Day 16 - Home again

Almost last of the feet and absolutely last through passport control (thanks to a broken down BMW - car).
A quick wee stroll through the N York Moors before heading for home (again in the drizzle)
Overall a great trip and the Tiger didn't miss a beat.
Final stats.....
Miles 3,696
Average speed 38.2 mph (thanks to French speed limits)
Consumption 63.8 mph
John's consumption +2 schnitzels/fortnight

Day 15 - 4 Countries

Our morning ride was a gentle bimble through wooded valleys of Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium before heading to the motorways and the ferry in the Netherlands.  This was where the weather turned from biking weather to ark building weather.  The journey was both wet and unpleasant (perhaps doing the Amsterdam and Rotterdam ring roads in the pissing rain at rush hour wasn't a good idea).
This culminated in us getting into a diversion in the Rotterdam docks and getting thoroughly lost.  We checked in much later (and wetter) than originally intended.
Note to self - Do not come home via Rotterdam again.

Day 14 - Back to the Nurburgring

After a night of torrential rain (our first since leaving the UK, it was just cold and damp today (liners in for tomorrow!) Our pace was slowed until the roads started drying and by the time we got to our old stomping ground of the Nurburgring and Blankenheim, we are in a groove (a cold groove, granted but a groove none the less).
John also said farewell to his constant travelling companion over the past years and declared his bike more comfortable without his sheep skin.  Similarly Delores has been consigned to the polio seat.
We found our hotel in a very small village, up a dead end road in a housing estate.  We could tell it was ours by the way that it looked closed but was in fact open and being run by Red Riding Hood's grandmother (who only speaks local German).
As an example......
'Here is the menu, you will be having schnitzel!'
but at least they are offering food and beer.

Day 13 - Mad Sunday on the Black Forest Raceway

A sad farewell to the V-S crazy bunch and then on to the day in hand.
As my good friend Denis said (last night) it is difficult to pick a bad road in the Black Forest. (Except for todays 4 umleitungs - and to be fair all 4 gave us beautiful roads).
There are minimal pictures today because we were enjoying the fast sweeping bends of the Black Forest far too much to stop and take photos.  All in all a great day riding.
Tonight's hotel actually looks like a hotel and isn't on an industrial estate.  It also provided JB with his first schnitzel of the holiday !

Day 12 - Home again in Germany

A pleasant if undemanding ride through France.  Within 30 minutes of being in Germany we experienced a Stau (traffic jam), some superb gorge roads and our first 'umleitung' .  The latter producing some more excellent roads for future use.
The day ended with our good friends Daggi & Henri, accompanied by their friend Nikki and Laura/Denis.  Another entertaining night in V-S.
Quote of the day. -
"it's good to be back at the racetrack"
"What racetrack"
"GERMANY"

Day 11 - Where it all started

A quick trip over the Col De la Colombiere then up to Les Gets to relive my grass skiing memories, and bore John stupid.  A scenic tour of some high roads avoiding Geneva (by which time it had started to warm up). Then onto some 'normal roads' to finish our day in another industrial estate.

Day 10 - Annecy/Albertville loop

A weather front has brought some clouds in over the mountains.  Thermals on, and departure for a loop round Annecy and Albertville. Departure temperature a chilly 13°  rising throughout the day but only 17° at the end.  Largely uninteresting roads with traffic interspersed with some great bits.
Highlights, Mont Blanc disguised as clouds over closer mountains.
Lowlights, being overtaken by a bicycle coming down a hairpin infested pass.  (We got him again on the uphill.)

Day 9- The Three Cols

An early start as we had a long day in front of us. We bade farewell to the group of Austrian bikers and proceeded to overtake and be overtaken by then for the next 200 miles.
A cool start through a fabulous gorge where the sun had not reached the bottom and the moon hung in the sky over the mountains before our first ascent of the day.  The Col De Isouard, followed by the Gaulibier before 10.30.  We saved the Iseran for after lunch (yes we stopped for lunch!).
Fuel conservation mode was employed as we arrived at a scheduled fuel ago with 28 miles to spare.

Day 8 , Marmot ahoy

After yesterday's tight hairpin, today's route was amended to omit more of the same (this time fully loaded) and a diversion to add some additional miles.  This meant missing out on the Col du Bonette (leaving the Stelvio as out highest point).
The first 40 miles were through some amazing canyons/gorges.  We then approached our first ski resorts and the views became very 'jaggy'.
Needless to say access to our hotel was blocked by a closed road, appropriate really as the hotel restaurant was also closed.  Beer was taken in a bar serving draft BrewDog followed by a meal in a very pleasant Vietnamese restaurant.
I felt guilty at the sheer number of butterflies that I ran over today, fortunately none of the cows or the marmot on the road were damaged.

