About the Rider
I'm René
I'm a Swiss-based motorcycle rider and expedition documentarian. Long-distance riding, for me, is not about covering kilometers quickly — it is about tracing the structure of landscapes and experiencing terrain as it unfolds.
The Long Circle South expedition follows that philosophy. The route begins in Basel, crosses the Alpine passes, descends through the Italian peninsula to Sicily, and returns north through the Dolomites. The journey deliberately avoids highways and favors mountain roads, coastal ridges, and secondary routes where geography dictates the path.
Beyond the Ride
Beyond riding, I build systems that document expeditions in real time — combining route mapping, GPX archives, photography, telemetry, and daily narrative logs. The objective is not only to ride the route but to create a permanent, navigable record of the journey.
Professionally, I work in digital health and AI, currently building Telephōs Intelligence, a platform focused on behavioral measurement and clinical decision support in neurology and psychiatry. That professional mindset carries over into expedition riding: routes are planned like field studies, terrain is documented systematically, and each journey becomes a reproducible record rather than a one-time trip.
Why I Ride
Terrain Over Transit
Modern travel optimizes speed and efficiency. My approach rejects that metric. A road is valuable not because it shortens distance, but because it reveals elevation, curvature, weather exposure, and the structure of the landscape.
Documentation as Purpose
Each expedition is systematically recorded. Routes are archived as GPX files, segments are mapped, and daily logs document conditions, terrain, and decisions made along the way. The journey becomes a structured archive.
Solo by Design
Riding alone removes compromise. Route choices, pace, and adjustments happen directly in response to terrain and conditions. Solo travel creates a clearer relationship between rider, machine, and landscape.
The Long Circle South
The Long Circle South is a solo motorcycle expedition departing from Basel, Switzerland, descending through the Alps and the Italian peninsula to the southern edge of Sicily, and returning north through the Dolomite mountain range.
The route spans approximately 5,000–6,000 kilometers, crossing Switzerland, Italy, and the Mediterranean islands over multiple weeks. Rather than optimizing distance, the route follows geographic structure — mountain chains, coastlines, and interior ridges.
This site serves as the expedition's operational log. It integrates real-time ride tracking, mapped route segments, GPX navigation files, daily narrative entries, and photography. Each segment of the journey is recorded and archived for riders who want to follow the expedition or replicate parts of the route.
Follow the JourneyServices
Beyond riding, I design expedition documentation systems.
These systems combine route mapping, GPS tracking, daily logs, photography, and structured narrative into a dedicated expedition platform. If you are planning your own motorcycle journey and want a similar system — including live route visualization, GPX archives, and ride documentation — I build these infrastructures for independent riders, expeditions, and adventure projects.
Learn about expedition website servicesConnect
If you want to follow the expedition, collaborate on a similar project, or build your own expedition platform, you can reach me here.