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My first ever trip abroad
Well I got the bike (Tenere) and the enthusiasm to actually do it. I have finally decided to dip my toe into touring. The plan is to take a two week holiday in south east Spain (Summer 2010). I will ride down hopefully taking in the scenery and meet up with the family at the villa we are staying in. I want to enjoy the travel experience so I shall be taking my time there and back. Hopefully 7 days riding on the bike and 7 days holiday with the family. The wife is happy for me to do this so all I have to do is plan.
I feel better if I plan so to that end I have formulated a check list. The items on it with a question mark are "do I really need it". Thats the reason for this post really. I am looking for you experienced and not so experienced lot to state the obvious if I have missed it off or dont really need it please offer your oppinion. Another thing is as part of my return to fitness I have become addicted to cycling again so plan a UK holiday from John O'Groats to Lands End ride solo (100 miles per day stints) in Summer 2010 as well. That means the list is dual as riding a motorcycle and bicycle are pretty similar! I am currently in training and am currently at 50 miles per day. Man do I ache! I have read ALL posts on here relating to travel and that has massively helped generate a comprehensive list. The major thing I have not yet decided on is do I camp or B & B/motel it for both motorcycle and bicycle trips. That will have a massive impact on the kit required and to be taken. Anyway the list. Bike fully serviced and ready to go! Luggage System (panniers/topbox or soft luggage) ? Satnav or maps which one do I choose? Bike lock Centre stand - should I fit one thinking is how to repair punctures on the road? Campsite guide/B&B info ? Camera and spare batteries Mobile phone and charger Bike spares consisting of: Front and rear inner tube Puncture repair kit Throttle cable ? Clutch cable ? Engine oil ? Chain lube Fuses - assorted ? Bulbs (head lamp, indicators, side lights) ? Spark plug Cable ties GT85/WD40 - small Insulation tape Rag Latex gloves x 3 pairs Grease - small tube Tools for all repairs consisting of: Tools to remove front and rear wheels Assorted tools Spark plug spanner Tyre pump (manual/12 volt or Co2 system) ? Tyre levers Legal travel documents consisting of: Passport Driving licence (both parts) Bike Insurance certificate including european cover MOT - if applicable Bike registration documents Breakdown cover including european cover Money (Uk � and local currency/Credit card) Travel insurance Ferry or tunnel ? Personal items consisting of: Included on my list but deleted in this post as not relevant and I am certain I need all the items! Clothing consisting of: Glasses/shades Ear plugs x 5 sets or reuseable ? Waterproofs Neck roll Spare gloves Socks x pairs Underwear x pairs Light under trousers/jeans x 1 T Shirts x Fleece Trainers Hi-viz vest ? Wolley hat Camping gear consisting of (assuming camping is the preferred accomodation): Tent Sleeping bag Ground mat (Thermarest) Head torch inc spare batteries Tea towel Cooking facility and fuel Matches - wind proof/water proof type Mess tin Knife/Fork/Spoon Metal mug Cooking pan T bags in sealed pot Sugar - small pot or sachets Milk - UHT shots ? How do i get my milk! Dehydrated food packs Chocolate bars/energy bars Washing up liquid - small ? Sponge - to clean pan/mug/cuttlery ? Waterproof bags - multiple Water container ? Mosquito net/repellant ? If applicable I know the list is crazy and I need to thin it down but its on the list for consideration. Please offer your oppinions and feed back. I can then refine the list and be happy knowing I have thought of enough to make both holidays enjoyable. Cheers. |
Now thats a list!
