The idea was born at the legendary race in Mammoth/USA in 1989. At the time, few believed that a tour operator for mountain bikers would be successful. Now, 35 years later, we know: We have turned our dream into a profession. As mountain bikers from the very beginning, we have been living the sport and enjoying success ever since. But this was only possible with loyal fans. Thank you, dear ALPS guests, for allowing us to celebrate this anniversary with you. We will continue to give our best for the next 35 years.
It all began in 1990 ...
The story of ALPS Biketours begins on March 6, 1990, with the founding of a limited company. Anke, Kerstin and Silvia return from a trip around the world with the idea of founding a specialist tour operator for mountain bike tours. Their professional partner at the time was none other than “Hans No-way Rey”. As onlookers at the first Kamikaze Downhill in Mammoth/USA, the three girls had felt the power of the mountain bike movement and decided to base their future on it. ALPS was one of the very first mountain bike tour operators in Europe.
The first ALPS catalogue
This is what it looked like, the first ALPS catalogue. As we initially saw our target group as American mountain bikers to whom we wanted to show Europe, the catalogue was only available in English. Tuscany, Lake Garda and St. Moritz were the destinations on the program. However, the big rush from America was a long time coming. We had to rethink.
A MAC and a 7 square meter office
The first Mac helped us enormously. We were already able to design all our flyers and the catalog with the Mickey Mouse computer from Apple, saving us costly help. The folders from our studies were emptied and filled with our first travel documents. This also saved money and made the start possible. On the side, we worked at trade fairs and in market research to supplement our cash flow.1991 – Weekend tours as a bestseller
We were underused with the vacation tours in Tuscany, on Lake Garda or in St. Moritz. So, we started offering day tours from Munich. At that time, the Isar metropolis was already infected by the mountain bike virus. Some of our offers quickly became bestsellers. The most popular tours were: around the Walchensee, through the Eschenleinetal, Samerberg, Kranzberg and excursions to the Berchtesgaden region. Mountain bike tours were in vogue.
Press work – by bike
We started doing press work. That meant we put brochures and our best smiles on our bikes and went around all the Munich editorial offices. We were able to get the Abendzeitung interested in our idea straight away. “Die Freundin” reported on us as ‘successful young start-up company’, and we were also worth a few lines to the magazine ‘Quick’. The phones started ringing.1992 – A bus driver's license was needed
In order to take our guests to the starting points, we had to set up a bus company in accordance with German regulations and present a passenger transport license. Our first vehicle was an old VW bus, which was stuffed full of bikes and people. Anke was our first bus operator. Later we bought a Mercedes.
1993 – The first travel agency for mountain bikers
While we toured Tuscany with our guests in the summer and served picnics from the bus, the office in Munich remained occupied. A key advantage, as it soon turned out, because we quickly became the “1st travel agency for mountain bikers”. In Europe and around the world, more and more bike centers emerged that were looking for a marketing partner in Germany. As mountain bikers from the very beginning, we were well connected in the industry. We quickly got to know the best mountain bike destinations throughout Europe and arranged trips to these countries.
1994 – Bike Stations worldwide
The era of bike stations reaches its peak. Many mountain bike enthusiasts see this as their future. We arrange more and more trips all over the world. In Europe, Crete and the Canary Island of Gomera become the absolute favorite destinations for mountain bikers who love to travel. However, there are also more and more “black sheep” on the market. That is why we are continuing to refine our own tour program. Tuscany is the bestseller. But destinations such as Malta are also very popular. We are happy about this, as we regularly get on our bikes ourselves. The meeting of many bike stations organized by us at the Eurobike fair in Friedrichshafen is also great.
1995 – the Transalp movement begins
Inspired by various reports from friends and in bike magazines, we became more and more familiar with the subject of crossing the Alps. We included the first “Transalp Tour” organized by Peter Conrad from Garmisch in our program. However, the tour from the Zugspitze to Lake Garda only found tentative friends. It was too difficult, too strenuous and only intended for really extreme bikers. Chief executive Kerstin sets off with Tom on her first own Transalp in Lenggries. All paths had to be rideable. Carrying passages were undesirable. The foundation stone for the “Transalp Adria” is laid.
