If you look into yourself, after a 600km ride from one side of Europe to the other, your eyes seem to wander, tired, confused, uncertain. They saw so much that they can look as tired as your legs, your hands, your lungs. You look for a colour, a sound, a feeling: and they wander in the memories of a two days journey that contains basically everything. So they hang onto details: the sound of the wheels on gravel, the wind you felt on your face going out from the Woods, the smell of the bikes in the garage the night before leaving. If you look into yourself after a long bike ride, almost sleepless, you try and look for the others, your journey companions, but at the end of the deep you don’t immediately find them: “everyone on the bike is fighting their battle”, and you go so fare also and above all to finally feel the most autenthic voice of yourself. This voice can insult you or bless you, but under Ferrara’s Castle or Bolzano’s Duomo, at the arrival, it will always be grateful: because after such a randonnée you are sort of becoming friends again with yourself. From Germany to Italy, you have been the beauty of Bavarian hills, the sound of Inn’s water, the hairpin turns and the tunnels, you have been all the faces you met at rail crossings, in the cafés, on the benches while you where eating or sleeping. You have been the fresh cut grass, the flowers concealing the horizon, the phone call at home, all the kisses you gave each other, the tear you tried not to shed, you fucking tried until the end. And then you made it, you let it fell, broken into a thousand pieces by the feeling of going to find out what’s at the end of the decision you made to leave. You and those who left with you.

The ninth edition of the Rando Imperator went like this: a journey on the Via Claudia Augusta between Germany, Austria (this time no Switzerland due to the road being closed) and Italy, with almost 300 people, half from Germany and the rest of the world. More than numbers, we always care about thanks: to all of you who have cycled, to those who have done it all or only half, to those who have decided to withdraw for the right reasons.

Thanks to all the staff, who sleep little but work a lot in the three days between Munich, Bolzano and Ferrara, and never want to stop accompanying your smiles, doubts and certainties between one refreshment point and another.

Thanks to Giacomo who patiently drove the car of the person taking the photos and videos, and thanks to Flavio for the photos and advice.

Thanks to all the partners: from Treesport, main sponsor; and to the Bolzano/Bozen Tourist Agency, Benexè Sport, WOWOW, Guerciotti, Miss Grape, B12 Bike Professional, Savio.

Thanks to the refreshments: EnergyLab.cc, Avis Cerese (Mantua), Bicigrill Ruota Libera (Avio), Bar Daniel (Passo Resia), Nautica Sermide.

And thanks to Lost Road for keeping us company while drinking beer in Piazza Castello.

Rando Imperator returns for the tenth edition on the first weekend of May 2025.

🇪🇺🇪🇺 Rando Imperator 2024 🇪🇺🇪🇺
4-5 may
9th edition
Munich – Bozen – Ferrara
From Germany to Italy by bike

Partner: Treesport