Traveling by bike is both a challenge and a way to slow down. You travel faster than on foot, yet you experience everything much more intensely than with any other means of transport. And it's very strenuous, especially when traveling in the mountains.

It all started with a bike tour through the Netherlands. That's what you do when you live in Hanover and have good school friends. But always having the wind in your face isn't fun in the long run.

And so the idea of a trip through the Dolomites all the way down to Ravenna was born. A visit to Venice, which was not yet overcrowded at the time, was a must.

We grew bolder and set off from Munich to Istria (then still Yugoslavia). We crossed the Grossglockner and several other passes.

And the last of the big tours took us from Geneva to Nice along the Route Grandes Alpes.

All tours were always with luggage, a tent, and a sleeping bag. Back then, our converted racing bikes still had 10-speed gears and a 28-tooth rear sprocket. We had to make do with that.

After these long cycling trips, there were many weekend tours - mostly in Switzerland - and several participations in the Swiss Alpine Brevet (not always successful - but always a lot of fun).