Table of contents
to travel
Winter tour on Lake Constance
Winter tour on Lake Constance
Cross-country skiers
Motorcycling and winter sports do not have to be mutually exclusive. Frank Siepmann from Konstanz simply packs his cross-country skis into the dinghy in winter and enjoys the winter twice in the foothills of the Alps.
Frank Siepmann
02/07/2000
Lake Constance is a carrot and a stick in one. Pampered by the sun in summer, a dark bank of fog usually hangs over the region in winter. Already exposed to this uncomfortable gray for weeks, I decide to bring the old Guzzi T 850 team to life and go in search of real winter to prevent depression. With sun, snow and everything that goes with it. The Guzzi battery is connected to the charger overnight, the thick clothes are dug out, and the next morning man and machine are ready for winter. The old Italian girl jumps up and starts grumbling. The task now is to break through the upper limit of the nebula. You never know beforehand how high it is. So try it out. After looking at the map, I look for a route over several small mountains and viewpoints. From Konstanz I choose a small detour past the island of Mainau over the Bodanruck in the direction of Radolfzell. There is snow on the roadside and the damp cold bites almost painfully in the face. On the winding route to the Schiener Berg motorcycle meeting point, hope for a few rays of sunshine is growing for the first time. And indeed, finally I am high enough, I have escaped the fog and the sun bathes me in warm rays. I stop for a moment, charge as much solar energy as possible and then plunge back into the gray soup in the direction of Gaienhofen. But it has to be, because a cultural delicacy awaits in Gaienhofen. The writer and painter Hermann Hesse lived there for a few years, and his former home has now been converted into a small museum. Since Hesse traveled a lot himself, the house offers exciting reasons to stop there during a motorcycle tour. With the resolve to finally read a good book again in the cold winter months, I drive on to Stein am Rhein. I cross the Seerucken on a wonderfully winding road to finally head for the highest point of my day tour on the smallest tar strips: the Hulftegg. Before I reach the 953 meter high pass, however, I make a short but important stopover. At the castle of Herderen, a few kilometers north of the canton capital Frauenfeld, an excellent Riesling is stored in the wine cellar, of which I stow a few bottles in the trunk of the Guzzi team: A book by Hesse and this Swiss drop? Even long winter evenings on the dreary Lake Constance can be a pleasure. The journey to Hulftegg takes me for a while along the Toss before the ascent to the pass begins in Steg. Two kilometers before the top of the pass, however, it really becomes winter. A solid blanket of snow covers the steep road and I have to use all my driving skills to get the spinning rear wheel of the Guzzi under control. Rolling, but enthusiastically, I finally reach the top of the pass under the now clear blue sky. I fortify myself in a local barley soup, outside with a short sunbath. The route to Weinfelden offers a constant interplay of misty valleys and sunny heights. The transition from fog to sunshine creates fascinating light effects. And above, the snow glistens in the trees, the sunbeams sparkle in the ice crystals. To get my frozen muscles moving again, I steer the team over a couple of snow-covered dirt roads to the Ottenberg. Now is the opportunity for a special highlight of the tour: Knowing that there is a small, almost five-kilometer-long trail up here, I stowed the cross-country skis in the sidecar. Training for the next skiing holiday can begin. A couple of day trippers look a bit puzzled when I tackle the first lap, partly in ski gear and partly in motorcycle gear. After an hour I’m back on my motorcycle, changing my sweaty clothes and thirstily drinking a couple of apple spritzers. It will soon be dark, but Konstanz is already within reach. Soon the cold fog settles on me again, but it doesn’t bother me anymore. Because the solar panels are now charged again.
Winter tours
Motorcycling fun is definitely possible in winter. While team owners appreciate the pleasure of drifting in snow, two-wheeler pilots can also immerse themselves in the white splendor. If a stable high pressure zone follows after snowfall, sun and dry, cleared roads usually soon offer perfect conditions for winter cruising. Wrapped up warm and ideally equipped with heated grips and foot warmers, a couple of hours of winter driving are always in there. However, a very foresighted driving style is essential, as it is sometimes necessary to avoid remaining snow or icing on the road. (All information in the winter special in issue 24/2000.)
Related articles
-
Siepmann to travel Winter tour Finland Winter tour Finland Ice age on the motorcycle To explore one’s own limits and those of the 34-year-old Guzzi was…
-
to travel Around Lake Constance Around Lake Constance Addicted to the lake? Avoiding Lake Constance just because parents and grandparents have already…
-
Seitz to travel Alpine winter tour Alpine winter tour Winter for cold showers When the sun licks the ice off the streets for a short time, the…
-
to travel Winter tour Winter tour Caught cold In winter through the mountains on two wheels ?? a real challenge. And in the saddle of an almost…
-
Motorcycle tour tip – Lake Garda Croce Domini
Tour tips Exclusive motorcycle tours for children to follow Presented by Arturo Rivas to travel Motorcycle tour tip – Lake Garda Croce Domini Motorcycle…
-
Motorcycle tour to Lake Maggiore
Daams 41 pictures Daams 1/41 Motorbike / scooter tour to Lake Maggiore. Father and daughter drive together over an old route to the Gotthard. Daams 2/41…
-
Motorbike tour on Lake Constance – horsepower on the go with readers
Jahn to travel Motorbike tour on Lake Constance – horsepower on the move with readers House route PS – the corner paradise on the lake Out and about with…
-
fact to travel Lake Constance hinterland Lake Constance hinterland At 17 you still have dreams … … which today turn the clocks backwards in the form…
-
Tour tips motorcycle Lake Garda
Iron ham to travel Tour tips motorcycle Lake Garda With a motorcycle on Lake Garda 3 tour tips around the lake How’s the weather in Germany? Cold and…
-
Motorcycle tour tip – Lake Garda short tour
Tour tips Exclusive motorcycle tours for children to follow Presented by Arturo Rivas to travel Motorcycle tour tip – Lake Garda short tour Motorcycle…