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So Mel and Myself book a week off and set off to the Pyrenees. After seriously good bacon butties and coffee at Stormforce and Annettes we head for Portsmouth and board the Ferry. Of course after viewing Mels amazing new build and chattin to Jonathon about its gizmos. Well done its a seriously nice bike and it goes well too.
The bikes are tied with rope and Mel explains the crossing will be calm. We have a few beers and bad magician and its heads down.
At 0900 we head off from St Malo, and go fastest route past Nantes, to Bordeaux (getting hotter) onto Toulouse (watch out for flying Camelbacks!!) and Foix. We employ a 60ish miles 1 hour technique at this point we have a smoke. The TA is doing about 140ish before reserve so on the second stops its 2 fags, drink coffee and petrol. We pay monies on Peages and beware, bikes are cheaper at manned toll booths so dont go to automated card ones!!!
We decide to push all the way to La Molina so at 2230 hrs approx 600 miles later we pull into HUMM. Here we find a few bikes outside a bunk house and go in, 20 euros a night will do us and we drink beer again.
Monday sees us at HUMM base a few KMs up the road and we get our map details. Peolpe are obviously keen and set about planning their routes. Me an Mel do some marking and after an hour or so decide it would be better to go riding.
We head off on the road from La Molina to Ribes De Fraser and it seems to be the route to take to most checkpoints. We take a very amazing road of endless switchbacks for about 20 miles and even on TKCs the bikes grip like Blanket being held over railings by Micheal Jackson!! We do our first lane and its heaven.
Tuesday and Wednesday is the HUMM event and its clear the bike of choice have come in vans and at 0830 we set off each day to collect points and ride. We seem to take pretty much the same route as BobA and his band of merry men so end up riding with them often. The heat is intense and Mel informs me I need water and more than I think, I work on 7 lits a day and drink it! Point to note I need water more than bike needs petrol.
Bob A tired
Team Rojo Amigos is awarded "Spirit of Humm" after assistance to a stricken BMW 1200 GSA that holed its engine with surprising ease after ripping off the sump guard, but well done to Bob Jeff, Noel and Dave. It was great fun and made the week.
Thursday morning sees a check off bikes and we set off on the home legs!!
We take in Andorra and realise how alttitude affects bikes, the temp is 38 deg and at 6800 ft the bikes dont seem to be playing, but they get us out of Andorra and on route to Millau.
I think I chose wrong route and we end up pulling into Millau at 2330 hrs after approx 440 miles. After a night under the stars we have a great French coffee and croissant and view Millau Viaduct. Wow, awesome, impressive and worth the ride to say I have seen it.
A nice head cooler, it spits freezin water sprays out how funny.
Friday sees the motorways again, heading through Clermont Ferrand, Bourrges and ending up in Le Mans. We see the clouds turning blacker and I say to Mel shall we get the wet gear on. Mels is confident it may miss us, but sure as eggs are eggs a couple of miles later the wind reaches us like a typhoon and seconds later the rain fallls at the most alarming rate. The wind picks up the bikes and forces us to the hard shoulder ( bording on F-in scarey) and we get the wet kit on but are already soaked. The weather turns warmer and we dry out and push on, just before Le Mans we see more clouds and this time pull under a bridge just as carnage is released from the skys, very impressive!!! And pleasing to be under a bridge.
Approx 400 miles we are havin coffe in Le Mans and try to find an off licience to get a bottle of wine to take to a bush where we can get our heads down. The cafe owner points us to a bar called Mulligans as there are no alcohol shops, France can be so silly!!!
Here we have a beer and chat to the barman, who asks us where we will stay. When we tell him "The nicest bush we can find" he nips off and comes back to us sayin when we are ready to leave he will call his Brother who will meet us about 16kms away in Ecommy, he will flash his lights at us in the Church and take us to his house as he has a cave we can sleep in and he is a biker, so its considered to be helpin fellow bikers.
Sure as he meets us and we follow to his house,in horrible weather and pouring rain. His house a small French Cottage is homely and we overcome the language barrier and he cooks us garlic potatoes and we have a beer of his and crack open the wine and give him a bottle for helpin us out.
He then leaves us his key, and says he is off to work nights!! Shows us where to leave his key and bids us good night and we sit in amazement as we are left alone in this chaps house!! A great display of trust and freindlyness.
Saturday we do Le Mans and head to St Malo, however the ferry is early Sunday morn and we could camp that night but we go to ferry office and ask if there is an alternative, they give us Caen so we do the extra 145ish miles up there and catch the 2300 ferry.
Home early Sunday is a great result but a fantastic if tiring week.
Personnal learning points for me is
A 16 year old Transalp seat isnt built with the requirement for a 19 stone Welsh Baratone, should have had it rebuilt prior to trip
250 to 300 miles a day is more than enough or it turns into an endurance riding experiance.
Middle France is boring
At no point was it cold, even in UK and bike kit would be reviewed if goin again tomoz with more vented jacket and trousers
Would I do the HUMM again... Oh yes, in my van with my XR in the back
Cheers to Mel for great company
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