Blog Retired.

The event is over and so the blog is now retired.

Aragón Stats

I don't usually bother other than to enter my odometer reading into Fuelly to calculate mpg.

Best mpg of this trip was 67.96 to the UK gallon.

A total of 155.513 litres bought during 13 stops and mostly burned... The final tank was at Calais and I have still a full tank.

The first top up was at Calais on the way over. Form Calais Auchan back again was 1972 miles ridden.

Another trip over and out.

Too lazy to Blog!

My brother has been less of a lazy git and has blogged the entire trip:

https://ndtea.blogspot.com/2022/08/aragon-here-we-come.html

So I thought, "Why bother".

Day 3 - Orthez to Somport

Another day started with waterproofs on! 

We had to decide whether to take the Pass or the tunnel at Somport.

The rain turned to drizzle as we headed further south. A short distance before the left turn up to the pass we stopped at some lights for roadworks. We decided to go for it. 

It was clearing up and looked brighter. The twists and turn were exciting enough on a bike. The road surface shaming English roads!

As we neared the top we entered the cloud! 

We stil took a few photos. The pass is on one of the pilgrimage routes to Santiago. There were a good few dozen walkers milling about.

Day 2 Tours to Orthez

The first job of the day was to junk the old boots and get some new ones. 

So once we left the hotel we went different ways. I had Google Maps which seemed to have no idea that it was straight forward to find and I had a great loop trekking about 4kms when 1 would have been best.

In the end the deal was done. Boots bought.

The first part of the non toll route was in rain that occasionally became drizzle. Today we had two fuel stops.

Sticking to the speed limits or there about produced over 59mpg for the first stop. 

We stayed on the N10 in its various states and departmental names.

Lunch was at a massive truck stop just off the N10. It had stopped raining but we weren't fooled. Waterproof gear stayed on until the fuel stop just after Bordeaux.

We guessed the owners might have been Portuguese!!

I had become separated from Neill as we turned onto the toll free A10. There was a single lane flyover looping to the right and left over the N10. It was nose to tail. Crunch.

Two cars into one don't go. Neill was gone by the time I slipped past and on to the A10. Traffic was heavy at the junction, but freer within a mile or so.

We had already crossed the Dordogne and Gironde rivers. They were both brown!!!

We re-united at the Carrefour petrol station. The mpg worked out at 61 or so. 

For Fuelly I use odometer readings, but use the trips on a fill-up to fill-up basis.

The air temp gauge was showing 29°C. In the traffic after the collision in had briefly touched 30°C.

The last section from the A10 was around 100kms or so on ordinary road. A little bit of dual carriageway thrown in. 

We finally arrived at the Kyriad in Orthez about 6.30pm. Checked in and decided to eat in tonight. The menu of the day €19 each.  The beer Heineken. Easy to drink and not too heavy.

The room is okay and the dinner decent enough.

Tomorrow the forecast is rain in the morning. What's new!!! 🌧️🌧️🌧️

Hopefully the Col du Somport will be okay and provide a decent photo op!!!

After Somport we will cross into Spain and then head to Huesca and Zaragoza before a call-in to see some MotoGP practice.

Our hotel is in Morella. It's the nearest place we could afford to Alcaniz and Motorland Aragón! Unless we wanted to pay up to £900 a night!  

Day 1 Home to Tours

Leaving home at about 0708 in lashing down rain doesn't fill one with enthusiasm for a near on 350 mile ride to the first overnight stop.

I had opted for the Triumph Steve McQueen ISDT replica jacket with my usual green Bikers Australia chino jeans. Fill waterproofs over the top.

I have three pairs of waterproof gloves and two non waterproof pairs! All in the left pannier! 

The first pair lasted until we were on the train. My hands wouldn't go back in them! Scratch Belstaff leather and hipora. 

Did I say it was lashing down?

We set off on the A16. I fuelled up at Auchun Calais. Scratch £100 worth of Alpine Star Goretex gloves. Couldn't get my hands in them. The lining sticking to the minutest damp. 

Cue the old Akito Mercury gloves my brother was ditching and I had taken. Went on okay and with careful management they lasted another 300 miles. By that I mean at the lunch stop drying each hand under the hot air blower in the loo and then putting each one one separately!!  

We came down on the non toll route. The A16 to Boulogne. The N1 or whatever it's called in different departments, D901 or D1001.. Then A28 from Abbeville to Rouen.

At one point it was thundering and lightning. We pulled into the services about 30k short of Rouen for lunch. We set off in rain!

Second fuel stop in Evreux. Vera managed over 61mpg on the run from Calais. Admittedly we did stick to speed limits.

There was a brief break in the rain some where on the N10 and the air temp was showing as 27°C. Sunny and at times we rode with the front of the helmets in the open position. My face is a little red, but that maybe the Pelforth later on.... 😉

It wasn't to be. As we approached Tours it began to lash down again.

At a set of lights I felt something on my left boot. Maybe I had a leaf or twig stuck to it?

Much worse.

The sole has detached from the heel almost to the toes!

If only it had done this last week. Now I need to find a bike shop. There is one about a mile from the Kyriad where we are staying. A Kawasaki and Yamaha dealers. They must have boots?

Dinner tonight in a restaurant nearby called Bella Citta. Pizzas and beer and ice cream to end with.

Ecstar Suzuki Poster

Featuring Alex Rins

Hoping after peeing rain on the way down it's this dry!!!!