30 years of Bike Hotels Südtirol: "After the tour, we went straight to the kitchen without changing."
Gitta Beimfohr
· 06.07.2025
Strictly speaking, it should read: 28 years of bike hotels, but 30 years of tour guiding in South Tyrol. Because beyond the Brenner Pass, it was above all the hoteliers who sensed a new guest potential in this still young and somewhat crazy sport. A clientele with new demands in terms of accommodation and catering, but also in terms of the range of tours on offer. Hoteliers who enjoyed mountain biking themselves were naturally the quickest to respond with an appropriate offer for bikers. And two years later, this led to the idea of an umbrella organisation for biking hoteliers.
One of these South Tyrolean bike pioneers was Kurt Resch. Today he runs the legendary Bikehotel Steineggerhof in Val d'Ega, and in his 20s he was still a chef and passionate tour guide in one.
BIKE: Kurt, you've been travelling as a bike guide for over 30 years - how did the whole thing actually start in South Tyrol?
Kurt Resch: Honestly? It was clear to me: if I enjoy biking so much, then others will enjoy it too. So I thought, why shouldn't they come on holiday with us? In 1994, we placed our first advert in BIKE. Result: zero response. It wasn't until a year later that the first bikers came.
Do you remember who those first guests were?
Of course! Their names were Achim and Sedat. They showed me what biking really means back then - I couldn't keep up either uphill or downhill. But they waited dutifully, probably because they didn't know where to go. The two of them became good friends and we still keep in touch today.
How did the whole thing develop from there?
The number of bikers has doubled or tripled almost every year. Of course, if you start with two bikers, it takes a few years before it pays off.
"Cable cars were frowned upon, there was no such thing as shuttles."
What were the tours like back then?
Very different from today. In the 90s, bikes were still at the beginning of their evolution. Almost nobody could ride difficult trails, but we rode mega long routes with lots of metres in altitude. Cable cars were frowned upon, there was no such thing as shuttles. Our tours were often between 50 and 90 kilometres and 1200 to 2000 metres in altitude - that automatically weeded us out. Only bikers in really good shape joined us.
Keyword bike and riding technique: What was it like back then?
During our early days, the first suspension forks were just coming out. For example, the Manitou with 2.5 centimetres of travel. Then there was the first fork with 8 centimetres of travel and we thought: Really? Who needs that? Well, things turned out differently. Because we were finally able to ride the difficult trails and expand our touring programme accordingly. From then on, we specialised and renamed our tours "single trail tours".
You weren't just a guide, you were also a chef. How did you manage that?
That's right. I was both chef and guide. I often prepared the meat the day before and discussed what needed to be done with my colleague. When I came back from the tour, I went straight into the kitchen without having to change. I was in my mid-20s then, that was fine. Today? Unthinkable.
How did the Association of Bike Hotels South Tyrol come about?
In the classifieds section of the magazines, I read about other South Tyroleans who were also advertising for bikers - Armin from the Traminerhof, for example, or Georg from the Hotel Dolomiten. I thought to myself: if we join forces under one roof, we can place larger adverts. That's how Bike Hotels Südtirol came into being in 1998.
How has your team developed?
At some point I reached the limits of my time with biking and cooking. So we hired our first bike guide Christoph in 2004. Later, Dieter, Martin, Alex, Patrick and Hansjörg joined us. Even my uncle Peter helped out sometimes, as we were often travelling with three groups at the same time.
Your craziest experience with biking guests?
Oh, there are many! Urs, Norbert and Klaus, who met here at the end of the 90s, once met up with us. Klaus had secretly put a large stone in Urs' rucksack - and he only realised back at the hotel why his rucksack was so heavy today. Anger and laughter went hand in hand.
How did the E-MTB find its way to you?
In 2011, we were allowed to test the first e-bike prototype at Thömus. Dieter and I rode it and immediately had a big grin on our faces. That's when we knew: This is the future. Very few of our guests wanted to try it at first. They were almost ashamed when they did. I got a lot of flak on Facebook back then. But today, most of our guests bring their own e-MTB with them - I'm very pleased.
How are you guiding today?
Today, our guides often go on forest and forest trail tours again or give riding technique courses for beginners. The target groups have shifted: Families, touring cyclists and beginners have become strong. Of course, there are still trail freaks, but we rarely need a shuttle vehicle for them.
And what does mountain biking mean to you today?
Oh, that's my life. Without biking, I certainly wouldn't be where I am today. And when I see how many friendships I've made here, I know it's all been worth it.
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Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
