The roads for bikers are endless. Famous, unknown, busy, deserted, twisty, fast. There is something for all tastes, there are no rules or limits. In this article we have chosen five in Europe, which represent as many mythical places for two wheels. Some routes concentrate tracks and exciting panoramas in a few kilometres, others are more demanding, still others belong to areas where even if your gps turns off, or you lose the map and take a random road you always end up covering fantastic paths.
How do you find the one that's right for you among these five? We recommend reading the descriptions and then, if they are convincing, looking for some images of those places: a panoramic view of a valley with a ribbon of asphalt that disappears on the horizon will suffice, but also a simple glimpse of two hairpin bends, to bring the desire to grab the helmet and go down to the garage.
Just a recommendation. Some roads are open to traffic only for a certain period: before leaving, it is therefore advisable to find out by consulting the relative official websites on availability and also on any events that could cause blockages or excessive traffic.
France - Gorges du Verdon
Indicative length: 45 km (70 km with the ring detour)
Site: www.verdontourisme.com
In Provence one of the most fascinating routes is that of the Gorges du Verdon. It is located in the south-eastern part of France, and is famous because it runs along the deepest canyon in Europe, with overhangs reaching up to 700 meters deep. The road has undergone a profound restructuring, aimed at tourism: it provides lay-bys to admire the panorama and the show is therefore guaranteed, and it is also certified, since 1990 the area has been classified as a protected natural area.
You can go along both banks, the right and the left; recommended the first. In this case the route starts from Castellane and ends at Moustiers-Sainte-Marie.
From Castellane proceed on the D952 to Rougon, and already facing a rich winding path we head towards the highest part of the Parc du Verdon. Drive alongside the river, always keeping to the right bank in the direction of La Palud-sur-Verdon and the first stage, a small detour not to be missed, is the Point Sublime, about 18 km from the start. It is the first point of view on the canyon, with the split of the coloured rock overhanging the emerald water of the river.
Once in Palud-sur-Verdon another detour: it is a must to take the Route des Crêtes, a 23 km circular route that offers various viewpoints overlooking the top of the highest cliffs of the Gorges, with breathtaking views.
Back on the main road, the D952, and having tackled the numerous bends that descend from the Col d'Ayen and the hill de l'Olivier, the canyon softens, and the boats that can be seen below announce that we are approaching the destination. the lake of Sainte-Croix, an immense expanse of emerald.
After a visit to the village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, one of the most beautiful in France, take the direction of the lake of Sainte-Croix, 4km away and stop at the Pont de Galetas: end of the journey; from here the most famous photographs of the Gorges du Verdon are taken.
Germany - the Nürburgring
Length: 20.8 km
Site: www.nuerburgring.de
In Germany, a visit to the Nürburgring is a must This time it's not simply a question of travelling along a beautiful road to enjoy the landscape and the bike, but discovering the old circuit, the Nordschleife, where intense pages of motor sport history have been written. The Nordschleife, or simply "Ring", was inaugurated in 1927 with the intention of being very demanding, so much so as to puteven the best cars in crisis as it was foreseen that it could be rented to the manufacturers to test new models, which still happens today.
From 1951 it was the site of the German Grand Prix of the Formula 1 World Championship, from 1955 of the MotoGP world championship, and over the years it was subject to numerous modifications, as it was very dangerous. An important restructuring took place in 1970, after a revolt of the pilots led by Jackie Stewart, but despite these it did not lose the extreme danger, so much so that in 1976, after the very serious accident of Niki Lauda, the Germany GP was moved to Hockenheim, it was also excluded from the World Championship. The following year, work began to build the modern Nürburgring Gp-Strecke track, which is currently in operation.
Today the historic track is accessible to the public (for a fee), and is a paradise for those who love sports riding: the Highway Code is in force along the route (the motorbike must be in order), but apart from a few small stretches there is no the speed limit. But be careful, in addition to being very demanding, the route is absolutely unpredictable since in 20.8 km it concentrates 73 curves alternating everything: long, very fast stretches, sudden changes of direction and slope, hills, and it is full of blind spots, difficulties that impose A great experience just to just drive at a good pace. Furthermore, it has not lost its dangerousness, being almost devoid of escape spaces.
In addition to experiencing the thrill of travelling the historic curves of the Ring on your motorbike, there are other reasons for a visit to Nürburg, a small village at the foot of a medieval castle. In addition to the local and Adenau museum in the area, every service station, bar, restaurant, hotel talks about the world of motors, and exhibits historical photographs signed by the riders, motorcycle parts, cars, there are extraordinary workshops, and even a simple walk in the parking lot of the Ring is a source of great surprises and delights: it is easy to admire extraordinary cars and motorcycles, both current and vintage, as they warm up their engines to enter the historic circuit.
Italy - Stelvio Pass
Indicative length: 25 km
Site: passostelvio.eu
The road that crosses the Stelvio Pass is an engineering masterpiece that dates back to the 1800s, connects Alto Adige, Lombardy and Switzerland, and is a milestone of mountain roads, which is why it is also known as the "Queen of Roads”.
