Europe in the late summer is nearly unbeatable, especially on a motorcycle. Too hot? Twist the throttle a bit more. Too cold. Same. In a hurry? Don’t be!

Beyond the postcard scenery and centuries-old pictorama, the important stuff to Jean, Brian and myself were the people and machines in our touring group. 

After all the planning and preparation to arrive in Aix-les-Bains for our 12-day journey, it was important to be fully present and receptive to the “strangers” who rode their bikes from the far reaches of Switzerland, France and Belgium to join us English speaking Californians and New Zealanders in a French parking lot on Sunday, August 13, 2023.

A third of the way through our 1,491-mile European motorcycle Alps tour — with Switzerland in our mirrors and Italy in our sights — we crossed into Austria, tackling the 8,117-foot Timmelsjoch Pass (Passo del Rombo) in the Tyrol region. Before immersing ourselves into the splendors of Italy, though, extreme heat reared its ugly head before heavy showers greeted us a few days later in the Dolomites.

Our pace was quick and rarely interrupted. We embraced roundabouts, which aren’t as prevalent here in the U.S. This saved unnecessary stops and starts in larger cities, and provided some respite from the heat once the midday sun started beating down.

It was all about checking boxes in Part 1 of this series recounting our motorcycle tour of the Alps, while Part 2 diplomatically described my emotional response to having zero control of the situation once we started rolling through Switzerland. Lesson learned? Be less like Walter and more like The Dude.

We were, after all, riding a beautiful German motorcycle in the Swiss, Italian and Austrian Alps, so why get worked up when there was breathtaking scenery to absorb? The only way to cleanse one’s soul is to embrace awesome, which Europe’s Alps offer in unlimited supply.

As I explained in Part 1, there was a certain luxury in not having time constraints when planning our first European motorcycle tour. After a few years of passive research, it was time to commit.

First, we chose August to tour the Alps for several reasons: agreeable weather to summit high passes (10,000-plus feet above sea level); drier conditions, because riding for hours in the rain sucks no matter how prepared you are; more time for prep rides in California’s mountainous terrain; a longer runway to decide which gear to wear and bring; and a clearer head after enjoying summer and all its loveliness.

The trade off? Higher travel costs (airline, Airbnb/hotels) due to August being the peak European tourist season and heat. In my experience it’s easier to deal with heat than cold or wet, so we rolled the dice and accepted our fate.

The domino effect of touring the Alps by motorcycle in 2023 began when I became a serious cyclist in 2013.

Then 47 years old, I was invited to be a guest of Trek Travel to participate in L’Etape du Tour, organized by the same promoters as the Tour de France. Literally meaning a stage of the Tour, ours was a 130 kilometer loop starting in Annecy, France, with Mount Blanc lording over everyone like Zeus. I flew from San Francisco to Geneva, Switzerland, then took a bus 45 minutes to Annecy, our home base for the week as 10 of us trained for the Big Ride. It was my first time road cycling in Europe, approximately 7-½ years after touring Rwanda by mountain bike.

It’s finally happening. After years of wishful thinking, best laid plans, conservative financial planning and research, we’re taking a guided motorcycle tour of Europe for most of August. I’m choosing not to bring my laptop, so this will be the last blog post until at least August 30. There’ll be much to share once we return, with rich detail, photo galleries and details galore.

Jean, myself and riding pal Brian board United flight 1411 departing SFO at 7 a.m., August 8, transferring planes in Newark before landing in Geneva at 7:30 a.m. CEST. We’ve been preparing for this since February, and the time has finally arrived to head east and hop on some bikes in a region of the world none of us has experienced before.

Recently, Henri asked if I knew of Dale Carnegie’s book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, which he recently discovered and appreciated.

“Of course,” I said. “Forty years ago this summer my then girlfriend Teppie’s dad Terry Lemerond recommended it. Was a game changer for me; put things in perspective.”

Naturally, I was a bit cocky with my newfound confidence booster back then. I took it to new heights when signing up to work for Southwestern Company selling study guides and cookbooks door-to-door in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania in the summer of 1986. Lacking that ‘killer instinct’, I pulled up stakes two-thirds of the way through and retreated back to Wisconsin, working at Terry’s Bay Natural Foods store to help package Enzymatic Therapy vitamin supplements.

My story posts tend to go long because I think big and dig deep. I blame it on my ever-present curiosity and a need to share, going back to my long narrative magazine feature story days. With a promise to publish at least one MaD story each week – with an itch to do more – I’ve decided to include a new entry called Bite-Sized, a summation of what’s on my mind based on what I’m reading or researching. Inspiration comes from Marc Maron’s weekly email blast for his popular WTF podcast, where the comedian/actor shares plenty in his peeled-back life.