Post by Fiasco on Jun 6, 2009 14:54:40 GMT
I will add more photos as I get them from others, as some of you know my camera went "missing" at the Mugello circuit, most of these were taken at low resolution on my phone to send home, although some have been e-mailed to me from others.
Tues 26th May - High Wycombe to Dizy
Met some of the group at Beaconsfield, then more at Reigate, then 2 more at Dover. Absolutely hammering it down all the way to Dover - not a great start weatherwise. Total 14 bikes as follows:
2 x Ducati ST4s
1 x Ducati 998
1 x BMW K1200s
1 x BMW 1100 Tourer
1 x Benelli
1 x Moto Guzzi Daytona
1 x Honda VTR Firestorm
1 x Yamaha FJR 1300
1 x Honda Goldwing
1 x Triumph Sprint ST
1 x Buell 1200
1 x Yamaha TDM 900
1 x Suzuki GSXR 750
Bike professionally strapped into a rack on the Seafrance ferry, quite a relief after all the horror stories I had heard.
Arrived in Calais to brighter weather, I was back marker for this leg. Rode to Dizy in the Champagne region for our first night stop. Had an expensive meal in the hotel resturant - beer €6.50 per half lite. Got a shock when we got the bill next morning - we were charged €9 each for a very basic continental breakfast - an expensive start to the holiday.
Weds 27th May - Dizy to Grenoble
This was to be another long day of riding, but the weather was better and the roads started getting a bit more exciting.
We arrived at the hotel in Grenoble at the foot of the Alps at about 8.30pm, the look of the snowcapped mountains looming above made us very excited about the next day. The hotel rooms at Grenoble were more like ship cabins with a bunk over the top of the double bed, I won the toss, so got the double. Dinner at a local grill, then off to bed exhausted.
Thurs 28th May - Grenoble to Modena
Up into the mountains and our first chance to play on the hairpins, I remembered how much I hated them, and let the faster riders come past wherever possible. Had a great lunch up in the Alps, started with plates of cold meats and cheese, then some proper home made ravioli.
Unfortunately a couple of bikes were dropped today and the Buell lost a foot peg. Eventually arrived in Modena at a very nice hotel. A few of us decided we were not going to pay €30 for the hotel set menu, so went for a walk and had chinese on our first night in Italy. Was very surreal as they had dishes such as special fried spaghetti. The beers were big and cheap compared to the hotels, so we made the most of them!
Fri 29th May - Modena - Vinci - Faenza
More superb riding, some of the best roads I have ever ridden around the town of Zocca, the bad news was that we had our first breakdown, the drive belt on the Buell had broken, and the rider was going to have to wait for recovery. As it turned out he wouldn't be riding with us again, there were no belts in Italy, and with it being a bank holiday weekend, no prospect of getting any until the following Weds! We then went to Vinci, the home of Leonardo, where we had a great lunch. Some visited the museum, whilst myself and others snoozed under trees on the village green. On the journey towards Faenza we headed over towards the mountains near the Mugello circuit to do a reccy for race day. On the way back to Faenza a big storm came in suddenly and we were all caught in the mountains in summer gear. I was marking a junction and found time to have a text message conversation with Julie and put all my wet gear on. We finally arrived in Faenza at about 9.30pm soaked and cold. The local Pizza restaurant we had booked for 16 was on the phone demanding to know where we were, so we wandered down there for a 10.30pm meal and some well earned beer and red wine!
