This Week at Transalp Riders
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Rare clouds offer welcome reprieve for mountain bikers during hot and dry summer in the Alps
The jury will be out for a couple of months yet until we know if the summer of 2006 will beat the scorcher of 2003 as far as temperature records and (lack of) precipitation goes. Regardless what the outcome may be, the current heat wave and dry spell has been a boon to mountain bikers across the Alps. Overcast conditions as depicted above have been an exception for the last 6 weeks and – believe it or not – we greeted the short reprieve they provided in the Tre Cime area of Italy with much joy.
The continued heat wave spells much trouble for the glaciers and alpine ecosystems though – two of the attractions that our guests travel long distances for. For instance, the iconographic “Tannenbaum” (Abies abies), which most will closely associate with the subalpine forests in Bavaria, may soon be a memory of the past as it can’t stand the heat and is replaced by more heat-tolerant tree species. A much more immediate change to the layperson’s eye, however, may be the retreat of glaciers all over. Whereas I could still see some of the “Hoellental Glacier” from the office window a few years ago, it has now completely receded from view as of a week ago. While this may not be reason enough to change office locations, it is worrying me tremendously as our travel preferences and thereby our touring business may well contribute to these ominous climatic developments.
On a positive note, riding a bike – for recreational purposes but also for commuting - has never been as popular as now. In turn, interest in bicycle safety has also increased and our home-town community ‘Garmisch-Partenkirchen’ has advanced into the limelight with regards to this issue. Six major MTB manufacturers, the Technical University of Munich and the local Competence Center for Sports, Health and Technology have teamed up to research material fatigue that may lead to injurious failure while riding. The trails around Garmisch would seem perfectly suited for field research projects as there is a wide variety of surfaces and a never-ending network of trails for all likings.
This may also explain why several riders from our area are once again dominating the 2006 “bike Transalp Challenge” race in its 9th edition (15.-22. July). If you’d like to follow the world’s toughest multi-stage MTB event through live news tickers, browse to http://www.transalpchallenge.com
If you’d like to do some riding yourself over here, check out our tour roster and see if there’s a tour that fancies you. Give as a toll-free call and we’ll chat. We look forward to hearing from you. Happy trails and good speed!
Archive
- Summer ‘06 off to a good start with great mountain biking conditions anywhere in the Alps (25. June – 3. July 2006)
- Nasty Temperature Drop Spells Delay for Transalp Mountain Biking Tours in the Alps (1. June – 7. June 2006)
- Grizzly bears soon a concern on mountain bike tours across the Alps? (17. May – 24. May 2006)
- Spring Finally Here to Stay as Skis are Swapped for Mountain Bikes across the Alps! (15. April – 22. April 2006)
- Continued powder dumps in the Northern Alps as mountain biking is already the rage south of the High Divide! (7. April – 14. April 2006)
- Fat Snowpack in the Alps a Boon to Off-Piste Skiers on Tour with Transalp Riders (8. March – 15. March 2006)
- Heli Skiing An Antidote for the Mountain Biking Blues (11. February – 18. February 2006)
- Taking a break from Mountain Biking the Alps to Ski Off-Piste in Canada (15. January – 21. January 2006)
- Backcountry Skiing + Mountain Biking: A Match made in Heaven! (8. January – 15. January 2006)
- Happy New Year from your ski and mountain bike team at TRANSALP RIDERS! (31. December – 8. January 2006)
- Merry Christmas and Our Very Best Wishes for the Holidays to All of You! (24. December – 31. December 2005)
- TRANSALP RIDERS' office ablaze with MTB + SKI-related Xmas preps! (20. December – 24. December 2005)
- Recent Dry Spell too cold for MTB but a Feast for Powder Pigs across the Alps (11. December – 18. December 2005)
- The powder has arrived across the Alps – let the off-piste skiing begin! (4. December – 11. December 2005)
- Transalp Riders launching 2006 winter ski program across the Alps (27. November – 4. December 2005)
- Better late than never! Heavy snowfall right across the Alps finally brings an end to mountain biking (21. November – 27. November 2005)