Kit and bits is down to personal preference and no matter what people suggest, you will come back with a completely new list. That said and for what its worth here are a couple of suggestions from me and from my experiences of French motorcycle touring. Centre stand - good as helps with easy chain maintenance as much as anything else. Never had a punture en route thankfully. Also useful on ferries when strapping down but these days some ferries have special bike systems. Hard luggage - Better than soft as more convienient to load/un load. Also its waterproof and more secure when left on the bike for lunch etc. Accomodation - Since the increase in strength of the Euro against the Pound Franch is expensive. So weather permitting camping is an excellent option. That said we often use a chain of hotels called B&B. Bad marketing as impossible to google for but good. Cheaper and plentiful are Formula 1 hotel chain. They are a bit like sleeping in a fibreglass shoebox but they are clean and bookable online and from one hotel to another. Easy to Google. The French are fabulous drivers when it comes to bikes (Paris excepted!). They will pull out of your way to allow you to pass and the standard thank you is to stick your left leg out. Tricky at speed! ALL other bikers WILL wave. Make sure you carry a bright vest under your seat. Travel with your lights on (sorry just remebered, you have no choice with the Ten). Don't piss the police off. They have the power to take your bike if you exceed the speed limit x 2. They can and will take on the spot fines and even escourt you to a cash point to do this. That said I love the place. Lucky you. Travelling through the Pyrenees is beyond belief and worth spending time doing with as many small roads included as possible. Like the Alps but quieter and less manacured. Have travelled there a couple of times before and look forward to going many more times. Documents - The originals plus copies of all. Colour copies at that. The police can take your documents but are often happy with good copies. For that matter if they are good enough they might not even know! but I doubt it. If they do take your documents they will post them back to the French Embassey in London. Really convenient. Clothing - KIS. Keep it simple. Biking kit plus one or at most two changes. Pants can be washed and draped on luggage to dry. GPS - Some say good but I find distarcting. Whats wrong with a map in the tank bag? I find with a map you make mistakes, go off route and see interesting places. A GPS makes me ride for too long and too fast and for me thats not what its about. You can get A5 size french road maps on Amazon. Very good and fits the tank bag. Ear plugs, ear plugs, ear plugs. I love my helmet with a double visa. The internal dark visa is so convenient and makes for a relaxing ride as there is no issues with sunnies off, sunnies on. Oh, the last thing. . . enjoy it will be fantastic! |
Cheers DickyC. Re centre stand and lashing the bike on the ferry. Do the lashings come supplied on the ferry or should I take a ratchet strap/rope to ensure the bike stays upright during a crossing?
My Ten currently has no centre stand so I wondered how does a solo rider repair a puncture roadside without one? At home its easy with a bike stand but you cannot take that! |
Most ferries should have lashing straps the ratchet type with the nylon strap you will need 6 to 8 5 tons SWL each straps to secure a bike in a ocean transport but a ferry does not roll or slam like ocean going vessels so I think you'll be ok with 2 straps from the top of the fork yoke to the deck left and right and two at the back from the pillion grab handles to the deck. Optional straps from the swingarm can be an idea.
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When I ferried my Ten I used four small tie down straps. Two off the front loop under the bottom yoke going to each side and two at the back from the pannier frames. This triangulated the bike on the sidestand. I do have a centre stand but the bike is way too high to be stable.
If you get hard luggage you can pull the bike to the side on the sidestand and put a pannier underneath the bash plate. I have MM panniers and they are fine for this! Handguards are a must as in even heavy rain provided you are moving you will find that the rain does not get at your hands too much. I always carry a Poncho as it can be used a a temporary shelter and used with your bike can be used to cook under should the weather be inclement. You can also put it over your biking gear when you stop and you will find that if it is raining your bike gear will drip dry quite a bit and then getting into a tent just slip it off as you enter, stops water from following you inside. Sorry to go on , I just love camping! |
Taken the bike on a lot of ferry's from UK to Ireland and France. Each time has been the same thing of ride on into the bike area, side stand, single strap over the seat,
making sure you leave the bike in gear so it doesn't roll off the stand jobs done. You will find most big ferries will do this for you but say that it's your own responsibility if anything happens.
The smaller rougher ferry's though I think I would want to tie it down a bit more just to be safe but even the above wont budge easily (I've tested it by a lot of heavy pushing from every direction) |
Good luck Tony
The only advice i can give knowing you is......................... allow plenty of time for toilet breaks :D |
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1. Use something to prop up the swing arm so that the rear is supported by the side stand and the improvised prop (for rear tyres), or prop up under the right hand front fork for front tyres. - There are commercial options available such as the Bike Krutch or Tour Prop Stand, or you could make or improvise your own. 2. Just lay the bike on it's side, make sure you can pick it up again though before you do :) |
Good for you.
