The PreRe is not a pre-event. It is not a warm-up. It is a standalone night rally through the Austrian Alps — organised by Franz Schmalzl of the Vespa Club Pinzgau, the same man behind the Vespa Alp Days in Zell am See. But the Alp Days are in June, in the warmth, with sunshine and crowds and the Großglockner in good conditions.
The PreRe is in October. In the dark. In the cold. In whatever the Alps decide to throw at you.
Start and finish: Sölden, in the Ötztal. 300 kilometres of mountain roads between midnight and morning. No motorways. No fast roads. Just passes, darkness, and the smell of the Alps.
In 2015, almost 50 Vespas from across Europe lined up at the start in Sölden.
The PreRe fleet on the Jaufenpass (Passo Giovo) at 2,094 metres. Fog, rain, headlights in the dark. Almost 50 Vespas from across Europe. October 2015.
In 2015, around 55 Vespas from across Europe lined up at the start in Sölden.
Midnight in Sölden. Around 55 Vespas from across Europe. The START banner visible in the back. In a few minutes, the darkness swallows everything. One rider had come from Hungary — 950 kilometres on his Vespa just to get to the start. The PreRe II 2015 route: 304 km, 7,169 metres of climbing. Sölden → Reschenpass → Vinschgau → Jaufenpass → Timmelsjoch → Sölden. Done in 7 hours 12 minutes.
The route headed west through Landeck, crossed into Italy via the Reschenpass, dropped south through the Vinschgau valley to Meran, climbed the Jaufenpass into South Tyrol, then crossed back into Austria over the Timmelsjoch — finishing the loop back in Sölden. 304 kilometres. 7,169 metres of climbing. Three warm stops along the way — soup, tea, conversation with Vespisti who had chosen to be here in the dark and cold, which immediately tells you everything you need to know about them.
One of three warm stops. Soup, tea, and the quiet satisfaction of being the kind of person who rides a Vespa through the Alps at 3 in the morning. Everyone who finished received a certificate and a badge. Done by morning.
## The Night You Cannot See
That is the thing about the PreRe. You ride through some of the most spectacular mountain landscapes in Europe — and you cannot see any of it.
You will smell it. You will feel the temperature drop as you climb. You will sense the valleys opening up around you as the road descends. You will hear the wind change as you cross a ridge. But the mountains themselves stay hidden until dawn.
And then, slowly, as the night gives way to morning, the outlines sharpen. Shapes become ridges. Shadows become slopes. And by the time you reach the finish, the world is back — lit up and clear and beautiful, as if nothing happened.
It always ends in sunshine. That is the deal.
## The Timmelsjoch
The high point of the 2015 PreRe was the Timmelsjoch — the pass connecting Austria and Italy at 2,474 metres above sea level, known in Italian as the Passo Rombo. In June it is a tourist road. In October it is something else entirely.
The road was lightly iced. We descended from the Schmugglerhaus — the historic inn that sits on the pass itself, where we stopped for breakfast — like we were on egg shells. 50 cc of caution per metre. Madalina and I took it one bend at a time.
Timmelsjoch, 2,509 metres. Rosinante behind me. The Schmugglerhaus behind her. Breakfast, frozen fingers, and the knowledge that the worst was over.
I was the only member of the Blechrollerbande Kempten there. The club I had founded earlier that year. Representing it alone at 2,474 metres on an iced road at dawn felt entirely correct.
9:59 AM in Sölden. Everyone made it. Around 55 Vespisti from across Europe — cold, tired, and very pleased with themselves. Sparkling wine at 10 in the morning has never tasted better.
## What the PreRe Teaches You
You go to your limits — fatigue, endurance, cold. The 300+ kilometres are unforgiving. There is nowhere to hide on a mountain pass at 3 in the morning in the rain.
But you also learn that your limits are further away than you thought. That is why people come back. That is why almost 50 riders from across Europe showed up in Sölden in October 2015 on their Vespas.
By the end of 2015 I had ridden the Elefantentreffen at -14°C, broken two world records on a Scomadi, covered 7,000 km of summer adventures, and crossed an iced Alpine pass at 2,474 metres in the dark.
The question was no longer whether I could handle extreme conditions on a small scooter. The question was what to do with that answer.
By the end of the year I had decided: I would ride around the world on a Vespa in 80 days.
## The Full 2015 in Review
January
Elefantentreffen, Solla — 750 km at -14°C
Spring
Founded Blechrollerbande Kempten
June
Vespa Alp Days, Zell am See — rode the Großglockner
July
Vespa World Days, Biograd, Croatia
July
Sprint to Tomelloso, Spain: 2,583 km in 4.5 days
July
Mission Quijote: 2,000 km Tomelloso → Kempten in 3 days
30 August
Scomadi Double World Record: 1,691 km, 10 countries, 23.5 hours
The PreRe is a biennial night rally through the Austrian Alps — held every two years, with the Giro Vespistico delle Alpi in between — organised by Franz Schmalzl of the Vespa Club Pinzgau. Start and finish in Sölden. 304 kilometres of mountain roads from midnight to morning. Three passes. Three warm stops. A certificate and a badge for everyone who finishes. No motorways. Always ends in sunshine.
The Timmelsjoch (Passo Rombo) connects Austria and Italy at 2,474 metres above sea level. In October it ices over. The Schmugglerhaus inn sits on the pass itself — the PreRe breakfast stop.
End of 2015 — after the Scomadi world record and the PreRe confirmed that extreme conditions on a small scooter were manageable. Three years of planning followed before the start in Madrid on June 30, 2018.
Latin: "Endure and persist." A quote from Ovid. The motto of the PreRe — and, arguably, of La Vida Vespa in general.
