The Transalp or Alpencross is often called the ultimate for every European mountain biker. But how to begin such an adventure? What do you actually have to reckon with? And how do you properly prepare?
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Basic Rules
To make sure mountain biking remains an accepted Alpine sport you should always be considerate of nature, the local residents, other hikers and your own health:
- Absolute respect for hikers!
- Never leave garbage and other traces!
- Preserve nature and don't be noisy!
- No alcohol!
- Don't ride dangerous routes when you're exhausted!
- Better dismount than risk too much!
- Watch the weather development!
The Goal
Before you start with the planning, set a realistic and achievable goal. This is particularly important because many sportsmen tend to underestimate the Alps as a sports terrain and the daily strenuousness of a Transalp. That's why many Transalps are aborted. The reasons are mostly insufficient preparation, injuries, overstraining, irreparable damage of equipment.
To make sure the Transalp does not become a dangerous and frustrating torture, you should prepare in time. This concerns, of course, physical preparation, as well as acquiring the appropriate equipment. You also should use a proper and reliable bicycle and get acquainted with basic bicycle technology. Then you have to plan the route.
In order to succeed you should consider the Transalp a sports vacation and not a competition where you have to break records. Abnormal ambition usually leads to overstrain within the first days. It also can cause injuries and endanger the whole enterprise. The point is not to prove anything to yourself, but to have fun without jeopardizing yourself or other people. Therefore you need a team where everyone is reliable and can depend on each other. This includes common preparation and mutual support and consideration.
How Do I Cross The Alps?
With the mountain bike, trekking bike or shopping bike? On streets, forest roads or difficult single trails? With a group or alone? Sleeping in cottages, shelters, b&b or hotels? Baggage in a backpack or with a support vehicle? All these questions need to be answered in order to prepare a Transalp properly. You have to tailor your route according to these conditions. Accommodations may have to be organized and booked in time, especially during the main season. Your baggage has to be planned and prepared. Also good provisions are very important.
To dare crossing the Alps all alone is not everyone's cup of tea. In general I would advise against that. If you try such an adventure all by yourself, you need a lot of experience in the Alps and have to know exactly what you're doing. Riding alone can also cause a lot of problems: Nobody can help you directly in case of an accident. You won't have any possibility to chat or enjoy the fun with a group of people. Seven days of solitude are not always easy to bear. Nobody motivates you to keep going when you're whacked. This is probably the most underestimated factor. The motivation has to come only from yourself, which can be really tough at times. Thus it has many advantages if you're crossing the Alps with a good team.
The question of arrival and departure has to be considered as well. Which means of travel will you use? You can travel ecologically by using the train, but especially the return trip from Italy to Central Europe may be tricky. The conditions of transporting a bicycle in the train change regularly with the German Train. The Italian Train is rather unreliable. You could also take your own car, but then you'd have to make sure your car gets to the destination somehow by booking a rather expensive car transportation or have a friend drive your car to Italy. You also can book a bike shuttle from various providers you can find on the internet. Your decision depends on how much money you want to spend, how flexible you want to be and how much time you have.
Most of these questions are irrelevant if you book a guided Transalp with support vehicle.
Wild Camping
A few words about wild camping and bivouacing in the Alps. Officially wild camping is prohibited in all European countries. The laws differ a little, but the basic rules are similar everywhere: Wild camping on private property is considered trespassing will be punished. In Germany, some federal states allow wild camping outside nature reserves if you're not motorized, stay only for one night and leave no litter. In Austria, wild camping is in general prohibited. If you get caught, it can be very expensive (up to 500 EUR). If you get caught camping in a nature reserve in Austria, the fine will be extremely high. Bivouacing in case of emergency may be tolerated. In Switzerland it is allowed to camp if nothing is damaged or littered, and if it isn't prohibited. For example, in the protected hunting areas camping is in general forbidden. Sometimes they even scan the area for campers with binoculars, and if you get caught you will pay a fine of at least 500 EUR. In Italy, wild camping in general is prohibited and will be punished.
These strict laws have been introduced because in the past wild campers have been very undisciplined, damaged nature and left their waste. Officially I cannot recommend to try wild camping in the Alps. However, if you travel alone, behave well and keep a low profile, probably nobody would even notice that you're there. Still you should consider that you will have to carry more luggage and that the change of weather in the Alps can be extreme and happen suddenly.
The Route
You can cross the Alps on the Via Claudia Augusta
with the Fernpass and the Reschenpass als only passes, which both can be crossed with a trekking bike. You can choose a mountain bike route with only one difficult pass (e.g. Timmels Saddle or Pfitscher Saddle). You also can take the road across the Brenner Pass. Or you could go uphill on various cable cars. There are countless mountain bike routes with different difficulties, climbs and passes. The possibilities are most diverse.
If you lack of experience or confidence to plan such a route all by yourself, you can read one of the many Transalp books that are available. They usually describe diverse routes with different difficulties, including road book and GPS track. The most comfortable way is certainly a guided Transalp tour where you don't have to worry about anything, not even accommodations. You can book such guided tours from many providers on the internet.
If you plan everything by yourself, you need good maps and extensive Alpine experience (e.g. as a hiker or mountain biker). Doing it yourself takes a lot of time and requires a lot of research and experience. You have to be able to understand the maps and assess the difficulty of tracks. You have to be able to roughly evaluate which trails can be ridden and which not. Also you have to consider the terrain if you plan the distances and climbs you want to accomplish each day.
From my own experience I know that it is very difficult to predict the time needed if you choose uncommon tracks and extreme passes. You cannot tell if you have to push or carry your bike uphill by just looking at the map. Overcoming an incline of 3000 ft (900 m) can take two to eight hours, depending on the terrain. This means, you should estimate the time frame quite amply.
The Time
The best time for crossing the Alps is May to October. Passes above 8000 ft. (2500 m) are mostly snowfree from July to September, but even that cannot be guaranteed. In October the whether becomes increasingly unstable and cold. Since Alpine weather is never totally reliable and stable - even in summer (snow in July is not uncommon) - you should gather information about weather and snow conditions especially for the area of the Alpine Divide. If necessary, you should plan alternative routes in case weather gets too bad. Of course you could also cross the Alps at bad weather, but steep, rocky and rooty trails are very slippery and dangerous when wet. If it is rainy you should use alternative routes that can be ridden when wet, for example gravel roads, forest roads, bike lanes or streets. You should always keep an eye on Alpine weather before starting the journey.
Personal Preparation
A Transalp with the mountain bike is nothing you just do spontaneously. If you underestimate the strenuousness of such an enterprise or choose a route that overstrains you, you won't have a lot of fun and most likely you'll never reach the destination. Not only equipment and planning is essential, but also your physical and mental fitness. You have to be able to evaluate your own capabilities correctly before starting the journey. If you have difficulties doing that, you should absolutely try a few mountain bike tours in the Alps before you get started.
Many people underestimate the impact of a tour which is lasting several days. It is one thing to be able to slave yourself and push yourself the limit for one day. It is yet another thing getting into the saddle on the next day and doing this all over again for the next seven days. You need an iron will, especially if you chose a difficult route.
I have written about appropriate training methods on my training page.
