Gasthof Pension Drei Hacken Motorbike hotel in Yspertal / Waldviertel (Forest Quarter) / Lower Austria / Austria

Hello dear people, here are a few lines about myself.

In my opinion, everyone is shaped by their earliest childhood. My formative year was 1974, the event was a Z750H2, a young guy from our village, 71 hp - 3 more than my father's new 1600 Taunus - and it was immediately clear to me: in the future, I would only travel on two wheels.

My dream came true shortly afterward in the form of a PUCH Bergmeister 5-speed bike. Well, I was only 10 years old at the time. But at least I was mobile enough to reach the nearby LERU Ring, and this was where I had another formative experience. The legendary rallycross competitions fascinated me so much that I never missed a race again. The race weekends were also the biggest motorcycle exhibitions in our area. I saw all the models I knew from colorful magazines in real life. With bright eyes, I marveled at the new 4-cylinder machines from Japan or the sporty Italian bikes with their amazing sounds. Torn between Ducatis, Benellis, and Hondas in the parking lot, and Escorts, Stratos, and Beetles on the racetrack, my passion for motorsports was ignited, and the famous red thread was spun.

In 1979, five years later, I found myself as an apprentice chef in the Melker Abbey Restaurant, with a beautiful view of the LERU Ring. My ride was a PUCH DS 50. Not exactly the latest in the 50cc market, but at least an Austrian quality product - with street approval. In a time when the term "driver safety training" hadn’t yet been invented, we earned our first “stripes” on a 250 SG in a nearby gravel pit or on various field paths (for lack of a driving license).

In 1983, the time had finally come – I got my license. Together with a friend, we immediately bought a 900 Darhma. In the mid-80s, Pöchlarn was a DUCATI stronghold, with up to 13 registered Ducatis - at a time when the 500 Panther was the latest craze from Italy.

As with so many things in life, once you own them, you handle them too carelessly - and so, after two seasons, the Ducati fell apart due to a lack of maintenance. Nowadays, the Darhma would be a great classic. Well, after that came various Japanese and German bikes, and since the mid-90s, there’s also a Volvo Amazon in my garage, which has participated in numerous rallies.

After that, I rode an 800GS Paris/Dakar, the most ridiculed motorcycle of my early Ducati days. But times change. A nice ride with friends or guests counts more than time and speed on the track.

For four years now, I have been organizing the Wald4tel Winter Historic with a few friends – an orientation rally held on ice and snow in the wintry Waldviertel. While planning the routes for such an event, I keep discovering new back roads and forest paths, which benefit my guests in the summer. Because “Enduro Hiking” has become one of my favorite hobbies.

Currently, I’m riding a KTM 990 Adv. A fantastic machine for our region, and also great for gravel. But you get older, and now I somewhat miss my 2-valve GS, and the new Scrambler-Bobber-Old School custom trend has also piqued my interest. At the moment, I could easily imagine a Guzzi V7 Due - naturally in blue - alongside my KTM 400 SC and the 690 Duke (from my Sylvia).

“Enduro Hiking” – not exactly a term that makes one think of action, jumps, wheelies, and stoppies – nor should it. “Enduro Hiking” is one of my hobbies – just like canoe hiking.

I think the best hobby is one that you can pursue without a huge time investment, practically on your doorstep. Which brings us to the subject: the Weinsbergerwald is the largest contiguous forest area in Austria and, luckily, begins right outside my garage door. Well, let’s say about 2 km away. This Weinsberger Forest, as it’s also known, is crisscrossed by a dense network of forest roads, which – fortunately or unfortunately – only partially consist of public roads.

This landscape, which strongly resembles Scandinavia, is the ideal place for “Enduro Hiking” and experiencing nature. Lonely dark ponds, mystical granite formations, rising morning mist, and glittering lakes at dusk – here the Waldviertel is just as you see it in beautiful travel posters. And I think “Enduro Hiking” fits well with the gentle tourism for which the Wald4tel is so appreciated. Of course, I don't want to close myself off completely to hardcore endurists, but other people (Bachner, Schalko) are more qualified for that. Guided tours by appointment, with stock exhaust systems and official registration, are bookable. Ah yes – for some beautiful places, you have to walk a few steps – that’s “Enduro Hiking.”