9 days in France solo - my first bike tour

This is my first attempt at a bike report so please forgive me if i either ramble too much or don't give enough of the right kind of detail.

I'll do it a bit at a time or it'll be Christmas before any of it gets on here !

Here goes. Constructive criticism please !

May / June 2011 Ride Report

Mentioned elsewhere are the trials of my having to get my GSA de-ABS / servo’d as well as my original plans having to change due to a bullshitting ex-colleague who didn’t book a fecking thing. This trip became a 9-day, no plans, no route thing with only the need to spend a couple of nights at some point in Geneva to see some old mates still working at CERN.

It was a fantastic trip and, despite some schoolboy errors and some time to get to grips with using the Garmin for things other than fastest time or shortest distance to a known destination (difficult when you don’t have one!). My only mistake was not taking a larger tent and warmer sleeping bag. You’ll see why further down the post .......

Kit-wise I took the following :- bike  , helmet, textile suit, boots, gloves.
Tent (one-man), sleeping mat, sleeping bag – that’s me house sorted out !
Wash kit, towel – dhobie sorted
Jeans, shorts, 2 pr sock, 2 pr boxers, wool thermal, short sleeve shirt, T-shirt, trunks – clobber done
Insect repellent, flashlight, pain-killers, knife, toolkit, compressor, puncture kit.
I had everything in the two panniers and the topbox just had a spare daysack in it.

Thursday 09:15, left Bury St Edmunds for the long, stunningly boring ride down to the Tunnel. Windy, overcast with some light rain on the way down. Hope this isn’t a foretaste of a serious change in weather as it is still early in the year for a tour including mountains ......

Bike in the tunnel train. Crossing time was about 11:20. Remembered to change watch and clock.



The guy in the background was on a Moto Guzzi cruiser with another guy on a 1200 GS. The Guzzi was pissing oil . They spent the journey over to France trying to fix it but were looking at turning around. Bad luck.


I started off on A roads but the wind was so strong it was blowing me into oncoming traffic so at Desvres I decided to cut my losses and hit the A16 in order to try to outrun the weather and to have more space to get blown around with all the traffic at least going in the same direction as I was.

As I headed further south and started seeing Paris XXX kms, I realised I ought to get off the A16 and head SW towards Chartres. Wanting to stay off the main routes, I had a ‘shortest route’ to Chartres which took me off the Autoroute and onto some nice roads that took me through a quiet forested area for a while. As I came out of that and down some windy roads, I saw Paris and La Defence in the distance. Phew, off just in time. Heading through some suburbs and then 30 minutes later, I’m crossing the Seine next to La Defence – smack in Paris and at 4 pm or thereabouts. Tried exiting on a 3 or 4 lane road but called off after two tunnels and in front of a third by some bloke in a uniform. The conversation (in French) went something along the lines of

Him: Motorcycles are forbidden on this road !!!!
Me: Really ? I didn’t see any signs.
Him: There are signs EVERYWHERE.
Me: No ? Oh well, that’ll teach me to follow my SatNav ! Can I carry on then ?
Him: No you can’t ! Turn around behind those bollards and I’ll raise the barrier and allow you to exit.
Me: OK, no problem. Sorry about that. I’m a foreigner !

Guy raises the barrier and I exit into some part of Paris – in rush hour – trying to compete with all the Parisians also heading out of the city through the suburbs.

After 2 hours of slipping the clutch and dealing with hills and traffic, I finally got onto a decent road (if a little busy) and saw that Chartres was but an hour away. The hour passed and I wasn’t there yet but I was feeling farking tired. I pulled in at Rambouillet and grabbed a hotel. The third one I tried as the others were booked so you can imagine it wasn’t a 5 starer ! I realised my timing was out as I hadn’t changed the SatNav time !! Never worked out how to change it but remembered thereafter to add an hour on to ETAs !

On the road by 7 next morning. Headed to Chartres on a nice back road – the D906, then through Chartres itself at 8-ish. BUSY ! Initially I thought ‘bollox’ but then reminded myself that I was on holiday and not in a hurry and should take every chance when progress is slowed to take a good look around.

