Motoring
5 of the best motorbike routes in the world
If you dream of saddling up on a bike to see the world, here are a few suggestions for your GPS.
Life is all about the journey, not the destination. Unless you’re stuck in traffic. In which case, the journey kinda sucks. So if you’ve ever dreamed of leaving it all behind and seeing the world from behind a set of handlebars, here’s our guide to some of the most amazing, beautiful and downright difficult roads to travel.
Route 66. Rock and roll
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1 Route 66. The Mother Road
Arguably the most famous of all, Route 66 covers 3,939 km, connecting Midwest USA to the West Coast, winding (as the song says) from Chicago to LA. Along the way, Route 66 crosses Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. In 1985, US66 was replaced by a network of interstates, but to ride on Route 66 is to step back in history. As you drift past Art Deco signs and truck stops, small communities and drink in the changing landscape with your eyes, you’re travelling on what was also the lifeline for those impoverished farmers of the Great Depression, the way that innumerable artists and musicians travelled to the bright lights of Chicago and LA. Heck, even Lightning McQueen passed this way.
Ruta 40. The end of the world
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2 Ruta 40. The end of the world
Ruta 40 is the longest road in Argentina. In fact it's one of the longest roads anywhere and the busiest in South America. It winds along 5,301km from Cabo Vírgenes (Santa Cruz) up to Quiaca (Jujuy) on the border with Bolivia. It takes in some stunning scenery along the route because this legendary road runs parallel to the Andes with sections passing by – or straight through – some 20 national parks. Connecting the country from south to north, on Ruta 40 there are some major attractions such as the Strait of Magellan, Perito Moreno Glacier, Lakes Region, the Wine Trail and Talampaya National Park.
Transalpine: Pure nature
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3 Transalpine: Back to nature
Travel from Grenoble (France) over the Alps to Venice (Italy) on arguably the most visited road in Europe, the Transalpine Route. During the summer the traffic can be a bit too much and you’ll need a spare panier to carry the change for all the tolls, but it’s all worth the effort. Starting in France, it stretches over 2,400km crossing France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy. And since this is the Alps, you've even got a choice of routes around the mountains – it's not quite Green, Blue Red or Black runs, but you get the picture. Whichever way you do go, don’t miss the climb to the most famous pass in the Alps, the Stelvio (2,757 m.) with 48 “tornanti” and lots of steep 180º turns.
The South Island: Sea and mountain
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4 The South Island: Highway to Middle Earth
From the (northern) Alps, to the Southern Alps, New Zealand’s South Island has some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world, all connected by 2,100km of road. Starting and ending in Christchurch, you can journey north along the Pacific coast until reaching Nelson in the Cook Strait. From then on the route gets more and more spectacular, and with smooth tarmac, no traffic and incredible scenery, you can hit cruise control and relax (within reason). Another stunning stretch is to head to Lake Mapourika where the road runs along the magnificent Franz Josef Glacier and then up to the Aspiring National Park and finally toHaast Pass.
Tibet: The roof of the world
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5 Tibet: The roof of the world
Probably the most difficult route of the five but also perhaps the most beautiful. It runs some 3,500km fromLhasa to Kashgar. Although the road is only covered with asphalt up to about Lake Pangon, it's due to be fully paved soon. The most impressive section is over Dang, a pass with the best views of the Himalayas, you can see five peaks reaching 8km into the sky, including Mount Everest. Even then, there are even more astonishing sites to be seen in Darchen, Mount Kailash – a sacred place in Asia – and Lake Manasarovar.
