The Alpenbutt Rally is not a race.

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THE ALPENBUTT RALLY IS NOT A RACE.

The Alpenbutt Rally is a fairly simple concept. The rally consists of several hundred locations that you can visit during the rally. Riders can visit as many points as they want. In order to be considered a finisher of the event, riders need to meet a minimum requirement and must return to the finish within the rally window.

No consideration is given for bad weather (during the running of the Alpenbutt, riders can expect to ride through rain, sleet, snow, and severe thunderstorms). Temperature extremes routinely run 40°C degrees or more in Italy or Southern France or 0°C degrees in the early morning on the highest Alpine passes.

Riders have the option of boosting their standings by visiting optional bonus destinations located in Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland and France. “Bonus Hunting” as it is called, can be both fun and mentally devastating.

The Alpenbutt Rally is designed to appeal to novice rally riders and those with multi-day rally experience. You can ride as many or as few miles as you wish. You may be happy to simply finish the event and gain Finisher status. Or you may wish to test your abilities and aim for a high place finish. It’s up to you. No matter what your game plan is, you will have the opportunity to tour the Alps like you’ve never toured Europe before.

The Alpenbutt Rally is a kind of ‘scatter rally’, i.e. orienteering but on a motorcycle. So what does that mean?

Before the start of each leg, you will be handed out a rally book which will contain information to visit, say 300 bonus point locations. There won’t be enough time to get to all of them, so you pick and choose your route carefully to get as many as possible. Some locations may be close to the start, many will be spread far and wide; there could be places as far apart as the Eastern Pre-Alps or the Alpes Maritimes and everything else in between.

Where you go to is entirely up to you. You can ride around in circles picking up bonuses nearby or you can go on an adventure to the far flung corners of this wonderful region. We can’t promise you’ll find it easy at times, but we can promise you’ll have a fantastic time and you’ll certainly visit some weird and wonderful places along the way too. Although points mean a better ranking, safety is still paramount.

This isn’t a race, as it’s all about planning an efficient route, collecting the evidence required and coming back safe and sound. You’ll have mandatory rest stops and you can ride as far as you feel capable, the main emphasis is fun on two wheels. There are four main challenges for you once the rally has started: solve the navigation puzzle, choose the best route for you, ride your plan and get to the finish in time.

Riders assemble on Saturday noon, register, and are then issued with part of the rally information in a short rider briefing. An evening meal is followed by a final rider meeting where important instructions and explanations are given by the rally team and the rally books are handed out. After that, the riders will be busy in their hotel rooms planning their route for the next days…

All riders set off early the following Sunday morning on their individual routes.

At the end of the last day, riders arrive back at the finish. And there is enough time to share your countless anecdotes with your fellow participants at the bar. In the evening everybody meets at the banquet ceremony. After a tasty dinner, the ranking is announced and trophies are handed out.