Saturday 30th May - Faenza - Bologna - Faenza
Visited the Ducati Factory and Museum in Bologna, really interesting to have a look at the production line and how the bikes were assemble in 2.5 hours from start to finish. I asked where the bag of nails was added, but think the guide proably didn't understand or she would have been in hysterics - wouldn't she? We were introduced to a Production Manager who had been there 30 years. I asked him if he would be supporting Rossi or Stoner in the GP and Rossi got the thumbs down. The pride of the Ducati name seemed to run deeper than patriotism. We then visited the amazing Ducati museum, which contained all the bikes of past heros from Hailwood through Foggerty, Toseland, Corser, Bayliss, Stoner and Hayden, a truely amazing place
There was a great atmosphere in the car park outside with bikes from all over Europe, and notably lots of TDMs
I decided to leave the group at the lunch stop and set my Garmin to shorter distance back to hotel rather than faster time. It took me down loads of tiny road with rows of vines and olives on both sides. I stopped for a pee and realised how peaceful it was, so just sat at the roadside and listened to nothing - glorious!
I then headed back the hotel for a shower and cool beer, and was on number 3 by the time the rest arrived back.
Sunday 31st May - Faenza - Mugello - Faenza
This was the centre piece of the whole trip - Moto GP day. I felt very nervous as I rode over the mountains to get to Mugello, I had heard that it would be chaotic, but really didn't know what to expect. We didn't actually hit the chaos until we were about a mille away from the circuit and managed to filter in and get parked surprisingly easy. I had expected massive car and bike parks, but you literally park at the side of the perimeter road round the circuit wherever you can find a space, then hop over the armco onto the grassy bank above the track. This meant you could stay close to your bike, which proved useful for waterproofs etc.
As you would have seen on TV the weather was very changeable, and we got soaked before the 125 race and during the 250 race. The crowds were much more spread out than I imagined and we were able to move about fairly freely. I managed to lose my camera 30 mins after getting there, I had been walking to the loo, and in hindsight remember someone bumping into me - pickpocket ? I was gutted but this was a long planned journey and I wasn't going to let it be ruined. We wandered down to the far end of the circuit near the fist bend for the 125 race and start of the 250 race, the atmosphere everywhere was electric. We watched the 125 race on a bank of Itralian supporters, who in the main lost interest once Ianoni broke down, I was jumping up and down as Bradley did his stuff, the Italians all sportingly stood and cheered Bradley on his victory lap, I was jumping about like a loon !
We watched the start of the 250cc race on the first bend, it was raining and we expected a pile up, but it wasn't to be.
We walked back to our original postion in time to see the exhilerating climax to the 250 race. The rain just stopped in time for the main race, and the atmosphere in the circuit was amazing, especially when Rossi appeared.
The race was amazing to watch, but just so fast in the flesh it was hard to know what was going on. I managed to watch one of the big TV walls through my binnoculars, so was giving a commentary on positions to the rest of our group. Everyone took the pee out of me in my JT t-shirt and hat after he bravely went in to swap bikes and ended up miles behind for a while. I had a smug grin when it all shook out and he was in 6th/7th position with some great battles with RDP. Unfortunately Edwards appeared from nowhere, and I never saw his final pass. The atmosphere was surprisingly gloomy after Stoner won, but I imagined the Ducati boys going nuts. Although I am a Lorenzo fan on the quiet, I would have loved Rossi to have won to sample the atmosphere. As the main race finished the clouds above the mountains delivered what they had been promising for the last hour and the rain was coming down in stair rods. The road out was packed and our bikes were facing the wrong way up the hill. We decided to wait an hour and stood shivering in the rain in full wets before turning our bikes round and joining the queues to get out, especially challenging for Joe on the Goldwing
Italians on scooters are headcases and great care was required.
Once we got up into the mountains we hit the clear roads, and had a great ride back to Faenza in time for another visit to the pizza restaurant where I had a very unusual seafood pizza.
Monday 1st June - Faenza to Senale
Raining again as we left Faenza
Another great ride along the side of Lake Garda, an amazing place, with lakeside resorts all along it's banks.
Lunch was at a nice Pizza restaurant in Lazise
Then up into the Alps but this time in the direction of Austria. We arrived eventually at our hotel, which was a bit like a ski lodge with dedicated bike sheds.