check out this site, it covers pretty much the trip you are making : http://www.smokingtailpipes.com/smok...-draft_010.com The site is in desparate need of updating, but I just don't seam to find the time. Your list is pretty comprehensive, what I would say is pack it on the bike see if it all fits. Then unpack it, look at it and take out a few items that you think you could live without (do you really need the wife underwear? and are you actually going to change the oil ?), pack it again. The more times you repeat this the more you'll take out. remember you are travelling in Europe, there are shops ! Centre stand, it's upto you, �100 or, stick some slime in and make sure you've got roadside cover (you should have this anyway with the warrenty), you can get stuff repaired in France & Spain....:045: Camping, get an International Camping Card from the RAC, you get discounted rates, a great book of sites throughout Europe and you can use your card as ID rather than your passport. Documents, as Dicky mentioned, get high quality coppies, keep the originals somewhere safe, and put a set of copies (if you laminate them all you realy can't tell the difference between the original and the copy)somewhere safe too. Remember where you've put them! keep a set of coppies handy, again if they are laminated then they are hard to tell the difference. I've used a laminated driving licence in the UK (without realising) and got away with it! Get yourself one of these http://www.digitaldogtag.co.uk/?gcli...FVBd4wodCUK1pA Make sure you fill it in, and you can also scan in a copy of each of your documents (V5, Passport, Licience, ICC, etc). Wear it around your neck on a lanyard - not in your pocket!! If you are riding through France, consider the Tunnel rather than the Ferry, you save loads of time. If you aren't bothered about France, take the Ferry to Bilbao and save a few days in France, or take the Tunnel out and Bilbao ferry back. Most French folk speak english, and will, so long as you nake an attempt to engage them in French, a half decent phrase book goes a long way. When you need or want to talk get th ebook out and make sure your first word is in French. This approach goes a long way and you will find them amoung the most hospitalble people around. English isn't as widespread in Spain, so you will need the phrasebook. Wheras French people have a tendancy to wait until they engage you in English, the Spainish tend to (if they speak it) begin in english. It's good but it does make you lazy. Embrace the language it's a big part of the trip, and you'll be amazed at how quickly you pick things up. SatNav. Right, these things get you out of trouble no doubt, and using them on unfamiliar roads with unfamiliar driving rules etc will keep loads of stress away, especially if you are running late to meet the wife. I would say use the SatNav rather than a map, but this doesn't mean you are a slave to it. Keep your destination loaded into it and loosely follow it, take that small road off to the right, if you want to. When the time comes to get back on track you can use the SatNav. Of course, always have a map as backup! I use the Michelin maps, you can go for one that will cover Europe or France or bits of France - have a walk into the local bookshop and have a look around, you might just find you like the look of a Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Michelin or Bradt guide book - these are very good at finding things to see in certain areas. On the East coast of Spain (Barcelona south), watch out for the 'ladies of the night' that frequent the layby's and Fuel stations, they can mostly speak English and will approach you (they did me anyway!), I found that a few words of German helped to confuse them and they stop hassling you. These 'ladies' look good from a distance, but get close and UUUUrrghhh! The Tenere compresses down a long way when you Ferry it, on the side stand it will site vertically. Off course the right way to strap the bike to the ground is by the wheels, the suspension is all about protecting the bike from movement, but this just isn't possible under any conditions. As others have said, put it in gear, then use something to apply the front brake ( I have a piece of double sided velcro that I wrap around the brake leaver and the grip), if you can, get hold of some bike specific tie downs (these fit to the grips/handlebars) and tie down the left side first, but not fastening it too tight - this way the bike will lean towards the side stand rather than bolt upright! It is normal practise for the deck hands to tie down your bike and they will normally fasted it with a single strap/rope over your seat - so make sure you have something over the seat! Gloves are good enough. If you are in any doubt, leave it to the deck hands, once you depart the responsibility of the cargo rests with the capitan. If you take the Tunnel you just sit with the bike. Lots of folk have lots of advice and experience, some will disagree with others, but it's all about what works for individuals, after your first trip you will form your own ways, this is all about the fun of solo traveling. The best advice is JFDI. (Just Fxxking Do It) |
Regarding ferries, living on an Island I use then all the time. As stated above most ferries use the side stand or centre stand and pad your seat before strapping over the top diagonally with two straps. You have to watch the loaders as they often don't know about bikes and I have seen them pull a bike forward off its stand when strapping! Never happened to me though. They are often not happy if you do it yourself which can be anoying. Invariably you end up removing the starpping yourself which works for me.