Then headed to Chateadun on the N10, to Blois on the D924, to Chatillon Sur Indre on the D956, D675 & D775, Le Blanc and D675 to Bellac. Stopped somewhere to grab a breakfast of bread, saussis and a couple of pastries.



Then on to the famous Oradour-Sur-Glane via the D675 & DD82. I took a few photos but stopped only for an hour. It was too well kept, being repaired and re-pointed and a little staged for me personally. See all the Singer sewing machines strategically placed in the middle a room in almost every house. I thought that if anything, access to the church was actually wrong. It was hard to grasp that around 100 women and children were fragged and then burned to death. The place was cleaner than most houses and the walls looked freshly scrubbed. All the houses seemed to have been sprayed with weedkiller to make things look stark. In many places the walls of many of the houses have been re-pointed and look clean. There were lots of birds singing !





As I got back to my bike and went to start it, the ignition lights came on but it wouldn’t turn over. Tried it three times before I realised I’d left it in first as it was parked on a slight incline in the car park !! Obviously getting a bit tired !

Headed into Limoges (again at rush hour), not sure of where to go . then remembered La Rose Rouge wasn’t far so phoned Martin to make sure there was a bed free – there was- so headed from Limoges to Aubusson. A cracking road the D941 via Bourganeuf and Pontarion. The following day showed that that road from Limoges to Clermont Ferrand is a good un.

Can’t remember what time I showed up (4-ish ?) Martin waiting with a cuppa and some cake. Spent the evening with Martin and Vanessa, chatting, hearing stories about some Tossers ‘til I was knackered enough to hit the pit.

Had a huge breakfast (and Martin packed me some of what I couldn’t manage for lunch) before heading out at about 9. Martin taking a photo of intrepid biker as I rode out of the drive. Due to my not understanding Martin’s instructions the evening before, I tried to head right out of the gate instead of left. Martin went across the road to see me out. The look on his face as I turned right and he looked left, made me think there was a car coming so I snatched the front brake whilst turning, the bike dropped, I put my foot out to stop myself and foot didn’t find asphalt but the lower gravel strip. Needless to say the bike went over. Not just onto the crash bar but over, smashing the right front indicator. Doh !! Martin behaved like a gentleman and instead of taking a photo of me on the floor, dashed over to help me with picking the bike up. I rode it down the road and turned around and headed back into Martin’s garage to effect repairs. Martin, I owe you a bulb !!

La Rose Rouge is a great place to chill out and as many here already know, Vanessa and Martin are great company. Thanks guys !

Then headed out towards C-F on the D941 and turned south towards Le Mont Dore at Pontgibaud on the D922.



From there to La Bourboule in the heart of the Massif Central



A ski resort in winter, I was told by a local couple that the first week i June every year there is a biker meet of over 400 bikes. It was a nice looking town with what appeared to be a good little camp site on the outskirts of the town so about 5 mins walk to the centre. It was the first camp site I’d seen open so far. Late May is a little early in Northern France for the campgrounds to open. Mid to late June is, I am told, when it all starts to kick off.

After La Bourboule, I passed through Le Mont Dore and I then took the D996 over what I think is called the Col De Morand (?) and through an empty landscape that looked a lot like parts of Wales. Only it wasn’t raining and there were no Welsh !



The roads were empty all the way ‘til I descended into a lovely little town called Champeix.







A brief stop for some grub and then continued on the D996 to Issoire and, bypassing that town, I took the D999 to La Chasse-Dieu. Fantastic roads – empty again – I stopped for some lunch overlooking the town.



The town itself was lovely. Old, compact, with a huge church. But, as I was doing a road trip and not a touristy type visiting thing, I pressed on..............

The SatNav again took me off where I’d sort of thought I might be heading and before I realised, I was passing St Etienne having taken the D499 & D3 !!

I stopped to take a view on where I was going as Lyon was also showing up on signs. Then decided that the Rhone Valley would be good so headed to Chateauneuf and took the D2 then D28 to Condrieu. Above Condrieu, there was a good sized pull in area with 4 other bikers taking in the view. You can see why !





Decided I’d had enough for one day and headed down into Condrieu to find the camp site. There was a bar to get a drink and grub and decent enough showers, so I pitched my tent within earshot of the many French (who seemed to have statics on the site) who were playing petanque.



