For several years now, I have been saying that I would like to cross the Alps on a mountain bike. And not just on my own initiative, but during the BIKE Transalp. Being born in Rotterdam, I don't say words but deeds, so in 2024 I was at the start. For those who do not know this classic of MTB multi-day events, this is a 7-day race where you cover about 500 km and 17000 meters of elevation. The day stages are already individually challenging. Add in the sections of hike-a-bike and technical Endurotrails and you have the recipe for the BIKE Transalp.
The night before the start, Frank and I make our way to registration. You can tell this is already the 26th edition as everything is well organized and the registration goes very smoothly. You can read more about the logistics and FAQs here. After a good dinner and first briefing, it is time to go to bed early. Tomorrow the big adventure starts!
At the stroke of 9:00, the starting gun is fired in the shadow of the Zugspitze. There are 400 riders and 20 e-MTBs at the start. We immediately turn onto the first climb and then make a lap through the Tyrolean Zugspitz Arena, including the first real trail descent. A classic Transalp pass, the Marienbergjoch, follows, good for some 750 m+. After a quick descent towards the Pitztal, we arrive in Imst. To my surprise, I cross the line in third place! A nice warm-up for the rest of the week without too much technical work.
The second day is dictated by the Via Claudia Augusta, a Roman road. The peloton is sent up the Pillerhöhe on mostly asphalt, after which we ride into the Inntal. A descent right through the Alpine meadows brings us to the banks of the river Inn, which we follow for some distance. That the Romans had not yet invented the bicycle is evident from the steep singletrack that follows. Here, many have to get off the bike to get up. The area around Nauders is known for its many Dreiländer Endurotrails, so those who thought they could rest on the descent were wrong. A stony, difficult first section is followed by a flow trail for the second part before arriving at the finish area.
Time for the shortest stage of the week, but with relatively a lot of up and down. After a cascading climb, we arrive at the mountain station in Nauders, where we catch a beautiful flow line downhill. A teaser on the Rechensee follows, but the bike computer indicates that we are not even halfway there yet. After this, it's time for the classic Plamort-Trail, which ends at the WW2 tank barrier.
Here we also cross the border with Italy and descend toward the final climb. The devil is in the tail here because the last part up is not bikeable. At the top, I see the signs to the last trail. Blue colored, great! But where I thought blue meant a nice flow trail, at the top of the trailhead I stare at countless roots and large rocks. We are clearly still on Enduro terrain. I was glad to be at the bottom whole. In conversations during the afterglow, it turns out there are very mixed reactions to this type of trail. Frankly, I thought it was over the edge with the type of bikes being ridden and the protection we were (not actually) wearing.
The first really long stage of this week! As far as I'm concerned, this is the absolute highlight in terms of scenery and experience. After a very tough climb to Doss Radond, we enter the Val Mora valley. Here it is really beautiful, rugged, with waterfalls, some snow here and there, and a very fat trail down. What follows is a false flat section where my Dutch legs feel right at home, and we can pick up the pace for a while. Then it's full throttle over flowy singletracks to Bormio.
This distance is already quite a challenge on its own, but after four days it is even more demanding. The start climb is the (partly unpaved) Gavia, whose summit at 2600 meters is also the highest point. What follows is a World Cup-worthy Enduro descent. In practice, for almost everyone, this was 3 km of running downhill with the bike. I can tell you that carbon Sidi's are really not made for this. This was followed by another long, very tough climb, and we picked up another terribly beautiful panorama track that swung up and down a bit. The second supply post came a bit too late; many people ran out of food and water, and I myself hung under a stream a few times. Once at the post, exhaustion struck, and I was never so happy to see a piece of pineapple. Replenishing sugars remains tricky sometimes during a multi-day event.
For me, this stage was grueling and by far the toughest day. The climbs were not easy this day either, very steep and irregular, and even on the route, the last kilometer of the second climb was already marked as a running section. By the way, this is another classic, the Passo Bregn da l'Ors. The view at the top seems to be very nice, but partly due to fatigue and partly due to the clouds, I didn't see much of it.
Highs and lows are close to each other, as proven on this day. The first climb was slightly shortened by a landslide. This stage was not very technical; lots of asphalt, gravel, and some nice singletrack brought us to the finish line. The final act of this Transalp was the Passo del Ballino, followed by the view I had been looking forward to for a long time: Lake Garda. One more short descent, a dirty little climb, and then you see the finish line arch! It's over, done, out. After the finish, there is euphoria, especially when the medal and finisher's shirt are in your hands. After all, that's what we do it all for.
The results in all classes can be found on Datasport's website.
I look back on a great week full of MTB-Spaß! Sure, the off-road climbs were terribly steep, and I had expected less asphalt. However, the contrast in terms of surface is very great. If you don't have significant Enduro experience and don't want to walk down too much, I would start with a technically easier multi-day event. It is also important to have your condition and nutrition in good order because a 7-day event with these distances and meters of elevation is a tough physical test. If you can handle all of this well, then I definitely recommend putting this trip on your bucket list and just going for it! It is a wonderful adventure that I will think back on with great pleasure many times.
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