Mountain bike USA
The “Transalp” was still an insider topic back then. Most bikers dreamed of the trails in the USA. Clearly, we had to see them for ourselves. We climbed Mouna Kea in Hawaii, experienced the now legendary “San Juan Trail” with the bikes from Laguna Beach, and also took a look at the Red Canyon near Las Vegas. Mountain biking in the USA was just super cool back then! Here are a few pictures:
1. Fat Tire Festival in Winterberg
Simply cool. The 1st Fat Tire Festival in Winterberg brought the mountain bike spirit across the pond. More than 7000 enthusiastic fans came. We were partners in the organizing committee and organized the complete tour program, and a lot of workshops on site. A detailed report was then broadcast on “Mountain Bike TV” on German sports television. Here is our part in the report:1996 – Transalp to the Lago di Santa Croce
For the second time, Kerstin and Tom set off as the ALPS Explorer Team to cross the Alps from Lenggries to Lago di Santa Croce. They deliberately chose a destination other than Lake Garda. A year later, a major travel story was published in BIKE magazine. More and more people are catching Transalp fever. ALPS, the “travel agency for mountain bikers” in Munich, is also arranging more and more destinations all over the world. We move to a larger office at Tengstraße 1.
1997 – First warm-up in Crete
“Mallorca for road cyclists - Crete for mountain bikers.” That was our idea at the birth of the BIKE Warm-up. The first destination of the instantly popular event was the Mediterranean island of Crete. Thanks to our long-standing collaboration with Bike Station Hellas Biketravel, we had become aware of the island of Crete. One of the best hotels in Greece served as our base. We remained loyal to the island for 5 years until we moved to Sicily.
Transalp fever takes hold of everyone
Anke plans her first crossing of the Alps with her partner at the time, Frank. Enthusiastic but also exerting all her strength, she mastered stages with often more than 2000 meters of altitude per day. The luggage also weighed heavily on her back. Influenced by these tough self-experiences, she had the brilliant idea. Crossing the Alps should also be a vacation. The idea for the first “Transalp light” on the classic route from the Zugspitze to Lake Garda was born. The concept proved to be an unparalleled success story. At last, “normal bikers” could also feel and enjoy the Transalp experience. An idea that found many imitators.
World Cup Kaprun
At that time, no one who was anyone in the bike scene was allowed to miss the World Cup in Kaprun. Stars such as Missy Giove, Greg Herbold and Brian Lopes could simply be met in the pizzeria in the evening. We also had a stand at the event and promoted the BIKE magazine.1998 – First “Transalp-light”
Together with two test subjects, who are sporty but not extreme mountain bikers, Anke tackles the first Transalp light. The route follows the main features of the historic “Via Claudia”, which was still completely unknown among bikers at the time. For the sake of simplicity, the Alpine crossings were simply numbered consecutively in the ALPS program. The tour was therefore initially called “Transalp 1”.
First youth camp takes place in Todtnau
Never before has an MTB event been booked out so quickly. Together with the BIKE magazine, we launched the first youth camp. No sooner had the appeal appeared in the magazine, than there were no more places left. The final report said: “The big material battle: 79 kids shredded a whole mountain of material in seven days. 120 tubes, 9 forks, 10 shocks, 25 brakes, 4 frames, 15 chains, 13 rims, 22 derailleurs, 9 coats and 23 unspecified parts ... By the way, Rob J. from Team Nicolai was discovered at the first youth camp. The foundation stone for a professional career was laid.1999 – The travel agency grows and grows...
The mountain bike boom conquers every last corner of Germany. The desire to travel is correspondingly high. More and more mountain bikers are drawn to faraway places. The ALPS travel agency arranges special trips all over the world and works with around 50 partners around the globe. The premises in Tengstraße becomes too small. We move to the Münchner Au to Zeppelinstraße.