It was hot so the shade was very welcome.

The following morning I headed out again at 7 and went downt eh Rhone, crossing at Serrieres and taking the D519 heading to Beaurepaire on very southern French roads. The night before I’d looked at where I wanted to go and set a route on the SatNav to better keep me on what looked to be some very interesting roads.

So, the D538 to Romans-Sur-Isere, then the D1538 to Pont-en-Royans. From here I took the D518 to Die. It was fast and empty yet again and apart from a 20kms section that had been freshly gravelled, it was awesome. Just as I passed the gravelled section – about 3km further down, I passed a large group of French riders who were stopped due to one of them falling on some small patch of gravel on one of the hairpins. Nothing serious but when I told him that there was another 20kms ahead, he didn’t look to impressed ! This route took me over the Col De Rousset.

From Die I took the D93 for a short section then headed up the D539 and took in the Col de Grimone.





I stopped here to watch 15 or so eagles soaring above an escarpment.

Good so far, keep it going lad.

Nice write up, thanks for taking the effort.

One small thing, the empty, twisty roads of the Massif Centrale motorcycle paradise are supposed to be secret. The idea is to let the touristes head for the more obvious charms of the Alps and keep the MC (and a few other select regions of La Belle) for those in the know. Try and keep it under your hat

stolzy said:

Nice write up, thanks for taking the effort.

One small thing, the empty, twisty roads of the Massif Centrale motorcycle paradise are supposed to be secret. The idea is to let the touristes head for the more obvious charms of the Alps and keep the MC (and a few other select regions of La Belle) for those in the know. Try and keep it under your hat

Click to expand...

Bugger ! Sorry. Another reason to be able to go back and edit previous posts then ?

also wish I'd had the patience to stop and take more photos but the roads, they just wouldn't let me stop !

Doing the ride report is good as it is making me think about what happened and when and where as at the time it was a bit of a blur -despite keeping a diary as I went along.

I've purposely avoided mileages and accurate times of sections as that wasn't what I was trying to do. But never less than 8 and often 10 and 11 hours in the saddle a day and I was amazed at how comfrotable the bike was to ride. I have heard all sorts of special - and very expensive - seats talked about and no issues for me - even on a low seat - at all. Just hands and wrists are still a little tired at the joints. The throttle rocker too was a revelation .........

Dave

Enjoying this Dave! Keep it coming

I'm enjoying your trip report so far

I always used to go touring with others and gradually over the years they dropped out and I had no mates to go with so as a sad old git went on my own.
What bliss !! I could do exactly what I wanted when I wanted and change my mind as often as I wanted without upsetting anybody. Would recommend all you tossers out there to do your own thing ,and as a biker if you get bored with your own company you will always find another biker to pass the time of day.

Good So For............

Well done, I am envious as not getting away into europe this year and will miss the french roads. Looking foward to your next post.

Like the ride report, i'm off on Monday so after reading this i'll have to do a ride report of my own.

Good stuff and nice photo's, cheers.

Part 2 - grab a cuppa, it's a long, long tale !

PART 2.

A slight re-write of the last part of part 1 as I realised the photos I took were not of the Grimone but the D518 to Die ..........
This will now make no difference to anyone who hasn’t been there or who has no plans to check into any part of my ride themselves but that route on the D518 really was an exceptional piece of road and so deserves to get a mention !

So, please continue ................

So, the D538 to Romans-Sur-Isere, It was fast and empty yet again and apart from a 20kms section that had been freshly gravelled, it was awesome. Just as I passed the gravelled section – about 3km further down, I passed a large group of French riders who were stopped due to one of them falling on some small patch of gravel on one of the hairpins. Nothing serious but when I told him that there was another 20kms ahead, he didn’t look to impressed !

Then onto the D1538 to Pont-en-Royans. Off the A49 I tried to cross the River Isere at la Sone (D71) but bridge closed so took a detour via Le Port and St Romans to get back onto the D518 heading towards Die. This route took me over the Col De Rousset. This was an amazing stretch of road and one I’ll do again sometime. Easy but windy riding. PERFECT !! At the beginning you go through the Gorge de la Bourne. It was the only place my SatNav had me on a route where the road was shown inaccurately.

