Then
Milan–Munich: a long-distance ride that made history
The conditions were hard: unpaved roads, bad weather and no modern equipment. The participants — 49 cyclists from several nations in all — wore simple clothing and rode without gears, with nothing but pure muscle power and unbending will. Yet it was precisely this simplicity that made the achievement all the more remarkable. The 1,200 metres of climbing up to the Brenner were an immense test of endurance — and that on bicycles which, though they seem archaic, at the same time bear surprising similarities to modern gravel bikes.
The riders of that time looked more like wanderers on two wheels: in simple woollen jerseys, knee-length cloth trousers and leather shoes, they defied the elements without knowing the comfort of modern functional clothing. On their heads plain caps, on their legs dark stockings — their clothing was more everyday wear than sports kit. And yet with this modest outfit they accomplished peak feats, driven by sheer will and a passion that outshone every seam of their plain wardrobe.
The winner, Josef Fischer from Munich, completed the route in just under 30 hours, faster than a goods train of the time. His success showed not only the physical strength of the riders of that era but also their enormous staying power. Fischer thus set a benchmark for long-distance cycling that drew admiration far beyond the Alps.
Milan–Munich was not simply a race — it was an emblem of the beginnings of cycling. It showed how people can achieve great things with limited means, and laid the foundation for the enthusiasm that the bicycle still sparks today.
A pioneering feat over the Alps
The Milan–Munich long-distance ride, first held in 1894, is regarded as the first great transalpine long-distance ride and as a high point of early cycling history in the German-speaking world. While Vienna–Berlin opened up the breadth of the plains and Vienna–Trieste symbolised the link between metropolis and sea, Milan–Munich dared the leap into the high mountains — over the Brenner Pass, right through the Alps.
A feat of extremes
46 riders lined up at the start in Milan. Their goal: the Bavarian capital, 590 kilometres away. The route ran through the Lombard plain, past Lake Garda, through the Adige valley and finally over the Brenner Pass, before heading through the Inn valley and over Rosenheim to Munich. Rain, hail, mud holes and frosty nights turned the ride into an ordeal. Many gave up; only a handful reached the finish.
The winner: Josef Fischer
After 29 hours and 32 minutes, the Munich rider Josef Fischer rolled across the line first. With this — after his win at Vienna–Berlin the previous year — he crowned himself definitively the outstanding long-distance rider of his time. Celebrated by thousands who cheered him and showered him with prizes, Fischer wrote another chapter of cycling history.
The rival: Max Reheis
Barely an hour and a half later came his perennial rival Max Reheis from Wasserburg. Regarded as a tireless fighter, he reached the finish despite technical problems and the most adverse circumstances — and was welcomed home as a hero. But soon accusations and protests would overshadow the sporting achievement.
Continuations and later editions
Milan–Munich was no one-off undertaking. In the years after 1894 the long-distance ride was revived several times — partly as an official race, partly as a popular long-distance ride for amateurs. Around the turn of the century in particular it was regarded as the supreme test of the long distance, on a par with Vienna–Berlin and Paris–Brest–Paris. With every edition its symbolic power grew: the crossing of the Alps was more than a sporting challenge, it stood for the connection of nations and cultures, for technical innovation and for the determination of a whole generation to push the limits of the bicycle ever further. Over time, however, Milan–Munich disappeared from the calendar again. Growing road traffic and the professionalisation of cycling shifted the great races to other formats. But the memory remained — as a milestone from which the history of cycling can still be read today.
From one-day race to stage format
While the first edition in 1894 was an epic one-day race, in the following decades Milan–Munich developed into an irregularly held classic. The distance remained at just under 590 kilometres, but the format varied: sometimes a one-day long-distance ride, sometimes a multi-day stage test.
Between the wars — a contest of nations on two wheels
In the 1930s the route took on a new political dimension. In 1937 it was held as an official contest of nations between Germany, Italy and Austria, this time over three stages. In 1938 and 1940 the route even ran in the opposite direction — from Munich to Milan — and was open only to riders from the three “Axis countries”. The race thus reflected not only the sporting but also the troubling political spirit of those years.
Palmarès — the winners of Milan–Munich
- 1894 Josef Fischer (Germany)
- 1910 Peter Strasser (Austria)
- 1912 Georg Schmid (Germany)
- 1937 Richard Menapace (Austria)
- 1938 Mario De Benedetti (Italy)
- 1939 Aldo Ronconi (Italy)
- 1940 Doro Morigi (Italy)
A myth fades
With the outbreak of the Second World War the tradition died out. After 1940, Milan–Munich was no longer held. But the memory of this race remains alive: as a pioneering feat over the Alps, as a stage for international rivalry — and as an emblem of a time when bicycle races were technical progress projects, sporting feats of heroism and socio-political symbolic acts all at once.
A legacy for cycling
Despite all the scandals, Milan–Munich marked a turning point. It showed that the bicycle could conquer even the Alps. Fischer’s victory stood for technical progress, the duels with Reheis for the passion and drama of a young sport. Thus Milan–Munich remains a symbol of the pioneer era of cycling: a mix of heroic endeavour, sporting limit-experience and human drama, which echoed for decades and keeps the myth alive to this day.
