Across the Alps
A daredevil crosses the Alps by mountain bike and lives to share the photos.
Alpenandreas Konieczny’s Cross
Crossing the Alps by mountain bike is probably one of the greatest adventures in Europe. Only during summer are some of the peaks and ridges free of snow to be passable.
So, I ventured out to find the most remote path through spectacular scenery, sheer painful uphills, and adrenaline rushing downhill rides.
I crossed four countries by riding for about 10 hours a day with only 3 things: a bike, a backpack and Hipstamatic.
The night before, I did not catch much sleep due to all the excitement and anticipation of what turned out to become an epic trip. There were moments of sheer joy and excitement. Going uphill on my own, singing out loud with just the wind in my face. I tried to capture some of those magical moments when the sunbeams came through the clouds, and the peaks just seemed to hypnotize me. Living from day-to-day and finding surprising occasions of people helping me along (thanks Yuri for the bed and breakfast), was making me feel free—like nothing else. But don’t be fooled:
This comes at a price. Often you have to carry the bike on your back over impossible ridges.
Feeling like a Sherpa, and severe tunnel vision kicking in, I was raw meat more often than I really cared for.
At some point in time, I was so completely exhausted that I could not go a step further, let alone actually riding the bike. So, you just sit there, recover a bit and take in the scenery. That’s when I snapped my best shots.