2000 – Partner of Bavarian Radio
Bavarian Radio becomes aware of us and engages us as a partner. We handle the bookings for the BR cycle tour across the Alps to Cesenatico. The “travel agency for mountain bikers” is established. However, we are already feeling the competition from the Internet. The bikers come to us for expert advice, but then increasingly book themselves on the spot. A painful experience.
Kerstin and Tom in the USA
Every mountain biker dreams of experiencing all the fascinating single trails in the USA. Kerstin and Tom made this dream come true in May 2000, and took a break for almost two years. They toured the USA, Canada and Baja California with a truck and trailer and experienced one mountain bike adventure after another. While Tom continued to report online for BIKE magazine, Kerstin completed all kinds of ALPS assignments. Contacts were made with American bike companies and organizers and even a dealer trip was organized for Schwinn.2001 – Salesmen tours begin
The industry became aware of us. After Schwinn, the company Giant also approaches us with the organization of Salesmen trips. We organize a great dealer week in Sicily. Giant has remained loyal to us for years. We also traveled with the dealers to Gran Canaria and Cyprus and discovered the roads around Side in Turkey as a great biking area. Later, we also organized major Salesmen events for ZEG and Shimano in Spain.
2002 – A year of change
The Internet is increasingly competing with the “travel agency for mountain bikers”. At the same time, interest in our self-organized tours is growing. More and more guests appreciate the ALPS philosophy and become loyal regular customers. Silvia makes a life decision and moves to Italy with her partner. The “old” company ALPS Mountain Bike Tours is dissolved. Two new, independent companies are created. ALPS Biketours in Munich and ALPS Tours based in Switzerland. We strengthen our commitment to the Transalp tours. The Transalp Dolomiti is added to the program. We are also stepping up the pace at our events. After Crete, the warm-up will take place in Sicily for the first time. The parties are still considered legendary today. And we are checking out a dream destination in Provence. Next year, the season finale will take place there for the first time. Everyone is thrilled.
2003 – The Transalp network grows
The Alps are the most beautiful area for mountain bikers. Based on this realization, we continued to expand our Transalp network. A rather easy tour from Imst to Lake Maggiore was checked out. The Transalp Vital (Engadin) was born. Val Mora was still largely unknown to mountain bikers at the time. In Livigno, hardly anyone was thinking about bikes. The Transalp Vital delighted everyone right away. Not too difficult and at the same time full of alpine highlights. We met the tastes of many.
Transalp preparation
In the ALPS office, it's not unusual for everyone's ears to be ringing when a working day comes to an end. Many people who are curious about the Transalp ask us all kinds of questions. But not all questions could be answered exhaustively over the phone. That's why we needed a practical weekend. We set up the first Transalp preparation weekend in Benediktbeuren. It was a great success right from the start.
First Bike Gourmet
And another successful tour celebrates its premiere this year. The Bike Wellness in Völs am Schlern. Together with our friend and hotelier Stefan Pramstrahler, we wanted to offer something special. We had the mountain bike know-how, he had the beautiful hotel and the best cuisine. The two complemented each other perfectly. The BIKE Gourmet Tour has been fully booked every year since then.2004 – GPS and tour planning
A new era of tour planning is dawning at ALPS Biketours. GPS and digital maps replace the classic planning aids. With the Transalp Swiss, planner Tom develops a tour mainly from his desk for the first time. Every meter is planned digitally before the start of the maiden tour. We start at Lake Constance and arrive at Lake Maggiore a day earlier than planned. We never had to ask for directions, there was never any doubt about where we were. The tour itself was a real highlight for us. The Swiss mountain bike routes were largely unknown to us until then. PS: the digital maps for Switzerland cost almost 500 euros at the time.
2005 – 15 years of ALPS
Our warm-up in Sicily is in top form in spring. The biking area and parties are simply outstanding. We also venture into a new field of activity:
the Trekkingbike-Transalp. We are working on the Trekking Via Claudia.