- Tales of great mountain biking in the Alps mid-November (13. November – 19. November 2005)
- Ripping through vineyards towards guide certification (7. November – 13. November 2005)
- End-of-season mountain biking & rock climbing party in Croatia’s Velebit Alps (31. October – 6. November 2005)
- Fuessen will be new start location for 2006 Transalp Challenge Mountain Bike Race (17. October – 24. October 2005)
- Transalp Riders all smiles as fall sports fantastic weather for mountain biking across the Alps (10. October – 16. October 2005)
- TRANSALP RIDERS is re-drawing map of the Alps (3. October – 9. October 2005)
- Superlative Mountain biking : the Dolomites in the Eastern Alps (18. September – 25. September 2005)
- Fall is on its way in the Alps and mountain biking is likely at its best right now! (12. September – 18. September 2005)
- Thinning sea ice thwarts first ever mountain bike traverse of Europe’s northernmost islands (5. September – 12. September 2005)
- On Vertical Gain, Equipment Needs and the Concept of ‘Hike-Biking’ when Mountain Biking the Alps (12. August – 4. September 2005)
- On Transalp Race Results, Terror Woes and Soothing Trailside Tubs (25. July – 28. July 2005)
- Peak experiences amongst Europe’s tallest mountains - with perfect weather to boost (18. July – 24. July 2005)
- Encounters with exotic creatures on a mountain bike ride across the Alps (8. July – 11. July 2005)
- Tread lightly when mountain biking across the Alps (26. June – 4. July 2005)
- Mountain Biking across the Alps with the world at your feet – a breath-taking experience… (20. June – 26. June 2005)
- One down – three to go …. countries that is - on our current Transalp mountain bike ride! (11. June – 20. June 2005)
- Indecent Exposure to Vehicle Emissions a Catalyst for Naked Cycling (8. June – 15. June 2005)
- The Skinny on Avoiding Heatstroke while Mountain Biking in the Alps (5. June – 11. June 2005)
- Summer arrives with the last May weekend – check it out by WebCam (1. June – 14. June 2005)
- Shine follows rain – mountain biking all smiles in the Bavarian Alps (22. May – 31. May 2005)
- Rain happens – even on a Transalp mountain bike tour! (15. May – 31. May 2005)
- Mountain Biking under the Tuscan Sun (1. May – 15. May 2005)
- Five reasons why YOU should ride your mountain bike across the Alps! (15. April – 30. April 2005)
- Spring across the Alps! Ski & Mountain Bike combos are ‘en vogue’ (1. April – 14. April 2005)
- No need to quit your job to ride a mountain bike across the Alps! (15. March – 31. March 2005)
- Glacial Ice and Mediterranean Beaches - Mountain Biking across the Alps offers both! (1. March – 14. March 2005)
- Mountain biking no option in the Alps for now as skiing comes into its seasonal best (1. February – 14. February 2005)
- Of Racing and traveling - mountain biking across the Alps Transalp-style (15. January – 31. January 2005)
- Bounty of snow in the Alps foils mountain biking at New Year's (1. January – 15. January 2005)
- Dreaming of MTB over Xmas? How about an inn-to-inn mountain bike tour across the Alps! (15. December – 31. December 2004)
- Winter is here to stay for a while - Transalp Riders make the best of it! (1. December – 15. December 2004)
- Thank you for a great season of mountain biking across the Alps! (1. November – 15. November 2004)
- Transalp Riders head for the Southern Alps as snowline descends! (15. October – 31. October 2004)
- Freeriding Greenland's Icebergs - The Latest from the Frontier of Mountain Biking? (1. October – 15. October 2004)
- Rising Demand for Custom Mountainbike Transalps in Italy, Switzerland and France (15. September – 30. September 2004)
- Normal Summer Weather favors Transalp Rides in 2004 (1. September – 15. September 2004)
- New MTB link between the Eiger and the Matterhorn in Switzerland! (16. August – 31. August 2004)
- Reliving WWI History: Transalp Style (2. August – 15. August 2004)
- Of Real Races and Robust Reds (23. July – 31. July 2004)
- High Pressure System lingers over the Alps (16. July – 31. July 2004)
- Tour Season in Full Swing (1. July – 15. July 2004)
- Ralph goes epic! (16. June – 30. June 2004)
- Road Racing – still stealing the limelight, but for how long? (1. June – 15. June 2004)
- Driving Cattle on a Mountain Bike for a Living! (17. May – 31. May 2004)
- Season’s Greetings: It is Time to Ride – across the Alps! (3. May – 16. May 2004)
- Terror, Tours and Trouble-Shooting (20. April – 2. May 2004)
- Our Tribute to the SNOW KING (5. April – 11. April 2004)
- Settling in (29. March – 4. April 2004)