10 Days in Paradise: Riding the Alps and Sachsenring With Leod Escapes

On the fourth day of our epic 10-day adventure through the Italian Alps and Germany I found myself behind a hotel bar pouring drinks with the bartender Ilian, the waitress Maria, and my friend Nicole. We were serving as well as drinking—large steins of beer and shots of limoncello and grappa—and our presence seemed to perplex the natives.

“But what are you doing here?” asked a local incredulously. “You’re really off the beaten path!”

"That's exactly the idea!” I replied.

The fellow’s name was Scott, and he’d lived in the area for 30 years. He said he was “gob smacked” to see us, it being the first time he had witnessed Americans riding in the area. He told us that Germans, Austrians, and Italians ride those particular back roads, but not tourists.

“You’ve come to the most beautiful place in Italy.” He declared. “How you've done that from so far away is really amazing! This is truly magnificent to see you here!”

And it was magnificent to be there.

There were 18 of us total, riders from the USA, Canada, and Australia plus three guides from Germany. We were together for Leod Motorcycle Escapes' Italian Alps and Sachsenring tour, which entails 5 days or riding some of the best passes in the Alps plus two days of track riding at the Sachsenring, one of the most famous tracks on the planet. If the trip sounds like 10 days of bliss, it should.

Our adventure began a few days earlier in the Bavarian party town of Munich. Tour-master Cat McLeod led us through the city to Hacker-Pschorr brewery for our welcome dinner, enormous platters of sausages, bacon, sauerkraut, and potatoes accompanied by large mugs of German beer. There we got our first taste of the unique and varied personalities that we’d be riding with for the next 9 days.

Early the next morning we crammed our track gear bags and luggage into the back of the support van. Our crazy German guide Matthias would transport our belongings to the hotel in the Alps while we rode, we hoped.

Everything went smoothly as we picked up our reserved bikes from the largest BMW Motorcycles dealership in Germany. I started on an R1200R but had a chance to ride the F800GT as well as the F800R, which was my favorite of the three by far. The staff walked us through the specifics of each our bikes and then we were off, follow-the-leader style, through the streets of Munich.

As we left the city via the Autobahn the scenery changed from interesting to absolutely breathtaking as we passed the emerald green lake of Tegernsee, crossed into Austria, rode over old Brenner Pass, through quaint villages and then up over Penserjoch pass. The riding was already intense and amazing, many of us stunned by the concept of lane splitting and passing on such insanely narrow roads. We were practically rubbing elbows with sports cars, busses, cyclists, hikers, and livestock.

Around 7:00 pm we arrived at our Swiss-inspired, castle-like hotel in the small town of Carezza. It was sunset and the jagged mountain peaks looming in the distance were turning a stunning shade of purple. Our group of tired, grinning riders and drivers settled in for an immense dinner and plenty of jugs of cold beer. After dinner a bunch of us stayed up very late talking under the stars.

Morning came quickly. The sky was perfectly blue, the air warm and humid, not crisp and cold like I was expecting. Cat arranged our large group into three smaller groups based on speed, riding ability, and special requests as noted from the day before. We fueled up and headed out, one guide leading, another acting as sweep.

Every bike was equipped with GPS, the hotel name and location programmed in case of separation. Each leader followed a carefully designed route that had been collaborated by our guides Norbert, Angela, Matthias, and Cat, with authenticity, and “off the beaten path” in mind.

Our first full day of riding through the Dolomites was impressive. We tackled 12 stunning passes in a tiring but amazing 10-hour day, crossing Passo Carezza, San Pellegrino Pass, Passo di Valles, Passo Rolle,Passo Cereda, and Aurine Forcella, before stopping at a tiny restaurant at the base of a striking hillside. There we enjoyed a delicious lunch of prosciutto-wrapped melon and cheesy sausage polenta while listening to the sound of kids playing soccer on the fields below.

Back on the bikes we swept up and over Passo Duran, Zoldo Alto, Passo Staulanza, and then paused for a break at the popular and massively scenic Passo Giau. As we stood at the summit our mouths gaped at the 360-degree view of awe-inspiring nature: ragged mountain tops jutting toward the clear sky, shades of green illuminating the hillsides, and twisty ribbons of asphalt meandering along the edges of steep cliffs.