Day 7 - Monte Carlo Rally

A two nighter, so no luggage today.
Our route was a short one of only 125 miles but the GPS estimated (accurately) it would take 6 hours.  The views of the Mediterranean from the mountains over Monaco and Nice were spectacular, in the rare moments when we could spare our attention from the 'challenging' roads.
I think we rode more (very tight) hairpins than the entire peleton (combined) on an alpine stage of the TDF. Some were so tight that 3 point turns were required!   At times the roads on the GPS looked like a very tangled knitting pattern.
It was agreed that we were glad we had done it but wouldn't be doing it again (especially the TomTom special shortcut).
Good news is that the hotel dining room is open tonight so a return to the pizza van (or the McDonald's) will not be needed.

Day 6 - Mad Sunday

Cooler temperatures soon gave way to the blistering heat.  My thermometer (which over reads bit) which picks up heat from the engine (as does the rider) maxed out at 44.6°C.  At that point John was having a siesta in the shade while I watched a Mercedes reverse into 3 separate things !
Today's roads were all 'trunk roads' and varied almost 50:50 between straight and boring and my god, do the French know how to build bends.
We are now in Barbietours hotel 100  and yes, it is on an industrial estate and no the restaurant isn't open on Sundays (neither is any other restaurant in town).  Dinner was a take out pizza from a local van (one of four) eaten beside our hotel pool in the company of the geckos.

Day 5 - Lost in France

27°C at 10am departure.  It's going to be a hot day!
First 10 miles were on roads that seriously made me consider the days route.  Fortunately the roads resolved into yeeha roads.
Today's lesson is that sometimes 'Road Closed' signs mean ......  there used to be a bridge, but now there isn't!  This resulted in approximately 70 miles of free styling on mostly very good roads.
Unfortunately the final 50 miles were through the Rhone vineyards on cruise control.  Very pretty but boring.
Nyon is a very pretty town with so many restaurants and bars that we won't go short of food or drink tonight.

Day 4 - Walk across the Rhone

A trip round Lyon on the motorway and St Etienne on the hill roads meant that we kept the high mountains on the horizon all day. (Even though that horizon was getting ever closer all).
It took nearly 180 miles before the roads and their surfaces combined to give our ride the 'grin' factor, even then it was spoiled by (more) top dressing and traffic.
30° C is too much for riding ! Especially late on, on such bum torturing roads. (2 stops in 230 miles is far too few, sorry John).
I spent 40 miles looking for a cafe drink stop before giving up and having a break at the road side.  Inevitably we then rode through a village, 2 miles up the road, which had 5 suitable cafes.
When I booked the room I was told that the shower was in the room.  I naturally expected it would be an en-suite.  Nope, in an Ibis Budget Hotel it is IN the room.

Day 3 - Route des Lacs

Good roads, great scenery, lakes, rivers, rock escarpments.

What did we learn today?
White van drivers never use their mirrors irrespective of what country they are in.
Even if truck drivers acknowledge you, don't think they won't open their door and try to decapitate you as you pass.
A barrier across the road with a sign saying 'road closed' does NOT mean the road is closed (or even has road works).
The 'Route des Lacs' has frequent picnic laybys, none of which can you see anything other than the rubbish bins.
If you stand in a layby under a cliff, sooner or later a large rock will hit you (Lucky John just escaped material damage).

Day 2 - Grand Ballon and Belfort

After the first 50 miles the day developed into a twist fest.  In part following a Tour De France route the roads snaked through tree lined hills up to some ski resorts.  The descent from Grand Ballon (grass ski location) was tricky with the panorama pulling the eyes down the valley and away from the unprotected hairpins.
The 'pave' on several hairpins (without notice) also created some interest!
A new first on the Tiger, scrapping the side of my boot on the tarmac on bends....eek.
Tonight's budget rabbit hutch in a distant industrial estate resulted in an (over) 2 mile walk on a step hill to get to the nearest bar.  Yes, there were then 3 next door to each other.
Dinner was at a Chinese buffet marooned in our industrial estate.  Whatever doesn't kill you etc etc.

Day 1 - Enzo Ferrari

A long day to Pont a Mouson.  Boring 150 miles motorway transit followed by 60 miles of good bends, the majority of which seemed to tighten, that kept is on our toes.  Unfortunately we then moved onto 70 miles of straight roads (RAF planning) and the totally ridiculous French 50mph national speed limit.
Tonight we are staying in a styled Enzo Ferrari hotel......  who knew that the great And I must have loved cold showers !

Day 0

Not cold enough to be COLD not wet enough to be WET but definitely a chilly soggy ride to Hull.  The first wildlife on the road was a hen, if you have hen in your sweepstakes, claim 25 points.
Only 9 bikes on a quiet ferry but 4 of them are Tigers 😃.
First beers are now being dispatched.