OF THE MOST10 BEAUTIFUL MOTORCYCLE ROADS ON EARTH! There are many great roads for motorcycling on lead tours for many years now and they explored our planet. When planning your next trip you have almost every corner of this world on a motorcycle. the agony of choice! To make this choice a little So if there is someone who is truly able to judge easier for you, we picked 10 roads that we believe which roads belong to the best out there - our are among the most beautiful ones on earth. This guides are definitely among them! might sound like a bold statement to you – who I hope you will enjoy these inspirations and they are are we to judge? a great motivation to continue exploring the world Well, our tour guides who picked these roads have on two wheels! ENJOY THESE INSPIRATIONS AND HOPEFULLY YOU‘LL GET TO EXPLORE ONE OR MORE OF THESE ROADS SOON! Tobias Wachter // Owner & Managing Director Edelweiss Bike Travel Rainer Buck // Managing Director Edelweiss Bike Travel www.edelweissbike.com THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOTORCYCLE ROADS ON EARTH Mount Fuji MOUNT FUJI JAPAN SOUTH SIDE: MT. FUJI SKYLINE (8 MI, 23 HAIRPIN TURNS) EAST SIDE: FUJI AZAMI LINE (7.8 MI, 37 HAIRPIN TURNS) Mount Fuji, at 3.776m (12,388ft), is the highest mountain in The windy road in the South, the Fujisan Skyline, used to Japan and located in the central area of the Honshu island. be a toll road, but it is now toll-free. A flowing ride of 23 Along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku, it ranks among hairpin turns on a distance of 8 miles takes you up to the Japan’s „Three Holy Mountains“. The mountain has a great “Fujinomiya Trail 5th station“. The second fun road up this appeal not only to the Japanese, but also to people around sacred lava mountain is the “Mt. Fuji Azami Line“ on the East the world. In the 17.-19. centuries, the Japanese people side. Starting from Subashiri, the ascent takes you up on believed that the volcano was inhabited by several gods 37 sweeping bends and over a stretch of road of 7 miles. and that it holds mystic energies. Apart from those hiking Over this distance, you climb about 1160 meters and the up the summit, Mount Fuji, nowadays, is mostly conquered maximum slope is 16 %. by bicyclists and motorcyclists, which shows that the volcano Both roads are open for private vehicles only in the months of hasn’t lost any of its magical attraction. The last big eruption May and October. During the entirety of the official climbing of the composite volcano took place about 10,000 years ago season (July to September) they are both closed for private and it last erupted in 1707. Today there are four different vehicles, which make the “Mt. Fuji Skyline“ and the „Fuji roads leading up the mountain, each of which has a so Azami Line“ two of those rare and truly special motorcycle called “5th station“, from which hikers start the ascent to rides. the summit. AN AMAZING FEELING TO HAVE THIS AESTHETIC AND IMPRESSIVE VOLCANO RIGHT UNDER YOUR WHEELS! Angela de Haan // Edelweiss Tour Guide THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOTORCYCLE ROADS ON EARTH Doubless Bay DARGAVILLE – DOUBLESS BAY NEW ZEALAND SECTION: OPONONI – MANGAMUKA GORGE – DOUBLESS BAY ROAD: SH12 (124 MI) If you follow the SH12 in direction Dargaville, also called While traffic gets less and less on the way to Opononi, you’ll “Gumdigger Highway”, you will already find the first highlights reach the 18-mile-long fjord Hokianga Harbour, which is a of New Zealand: The precious resin of the Karui trees, which unique ecosystem which reaches far into the inland. Once looks like amber. You won’t find many tourists in this area, arrived in Opononi, there’s time to enjoy the amazing view on but you can meet a Kiwi original – Rick Taylor. He has been the Niua dunes. processing Kauri wood and producing art for the last 30 years After the ferry transfer to Rawene, the street leads to a ride with his 80-year-old turning machine. There’s also enough through the thinly-served and vertiginously curvy gorge time here for a quick, relaxing side tour to Baylys Beach, a Mangamuka, which goes through the rain forest for about 12 62-mile-long, untouched sand beach, where you’ll meet no miles. Once arrived in Doubtless Bay you don’t have to wait one except for some surfers. Wonderful! long for the next highlight, because not far away there is Cape Riding on the SH12 in direction North you’ll then ride Reinga, the (almost) most Northern point of New Zealand. through Farmland and will eventually enter Waipua Forest, This country offers pure adventure – you’ll be speechless an unforgettable adventure in Northland, because the with amazement. street winds its way through