With the Transalp Trekking Via Claudia, we are once again hitting a new trend. The participants of the maiden tour are enthusiastic about the clever
combination of newly built cycle paths, easy gravel roads, as well as the best hotels and cozy Buschenschanken. Our Transalp preparation weekend is also
so popular that we have to look for a new location. Fortunately, we win the Arabella Hotel in Lenggries as our partner. Everything is perfect here.
2006 – The trekking bike program grows
The Transalp Swiss also had the finger on the pulse. Our guests are increasingly looking for alternatives to Lake Garda. The “rideability” of all routes is also well received by all participants and of course the perfect finish on Lake Maggiore. At the same time, we are working on a new trekking bike tour through the Alps. Even before the new Dolomite cycle path on the route of the old railroad line is completed, we set off on our maiden tour. We find our “Transalp Trekking Dolomites” to be one of the most beautiful trekking cycle routes ever. Our guests later proved us right.
2007 – 11 different Transalp routes
The bike magazine “Trekkingbike” publishes a detailed report on our maiden tour of the “Transalp Trekking Dolomites”. The editorial team, readers and our guests have been extremely interested in this new cycle route right from the start. The first tours are promptly booked out, and the participants are correspondingly enthusiastic.
Our “Transalp Trentino” mountain bike tour celebrates its premiere in 2007. Meticulously planned the previous year, our guides Tom and Thomas set off on the first complete tour in June. The requirement for this new mountain bike transalp: no more than 1500 meters of altitude per day and as many technical trails as possible. We were once again meeting the demand of the time, for more and more rideable single trails.
2008 – Social media launched
While the Internet was the death knell for the MTB travel agency in 2000, it is now proving to be an absolute plus for our company. We put more and more information online and can thus present the various tours much more accurately. We are also getting into social media. During the warm-up in Turkey, we shoot our first YouTube video and launch the ALPS TV channel. The film “The perfect Transalp bike” goes through the roof with 123,145 views. In addition, our 2009 catalogue goes online digitally for the first time in the fall. Since then, all catalogs have also been available online at https://issuu.com/ALPS-magazin.
Relocation to Fraunhoferstraße
And we reach another milestone in Munich. We move into a new office at Fraunhoferstraße in the heart of the Gärtnerplatz district. The location is ideal for us.2009 – New Transalp concept
We change our Transalp concept. Bikers are looking for more and more trails and technical riding experiences. Nevertheless, the tours must not be too difficult. The Transalp Marmolata from Bruneck to Trient crosses only one section of the Alps for the first time, and we deliberately incorporate cable car transfers. We are also moving the starting points of other Transalp routes further south. This allows us to ride more technical routes without making the tour more difficult. The concept works.
We discover Alicante
The warm-up in spring delights many of our guests. But we no longer want to go to Turkey. Fortunately, Anke and Peter discover a perfect trail area in Alicante/Spain. We remain loyal to Spain for over 10 years - until the pandemic.2010 – 20 years of ALPS
First Come Together
We naturally want to celebrate our company's 20th birthday with our guests. So, we organize the first Come Together in a 5-star hotel in Bayrischzell. The success motivates us to organize such events on a permanent basis. The foundation stone for our popular “Come Together” was laid.2011 – First E-Bike Transalp
Our many regular guests are our motivation to greatly expand the ALPS program. The warm-up in Alicante is attended by almost 100 guests, and in the fall the season finale in Nals starts for the first time with almost 40 guests. We are also planning a riding technique camp especially for our guests. We checked out the trails in Livigno and were thrilled. The area is perfect for our purposes. Another new addition to the program is a “Transalp Slovenia”. We are taking a completely different approach. The tour should be sporty, but not too difficult in terms of riding technique. Some of our customers have been waiting for just such a tour. And Anke reaches another milestone on the Transalp Trekking Via Claudia. She is crossing the Alps on an e-bike for the first time. We wanted to test how long the battery would last. The KTM trekking bike with Bosch motor and 400-watt battery performed bravely. It was clear to us that we were facing a new challenge.
