Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128178
(Lettl Roadside cafes like this are a lot more inviting than your average Denny's, no? (Above) I've got my food. What are you guys eating? (Above right) Jim Petersen pettl from Playboy magazine (Yes, there are cooler jobs than being an editor at Cycle News) and our tour guide Claus Lazik (right) and myself (center:! atop the Jaufenpass. in St Moritz, Switzerland. The cool planned for us. We headed through the famous wintertime retreat of St. Moritz and then headed down the cycles. Fortunately, the traffic was to another unbelievable dinner at our Passo del Maloja. there aren't any private vehicles in town - they're not allowed. You have to take the train or a shuttle up to the built for ox carts, not cars and motor- deluge. Once again, we were treated Besides the Matterhorn, the coolest thing about Zermatt is that like this before; after all, they were thing was that no one crashed in the his K 1200RS' center stand and footpegs into little nubs. Our final pass of the day was the Nufenenpass, before we headed into Zermatt. outskirts of town, and then walk in. The town fits every stereotype you've ever imagined for a Swiss village. Every chalet has the mandatory win- congested, because otherwise I would The second pass of the day - the have crashed into a tunnel wall, rid- I was really excited for day four, Passo del Spluga - was another one ing too fast in the dark. The contrast primarily because of our final destina- of the unbelievable passes that we between the Passo del Spluga and the tion, Zermatt, Switzerland. I had been encountered on the trip. Winding up next hotel - this trip was not for waifs. pass (the Passo del dowsill flower boxes and A-frame roofs. Our hotel was right at the center of town and offered an amazing view of the Matterhom - which kindly San there before, but was barely able to the side of the mountain, the road is Bernardino) was like night and day get a glimpse of the elusive Matter- literally balanced right on the edge. In (in more ways than one). The San horn that time (no, stupid, not the addition, the road had tons of tunnels Bernardino was perfectly smooth, a one in the middle of Disneyland). Of - none of them lit - and a bunch of little more open, and a lot faster - course, as it turns out, Edelweiss had them had hairpins inside of them! nothing but metal-dragging mayhem, another incredible day of riding What the hell? I had never seen roads showed its face for us (not always the case). From Zermatt, we headed for France via the Rhone valley, riding through Chamonix, France, on the and kind of a release after days of the way. The day didn't have that many tight stuff. I was laughing my butt off passes, but was still packed with scenery and amazing roads. Our watching our tour guide, Mario, grind Our trusty steeds sit in front of the Tre Cime de Lavaredo in the Dolomites. Owners Coral and Wemer Wachter created Edelweiss Bike Travel 23 years ago in Austria. Wemer had been selling medical equipment, such as X-ray and MRI machines, but as the story goes, was looking for something a little more exiting. He came up with the concept and pitched it to his wife Coral, who liked the idea, and the business was born. The first tour in 1981 was through the Aips (of course), and the rest is history, as they say. Edelweiss now offers over 30 different tours, with the majority of them offering multiple dates. The tours range anywhere from three to 19 days and cover all five continents, with Europe and the United States offering the most destinations. New tours for 2003 include a tour of Scotland; Rome to Sicily; The Canadian Rockies; Brazil; and the Czech Republic, among others. Another cool thing that Edelweiss does is set up touring centers, where you spend every night in one location and do day trips from that location. This may be the type of tour to bring your significant other on if they don't want to spend every day in the saddle. There should be something for every budget and interest offered by Edelweiss. Tour prices range from around $900 to $7800 per person plus airfare. The biggest factors in the pricing are the number of days, the type of bike you choose and the level of accommodations. Some of the trips offer very basic but nice hotel accommodations, while others offer Five Star accommodations. Here are a couple of tips that I leamed about these tours. Choose your bike wisely. A K1200 LT may be a great choice for touring Arizona, but don't think for a second that it will be a good choice in the Alps, especially if you're riding two up. The roads are way too tight to truly enjoy on too big of a bike, and may actually be too much of a handful. Don't shy away from a bike like the R11SO R - I felt that, other than the Rl150 GS, it was the best bike for this type of touring, and it makes the trip a lot cheaper as well. If the tour says it's for experienced riders only - they aren't kidding! The roads we rode in the Alps were very challenging - novice riders will get in way over their heads on a trip like the one we did. So pay attention to the information provided, don't let your ego get in the way, and choose wisely, and you will have an amazing time. For more information, visit www.edelweissbike.com. or call 800-507-4459 in the US and 800/661-5035 if you're in Canada, Eh? Better yet, call them and ask them to send you their beautiful full-color catalog - if that doesn't motivate you, you're hopeless. cycle n e _ so • OCTOBER 30, 2002 19