It started early on Good Friday, April 7th, 2023. Because we wanted to meet at 9:00 a.m. at the big yellow “M” in Bad Tölz, which meant an hour’s drive. Well…..for most people anyway. I think Monika, Stefan and Robert probably drove a lot more (why do you live so far away? J ).

So for me that meant being at my friend's house at 7 a.m. because she came with me as a pillion passenger and the clothes still had to be repacked into the suitcase. Then off we go and – rather unusual for me – take the “big one” onto the motorway instead of just the country road. NO, I affectionately refer to the 1200 ADV air boxer as the “big one”; not the socialite J. 

The temperatures were more like “heated grip temperatures”. But it could have been worse and a windproof rain jacket helps enormously. Rain jacket? – Yeah. That was to be expected that day.

In Bad Tölz we first had a warm drink and waited for the others, but they didn't take long to arrive. Then first have a quick snack in the morning with a nemCappu or coffee, go to the first floor so that your bladder doesn't hurt so much, and sit up.

As is the case with us at the club, a member who isn't on the tour likes to come by to just say "hello", have a coffee and watch the departure of the 9 motorcycles in a short clip Holding on to your cell phone for the rest of the gang who stayed at home – thanks Harald!

Things started accordingly with Stefan, who also planned and initiated the tour. Since the navigation systems are generally not perfect, there were one or two deviations from the planned track. But a lot of it was also intentional, simply to avoid the main streets. We weren't on the run so it didn't bother me anyway and I was one of those people who like to drive through small towns just to have a look. Of course, this applies even more to the Italian places. But we weren't there yet.

Oh wonder, we realized at the latest on the Brenner federal road that we were not alone on the road heading south. It was not always easy for the tour guide to assess how the rag-tag group behaved on the road and what their driving skills were like. They quite rightly drove more defensively. But at the latest at the Brenner, where the cars were coming in waves, which suggested that your traffic lights were switched, it was advisable to use the advantages of single-lane driving that a motorcycle offers and, with the necessary foresight, slowly but safely drive past the cars standing there.

Here, too, I would like to emphasize once again how much fun it is when you see and experience for yourself how well the club members drive and also watch the rear space in the mirror, so that if necessary you can make room when the person behind moves up and is still in the gap must J

Long story short - everything went great so far and by the time we reached the well-known stop in Vipiteno, most of us had gotten rid of our rain gear, which thankfully served more as a windbreak.