We had a superb 5 course evening meal there with plenty of beer and wine, and went to be happy after a great day - most of all it had been dry (well apart from in the bar!).
Tuesday 2nd June - Senale to Schaidt (Germany)
This had to be my favourite day for scenery, the Austrian Alps were breathtaking with some beautiful lakes at high altitudes.
We also got caught in roadworks where they closed the roads to sweep up a landslide, this proved a welcone breather
Once down from the Alps and through Austria we arrived in Germany and grabbed lunch in a roadside supermarket, their bakery counter was unbelievable with some great savouries and cakes at very low prices. The afternoons ride into Germany was less interesting, but had my first blat on a limitless Autobahn. Got the TDM to 126mph before the weave cut in and I backed off to about 110mph for the rest of that stage. We arrived in the village of Schaidt (pronounced Shite) later afternoon and were greeted by a German hotel owner who was over the moon to see us, and insisted on us all having a cold beer on the house. The guy who organised and led the trip had friends nearby, and we went to their house for an amazing evening barbeque, this took place in a big hanger (they were flying and gliding enthusiasts). These people were huge fans of the Brits, the Grandfather Hans had ridden his motorbike to the UK in the early 50's and was made so welcome he has loved Brits ever since. It was surreal to listen to this old German singing British war songs while we were there. These people had also invited a load of their local friends to come and meet us, a truely amazing evening, where my sterio type of Germans was ripped up and thrown in the bin.
Weds 3rd June - Schaidt to Saint Quentin
In the morning we left the hotel and did a ride pass of Han's house so he could see the bikes, they all came out to take photos etc - a really emotional time for me saying goodbye to these lovely people. We had a superb blat through some forests in the morning, a real combination of long straights and then twisty sections. I was in a group of 4 bikes, Gixer, FJR, Beemer and Me, who had about an hours serious hoon. They were leaving me on the straights but the bends were perfect for the TDM and it held it's own superbly. We were all left grinning after that section. We eventually arrived in Saint Qunetin early evening with the sad thought that all the good roads were now behind us. The hotal was a typical French budget place and we went for a meal at the local grill, our last evening together and lots of stories exchanged
Thurs 4th June - Saint Quentin to High Wycombe
We packed our luggage up for the last time and blasted up the Autoroute to Calais with a fuel stop half way. When we got to Calais we got on the boat like old hands, none of the concerns we had on the way out.
We all sat on the boat looking tired and chatting to some other bikers also on the way back from Mugello. It was good to see Blighty appear!
When we left the boat we regrouped and made our way to a place called Ham Street in Kent (I think), where one of the group lived. The TDM started playing up and I feared I may not make it back. It was really labouring in low revs, and when we stopped it was turning over but wouldn't start. I then realised that the ignition key was not all the way onto the on position, getting this right seemed to cure the problem. We all said our goodbyes and felt quite sad to be splitting the group. 3 of us left for the ride home on the M20/M26/M25/M40, as I took the spiral onto the M20 I overtook a lorry around the outside at speed, something I would not have tried before, and realised how much confidence I had gained from the trip. When we got to Beaconsfield we stopped for a coffee and final goodbyes before heading home. As soon as my bike pulled up on the drive the kids came running out for hugs, something I had been looking forward to for days. I then walked in to find Julie had the kettle on and the normal words I get when returning from a bike trip - "Keep away from me until you have had a shower" but this time she couldn't resist a quick hug
So the trip for me was 2608 miles end to end. According to my GPS my bike was actually moving for over 60 hours (this does not include being stopped at traffic lights, lunch stops etc) they days were very long, normally 8.00am to 8.00pm on the road, sometimes later.
The only downside was not being able to stop and sightsee in between stops, and many of the stops were service stations due to the requirement to fill up. But we would never have covered the ground otherwise.
Would I do it again ? Oh yes, but probably take me a few years to get the browny points balance to that level again !!