"I feel like we’re in a scene of Lord of the Rings." Whispered our photographer Tomas (Toe) as the rest of us tried to forge the image firmly into memory, knowing that the photos wouldn’t do it justice.

There were motorcycles everywhere, every color, every brand, every size, every era. At that moment I realized that we were all there for the same experience, the same flow of endless curvy roads, breathtaking scenery, freedom, speed, and adventure.

“I've seen some beautiful things,” Said Brady, the youngest member of our tour, “but this right here is the best raw natural beauty there is. It doesn't get any more stunning than this."

We stared and we breathed and we took pictures and then we grinned and put our hot, and sweaty touring gear back on and rode down the other side. The next passes, Passo Falzarego and Passo Pordoi, blended together in a blur. Hairpin after hairpin, twist after twist, curve after curve, it was like a dance, a line of riders sweeping through the wind.

Our three groups arrived back at the hotel exhausted and just in time for a BBQ dinner and bonfire. There we sat, happily sharing stories of our day with each other and our fellow European riders.

Our third day in the Alps was equally amazing as we traversed Passo Nigra Laion, Würtzjoch Pass, Passo Gardena (Grödner Joch), Passo Sella Passo Carezza. These roads flowed with different alpine variety as we zipped through vineyards and apple orchards, past castles and through picture postcard villages. We ate lunch under a clock tower in a tiny cobblestone town.

It was hard to keep our eyes on the road with blankets of green squares patterning the hillsides, immaculate chalets, lush flower baskets dangling from shuttered windows, all vying for our attention.

Dinner at the hotel that night was outstanding and Cat passed around Tallisker whisky from his hometown of the Isle of Skye. We were full up.

Our last day in the Alps was the most challenging as we climbed Nova Levante and then Passo Manghen, one of the toughest most technical roads in the Alps. It was scary, exhilarating, difficult, and amazing. At the top we hugged each other, proud of making it safely to the top. Cat bought us the most delicious salami I’ve ever eaten, served on a cutting board with a sharp knife. "The only purpose of this road is to enjoy life,” he said grinning.

We rode Passo Broncon, Passo Rolle, Passo di Valles and the San Pellegrino Pass before heading back to the hotel for the final evening. It was bitter sweet to be done touring, but we were all excited to hit the racetrack! As if the twists and turns of over a dozen amazing Alpine passes wasn’t enough to satisfy our group’s need for lean angle, our tour also included two days of track riding at the Sachsenring.

Early the next day we meandered back to Munich, returned the bikes, collected rental cars and shuttled up to Chemniz, arriving in the middle of a massive lightning storm. We crossed our fingers for a dry sunny day at the track and were rewarded the next morning.

Getting our first glimpse of the Moto GP circuit of Sachsenring was awesome. All of us were literally bouncing up and down with excitement as we were led into our own garage where seven BMW S1000RRs sat wrapped in tire warmers waiting for us. Assigned to our group for both days were mechanics Andy McLeannan and Rico Vetter and a dedicated track instructor, Luca Sammet.

After listening to a translated version of the riders meeting we geared up and were ready to hit the track. I started in the B group with three others from our group and we were led around the track by Luca for a few laps. As a California Superbike School instructor I’m familiar with these mandatory sighting laps, but as an experienced roadracer I was eager to twist the throttle on my S1000RR. Sachsenring is a difficult track with many blind turns and tricky corners, but pretty soon I was up reference points and stringing together corners on my own.

It’s nearly impossible to explain the exhilaration of flying around an incredibly fast and manicured track like that, except to say that it’s on the highlight reel of my life (and I’ve done some cool things). By the third session I felt more at ease with the layout and more comfortable on the stock bike, mine in Race mode.

The local riders were courteous, safe, and friendly. There were a few crashes but the marshaling was amazing and the day ran on a perfectly crisp schedule. I was highly impressed with the incredibly well run track day put on by the organizer M3.