The main road, the SS38, can be travelled from the South Tyrolean side or from the Lombard side: there are 88 hairpin bends between going up and down, a dizzying undertaking, but in both cases it offers great satisfaction, both from a landscape point of view and for the driving pleasure. The route most loved by motorcyclists is the first, the one most portrayed in the photographs that show the asphalt strip and the wide valley.
This route, about 25 km long, starts from Prato allo Stelvio at an altitude of 907 meters above sea level and culminates at the summit at 2,758 meters overcoming some sections of good slope, not excessive but still considerable. Two pieces of advice therefore: you need to arm yourself with patience if you have a small motorcycle, perhaps with a passenger and luggage, and you need to have winter clothing, or at least warm clothing, because during the months it is open, which goes from May to October (dates exact information on the passostelvio.eu website), the temperature at the summit varies approximately between 2 and 10 degrees Celsius in the hottest month, August.
In the first five kilometres, the road is rather smooth, then comes the first of the 48 hairpin bends, and about halfway through you enter a dense pine forest. The effort is considerable, some hairpin bends are very tight and must be traveled at low speed, it is not a road suitable for brilliant driving and one must also pay attention to the traffic, given that the Pass is always very coveted. However, the pleasure is not lacking: as you go up the view opens onto a majestic panorama, also because towards the summit the trees become increasingly thinner and you enter the section without vegetation. In addition, the area offers a wide choice of routes, other Alpine passes that offer just as many breathtaking views.
Romania - Transfagarasan
Indicative length: 120 km
Site: www.transfagarasan.net
In Romania the smoothest way to go from Sibiu to Bucharest is the E81, which has the most traffic. But there is an alternative: the DN7C, known as Transfagarasan, which is considered one of the most spectacular roads in the world, both for the scenery and for the layout and asphalt, a real delight to ride on a motorcycle.
Built at the behest of the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu between 1970 and 1974 to allow troops to cross the Carpathians by quickly uniting Transylvania with South Romania in the event of a Soviet invasion, it starts a few kilometres from Sibiu, winds through the Carpathians the highest mountains in Romania, offering unique sceneries, and ends in Bascov.
It is called the "Ceausescu's Folly" because it is the result of very hard work: every meter of the road has been torn from the mountain. This is why both the route and the landscapes are extraordinary, since in such inaccessible places one would never think of building a road.
The indicative length of the Transfagarasan and is 120 km, and it can be travelled in both directions. It is well signposted and is a mountain route, you climb up to over 2,000 meters following a serpentine of excellent asphalt, with curves of all types and an infinite number of hairpin bends, but with a good radius, you cross bridges, overhanging sections over the valley, viaducts, tunnels. Starting from the north, you initially cross areas without vegetation, to then enter long wooded routes, crossing the Fagaras National Park, at the height of the pass.
It is an area of lakes, and as you approach the summit, the first you come across is the small glacial lake of Balea, a jewel set in the mountains, not to be missed. After the pass, the second part of the track also turns out to be spectacular: it begins with a series of wide S-curves, and between overhangs and incredible descents it leads to the great Lake Viraru, with a gigantic dam; here too the spectacle offered by nature is incomparable. We cross Curtea de Arges, one of the oldest cities in Romania and finally arrive in Bascov, where we rejoin the main road to Bucharest.
The asphalt is excellent and the curves mostly flowing, very tasty for the bike; it is only necessary to verify the period of the journey, since the road is open 4 months a year, the summer months, and only during the day. Given the climatic conditions of the area, it is advisable to choose a day with excellent weather forecasts, in order not to miss the spectacle of the peak and the valleys.
Spain: Pyrenees - Roncesvalles pass
Indicative length: 360 km
Site: www.spain.info
Spain by motorbike is all beautiful, a warm, welcoming land, from the coast to the interior, and then there are extraordinary cities to visit such as Barcelona, Zaragoza, Seville, Granada, just to name a few. If you are looking for curves and less busy roads, however, it is better to focus on the Pyrenees, where there are numerous mountain routes that are essential for lovers of the genre. They mark the border between Spain and France, with the small state of Andorra in the middle, in over 430 km of extension they offer a road network to be covered and with infinite possibilities, there is no risk of making a mistake.
Among the many possibilities, we recommend a route that starts from Bilbao (a visit to the Guggenheim museum of contemporary art is a must) and ends in Biarritz, France; obviously it is possible to close it in a loop, returning by the coast, but this program already foresees over 360 kilometres of more or less smooth roads and the pass of a pass, it is better not to get too tired and not to run to enjoy the panoramas, between jagged cliffs on which crashing ocean waves, wooded hills and immense plains, examples of the extraordinary beauty of northern Spain.
From Bilbao proceed to Pamplona (155 km) where you take the N-135, which begins to climb with a series of wide and regular curves with excellent asphalt, and crosses the Pyrenees by crossing the Roncesvalles pass. It's a small town but it shouldn't come as a surprise that it's famous, for two reasons: the battle took place in the year 778, but it seems to be more of a legend, immortalized by the Chanson de Roland, Chanson de Roland , one of the most significant works of medieval French literature, and is an important stage of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela (often the starting point).
From Roncesvalles continue towards Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, in France, travelling approximately 30 kilometres with stupendous views of the Pyrenees while travelling a few hundred meters from the border. Finally, we go to Biarritz, emblem of chic tourism and a paradise for surfers from all over the world.