Thanks for reading, more pictures are available at
s157.photobucket.com/albums/t78/davepascoe/Mugello%20Trip%202009/?start=all
Dave
Tues 26th May - High Wycombe to Dizy
Met some of the group at Beaconsfield, then more at Reigate, then 2 more at Dover. Absolutely hammering it down all the way to Dover - not a great start weatherwise. Total 14 bikes as follows:
2 x Ducati ST4s
1 x Ducati 998
1 x BMW K1200s
1 x BMW 1100 Tourer
1 x Benelli
1 x Moto Guzzi Daytona
1 x Honda VTR Firestorm
1 x Yamaha FJR 1300
1 x Honda Goldwing
1 x Triumph Sprint ST
1 x Buell 1200
1 x Yamaha TDM 900
1 x Suzuki GSXR 750
Bike professionally strapped into a rack on the Seafrance ferry, quite a relief after all the horror stories I had heard.
Arrived in Calais to brighter weather, I was back marker for this leg. Rode to Dizy in the Champagne region for our first night stop. Had an expensive meal in the hotel resturant - beer €6.50 per half lite. Got a shock when we got the bill next morning - we were charged €9 each for a very basic continental breakfast - an expensive start to the holiday.
Weds 27th May - Dizy to Grenoble
This was to be another long day of riding, but the weather was better and the roads started getting a bit more exciting.
We arrived at the hotel in Grenoble at the foot of the Alps at about 8.30pm, the look of the snowcapped mountains looming above made us very excited about the next day. The hotel rooms at Grenoble were more like ship cabins with a bunk over the top of the double bed, I won the toss, so got the double. Dinner at a local grill, then off to bed exhausted.
Thurs 28th May - Grenoble to Modena
Up into the mountains and our first chance to play on the hairpins, I remembered how much I hated them, and let the faster riders come past wherever possible. Had a great lunch up in the Alps, started with plates of cold meats and cheese, then some proper home made ravioli.
Unfortunately a couple of bikes were dropped today and the Buell lost a foot peg. Eventually arrived in Modena at a very nice hotel. A few of us decided we were not going to pay €30 for the hotel set menu, so went for a walk and had chinese on our first night in Italy. Was very surreal as they had dishes such as special fried spaghetti. The beers were big and cheap compared to the hotels, so we made the most of them!
Fri 29th May - Modena - Vinci - Faenza
More superb riding, some of the best roads I have ever ridden around the town of Zocca, the bad news was that we had our first breakdown, the drive belt on the Buell had broken, and the rider was going to have to wait for recovery. As it turned out he wouldn't be riding with us again, there were no belts in Italy, and with it being a bank holiday weekend, no prospect of getting any until the following Weds! We then went to Vinci, the home of Leonardo, where we had a great lunch. Some visited the museum, whilst myself and others snoozed under trees on the village green. On the journey towards Faenza we headed over towards the mountains near the Mugello circuit to do a reccy for race day. On the way back to Faenza a big storm came in suddenly and we were all caught in the mountains in summer gear. I was marking a junction and found time to have a text message conversation with Julie and put all my wet gear on. We finally arrived in Faenza at about 9.30pm soaked and cold. The local Pizza restaurant we had booked for 16 was on the phone demanding to know where we were, so we wandered down there for a 10.30pm meal and some well earned beer and red wine!
Saturday 30th May - Faenza - Bologna - Faenza
Visited the Ducati Factory and Museum in Bologna, really interesting to have a look at the production line and how the bikes were assemble in 2.5 hours from start to finish. I asked where the bag of nails was added, but think the guide proably didn't understand or she would have been in hysterics - wouldn't she? We were introduced to a Production Manager who had been there 30 years. I asked him if he would be supporting Rossi or Stoner in the GP and Rossi got the thumbs down. The pride of the Ducati name seemed to run deeper than patriotism. We then visited the amazing Ducati museum, which contained all the bikes of past heros from Hailwood through Foggerty, Toseland, Corser, Bayliss, Stoner and Hayden, a truely amazing place
There was a great atmosphere in the car park outside with bikes from all over Europe, and notably lots of TDMs
I decided to leave the group at the lunch stop and set my Garmin to shorter distance back to hotel rather than faster time. It took me down loads of tiny road with rows of vines and olives on both sides. I stopped for a pee and realised how peaceful it was, so just sat at the roadside and listened to nothing - glorious!
