Hi Guys
Continental breakaway team have returned today after an exciting approx 4000 miles or so. To summarise:
The "starvation tour"
French hotel restaurant excuses included: "yes we have a restaurant but we are full; yes we have a restaurant but we are closed for the annual festival" (same excuse for bar - a sober evening ensued); after careful pre-checking by Graeme of a German hotel that there was a restaurant nearby we discovered they had closed (for the season?) a cold bike ride to next town followed. And we will not mention the +one hour out of doors in dropping temperatures wait for a fast food Pizza in Millou.
Graeme attuned me to approx 230+ miles of hard riding each day so a good breakfast was followed by about 8/9 hours of bum breaking curve bending, sight seeing action followed by dinner if lucky.
Weather was variable - temp range -1 deg C to + 28 deg C. the -1C included snow and a bovinely stupid quodropod who would not move out of my way on the Navio Pass (snow about 3 inches deep at this point). When I tried to move bike to a different tyre track (animal was standing chewing cud 2 feet in front of me) dropped bike in ice and landed under cow which them moved!!!! No serious damage.
Bikes were serviced before trip including new brake pads. My brakes felt "off" at an early stage and Graeme's followed. It turns out we had a duff batch of pads via Border Bikes - warranty claim in hand. Riding across Czech Republic without brakes was fun (Graeme's brakes lasted till Holland - he limped from there to Duns - though not appreciably slower!!!!). Triumph dealer in Leipzig is a hero for replacing my pads and brake fluid without an appointment.
On the further up side:
Great roads - N152 bewteen Spain and France - 80 miles of bends without straights (best road in the World in my opinion) and lots not far behind for enjoyment: The Bowling Hotel in Millou - manager remembered us from previous trip and bought us drinks - roads in area a joy to ride particularly as weather perfect.
Hotel in Italy - "sorry we have no beer but we have this - what is it? (cannot remember what they answered but - 28 % proof - RESULT.) This followed by dinner with wine included for 10 Euros each!
Czech Republic - great roads and scenery (too straight for Graeme I think). Excellent outdoor dinner including 6 beers between us and lots of beef - 20 Euros makes us forgive hotel with locked reception and long wait for receptionist to arrive after her "siesta".
All in all a great trip. My joy in biking has been rejuvenated.
Lucky John
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