the impressive rainforest. LITTLE TOURISM AND A GREAT VARIETY. I WAS FASCINATED BY THE PEOPLE, THE KAURI TREES, THE EXTENSIVENESS OF THE LANDSCAPE & OF COURSE THE MANGAMUKA GORGE. Ursula Peter // Edelweiss Tour Guide THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOTORCYCLE ROADS ON EARTH Berga - Col de Nargo BERGA - COL DE NARGO SPAIN SECTION: BERGA - COL DE NARGO ROAD: BV 4241 AND L401 ( 50 MI) One of my favourite rides is in the Pyrenees, a mountain This road is not a mountain pass, it follows a mountain range between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean with Spain ridge for the first half through the forest to a beautiful lake on the southern side and France in the North. The Pyrenees near Saint Llorenc and then continues in higher elevation are still a hidden gem among all motorcycle regions in the with great views. The last part goes through a really narrow world, have much less traffic than in the Alps and provide colourful canyon before it ends in Col de Nargo at the main absolutely great riding on well paved roads. This particular road to Andorra. The amount of curves on this section is road I picked lies in the southern part in Spain in Catalunia absolutely crazy and there are all kinds of curves you can and connects Berga and Col de Nargo on the BV 4241 and imagine. Some wide sweepers, some hairpins, but most of L401. This stretch of road is about 80 km or 55 miles long the time just rock and roll on the bike. There is only one and there are about 1200 curves along the way. village you go through, Saint Llorenc, which gives you a little Why is this road so good? It is a real workout on the bike, rest and an opportunity to fill up your bike and have a coffee. incredibly twisty on excellent pavement. The grip is like on a For me this road is a rider‘s heaven, but only if you can handle racetrack and there is no traffic at all. On top of it you have the many curves. After riding it you might get an idea why some fantastic views over the mountains. Some might get there are so many excellent Spanish riders in the Moto GP. even dizzy from all that curves and you should not overdo it. THE ROAD FROM BERGA TO COL DE NARGO IS RIDING AT ITS BEST, ENDLESS TWISTIES AND PERFECT ROAD QUALITY WITH NO TRAFFIC! Michael Göbel // Edelweiss Tour Guide THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOTORCYCLE ROADS ON EARTH Gorges de l’Ardèche GORGES DE L’ARDÈCHE FRANCE SECTION: SAINT-MARTIN-D’ARDÈCHE - VALLON-PONT-D’ARC ROAD: D290 (24 MI) Southern France offers a myriad of wonderful corners, from grip. The multitude of panoramic stops adds a special touch the mighty peaks of the Maritime Alps to the glitzy French to this incredible road. Don’t miss the viewpoints Belvédère Riviera, also known as Côte d’Azur – or from the lavender des Templiers, where the river creates a big U-shaped bend, hills of the Provence to the medieval villages of Languedoc, and the Belvédère de Madeleine, near the eponymous grotto surrounded by precious wineries. For several centuries these discovered by a shepherd in 1887. regions have attracted an outstanding number of visitors, Towards the end of the canyon you will meet the Pont including us motorcyclists, lured by the fabled curvy roads, d’Arc, an impressive natural stone arch across the Ardèche. which seem like brush strokes of a Van Gogh painting on a This place is also a popular beach and a beloved place for canvas of hills and fields. This landscape has been shaped kayaking. by the constant erosion by rivers which created marvels of nature like the Gorges de l’Ardèche – one of the most If you still have time, get rid of your gear and jump into the interesting canyons of Europe. water for a refreshing bath. Otherwise, the surroundings of the Gorges are also a real highlight with the medieval This ride starts in Saint-Martin-d’Ardèche and follows the villages of Labeaume and Saint-Montan, which form are a northern side of the canyon. 24 miles of pure riding fun, curves picturesque maze of narrow and steep cobbled alleys. designed with a perfect radius and an asphalt with plenty of AN ADRENALINE-RUSH RIDE IN ONE OF THE MOST STUNNING CANYONS OF EUROPE. Manuel Marabese // Edelweiss Tour Guide THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOTORCYCLE ROADS ON EARTH Highway 1 - Big Sur HIGHWAY 1 AT BIG SUR USA (KALIFORNIEN) SECTION: CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA - SAN SIMEON ROAD: HIGHWAY 1 (72 MI) Highway 1 stretches along the Californian coast of the Pacific The route itself offers als kinds of curves, which admittedly Ocean from San Juan Capistrano South of Los Angeles to can’t be compared to an Alpine pass, but it’s the whole Leggett, far North of San Francisco.