The road wound its’ way up to the col but instead of actually going over one, I passed through a short tunnel and to this view ..............



I stopped here a kilometre or so from the top on the descent to watch 15 or so eagles soaring above an escarpment.



So, having watched the eagles soaring for 15 minutes whilst grabbing a quick snack, taking the above photos and seeing several bikes passing me going both ways, I thought I ought to get back on the road.

The descent was even better than the ascent. I always seem better able to take in the views on the descents and this one had amazing, open views over a dark green and white hilly landscape. The vegetation is all one shade of dark green and the white limestone is dazzling to look at in direct sunshine. I hadn’t expected this landscape until I’d gone further south. The quality of the tarmac was fantastic and the bends were mostly fairly quick ones with the odd hairpin thrown in to keep me awake.

Eventually the landscape opened out more and the road lead me to Die (an unfortunate name if ever there was one!) but which is pronounced Dee. It must have been a remarkable town as it has left no impression on me whatsoever !


From Die I took the D93 for a short section south then headed up the D539 and took in the Col de Grimone. It was such a good ride I didn’t even think about stopping to take any photos. You’ll just have to take my word for it ! I really admire the willpower of those who stop all the time to take photos. The loss of continuity of the riding isn’t worth it for me. I only stopped when tired or hungry – or both. The best photos are only in my brain.

Whilst descending the Grimone, I came upon an eye-popping view to my right of a deep and steep gorge part way down and there were a couple of bikes parked up with the riders taking the view in. One of them faced me and put his hand up so I stopped to see if they were ok. I don’t think he was doing anything but waving to me but when I stopped he came over and had a chat (in French) about the view, the beautiful weather, the roads – all the normal biker stuff. Then, after several minutes, he looked at me and asked where I came from. When I told him Angleterre, un rosboef, he looked and smiled and said he’d thought I was a Belgian ! I laughed and said without thinking of where they might be from (I couldn’t see their bike plates) that I’d rather be thought of as a Brit than a Belgian. He laughed and said that with only a few years of an uneasy peace and 600 years of war between the English and the French that I ought to pretend I’m Belgian. We chuckled, exchanged a few more pleasantries and the guys recommended a Bar Tabac a few miles south on the D1075 where I was due to join it and I headed on my way again.


Where the D539 hit the mainD1075, I turned left (not right as the guys had recommended) towards Col de la Croix Haute. I saw a cafe at the pass (called Isere Drome) so stopped and had a drink and re-checked the next section of my route. A group of Hermans were there with the usual brand new looking bikes – all BMW GS’s and squeaky clean top of the range Rukka kit although the token woman / girlfriend had a Pharo suit – newer than mine though ! She was the sort of person I would consider giving up solo riding to accompany – providing the missus didn’t find out !

From there I headed north up the D1075 for a short way and then turned onto the D66 heading towards Mens and on to Les Chenets where I joined the Route Napoleon.

Somewhere along here I must’ve had a brain fart as I stopped to take the following photos but I’m buggered if I can remember where it was I took them !






This bit was incredible, short sections of tunnels – 6 or 7 of them and a gorge that ran and ran.

If anyone thinks they know where this is, answers on a postcard please as I’ve lost a bit of my trip !



The Lac Du Sortet looked beautiful, blue, cool and very inviting. There even looked to be a really good campground with a beach and good facilities but I was on a biking roll and it was too early (or so I thought at the time) to stop riding. Pain (mostly in the fingers ) is nature’s way of telling you you are still alive !

I turned right on the Route Napoleon and towards Gap. It was 50 or 60 kms but I didn’t enjoy the ride as much as there was lots more traffic and lots of bikes and the road was, for me at least, too big, wide and sanitised. Great if you are on a sports bike but not what I was trying to do.

As I headed down into Gap, I saw a campground called the Auberge Daupine. It was open so I checked in and perched myself by the pool after setting my tent up.






The terraces were only recently constructed and the ground was still very soft so I had to find a rock to put under my side stand and made sure my tent was far enough away that IF the bike toppled, I wouldn’t be under it.

