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TransAlp (Alpenüberquerung)

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The TransAlp is more than a system of trails for most German mountain bikers - it's a right-of-passage, nearly a requirement, despite being virtually unknown outside the Alpen countries. Rather than a trail, the TransAlp is any crossing of the Alps on a mountain bike. There are many routes over many passes, with a variety of departure and arrival points. Most of the riders ride from north to south, with Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany to Riva del Garda, Italy being the most popular begin and end points.

People typically ride in small groups of two to ten and, depending on the route, take five to ten days to complete their route. Because of the steepness of the Alps, rather than describing routes by distance, the routes are typically described by total vertical meters of elevation gain.

As an example, Via Claudia (an old Roman route across the Alps) offers two variants, both from Erwald, Germany to Riva, Italy:

  • Less difficult:
    • 344km (214 miles)
    • 3857 vertical meters (2.4 vertical miles)
    • approximately 3-5 days
  • More difficult:
    • 588km (365 miles)
    • 20293 vert. meters (12.6 vertical miles)
    • approximately 7-9 days

Via Claudia both routes with daily distance and elevation gains from BIKE Magazin (all in German)

You can ride any of the routes described in various books, CD-ROMs, and websites. There is also a race, that used to be called the TransAlp Challenge and is called the Jeantex Bike TransAlp in 2007. There are also companies that organize tours that follow the race for more casual riders.

photo by hagbard