Last summer's trip round the Alps, the memories & photos

[RingDing]

Looks great!

Is summer the only time to consider a trip like that? The only time I can get a pass out this year would be the first week in April. I'm not fussed if it is a little cold but was wondering if the higher passes would suffer from snow?

Any advice?

Originally Posted by RingDing

Looks great!

Is summer the only time to consider a trip like that? The only time I can get a pass out this year would be the first week in April. I'm not fussed if it is a little cold but was wondering if the higher passes would suffer from snow?

Any advice?

Trouble is, at that time of the year many of the passes are still closed, and those that aren't may still be full of ice. OK if you're on a GS12 though, it's not like you can drop it and make it look any worse is it ?

.

First week in April is ski season!

There will be loads of snow/ice/slush and only a few of the major passes open with the minor ones shut.

South of France and Provence instead? down Italy? Spain? No idea what they'd be like at that time of year but less snow no doubt (apart from the Pyrenees).

[RingDing]

Bum, I wondered if that would be the case. Oh well, I can wait for another year. Or do as suggested and find some flatter twisty bits, got to be better than fitting snow chains!

Thanks.

well i`m going April 20th, all the way through the alps, down through old yugoslavia to montenegro, ferry over to Italy, then up through Italy to alps, Monaco, then pyrenees to france.
spoke to some people when I was in Austria in Nov, and they said they had a late spring this year, more snow than usual, so I`m thinking this could be an interesting trip, from snow to fairly hot.
still can`t wait and write ups with photos like this just wet my appetite even more.

[fizzwheel]

Nice

Thanks Tim! - This has got to be perfect post for a dark and windy January day.

Did you make use of everything you packed? Would you take more or less next time?

Well, made the use of most of my underwear as you can get a hell of a sweat on Monaco on a late summers day!

But took a little too much, could have dumped a pair of jeans, never used the cam corder, took more tools than were required, Forgot about most of my mars bars. Kept my waterproofs and winter gloves under the cargo net after the first day as I couldn't be bothered to stuff them back into the panniers.

Also had a top up bottle of oil I never used, WD 40 I never used, and a can of chain lube, I did lube the chain once a day with spray.

Maps and Haynes manual though were invaluable, and because I took michelin maps of a reasonable scale it meant they took up a fair bit of room! The Haynes manual stopped me looking like too much of a pr*%k when I'd hit the kill switch early on. I also took a big chain and disc lock, all of which took up room, may be I was paranoid, but I came back to a bike every morning that hadn't been stolen!

So I'd take less next time, unless I was going further for longer!

Originally Posted by RingDing

Looks great!

Is summer the only time to consider a trip like that? The only time I can get a pass out this year would be the first week in April. I'm not fussed if it is a little cold but was wondering if the higher passes would suffer from snow?

Any advice?

When i lived in Switz, we used to ski in May sometimes!! In france and swizterland...does that answer your question?? Then again - some years it was ded hot end of april / beginning of May - so you could get lucky!

Wow!

How many hours a day were you riding? Had you done a lot of long stints before?