Each track bike had a transponder in order to access live timing. After each session you could come in and check your times, compare them to others in your group and see where you stood overall, and everyone did just that. During the noon break, officials went through all the lap times and re-organized the riders into groups according to their lap times, shuffling me up into the A group. I found this an effective way of ensuring safety and consistency on track.

The afternoon sessions were even more fun as our times improved and we got more comfortable with the challenging circuit. There were smiles, laughter, and high fives all around. We were told that the locals enjoyed seeing “the Americans” so happy and excited at their track.

At the end of the day, there was the usual bench racing banter, comparisons of lap times, and the typical competitive predictions for the next day.

Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better we had the opportunity to take a “drift taxi” ride. What better way to scare the pants off a self-professed control freak that hates being a passenger? I had to do it, so I jumped in the back seat of the MBW M4 with Ruben, the track manager and experienced rally car driver, while another from our group Armin rode up front. It was the best 35 Euro I’ve ever spent!

Flying around wet corners sideways, drifting to the edge of the track, hauling down the “waterfall” with Ruben poker faced, one hand on the wheel while I screamed in the back. It was an entirely new perspective of Sachsenring circuit.

Mentally and physically exhausted, we re-fueled together that night at Turm-Brahaus in Chemnitz with hunks of pork, schnitzel, and beer before falling into a blissful sleep.

Incredibly, the second day at the track was even more amazing. The smiles were bigger and the competition fiercer as we all pushed a little harder to beat our times from the session before. I tried out my new wooden knee pucks, purchased from a track vendor, and literally laughed out loud in my helmet when I smelled “campfire” as I railed around the corners.

As it stood, I came out with the fastest time of our group, eighteenth fastest out of all 156 riders, followed by Aussie racer Clint, and our talented photographer Toe. At day’s end, Matthias, on Cat’s request, plunked down a box of champagne bottles so that we could stand on the actual Moto GP podium and pretend we were winners. Posing on the top of the box and spraying my new friends with champagne was another insane highlight of the trip, we even sang the Canadian National Anthem.

Then it was time to say goodbye to our new German track friends, as our epic adventure was winding to a close.

In the morning we drank coffee and ate donuts at a local bakery before speeding back to Munich via the autobahn at a steady 150 mph. That afternoon we had a few hours to check out the sites, my first real “touristy” moment of a trip that was filled with world-class riding and steeped in authentic experiences.

Cat McLeod’s intention in creating Leod Escapes was to provide a motorcycle experience more focused on quality routes and an authentic riding adventure than seeing the popular sights. He wanted clients to escape their day-to-day life and live a rollercoaster of thrills and excitement for the duration of the tour. He wanted to combine scenic road riding with track riding in the perfect blend of motorcycle-adventure travel, and ensure that everyone left with an accurate understanding of the real place they just visited. “Travel spins the head at high speed,” he laughed, “Motorcyclists, we are all one big insane family.”

During our farewell dinner at Ayingers beer hall in the old center of Munich we lifted our glasses and belted out a traditional “gute laune!” (cheers), a phrase our guide Matthias had picked up from inebriated outdoor concerts in Germany. We passed around favorite photos, reminisced about special moments, and laughed at fond memories. I showed Cat the video of me, Clint, and Toe standing on the podium showering each other with champagne. He smiled wide and looked at all of us one by one. "This is my dream,” he said. “It's sitting right here at this table."

You can be a part of Cat's dream. These 10-day tours are offered every summer (with lots other tour packages available throughout the year and around the world) and ring in at $6,100 for the tour, a rental bike, and a shared room. For another $400 you can have your own private room, and for an additional $800 you're welcome to bring a passenger. Any way you slice it that's a lot of money to spend, but if you tally up the time and money it would cost you to arrange a similar trip you begin to realize that Leod trips are a pretty good value. Plus, trips like this are literally once-in-a-lifetime experiences, so start saving now and visit leodescapes.com to schedule your own epic trip.

Misti Hurst is a former AMA Pro Roadracer, a coach with the California Superbike School, an author, and the mother of two children.