More recently the ferry company who serve the channel islands have installed propper bike parks with a craddle devise you ride into with your fron wheel. This then rocks forward into place and you can get off your bike (as long as your eighteen feet tall) but it aint dignified and I have found myself on my arse before now much to the amusment of the other drivers! After riding into this clamp they then strap your bike using a couple of joined loops form the handlebars to the floor infront of the bars thus pulling it further into the front wheel clamp. Seems very kind on the bike and crossing the english channel in some hairy weather has never been an issue. Often if you strap your own bike you will find there are insurance issues with the carrier. If they drop it they pay for it. If it damages another vehichle they pay for it etc. Check what system your chosen ferry route uses. I have never carried my own starps and never needed to. There are hundreds of bikes crossing the channel every month. There really are no worries. Just stick to the fat wobbling ribs on the deck when going up ramps. I have used the middle smooth section in the past but once when I did so, I had to stop near the top for a muppet car driver with no awareness of others and then started to slide backwards. My brakes were on and I was gently drifting backwards with the car beeping behind me. The inevitable happened when I eventually slid, albeit gently, into the car behind. Lesson learnt. Use the ribbed grippy bits! |
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Above all enjoy |
Scotoiler
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I always wear a bum bag to carry wallet, passport etc it is also a useful place to put any toll tickets in. I also wear it back to front so the bag is easy to open when you stop without having to fumble about to much.
Throttle side to the kerbside |
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Anyway, all good stuff guys, many thanks for the posts so far they are helping a great deal. To Gas up lets go, can you email me your excel file from your website detailing you stuff you take? It looks like you have put it on there but for some reason it wont let me download it. Many thanks in advance, I will PM you with my email address. I am just reading the trip as we speak, impressive. As I am going to be riding a bicycle next year to J'O'Groats I am considering a Tenere trip up there first and get a feel for the place (long weekend) so when I go on the bicycle I will have effectively been there before but this time under human power! I will wait till better weather at the earliest late spring. I want to check out the West Highland way as well and a guy at work has recommended I take that in (bicycle only!). From the map it looks like Glasgow to Fort William. |
Maybe not quite equipment but just in case you want a recommended ride when you get down here:-
BestBikingRoads.com |
Cheers GULGO, I got the email and had a read through the list. It was worth it as I realised I did not have an E111 medical form on my list. Also like the USB stick with scanned copies of all documents, although not taking a computer access should be pretty easy if required. Finally the international driving permit was not on the list but after reading about it I dont need it for France or Spain. Still worth considering just incase I go elsewhere.
Many thanks |
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You can always find an internet cafe along the way if you need to. |
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I don't reacall being critical of your advice. Everyone will come to develop with their own methods. when someone askes for advice it's normal practice for people to give thiers, it might not fit, it might be that there are parameters others don't know, understand or appriciate. The worst kind of advice is the "mines better than anyone elses" attitude as it doesn't actually provide anything usefull. |
Opinions are just that, opinions, though I have to say Tony is only going over to Spain, not the 3rd world. Spain and Europe in general are a lot more bike oriented that UK, specially due to the better weather. There are plenty of mechanics, along the way. The list of things Tony suggested I find it to be a bit overkill.
Crossing over to Spain even on a XT 660 is not going to take more than 2-3 days max depending on how many times you intend to stop, although Tony mentioned camping is involved as overnight stay, just because Spain is not an uncivilized 3rd world country, I would personally stop at some very cheap B&B, (there are plenty of them cheap, clean and family run with pukka food) not having to worry about setting up a tent in the middle of nowhere, play with pans and pots, and all that stuff. Instead sleep on a comfy bed so you are much fresher the next day, get a proper shower / bath and off you go again fresh as a daisy to the next stop, 700 miles later. But of course that's me and the way I like to travel, I did camping and was not a real fan of it. If you choose the B&B option then you have a lot less to carry and your journey can be more enjoyable, you bike will be lighter and perform better. Just my opinion. |
I must admit I do prefer the minimum amount to take. And just enjoy the ride, like every said it is alot more biker friendly then England.:fart:
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Hey Tony, firstly I'm sure you'll have a load of fun and no doubt plenty of worries, but also tales to tell.
