French trip debrief

Ginge stays at Simian's the night before to facilitate making the tunnel and
thus obviously turnup late and miss the train. So I wait the other side for
half an hour for them to turn up and then we 'plan' the route. Ie, hack it
down the autoroutes to meet up with Ace who's generously offered to meet us
and shepherd us away from the bum-numbing motorways and into the bits that
go round like um snake.

Chez Ace and we witness the majesty of his swimming pool, sample the twin
joys of beer and BBQ, and peer susupiciously at his choice of non-biker
friends, happy to be off the bikes on the hot day.

Sunday finds us watching some GP action to get us into the mood for another
Ace-led jaunt around the twisties of [note to Geog Ed: fill in details of
that area]. Ace carries Fluffy on the back of Ginge's ZRX - herein referred
to as The Clown Bike while Ginge reciprocally samples the delights of his
Gixxer. Three things noted are that Ace doesn't seem much slower on the CB
even with Fluffy on the back , Ginge seems to be enjoying the Gixxer
enormously and Fluffy apparently has no fear riding as pillion on the back
of Ace. I crank up the helmet cam to capture a few miles of a lot of road
just in front of my bike and a few appearances of someone's back wheel at
the top of the screen.

Monday sees us off to Barcelonette, the village that Champ, Bear, Mat Tab
and myself enjoyed 2 years ago. We get down in two days of lovely twisty
roads with the helmet cam pointing at a better angle this time. The
overnight stop we make isn't worth mentioning, nor is the food.

At Barcelonette, I take the guys straight to the hotel where we stayed last
time as there is locked, garaged parking and the owner- Rene (sp)- is a top
geezer who goes the extra mile (literally in Bear's case) to ensure that his
guests enjoy the stay there and the roads around. Luckily, he has a couple
of double rooms free and it's as easy as that. Our routine of dump the gear,
have a shower, beer and lots of water (in my case) gets us feeling again.
Barcelonette's square is a lively place with entertainment laid on, such as
a jazz band one night (cue cries of "It's shit, but I suppose Blaney would
appreciate it") and sexy dancers.

The next day sees us off on the very high and twisty roads around the Alps.
We head off up the cols forgetting to refuel but manage to make it through
ok. Simian's ZX7 is wheezing a bit but he's having fun as is Ginge who is no
longer The Slowest in the World, although this pact with the devil to ride
half-decently is at the cost of constantly forgetting to cancel his
indicators, somewhat bizarrely. Despite it being a relatively short route-
thanks to Rene for that- much much fun is had and we return absolutely
shattered. Those tight uphill switchbacks really take it out of you.

We're running out of our week so it's off to Dijon as a potential halfway
stop, plans to stay night in Rouen
are discarded as the journey to Dijon is SO hot and unpleasant that we have
to stop off in the shade for an hour to rehydrate. Ginge's indicator
cancelling has dropped to about 25%, he's probably safer just not using them
at all. At Dijon we book in to a fairly expensive hotel, single rooms for
each and forget we're bikers for a few hours. Fancy schmancy restaurant food
and air con make it a fairly pleasant experience after the room-sharing and
snoring of the week.

Next day we bid farewell to Ace and head back to Calais, me on my own after
I do something stupid, as is my wont, and I manage to get the train after
the other two.

So, in conclusion the roads were all we had hoped for an more, absolutely
stunning. Ace was a brilliant host and guide, and I don't think myself,
Simian or Ginge could have had a better time and of course we're all now a
little closer to being riding gods.

If I can be arsed I'll make a little movie of the riding highlights such as
Ginge's overtaking fun and Simian being invited to run up over the back of
some local type after his comedy overtaking action. We'll see.

Anyway, GP time so that's your lot.

 

Good work. Maybe you could make it into a DVD.

If only I were there.

Hurrah for Ginge!

But it rather begs the question: who is now The Slowest in the World?

Go on...

I'm planning to enjoy his hospitality soon.

Bah - bring back the old Porl, who gave us horizontally-scrolling
webpages with amusing captions.

 

<raises tentative hand>

Don't say a word, Corfield...

 

One that could be sold for charity maybe?

 

It's a wild idea, but it might just work.

 

??

 

We could also do a calendar that could raise funds for NABD whilst we're
about it.

 

Nice report. Glad you enjoyed the twisties.

 

#The voodoo that you do so well...

 

No pictures this time from me, I drew the line at taking pictures and film.
But I'm not discounting a commentary on the film...

 

What a swindle. You're fired.

 

Annoyingly, Bobby Short isn't playing the San Francisco Jazz Festival
this year.

Happily, Brad Mehldau and Stacey Kent are.

 

You mean the bit where Ace took us over a work-in-progress road which would
have even tested motorcross bikes?

ITYM "from" TYVM!

I really need a camera setup that can be accessed from outside the tankbag.
Some kind of easily used remote control.

 

Thank god.

 

I knew you'd be pleased. I might do a horizontally-scrolling website,
just for you. I won't attempt amusing captions.

 

that's what we all said, too

--
fluffycat
Pillion-Cat armed with Sonic Disruptor (Licensed to Shatter)
FLO numbers available on request
IbW#39 IWMLAC#1 MIRTTH#30a BOTAFOT#102b
_ <- reserved for BOMB#Stritchy's_a

 

Yeah it would need to be ripped apart by some kind of Borg person.

 

indeed. Ginge stayed with them, even after he was back on clownbike with
me as pillion.

--
fluffycat
Pillion-Cat armed with Sonic Disruptor (Licensed to Shatter)
FLO numbers available on request
IbW#39 IWMLAC#1 MIRTTH#30a BOTAFOT#102b
_ <- reserved for BOMB#Stritchy's_a

 

^^
fashionably

It's very important we put these things in context.

Certainly were.. Thanks for everything Ace.

I thouhgt it was the "*FUCKING* Clown Bike".

Which I thought I'd hate, but don't. And corners are surprisingly easy
on one... Don't think I even went over 7000 RPM.

Note to self: MUST NOT LOOK AT BANK ACCOUNT, MUST HIDE CHEQUE BOOK.

I'd completely forgotten this stop, can't even rememebr where we ended
up.

I'm going back there one day. Maybe in a couple of years, or something,
fantastic little town. As Ace suggested, a little later in the season
would be good, cooler. Might make a 2 weeker of it and 'do' Italy or
Southern France into Spain.

I think next time I'll learn a bit more french so I can ask what kind of
festival will be on. "The Ginge don't want no jazz, Jean-Claude."

I think it's more an attention span thing.. I focus on riding, or on
flicking switches.. both don't seem part of the same process, doesn't
help that I can't really see the indicator light on the Clown Bike...
Hmm Brighter bulb, maybe... or a giant flashing red nose.

I'd lost the plot completely by the Col de la Bonette (2802 Metres, and
the highest road in France for all you listeners..) It's very very
awakening to almost ride off the side of the road with a couple of
thousand feet to drop, not that I'll try again.

Lame, weren't we? Real bikers would have rode through that and all
night... On Harleys, with viking horn helmets.

Maybe the button was thirsty, too.

But we *are* biking gods, where God actually translates as Bhudda.

And what was that all about eh? No sheep to contend with, no hangovers,
no panniers and trying to fill four bikes up in one transaction.. And
they call themselves good. They don't even have indicators FFS!

Still, they get 3 weeks holiday and I'm back to work tomorrow.. I'll
bet they're jealous.

<shakes head, wanders away, cries.>

 

Maybe we should have trials.. Those that can't make it on time qualify.