2012 – The camps inspire
The many different Transalp routes do not make the decision easy for many guests. Therefore, we are putting more and more decision-making aids on the Internet. We develop booklets and cultural guides for each individual tour and make them online available in a special guest area. There are also more and more videos on the internet that make the tours come alive. This makes personal advice much easier. Our tours from a fixed location are also attracting more and more attention. We are working on new concepts.
2013 – Guide training and first aid course
The Transalp preparation weekend is becoming an increasingly important event at the start of the season. Industry representatives support us with workshops on perfect equipment and nutrition. There we also can work intensively with our sponsors. Expert presentations from Seeberger, Deuter, Schwalbe and Löffler are a great enrichment. The Transalp preparation weekend is a must for all new guides. We organize training courses and the whole team completes a first aid course specially organized with the mountain rescue service. Good training is becoming increasingly important for our guides.
2014 – ALPS on Facebook and at trade fairs
After the success on YouTube, regular posts on Facebook are a must from 2014. Transalp-Guide Sascha particularly focuses on our social media, while he is taking on more and more important tasks in the office. We soon have our own community. We also increased our presence at trade fairs. The “Free” in Munich and the CMT in Stuttgart become a fixed part of our schedule. We also venture briefly to Bremen and Freiburg. We've been at Eurobike every year since 1991 anyways.
2015 – Instagram and four new Transalp routes
Social media is becoming more and more important. Instagram also convinces us. Since then, regular posts have been part of our daily routine - a lot of work, but we and our guests are happy about it. In addition, the Transalp network was given another significant boost in 2004. After a successful Transalp Südtirol, the Transalp Latemar and the Transalp Cortina are added to the program. We are also working on the Transalp Drei Zinnen. The Transalp concept has finally abandoned the north-south dogma. The Alpine experience is becoming more and more important.
2016 – E-bike inquiries from guests
The first Come Together at Achensee hits like a bomb with our guests. With 80 registrations, we have to draw a line under it. The event was so well received that it became a permanent fixture in the ALPS program. We also venture into a new region in the Transalp program. After years, we finally manage to find suitable hotels in the Soca Valley and through Slovenia. The Transalp Adria is checked out. We also receive more and more requests to use e-bikes on our Transalps. Bikers are still skeptical about electric assistance. Therefore, we are not accepting any bookings. Individual exceptions are only made for events.
2017 – First company E-MTBs
It is clear that E-bikes and E-MTBs are on the rise. Consequently, we purchase the first E-MTBs for the company. Kerstin and Tom take them on tour checks over the summer on the Brenner border ridge, on the Rosengarten and of course on our popular Transalp Riva route. Their verdict is clear: we need our own E-bike program. Right from the start, we don't want to mix tours. It's clear to us that a new movement is coming our way.
2018 – E-bike catalog and trailcamp.de
In the ALPS office, ideas and events are coming thick and fast. E-MTB is the dominant theme, but of course we also want to offer our organic bikers something new. We are pushing both programs in parallel. For the first time, we are publishing a separate E-bike and E-MTB catalogue and going online with the web address www.go-ebike.de. We already offer 13 different experience for E-bikes only, including 9 Transalp dates. All tours have been revised and checked. The aim is to adapt the daily stages to the performance of 500 Watt batteries and to avoid any carrying sections.
However, the organic bikers are still far in the majority. Technical tours and events with lots of single trails are increasingly in demand. In 2018, not only the Transalp Enduro Sella is added to the program, also the idea of TRAILCamps is born. The website www.trailcamp.de goes online and the TRAILCamps are developed. We also dare to plan a Transalp round tour through South Tyrol for the first time - today's Transalp Seiser Alm. Yes, and another big event casts its shadow ahead. 2020, we want to celebrate 30 years of ALPS in style with our guests. We are starting preparations for a major Lago event on Lake Garda.
2019 – Tour planning E-bikes only
The triumph of E-MTBs is casting its shadow early on. More and more E-bikers want to book our popular warm-up in Alicante. We therefore offer our own bike shuttle. Sascha and Sevy drive the well-insured, fully loaded truck more than 2,500 kilometers to Spain and back. We realize that E-MTBs will be an integral part of the events from now on. Thus, we take high-performance E-bikes with us to the next tour check at the Lago and work out a specially tailored tour program.
