The Alternative Tour de France 2005. Part 2.
 

Don't worry, i'm not going into full waffle mode about another trip. 2200 miles of absolute bliss.

A few highlights.

Geoff and myself neck and neck into a hairpin, I clock the coppers just round the bend, and slow down. Geoff thinks, slow git, great this is his chance to get by and pulls a big wheelie out of the hairpin in front of the gendarmes.

Azzy gets something out of his Ventura at a fuel stop but forgets to zip it up. Then flys off down the road at 120mph distributing his stuff around the French countryside.:lol:


Crossing France from end to end and back and using less than 100 miles of Autoroutes and even less N roads. French road builders who know how to lay proper tarmac, not just tar and chippings.

Dancing on the tables in Andorra, with a brush for a guitar giving an absolutely superb/dreadfull (delete as applicable) rendering of 'Won't get fooled again' & 'Behind Blue Eyes' and the bar staff joining in.

Mad hot temperatures. 33C at 9am rising to 42C later in the day, then being repeated the next day, and the next.
Too hot for leathers.

Azzy, Geoff and Andy for making it a laugh from start to finish.

Ducati for building the 996R.

The Massif Central for being the best Massive, respect man. Eat your heart out Ali G.
;)

Big respect to the bloke in the yellow T shirt who kept peddaling like the clappers everywhere in that heat up some some BIG hills.

mate, I know exactly where you are coming from ....

Everyone should at some stage take a superbike along the Pyrenees to Andorra and on the way home go play in the Masif Central ....... absolute sportsbike nirvana....

Did you get over the Millau Viaduct ???? Thats awseome ....

Just reading that post has improved my mood no end .. cheers mate ...

The Millau bridge? we rode over it last time but you can't stop anywhere near it whilst on the autoroute, so we rode underneath it this time and got a far better view. I'm not much of a civil engineering anorack but this bridge is well worth the visit.

Sorry about the mood mate.

[Edited on 21-7-2005 by BDG]

GEEK ALERT!!!

GEEK ALERT!!!

this one ... absolutely stunning ........

and your other point, that fellow in the Yellow jersey .... a legend, pure and simple ....

I'm well chuffed, thats the nicest thing you've ever said about me. being called a GEEK implies there's a possibility of having some brains. Must aim for a NERD as well.

I think your avatars more stunning actually, better movement than the bridge, however the bridge is pretty amazing.

Must download a few of my pics sometime.

I think the best Euro tip i've ever done was following TDF. We did the run from Albi to St Remy via Millau and the Tarn gorge, stunning.

how far away is the Millau bridge ?

Depends where from? Its pretty close to Millau but a long way from my house.

Sorry for that one, Millau is on the south of the Central Massif, about 500 miles from Le Havre.

About 60 miles inland from Montpellier on the Med

[Edited on 21-7-2005 by BDG]

none taken.

It is something that I know I would like, drive over it and under it I wanted to know whether i could include it in a future trip. So far I havent ventured out of the country on a bike, unless you count the Isle of Mann, but hope to change that soon.

Give it a whirl, you'll love it and as you may of guessed i have a certain fondness for La Belle France. The bridge is VERY impressive, highest/longest in Europe i believe and designed by a Brit.

The Gorges du Verdon in the foothills of the Alps about 70 miles inland from St. Tropez are well worth a visit, along with the Col de la Bonette at 9000 ft the highest tarmac road in Europe, just north of Nice.

YMFB

Just above the Gorge du Verdon on the road to Grasse.........
:D:D:D:D

[Edited on 21-7-2005 by Rushjob]

Ahhhh, the Massive Central, and the Gorge Du Tarn-that's my kind of place-I actually have a cunning plan to move there when I retire. When I rode down to Italy with Jo 2 years ago we stayed in a hotel called 'Source Du Tarn' in 'Pont de Montvert'-a lovely little village, enhanced by the fact that the day after we arrived they had a vintage bike rally in the square.

John

Ahhhh .. lost in France
 

:D

Henners that is sooo mean .... but very :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

Sorry Kev, Dibs, Fraser ...
 

... couldn't resist - keep smiling :)

I know thats not Henners or Dibble in the pic, so who is it then?

BDG,

Thats Kevin aka Red-Leader .....

He's waaaaaay too chubby to be me :saint:

.... and too old :lol:

Can't believe I turned this down because he was on a training course :(

The texts were mean though when I was sat in a hot sticky office feeling very miserable :p

Glad you had a good time and will hopefully come along next year :)

Lil

will u log on as u ...... gets right confusing ....

better?

just can't be arsed if i am honest... with anything really :(

... life's too short to be in the wrong job Lil :(