Taking the kids on an Alpine cross?

Anyone who has ever ridden an Alpencross will know that a multi-day MTB tour is a completely different matter to a long tour at the weekend. Physically, at some point there is more or less of a low, the mood in the group can suddenly change, as can the weather. The whole biking endeavour is in another league when one or more children are involved. And yet there seems to be an increasing number of parents interested in tackling an MTB Alpine crossing with their offspring. We spoke to tour guide Sascha Müller from Alps Biketours.

BIKE: With you, parents can also take their children on a Transalp tour. Does that happen more often?

Sascha Müller: Among the 2,000 or so enquiries we receive every year for guided transalpine tours, there has recently been an increase in family or father-son constellations. There are probably around 50 interested parties every year.

What kind of tours do you recommend if someone wants to book with a child?

We recommend our mountain bike beginner's tour "Transalp Riva" from the Zugspitze to Lake Garda. This tour has 5200 metres in altitude and 350 kilometres in 6 stages. If a parent explicitly requests a tour that is more demanding in terms of fitness and riding technique, we will of course also make this possible. I once had a family with me at the Sesto trail camp, where the son rode level 4, but the father and mother only rode level 2.

How old should the children be for a Transalp and what kind of fitness do they need?

We don't set any age requirements in this case, but so far they have not been younger than 11. As a rule, the children are between 12 and 15 years old. In terms of fitness, you don't need to worry about the children on the "Transalp Riva" because the daily stages are not too long or too difficult.

Do children even have fun in a tour group of adults like this?

Not all children find it easy to integrate into an adult group and interact with them. That's why we always try to combine a family enquiry with another one, so that two children of a similar age can complete the tour together.

In your experience, which moments during a Transalp are the most difficult for children?

During a Transalp, it is probably the bad weather days when children are least able to motivate themselves to get on their bikes. However, children also see their parents as their number one point of reference during the tour, so the guide is often unaware of any motivation problems the child may have.

And the whole family is happy after the tour?

Oh yes, very much! My youngest participant in 2014 was 14 years old and after her first successful Transalp, she rode a crossing of the Alps with her father every year after that. The two of them then increased the level of difficulty of the tours.