2020 – The corona shock
The Corona pandemic also catches us off guard. The team arrives optimistically in Alicante in March. But once there, we quickly realized that the event could no longer go ahead. Spain imposes a lockdown earlier than Germany, and so we call all our guests personally. The airport in Spain was closed, but luckily, we managed to get hold of a hire car at the airport. In convoy with our bike truck, we head back to a still unsuspecting Germany.
The pandemic paralyzes all activities until July. We are not the only ones fearing for our future. Fortunately, our guests are also desperate to get out. We organize at least a few events and Transalp tours with a lot of effort, sometimes under strict conditions. However, the big birthday party on Lake Garda is cancelled. Eventually, we got off lightly. We also use the summer for further tour checks. With the Transalp Veneto, we develop a Transalp for E-MTB only for the first time. With the support of the driving force, more vertical meters can be achieved at an easier level. However, the descents must not be too difficult. And another milestone will be set in 2020. We are saying goodbye to the expensive print catalogue and publishing it digitally only. Our program now includes 170 Transalp tours and the team consists of 50 competent guides.
2021 – Transalp podcast starts
In the shadow of the pandemic, a great deal of uncertainty still hovers over our Transalp program. However, we are optimistic and are planning as many dates as possible. Although the E-program is growing strongly, more than 80 percent of our guests are still only on the road with muscle power. On the other hand, our E-program is very popular. At the event on Lake Garda, for example, we were suddenly confronted with almost 50 percent E-bike guests. Everyone loves our tours. Alicante is history, and the foundations have been laid for a new must-do event in spring. We also discover the podcast medium as an ideal mouthpiece for more information. We launch our podcast “Abenteuer Transalp” with many different basic topics, perfectly complementing our information offering.
2022 – Everyone wants to get out
The ballast of the pandemic has finally been thrown off. Everyone wants to get out. New TRAILCamps in Sesto and in Harz are enthusiastically received. There is also another pure E-MTB-Transalp on a new route to Lake Garda. However, we and our guests are particularly excited about a new trekking bike tour across the Alps. The Transalp Trekking Alpe Adria is a new highlight in the ALPS program.
2023 – Fine-tuning all tours
Fine-tuning the tours is the focus of the tasks for 2023. The demands of our guests are changing enormously under the influence of E-mobility. All tours will be put to the test once again and thoroughly reformed. We can now draw on the expert input of 60 guides. We are also becoming increasingly enthusiastic about Germany and are adding the TRAILCamp in the Spessart region to our program. And another pilot project is being tackled. We are sending some scouts across the Alps on gravel bikes and see enormous potential. A first pure gravel bike Transalp is being developed and the pilot tour is being carried out.
2024 – New: 2 pure gravel bike Transalp tours
Some ALPS guides are in full gravel bike fever. As a result, in 2024 we are adding two pure gravel bike Transalp routes to Lake Garda to the program for the first time. The participants of the maiden tours are euphoric. A new Transalp trend is emerging here. Our E-program is also experiencing a clear push towards more demanding tours. The bikes have increasingly powerful batteries and the riders have more and more experience, even in difficult terrain. That´s why we are adding the demanding Transalp Cortina and the Transalp Sella to our program.
2025 – 35 years of experience
22 different MTB Transalp routes for enthusiastic mountain bikers, 22 individual E-MTB routes, 5 enjoyable trekking bike Transalp routes, 2 pure gravel bike Transalps, 4 big bike events for everyone, 7 cool TRAILCamps with riding technique training. Plus, a brand new Transalp route to Slovenia and two new TRAILCamps. Brixen, which spontaneously celebrated a successful premiere in September 2024, and a brand new one on the beautiful island of Elba, the perfect end to the season in October 2025. The ALPS program is bigger than ever in the anniversary year. In addition, two challenging Transalp tours have been reactivated and partially rescheduled for organic bikers. The Transalp Cortina and the Transalp Uina to Lake Garda. Celebrations to mark the anniversary.