I did my first continental trip last year on my Guzzi V11 with a mate on his 1150RS. We caught the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre, a good choice as it meant we were up at a reasonable time, but could also have a few cheeky vimtos the night before. The ferry guys strapped the bikes down with their own straps. With something like the Tenere, see if you can get them to strap round the rear pillion pegs, or through the pillion peg loop. Saves damaging the seat. Mine's been across to Eire and back, and on several smaller ferries around the Western Isles and hasn't fallen over. We'd got a rough route in mind and were heading to Millau where my mate's dad would meet us, having ridden up from Faro. We made better time than we thought we would and had already decided to just stop where we fancied rather than pre booking. There are loads of campsites in France and that was our intended way of sleeping. We were in Millau in two days, and on the third day, in a huge storm my worst fear was realised and the Guzzi broke down with an electrical fault (reg/rec). I limped it to a bodyshop who were open and were kind enough to let me strip the bike and diagnose the fault, despite me not speaking even basic french. As said, a phrase book goes a long way, and every person I met in France was genuinely helpful and pleasant. I'd got breakdown cover before I left so it ended up with the bike being taken to the nearest (!) Guzzi dealer in Toulouse whilst I stayed in Albi, the breakdown cover paid for the hotel, a hire car, and the transport of the bike. I headed to Carcassonne to catch up with my riding mates for a day off, then whilst I shuttled back and forth between Carcassonne and Toulouse they headed off and we agreed to meet in northern Spain. I got the bike back and managed to get down to St Gaudens for the night and the hotel propietor was kind enough to let me park up under his front canopy so he could keep an eye on the bike. Hotels in france are graded by what they provide so you may find a 1* is nicer than a 3*, this was certainly the case with the Albi hotel (3*) versus the 1* B&B in Carcassonne. Anyway, take time to eat on the road; those early morning boulangerie breakfasts of croissant jambon et fromage with an orange juice take some beating, and with lunch being the main meal of the day you can give yourself a good feed in the littler village by looking for a bar/restaraunt and going for the menu du jour (menu of the day). My best meals were in the old cite in Carcassonne, and between Toulouse and Carcassonne in Villenouvelle have menu du jour. a couple of hours well spent. I took way too much stuff; due to the terrible weather I didn't need my hood jeans, and we only ended up camping for one night. I could've done the whole trip with only a fistful of euros and the clothes on my back if I'd wanted, but we had plans, and even the best plans go awry. Once you've packed your bike, take it for a run to find out how it feels, and if you've got anything loose. Fuel was no problem, and Spain was definitely cheaper than France. We sailed back from Bilbao, which is a horrible place. Enjoy it, bet you are excited already. Oh maps, I bought one of the indestructible biker maps from Motrax and just noted a few towns/villages on a scrap of paper on my tank bag. As long as you go roughly the right way you'll end up there. We only used the Autoroutes twice; once to leave Le Havre for a short distance, and once to make some time up past Limoges. aside from that it was all little roads. |
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Sorry if any offence was caused. Not intended. |
Wet wipes
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France and Spain can be done with the clothes on your back, passport & credit card, your never far from home and/or civilization if something happens to go wrong.
That being said obviously taking some basic things with you will make life easier and a lot cheaper. Last time I went over the water for a week I took the following: On me Clothes & Bike Gear ofc Ear Plugs if not using Headphones Oxford Comfy neck warmer thingy Summer Gloves Tankbag Rugged Map - A5 map that is water and rip proof - fits nicely in map pocket Phone & Charger Waterproofs Mp3 Player Passport Wallet (Credit Cards, Cash, Driving License) Winter Gloves Backpack 2 pairs of jeans 2 Casual Shirts 2 T-shirts 5 Boxers/Socks Travel Towel Mini tube of toothpaste & showergel Done. Everywhere I stayed was either on a friends sofa (people I met when over in Australia) or Youth Hostels ( www.hostelworld.com is your friend long as you don't mind sharing with people) Cheap as chips and not bogged down with useless stuff. edit: Traveling light is something you just get used to, 1st time you go out you take everything including the kitchen sink. After a couple days or when the journey is over you think WTF?! why did I bring that or why didn't i take that?! and you learn for next time :) |
Thanks DickYC
c'mon group hug. We're all in this for the love of bikes. :grouphug5: |
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capt'n - we need a 'sarcasm' font! (I'm having a wild stab in the dark and guessing it was sarcasm ?)
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For the trip |
Again guys this is all good stuff. Just to tackle the many posts already gone, the reason for my original post is to get oppinions. GULGO is clearly a thorough and methodical person. That is what I am like much to my annoyance if I am honest. As the Capt says I am only going to Spain and I agree I like the idea in his post about B&B etc.