I then headed back the hotel for a shower and cool beer, and was on number 3 by the time the rest arrived back.
Sunday 31st May - Faenza - Mugello - Faenza
This was the centre piece of the whole trip - Moto GP day. I felt very nervous as I rode over the mountains to get to Mugello, I had heard that it would be chaotic, but really didn't know what to expect. We didn't actually hit the chaos until we were about a mille away from the circuit and managed to filter in and get parked surprisingly easy. I had expected massive car and bike parks, but you literally park at the side of the perimeter road round the circuit wherever you can find a space, then hop over the armco onto the grassy bank above the track. This meant you could stay close to your bike, which proved useful for waterproofs etc.
As you would have seen on TV the weather was very changeable, and we got soaked before the 125 race and during the 250 race. The crowds were much more spread out than I imagined and we were able to move about fairly freely. I managed to lose my camera 30 mins after getting there, I had been walking to the loo, and in hindsight remember someone bumping into me - pickpocket ? I was gutted but this was a long planned journey and I wasn't going to let it be ruined. We wandered down to the far end of the circuit near the fist bend for the 125 race and start of the 250 race, the atmosphere everywhere was electric. We watched the 125 race on a bank of Itralian supporters, who in the main lost interest once Ianoni broke down, I was jumping up and down as Bradley did his stuff, the Italians all sportingly stood and cheered Bradley on his victory lap, I was jumping about like a loon !
We watched the start of the 250cc race on the first bend, it was raining and we expected a pile up, but it wasn't to be.
We walked back to our original postion in time to see the exhilerating climax to the 250 race. The rain just stopped in time for the main race, and the atmosphere in the circuit was amazing, especially when Rossi appeared.
The race was amazing to watch, but just so fast in the flesh it was hard to know what was going on. I managed to watch one of the big TV walls through my binnoculars, so was giving a commentary on positions to the rest of our group. Everyone took the pee out of me in my JT t-shirt and hat after he bravely went in to swap bikes and ended up miles behind for a while. I had a smug grin when it all shook out and he was in 6th/7th position with some great battles with RDP. Unfortunately Edwards appeared from nowhere, and I never saw his final pass. The atmosphere was surprisingly gloomy after Stoner won, but I imagined the Ducati boys going nuts. Although I am a Lorenzo fan on the quiet, I would have loved Rossi to have won to sample the atmosphere. As the main race finished the clouds above the mountains delivered what they had been promising for the last hour and the rain was coming down in stair rods. The road out was packed and our bikes were facing the wrong way up the hill. We decided to wait an hour and stood shivering in the rain in full wets before turning our bikes round and joining the queues to get out, especially challenging for Joe on the Goldwing
Italians on scooters are headcases and great care was required.
Once we got up into the mountains we hit the clear roads, and had a great ride back to Faenza in time for another visit to the pizza restaurant where I had a very unusual seafood pizza.
Monday 1st June - Faenza to Senale
Raining again as we left Faenza
Another great ride along the side of Lake Garda, an amazing place, with lakeside resorts all along it's banks.
Lunch was at a nice Pizza restaurant in Lazise
Then up into the Alps but this time in the direction of Austria. We arrived eventually at our hotel, which was a bit like a ski lodge with dedicated bike sheds.
We had a superb 5 course evening meal there with plenty of beer and wine, and went to be happy after a great day - most of all it had been dry (well apart from in the bar!).
