Mountain bike guide for Alpenevent

One of my greatest experiences is to lead 6-day tours across the Alps for the company, Alpenevent.

I've been guiding for Alpenevent since 2014 and regularly ride over the Alps from southern Germany, through Austria, Switzerland and Italy at least 4 times per year.

While riding a tour for Alpenevent, you certainly know when we've arrived. The usual caravan exists of up to 30 participants, 3 guides and a valued colleague who takes care of all the logistics.  This can be quite overwhelming for many hotels.

My first adventure over the Alps was in 2005, from Erwald (Austria) to Lake Garda (Italy). I still remember the excitement of waking up in the morning and preparing myself mentally and physically for the day's ride. The feeling of euphoria at reaching the destination, looking back and seeing the mountains we had ridden over. This was the drug that drove me to ride again and again over the Alps. I've lost count now of how many times I've done this.

I'd ridden, as a customer, with Alpenevent many times over the years. In 2013, during their first Dolomiti tour, I received and invitation from the owner of the business to join the team as a guide. Although a little late in my cycling career, I gratefully accepted the invitation and enrolled in the necessary training with DIMB (Deutsche Initiative Mountainbike).

However, before I could take the responsibility of leading a tour of paying customers, I needed to learn the route and it's variations in every last detail. That meant riding the different tours, alone with my rucksack full of maps, while taking copious notes and photos én-route.