From the Zugspitze to Lake Garda

There are two outstanding points that are connect by this 2024 Transalp. In the north, the Zugspitze, with Germany's highest point on the summit, 2962 metres above sea level. On the Tyrolean side, in the Zugspitzarena, this mountain is also the unrivalled ruler. The fact that there are far higher peaks in Tyrol does not affect the Zugspitze. Here on the northern edge of the Alps with an unobstructed view of the plain, everyone has to duck. The Zugspitze towers above the valley and anyone standing at the start in Ehrwald will recognise the size of this rocky bastion that stretches into the sky above the sunny valley basin.

At the other end lies Lake Garda, a place of longing that harmonises the Mediterranean climate with the mountains like no other. The mountains of Lake Garda are not very high in alpine dimensions, but still look quite imposing from the shore, which is only 70 metres above sea level. But there's more: from the Brenta, the high alpine mountain massif with peaks over 3000 metres high, the lake can be reached by bike in a day. It is fascinating how close they come: the eternal ice in the mountains and the warm south.

Two outstanding points at the beginning and the end: the obvious thing to do is to combine the two with an outstanding route. And voila! The 2024 Transalp has no shortage of highlights. There's the crisp Marienbergjoch on day 1, playing with the Via Claudia Augusta, the old Roman road, on day 2, exploring the 3-country enduro trails on day 3, the epic trip around King Ortler on day 4, the extravagant Gavia Pass on day 5, the heartbreakingly beautiful Malga Movlina at the Brenta on day 6 and the cool trails on the Malga Ringia on day 7. And that's just a fraction of the experiences hidden in this route. Magical places are lined up like a string of pearls, sometimes big and mighty, sometimes small and inconspicuous, but always surprising and breathtaking. And all in all, simply outstanding.