The similarities of riding the Canadian mountains and European Alps, very nice, quite reassuring, the differences though, are spectacular and incredibly exciting. In some cases, they are downright dangerous.
The Rockies offer the same animal husbandry. Horses are ridden across the highways. Herds of cattle are wrangled to various pastures, again, often using the roadways as it is easier and quicker for moving the cows. Therefore a rider can feel somewhat reassured when riding the Alps as they have the same kind of horse and cow activities.
However, the roadway layouts in the Alps are shockingly different than in Canada.
Canadian engineers seem to have thought that no mountain is too high, too big, or too massive for clearing. And that is what they did. They simply blasted the mountain out of the way and paved smooth, broad highways straight through the cleared path. This made for such an easy riding road that when I road with my partner a year ago, she made this comment after we had crossed the Rockies via the Rogers Pass, “Is that all there is?” Thank you Peggy Lee! So I turned around and went back through the pass again. Flat, broad, smooth, even and straight, an easier ride can only be found on major toll roads, I think.
European engineers planned and built differently. Maybe in deference to the age of their mountains, maybe in deference to their equipment capability, but the European engineers, instead of blasting their way through the mountains, chiseled their roads out of the their sides. The European mountain roads are attached to the sides of the mountains as if glued precipitously to the sides of the rocky promontories. This creates a completely different road and ride than in Canada. The roads follow the shape, ascent and descent of the mountain.
You have never seen “climbs” as on the Italian Dolomiti. You have never ridden a switchback until you have done the 68 in less than 30 kms at Stelvio in Austria. Now there is riding and then there is motorcycling in the Alps. Ride a smaller bike for maneuverability, for ease of navigation, for avoiding being pushed off the mountain when the expansive tourist buses make their broad turns at the curves and squeeze out any oncoming traffic. Pay attention constantly for a momentary glance away may result in a dropped bike or worse, a catastrophic fall.
Ask me would I do it again. I plan on it as soon as the budget is sufficiently replenished.
Visit back.
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