could let them into a unique sphere of experience. Paths and trails way away from mass tourism give you the feeling of space and distance despite the fact that down hill you are often just a half hour away from pulsing life in the heart of Europe.

Crossing the Alps on a mountain bike has an unparalleled fascination, but a word of warning: if you want to enjoy the trip and not let it turn into an incalculably risky venture you must make sure you undertake adequate training and preparation. My philosophy is that the focus of a transalp should be the riding of your bike. Wherever possible I want to avoid pushing for hours on end, and carrying the bike should really be the exception. Taking the pass roads with their heavy traffic is not really an option if you want to experience the quiet of the mountains.

Because of this, planning a transalp will always be a compromise between the rideability of the route and the immersion in the world of rocks of the high mountains. The main alpine chain between the Ötztaler Alps and the Hohen Tauern hardly offers any completely rideable passes, apart from the Pfitscher Joch and the pass roads open to traffic. You will have to push or carry the bike for at least an hour. Further to the West things look better: after the Fern Pass you have several mostly rideable options within reach which send you towards Lake Garda - the classic finishing point. The wild and rugged Verwall group is, like the Silveretta, criss-crossed by the area’s typical U shaped valleys. They take you up to 2400 or 2600 relatively easily and are mostly rideable. If you go around the west side of the glacial fortress the Ortler, the route more or less decides itself.

I needed a few transalp tours before I’d found an ideal route, made to my scale. In the mean time I’ve ridden several variations of it, which you can find described in detail on my homepage (» www.transalp.info). From feedback and questions I received by e-mail I quickly saw that a great many transalpers had picked up on my suggestions and ridden either individual stages or the complete route. It became even clearer when I received a mail one day from Jim Pini, the owner of a hotel in Grosio, Italy. In 2001 whilst on a transalp I stayed in his family run hotel, the Albergo Sassella, and mentioned it in my tour report. Jim wrote that since then, all of a sudden lots of mountain bikers started staying with him, more than likely inspired by my road books. I got the stirrings of an idea to publish my tours in book form; not as a thick all-encompassing work, but in small format, and not too heavy, so that it can be taken as a road book on a transalp tour. This is the first edition in English and describes my “classic” transalp Albrecht-route which I’ve been developing since 2000. The route is still very much alive. Each year that I road the route I found slight changes. On the one hand a better part on gravel roads, on the other a nice track instead of a by-way.

And there is also a 6-day-variant of the route (see page →). This would allow you to feel the great experience to stay overnight in the lovely alpine hut “La Baita“ of Alessandro in Val di Rezzalo (» www.rezzalovacanze.com).

Tour report: 7-day-variant

route

Garmisch-Partenkirchen » Fernpass » Landeck » St. Anton » Verwall-valley » Galtür » Fimberpass » Scuol » Pass da Costainas » Munstertal » Val Mora » Passo Verva » Grosio » Val Rézzalo » Passo Gavia » Montozzo » Val di Sole » Madonna di Campiglio » Lake Garda

distance: ca. 470 km

Meters of ascent (MoA): ca. 12,000 hm

day	route	km	MoA
1	Garmisch-Partenkirchen – Fernpass – Imst – Landeck	77	900
2	Landeck – St. Anton am Arlberg – Verwalltal – Heilbronner Hütte – Galtür – Ischgl – Fimbertal – Bodenalpe (variant via Tobadill: 38 km, 1,500 hm)	77	2,250
3	Bodenalpe – Fimberpass – Vna – Sent – Scuol – S-charl – Pass da Costainas – Münstertal	64	2,050
4	Münstertal – Val Mora – Passo Verva – Eita – Grosio (variant from Torri di Fraéle via Bormio Bormio: 72 km, 900 hm)	76	1,350
5	Grosio – Le Prese – Fumero – Val Rézzalo – Passo dell‘ Alpe – Gaviapass – Ponte di Legno/Pezzo (variant via Passo Foppa/Mortirolo: 40 km, 1,600 hm)	47	2,150
6	Pezzo/Ponte di Legno – Pezzo – Montozzo-Scharte – Pejo – Val di Sole – Dimaro – Madonna di Campiglio (variant via Passo Tonale: 58 km, 1600 hm)	61	2,100
7	Madonna di Campiglio – Val d‘Agola – Passo Bregn de l‘Ors – Val d‘Algone – Stenico – Ponte Arche – Passo Ballino – Riva – Torbole (variant via Sarca valley, Dro, Arco: 73 km, 900 hm)	67	1,150

The tours are described as I have ridden them. They aren’t conceived for fans of extreme sports, but for normal mountain bikers who, with the necessary training and preparation can live the dream of crossing the Alps on a mountain bike. Modifications due to the weather situation or levels of fitness are possible on every stage. I point them out as they occur.

The tour report from 2004 remains the basis for this book. This has historical reasons. It reflects the spirit of the Albrecht Route as it is. I have made only slightly changes to the classic route. These are summarized and documented in the roadbooks of this edition.

Prolog

I got the transalp bug having completed my first one in 1994, it started years of experimentation looking for my perfect route. Year by year, tour by tour I’ve honed it and since 2000 think I have been on the right track. Now, a few years later, I’m happy, everything fits together : the route, the group, and even the weather’s cooperating. 7 days of sunshine are predicted, clear blue sky and not too hot, it couldn’t be better. Whilst planning the tour I based our departure date on the moon phase (well, it couldn’t hurt now, could it?) and we set off at the end of a full moon, as this is meant to bring the most stable weather. With a lot of jiggery-pokery I’ve managed to work into the route all the highlights that I’ve ridden in the last few years. Internet feedback and talking to hotel owners in towns at the end of stages confirm that since I started posting my tour reports the web numerous mountain bikers have taken up my suggestions, and done variations of my transalps starting in Garmisch. At first I was astonished by such a response, then naturally very happy that so many people had followed one of “my” tours. They are all made to my concept of how one should mountain bike in the Alps. I want to be able to actually ride as much as possible, also or rather especially in the high mountains. Getting off and pushing your bike should be kept to a minimum; I get really irritated by having to drag my bike, particularly downhill and it seems that I’m not the only one. I’ve always made sure that there’s an alternative, bad weather route, so the tour doesn’t have to be called off, but luckily have rarely needed them. On this tour I could have saved a good 2 kilos in my backpack between unneeded waterproofs and winter stuff, but better safe than sorry.