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.

Fuel Stops - Homeward Route

Another route filled out with prospective fuel stops.  This is liable to change and  have have shared it with my brother. 

I suggested that we go down to Spain his way and come back mine. 

This is the bare bones route, overnight hotels and the fuel stops.  

There's plenty of time to see about some stops on the way to break up the journey and take a lunch or tourist type break!

It is a holiday/vacation not simply a rubber and fuel burning exercise!

How to get there?

If we consider that this is a motorcycle trip, then there are a few options.

1. I can ride all the way there and back - Eurotunnel and/or short ferry
2. I can take the Brittany Ferry one way and ride the other way
3. I can send the bike on a truck and fly down to collect it possibly ride back

I have to admit the third option only appeared after I had read an article this afternoon where some guys packed their bikes up with a specialist transport company, then they flew and met the bikes and  as they were "professionals" they left the truck to bring the bikes back and the flew home.  Possibly not for me, but worth pricing up?

"But" I hear you say, riding is the point of a bike/motorcycle trip. And you would be right.

So I have been mostly looking at options 1 and 2.  

1. The return trip is in the environs of 1800 miles from the Eurotunnel terminal at Calais to Motorland. On top of that will be all the wrong turns and detours en-route to get to petrol and to hotels. On top of that there will be petrol getting to and from the circuit on practice/qualifying day and race day. Eurotunnel is 6 miles from my house.  So the petrol budget would need to be about £200.  I'd estimate two stops on the way down and two on the way back. A total of 7 nights in paid accommodation @ say £50 a night. plus food.
   
   
2. The Brittany ferry with a bike, rider and the cabin would be around £375 one way. Accommodation included. Depending on when it sails and arrives in Spain there may be an additional hotel needed on top of the three nights near the circuit. Bilbao is 275 miles to the circuit (£20 in petrol?)  Maybe a lot more to a hotel. The ride home another 900 miles so that's £100 in fuel. That could mean six nights in hotels at the same £50 a pop.

I'll look at option 3 another time. Looking at the above it does make the long ferry and ride one way look a lot more expensive.  But it does include a cruise!

It looks like there is a lot to be considered.