Doesn’t it feel like 2024 has only just begun? As if it were yesterday, I remember my spring hikes along blossoming apple trees and endless fields of dandelions. And now the calendar actually shows week 51 again. Will you look back on my 2024 with me?
Before you read, please note: this post was translated with the help of Deepl.
If you find any errors – please have fun first and then give me a hint.
My motorcycle year
2024
My motorcycle year 2024 was all about the Dolomites and nearby Switzerland. I rode my Ducati 748s on the Sella and Würzjoch Passes as well as in the Engadine for research and photo trips, while my Zero SR/F was used for the Umbrail, Ofen, Albula and Splügen Passes. Harley Davidson’s Road King, which had been chassis-optimized over the winter, paid its sonorous respects to the major passes of central Switzerland (Oberalp, Susten, Grimsel, Furka, Gotthard) on a wonderful weekend tour.
Gathering impressions at the Würzjoch pass
I have ambivalent memories of the days in the Dolomites. When I jokingly wrote about new restrictions on April 1st, I had no idea how necessary they would actually be. A Sunday morning on the Sella Pass is an absolute traffic catastrophe, compulsory parking discs in the smallest parking bays and tow trucks at over 2000 meters above sea level were new to me.
I found the balance in several, slowly driven tours through the side valleys of the Engadine, rides and hikes (yes, indeed on foot) on the Stelvio and Splügen Passes and extended writing sessions on the edges of alpine roads.
Impressive: The great Swiss Passes
Moments of happiness, early in the morning on the Grimsel pass
Several sets of tires went over the Jordan again. Unfortunately, the Zero smoked one of its integrated chargers – power is currently only trickling into the battery at half speed. That will be expensive. The Ducati, completely unusually, lost the fastening screws of its seat hump and surprised me with a wobbly ride. Otherwise, I was spared any major damage.
Blog year
2024
MotorProsa.com got 18 new posts, some of which were bilingual; I am delighted to have received 11,000 visits and 21,000 page views on my niche blog. That’s clearly less than in the previous year, but in 2023 one article – the April Fool’s joke about the one-way regulation on the Stelvio Pass – by my standards went through the roof with over 60,000 views. That was no longer the case with the 2024 satirical post.
Author’s life
2024
Parallel to the articles on the website I wrote the manuscript for another book, five new portraits of alpine Passes (Würz- and Sellajoch, Umbrail-, Ofen- and Splügen) together with Uli (www.moppetfoto.de) for MOTORRAD, Europe’s largest motorcycle magazine, an article for the Leiermann publishing house and two articles for the Swiss motorcycle magazine Moto.ch. A first for me and very inspiring: I was allowed to proofread the new Viola Eigenbrodt crime novel.
Author’s life – Write whenever you can!
Photo year
2024
My Canons have been busy – LightRoom counts 13,000 new photos, 4,500 of them in June alone. I took part in Michael’s photo parade with some of them, and hundreds found their way into the social media world. Of course, there were also photo books, but above all I had fun editing the photos. My previously neglected Flickr stream will become the main place for photos away from the motorcycle world in 2025.
Vacation year
2024
This year’s vacation in France, once again experienced without any problems in the Tesla Model 3, was fantastic. Stays in Briançon, Sisteron, Mandelieu-la-Napoule, Montpellier, Lourdes and our favorite place, Roussillon, brought us a good deal closer to this wonderful country. There were also a dozen or so trips to Lake Garda, several short breaks at Lake Constance and in-depth research trips through the Dolomites and the Engadine.
THE rock near Sisteron
Magic on Lake Garda
The Highlight
2024
In 2025, the road over the Stelvio Pass will be 200 years old. Together with my friend Alex from www.alexonroad.de and his son Daniel I spent two weeks intensively researching the history of the Stelvio, conducting informative interviews with contemporary witnesses, being guided by experts to the key points of this road monument and basically experiencing the Stelvio in a completely new way. This will result in a special movie. There’s still a lot of work ahead of us and I’m really looking forward to it.
GoPro was yesterday …
Thank
you!
All of the above – and much more – would not have been possible without the support of experts, friends and partners. My thanks therefore go to
- Tourismusverein Prad am Stilfserjoch
For your appreciative support of our Stelvio project - Alpine Guesthouse Tibet Hut
For your always heartfelt help with every request around the Stelvio - Arthur Gfrei
For sharing your extensive knowledge of the history of the Stelvio road - Zero Motorcycles Europe
For providing us with your test motorcycles - Die Wortwerkstatt
For the organization and provision of test motorcycles - Burgschänke Schluderns
For your support with our film work - Lanfranco Sorvillo
For your great driving service and your tireless patience - Motorpresse Stuttgart / MOTORRAD
For the trust in our work - Moppetfoto
Without you, my friend, the year would only have been half as colorful - MoHo Motorradhotels
For the valuable support in the production of our portraits of alpine passes - Nolan Group Germany
For your first-class helmets - Rukka Motorsports
Always well dressed thanks to you – in the heat of summer and in the cold of the high mountains - Cardo Systems
For making communication easier during our work - SW-Motech
For your ingenious and well thought-out luggage solutions
And now
You!
How have you been in 2024? Was it good to you, what was your highlight? And what are your plans? Let me know in the comments – I’m curious!
Perfectly matching
I’ve had enough. I’m dropping it.
Am I Rossi?
The awesome Stelvio Pass in autumn
Motorcycling – Why? An attempt at an answer
What’s the magic of a curve?