After due consideration I can see my first edition list is overkill and to be honest I have pretty much decided to B&B/motel it as I dont have to gear up with camp stuff and lug it about. This trip may only be a one off, it is something I feel I need to do and have the opportunity to do next year. I want to consider all the options and then take a view and plan accordingly to what I am happy with. I am starting to get a picture of what I am going to do. I am starting to realise that its not exactly 3rd world places I am going so I am going to put faith in the XT to deliver me to my destination with a minimum of fuss and kit. That said there are a few things I will most certainly want to take. I truly value all your oppinions. Thank you. |
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Anyone offering any odds on that ? A small wager perhaps ? |
I guarantee you will do it more then once :laughing4:
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When you do it and sort out for yourself what kit you need by your own experiences (and it is a very personal thing) you will wonder why you did not do it earlier. I personally like to camp and do not mind rain and cold - to a degree, but there is something special about camping up a mountain and waking up at dawn and watching the planet wake up. http://i310.photobucket.com/albums/k...d_DSCF1585.jpg When I go with SWAMBO we camp and B&B depending upon the weather. We take all the kit and then have a choice. Either way, like I said, it gets under your skin. Enjoy. |
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I started this thread a while ago when I was traveling in the USA: http://www.xt660.com/showthread.php?...=packing+light Hopefully there are some pointers there? As others have said - you need surprisingly little with you, other than a full change of clothes, a waterproof over jacket/suit/gloves (it is Europe) and a few basic tools and bodge-it spares. Go light, and enjoy it all the more! Jenny xxx |
After posting above, I watched the film, "The Motorcycle Diaries" by Che Guevara.
It reminded me of a travelling experience I'd like to share. I did not know before today that Che was a doctor specialising in leprosy and spent some time working in a colony in the Amazon. In 1997 , along with 2 friends, I sailed all the way up the Amazon. When we entered Peru we met some peruvian police who sailed with us through Peru. A couple of days into Peru one of them asked us if we wanted to go to the leper colony which was on the river side. Stunned, we agreed and were treated like kings by these unfortunate people whom we hugged and greeted in the typical latin way. The encounter was one of the most moving I have ever had. They say travel broadens the mind. It did that day and was a very humbling and rewarding expeience. Travel: You can't beat it. |
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Last summer I took the Portsmouth-Bilbao ferry to Spain, then headed west into northern Portugal (awesome riding) then down to the Algarve via Lisbon. From there I headed to southern Spain and took the ferry to Tanger - spend a couple of weeks in Morocco the wound my way back up to the Pyrenees on some fantastic roads... from there I headed though southern France to the Alps, then back up to Calais and the channel tunnel... What I would say is the journey down (or back up) through France is a bit dull unless you have the time to take the minor roads (the south of France is another matter - it's all awesome!) - fuel and tolls are also expensive in France these days... Personally I'd save your tyres/fuel/sanity and take the Bilbao (or Santander) ferry directly to Spain, and take more time enjoying Spain - the Pyrenees are fantastic, then cutting cross country staying 50 miles or so inland from the coast is a lovely way to head south... xxx |
I am just looking at the travel plan at the moment, plan is to go straight after the school holidays have started so pretty much peak season (late July early August)! Anyway looking at ferry bookings and Portsmouth - Bilao return is �579. Thats higher than I thought it was going to be. It certainly looks a good way to travel but I am looking to lower that somewhat. Same times on the Euro Tunnel is �48 return (obviously lots of more riding and stop overs to add).
Can anyone recommend a site for booking ferries? If this is about the going rate then riding through France is going to be only way TBH. I hear the toll roads in France are expensive as well but want to gauge the costs of this as well if anyone knows. I dont have a map so dont yet know a route but is it totally unrealistic to do the journey off the toll roads? I mean I dont use them in the UK (even though we have some) and I live right next to the M6 toll and can easily live without its "convienience". Again any info will help. I want to consider each option/cost. |
Try the
www.viamichelin.com site which offers many alternatives including most economical route.
www.ferrysavers.com |
Dave, actually now that you "spoke" I remember it was your son the intrepid young chap that collected your first blue XTR and rode it all the way from Bambury to your villa in Spain to deliver it to you, and he was was only carrying his rucksack with his spare clothes and mars bars, wasn't he? Come rain or shine he made it there in one piece albeit a pair of shot and squared tires!
:clap: :clap: to your son! |
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How about this for an idea - get the Bilbao ferry one way (saving your tyres etc), enjoy Spain, then leave a day or two earlier and ride home through France and take the tunnel? Best of all worlds etc. |
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