Once upon a time—a year ago—my friend Klaus gave me a wonderful present for my 60th birthday: a voucher to attend the Helmut Dähne Dolomiten-Treffen!
Today, I stumbled across the pictures. The whole experience was just too good not to blog about. So … here we go.
First things first: Who is Helmut Dähne, and what is the Dolomiten-Treffen?
Helmut Dähne is a Bavarian motorcycle racer, development rider, and tire expert. In 1976, he and Hans-Otto Butenuth won the 1,000 cc class at the Isle of Man Production TT on a BMW R 90 S. In 1993, aboard an Eckert Honda RC30, Dähne set the “eternal” 7:49.71 motorcycle lap record on the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife.
The Helmut Dähne Dolomiten-Treffen began in 1966 as the 12-rider DICO-Rallye. Dähne won the inaugural event, later took over as organizer, and renamed it the ACM-Dolomiten-Rallye in 1970. The demanding navigation rally grew to more than 100 motorcycles and ran for 36 editions. Today, it is a much more informal gathering of like-minded motorcycle enthusiasts in the Dolomites.
What an adventure! What an opportunity!
Getting there was an adventure in itself. We crossed the Timmelsjoch in difficult but manageable weather—at least there was no snow. Near the pass is the Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum, which burned down in January 2021, taking more than 200 historic motorcycles with it. Fortunately, the museum was rebuilt and reopened later that year. The fire also destroyed one of Helmut’s Honda RC30s.
What followed were three days of breathtaking motorcycling: Passo Campolongo, Passo Falzarego, Passo Fedaia, Passo Gardena, Passo Pordoi, Passo Sella, and more …
To say I was happy would be an understatement! It was the perfect trip: spectacular riding, interesting and like-minded people, endless talk about motorcycles and motorcycling, and plenty of good food and wine.
But it was not over yet. On the way home, I had the chance to take the trip from good to great by adding the Passo di Monte Giovo (Jaufenpass) and Passo dello Stelvio (Stilfser Joch) …
… to the list of places I want to visit again.
And yes: this is snow!!!
But wait, there is more. The journey home was too far for a single day, so I stopped in Freiburg to visit my friend Thomas. The weather was overcast and gray, but when in Rome, do as the Romans do. I made a dash up the Schauinsland …
… and, to my surprise, broke through the clouds. I ended up sitting in the sunshine at the top of the mountain, enjoying a Kaiserschmarrn.
OK, I do not want to call this the best motorcycle trip ever—that would sound cheesy—but it is certainly in the top three (see also here). Everything was just right: the breathtaking scenery, fabulous roads, interesting people, and good-enough weather. Perfect.
I will do it again this year, three months from now. See you there.