Day 2 – Train & Motorcycles – Feldkirch (AT) to Andeer (CH) (https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZiPpJaqfLNuGDvUc9)
Sunday morning saw us rolling in to Feldkirch right on schedule. We were woken up about 2 hours before arrival with our pre-ordered breakfast. After wolfing down the food, we watched the mountainous landscape of Austria passing by until we were finally at our destination. The unloading was just as interesting as loading was. We setup our bikes, repacked our gear and kicked off the day in search of coffee.
After NY, it’s humbling to try to find coffee and food on the borders of Austria/Lichtenstein and Switzerland on a Sunday morning. We continued expanding our culinary experiences at the “American Bagel and Coffee Co” in downtown Vaduz at the foothills of the castle. From here we had a nice loop planned as my cousin who was hosting us for a few nights was competing in an Ironman in Italy and wouldn’t be home until later that afternoon.
Given we barely slept in a few days, and it was a sunny Sunday in the Alps, made perfect sense that we hit the crowded technical Alpine passes to pass the day. From Vaduz we headed east towards Umbrail/ Stelvio/ Bormio/ Forcola/ Bernina and Julier passes before pulling into Andeer later that night. I think Jake will have some notes here, but the perfect Sunday riding weather brought out a lot of riders hopped up on primo local espressos trying to mimic their favorite MotoGP riders on the narrow twisty alpine passes that felt at times a bit too crowded for our tired brains trying to adjust. It was a great day of riding that I thoroughly enjoyed. We pulled into Andeer a bit later than expected but still on time to get some dinner and brews at the local brewery thanks to my cousin Luca for hosting and driving us!
Jake’s notes:
When I woke up on the train, it was still dark outside and the train was stopped on a side track, presumably to let other traffic by. I seized on the opportunity to get up and put in my contact lenses while we weren’t moving. Shortly thereafter was a knock on the door from the gentleman delivering breakfast. The train started moving again and I was treated to views of the sunrise on gorgeous Alpine peaks while I downed my croissants and fruit. I could tell it was going to be a good day.
Still a bit dazed from the jetlag, and before I could really comprehend what was happening, we were ripping up narrow mountain switchbacks. All of the locals that Szabi mentioned, were flying up and down all around us. It is quite humiliating to get passed by a Lambo and Ducati at the same time on a road that is barely wide enough for two smallish cars to pass going opposite directions. We hit the first summit and started down the backside, when I fully realized how spongy my brakes were. The rear barely worked at all. It took a solid handful on the front to get my fully loaded ~600+ pound beast slowed down enough to muscle it through those downhill hairpins. I was suddenly wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into.
Despite how frazzled my nerves were, I was still able to fully appreciate how beautiful the scenery was in every direction. After our second summit, I finally had the wits to take out my camera and try to get some shots from the saddle. I made us turn around and run this section for a second time, so that I could get the shot below:
Here is an example of one of the many hairpins. This was obviously mellow enough that I was comfortable to have my hand off the bars for a snap-
After what seemed like 4 days worth of riding, we rolled into Andeer shortly after sunset, parked our bikes at Luca’s (Szabi’s cousin’s) place where she was waiting to drive us to a local Brewery for dinner. I slept well that night.
Day 3 – Motos only – Andeer (CH) to Andermatt (CH) (https://maps.app.goo.gl/u6Ffaoc2meg1pCva9)
Monday had us kick off riding a bit later as we planned a shorter day and we had some maintenance to do on Jake’s GS to flush the apricot jam in the brake lines for some fresh Bosch brake fluid to get rid of the spongy feel that was exacerbated the day before on the technical Alpine passes. We also installed a few tasteful Evotech accessories on my cousin, Luca’s new Kawi who was coming with us on her own bike as she promised the year before.
We had planned a conservative lap of looping the 3 must have passes of Furka/ Grimsel/ Susten before ending the day in Andermatt. I quite frankly didn’t know what to expect as Luca was a new rider with a few months and 1500 miles of experience. Between Z, Jake and I, we were thoroughly impressed and humbled at times at the ease and confidence she threw her slick Kawi Z500 around on the narrow technical roads. Luca didn’t just have no problem keeping up with us, we probably held her up at times. We got very lucky and rode the loop in perfect weather and traffic conditions and pulled into Andermatt late afternoon and settled into our hotel before grabbing brews and dinner. Absolutely amazing day, all type 1 fun – this is important, as it may have been the only day without type 2 and 3 fun…
Jake’s notes:
Lucky for us, most of the gas stations in this corner of the EU carry quality brake fluid. So we picked up a bottle while we were fueling up the night before. After a quick breakfast of local breads/cheese/meats, we started wrenching. I should say Szabi and Zoli did. They were a dynamic team and were amazing to watch. I could tell this was not the first brake flush they had done together. We found a bubble in my front line, and the rear fluid had basically turned to honey. Having brakes that actually worked was a huge boost from the prior day. Since it was a slightly overcast Monday, the traffic had also significantly abated.
It was awesome to add one more rider to our crew. As mentioned by Szabi, we were all very impressed with Luca’s riding abilities. She was riiiiping! Honestly, in my observation, most riders (and motorists, for that matter), are much more adept than those in the US. This is probably partially due to the fact that the licensing process is so much more stringent. From what I understand there are multiple tests over the span of more than a year that one must pass before earning a full fledged permit.
It was a pretty ideal day all around. Temps were perfect, the bikes worked, the scenery was amazing and in my opinion, we were in the saddle for just the right amount of time (i.e. not totally smoked by the end of the day). We also took a lot of opportunities to pull off and enjoy the views. The golden hour scenery when we were riding over Susten were something out of this world.
We pulled into Andermatt just before sunset and loaded into Hotel Sonne, which was the perfect blend of traditional and modern. We opted to dine in the restaurant on the main level, and it did not disappoint. To me, this was a perfect day of riding!