Tuesday 2nd June - Senale to Schaidt (Germany)
This had to be my favourite day for scenery, the Austrian Alps were breathtaking with some beautiful lakes at high altitudes.
We also got caught in roadworks where they closed the roads to sweep up a landslide, this proved a welcone breather
Once down from the Alps and through Austria we arrived in Germany and grabbed lunch in a roadside supermarket, their bakery counter was unbelievable with some great savouries and cakes at very low prices. The afternoons ride into Germany was less interesting, but had my first blat on a limitless Autobahn. Got the TDM to 126mph before the weave cut in and I backed off to about 110mph for the rest of that stage. We arrived in the village of Schaidt (pronounced Shite) later afternoon and were greeted by a German hotel owner who was over the moon to see us, and insisted on us all having a cold beer on the house. The guy who organised and led the trip had friends nearby, and we went to their house for an amazing evening barbeque, this took place in a big hanger (they were flying and gliding enthusiasts). These people were huge fans of the Brits, the Grandfather Hans had ridden his motorbike to the UK in the early 50's and was made so welcome he has loved Brits ever since. It was surreal to listen to this old German singing British war songs while we were there. These people had also invited a load of their local friends to come and meet us, a truely amazing evening, where my sterio type of Germans was ripped up and thrown in the bin.
Weds 3rd June - Schaidt to Saint Quentin
In the morning we left the hotel and did a ride pass of Han's house so he could see the bikes, they all came out to take photos etc - a really emotional time for me saying goodbye to these lovely people. We had a superb blat through some forests in the morning, a real combination of long straights and then twisty sections. I was in a group of 4 bikes, Gixer, FJR, Beemer and Me, who had about an hours serious hoon. They were leaving me on the straights but the bends were perfect for the TDM and it held it's own superbly. We were all left grinning after that section. We eventually arrived in Saint Qunetin early evening with the sad thought that all the good roads were now behind us. The hotal was a typical French budget place and we went for a meal at the local grill, our last evening together and lots of stories exchanged
Thurs 4th June - Saint Quentin to High Wycombe
We packed our luggage up for the last time and blasted up the Autoroute to Calais with a fuel stop half way. When we got to Calais we got on the boat like old hands, none of the concerns we had on the way out.
We all sat on the boat looking tired and chatting to some other bikers also on the way back from Mugello. It was good to see Blighty appear!
When we left the boat we regrouped and made our way to a place called Ham Street in Kent (I think), where one of the group lived. The TDM started playing up and I feared I may not make it back. It was really labouring in low revs, and when we stopped it was turning over but wouldn't start. I then realised that the ignition key was not all the way onto the on position, getting this right seemed to cure the problem. We all said our goodbyes and felt quite sad to be splitting the group. 3 of us left for the ride home on the M20/M26/M25/M40, as I took the spiral onto the M20 I overtook a lorry around the outside at speed, something I would not have tried before, and realised how much confidence I had gained from the trip. When we got to Beaconsfield we stopped for a coffee and final goodbyes before heading home. As soon as my bike pulled up on the drive the kids came running out for hugs, something I had been looking forward to for days. I then walked in to find Julie had the kettle on and the normal words I get when returning from a bike trip - "Keep away from me until you have had a shower" but this time she couldn't resist a quick hug
So the trip for me was 2608 miles end to end. According to my GPS my bike was actually moving for over 60 hours (this does not include being stopped at traffic lights, lunch stops etc) they days were very long, normally 8.00am to 8.00pm on the road, sometimes later.
The only downside was not being able to stop and sightsee in between stops, and many of the stops were service stations due to the requirement to fill up. But we would never have covered the ground otherwise.
Would I do it again ? Oh yes, but probably take me a few years to get the browny points balance to that level again !!
Thanks for reading, more pictures are available at
s157.photobucket.com/albums/t78/davepascoe/Mugello%20Trip%202009/?start=all
Dave
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