2015 — 7 Countries, 6,000 km: Vespa World Days, Alp Days & Mission Quijote
2015 was the year I decided to test whether my spine was made of lead or just sheer, unadulterated stubbornness. The plan was a classic European odyssey: a bit of Alpine fresh air, a sunset over the Adriatic, and a triumphant dash across the Iberian Peninsula. In reality, it was a masterclass in how to become a television star, a roadside MacGyver, and a total idiot of the highway — all in one summer.
This was also the year I set a double world record on a Scomadi — 1,691 km through 10 countries in 24 hours — and attended the Vespa Night Rally in the Alps. The full 2015 event calendar is on the Events page.
Zell am See — Spare Parts and Thin Air
It started with the Vespa Alp Days in Zell am See — or rather, it didn't start, because the German post office decided my spare parts were better suited as permanent office decor than engine components. By the time I finally limped into Austria, my mood was somewhere between incendiary and just give me a corner to turn.
But then came the Grossglockner. I pushed Madalina up to 2,504 metres, where the air is thin but the ego is massive. We ended up on Austrian TV. I likely looked like a bearded astronaut on a motor-powered shopping cart — but we were local celebrities.
Biograd — The Calm Before the Technical Storm
From the peaks I headed straight for the crystal-clear Adriatic coast for the Vespa World Days 2015 in Biograd na Moru, Croatia — the largest international Vespa meeting in the world. It was the kind of Vespisti paradise you read about — sharing cold beers on the beach with the SIP Scootershop crew and friends from Mexico to Romania.
It was that perfect, peaceful moment where the universe is clearly laughing behind its hand, because it knows exactly what is about to happen 100 kilometres after you leave.
Tomelloso — Sandpaper, Trash Cans, and Pure Grit
I hadn't even lost sight of the Biograd city limits when it happened: Puff. Engine seizure. Stranded in the middle of nowhere, I was towed to a gas station by a highway cleaning truck. My suite for the night? An iso-mat squeezed between garbage containers behind a truck stop. A Slovenian truck driver — appearing like a grease-stained angel — gifted me some sandpaper, and I spent the next day performing open-heart surgery on my piston and cylinder in a display of DIY desperation.
Any person with a functioning frontal lobe would have called for a tow and flown home. Instead, I developed a Tomelloso-at-all-costs tunnel vision. I got the old girl running again and proceeded to devour 2,583 kilometres in just 4.5 days — charging through five countries like I was fleeing a crime scene, or perhaps just fleeing my own common sense. Intense heat, strong winds, rain and hail. Everything the road could throw at me, it threw.
When I finally rolled into Tomelloso, the local scooter clubs treated me like a returning war hero. I was honoured with the award for the furthest travelled participant at the Concentración Nacional de Vespas y Lambrettas. I probably smelled like a mixture of old gear oil and sand-dust — but I had the trophy.
Mission Quijote — The Brutal Sprint Home
If you think I spent the rest of the summer lounging in a hammock, you've clearly never met me. The ride back to the Allgäu was dubbed Mission Quijote: a punishing 2,000 kilometres in 3 days. Named after Don Quijote and the region of La Mancha — a stubborn, slightly mad man on a scooter, tilting at windmills. Madalina held together, though my vertebrae were likely vibrating in three different time zones.
By the time I reached Kempten, I was broke, physically ruined, and my scooter looked like it had been through a trench war. But sitting in Barcelona now, looking back at that madness, I know this: it wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done. It was easily one of the greatest.
Key Facts
- 6,000 km total
- 7 countries
- Motor seizure 100 km after Croatia — repaired with borrowed sandpaper
- 2,583 km from Croatia to Spain in 4.5 days
- 2,000 km from Spain to Germany in 3 days — Mission Quijote
- Prize: furthest travelled participant at Tomelloso rally
- Key events: Vespa Alp Days Austria, Vespa World Days Croatia, Concentración Nacional Tomelloso Spain
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Concentración Nacional de Vespas y Lambrettas in Tomelloso? The first national Vespa and Lambretta rally in Spain, held in Tomelloso in the region of Castilla-La Mancha — the land of Don Quijote. I rode 2,583 km in 4.5 days to get there directly from the Vespa World Days in Croatia.
What is Mission Quijote? My name for the 2,000 km return ride from Tomelloso to Kempten in 3 days. Named after Don Quijote and the region of La Mancha. A fitting description of the kind of stubborn madness required.
How did you fix the motor seizure? Roadside, by hand, using sandpaper donated by a Slovenian truck driver. Spent an entire day at a gas station. Then kept going.
What other adventures did you have in 2015? 2015 was my most intense year on the road. I also set a double world record on a Scomadi — 1,691 km through 10 countries in 24 hours — and rode the Vespa Night Rally in the Alps. See the full 2015 event overview.
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