Spent the evening (after a good shower) in the bar / restaurant and had a beer, some scran and plotted my route for the next day – a biggie – into the Garmin.

Away again at 7 am, Monday 30th May, I headed into Gap and out towards Guillestre on the N94 direction Briancon. A pleasant enough road for a main one I took it to D92 and went to , and past Guillestre. The Garmin taking me through the town. There then followed a VERY twisty section that is currently under some major repairs and I followed a 6 wheeler dump truck around tight badly surfaced bends – often not very wide at all – and it was all I could do to keep up with him !! Because the side of the rock wall overhung very low, he was weaving all over the place and there was no way I was going to risk passing him. Oh for a helmet cam !

He turned off onto the D60 and I continued along the D902 towards the Col D’Izoard – my first ‘proper’ pass ...... Some good open and fast sections took me upwards and to the village of Arvieux and then Brunissard at the head of the lower section of the valley. From here it was hairpins and narrower roads. At last !

These hairpins were ones I had to change down into first to get around and some were so tight and the ground rising so quickly that I couldn’t get my head around far enough to see if anything was coming down. Totally absorbing riding. Nothing but me the bike and the road. No time to think of anything else or to enjoy the view, let alone stop to take photos.

Eventually I broke out above the treeline and managed to get a photo looking back towards Brunissard.



My pregnant duck !!




Hopped back on the bike and, as always happens, a small picnic table and pull-off area presented itself just a short way further up. Seemed a good point to stop and get some photos with my proper camera rather than the iPhone ones.

So, here’s me, a typical Tosseur – short, fat, bald and cranky !


Looking up towards the pass:


A short dip before heading up again ....


Up and over an empty Izoard and down on some lovely open roads to Cervieres and made a mental note that the D89 looks like an interesting road to take next time.

Sweeping bends down into Pont de Cervieres with a small and unremarkable road into the town outskirts. Coming up the other way you’d never guess the delights that await you ......

Thought P-d-C and onto Briancon. Another drab looking and busy French town – until I headed up and passed the old town which is a citadel hill fortress. Should I stop and take a photo ? Nah, there’ll be other times !

I was planning on heading into Italy – by the A roads and not the autostrada to the town of Susa. The border is marked by the Col de Montgenevre and a lack of customs controls. Busy road and all the houses in this region seem to have whopping great slabs of slate piled on the roofs as tiles. God knows how much the roofs weigh !! Too busy to even iPhone photo here. Also passed an amazing Italian fort in the town of Exilles. It dominates a small gap in the valley and has a huge long grass slope facing France and up which any attacking force would have to climb. A perfect killing zone for rifle, cannon or rolling large cheeses down. Looks like they are building a new modern access to it so I think it must be some kind of a museum.

Here I had to let an Italian Army truck go in front of me at a roundabout. Jeez do those guys drive fast ! The smell of cheap eau de cologne , cigarettes and diesel fumes. Great !!

Eventually made Susa and headed up on the SS25 towards the Col de Mont Cenis and back into La Belle France.

This route was only expected to be a connector to get me to the Iseran and in fact turned out to be a cracking ride with relatively few hairpins and lots of open twisty and fast sections to it with a last section a little more technical up to a hotel (closed) at the pass. 5 stars from me ! The hotel was at the top of the pass but as there’s a feck-off big lake at the pass, the road takes you further up above the lake and as you descend to the other side of the passes saddle, there is a Bar / cafe (that was open). A group of 20+ riders – all Hermans (they never wave. Everyone else does) – passed me going the other way – thank God. So much for some seclusion !






A nice descent led me to a very unprepossessing sign saying ‘Col De Iseran’. This took me down into a skiing village called Lanslevillard – totally dead. Stopped for a quick iPhone photo looking down the valley towards Termignon.



OK, so now to the Iseran – presumably like the Izoard in more than name. Nope, this is one pass EVERYONE has to do at least once. Huge, awe-inspiring, relentless, exposed in places and stunningly, stunningly beautiful.

There was a climb up into a higher valley and past the village of Bessans. The road heads on to the last village – Bonneval Sur Arc. From here the road climbs steeply and is of a reduced width. There are no barriers (not that they’d stop you going over the edge of course) and the thought of a small motorhome coming down the other way would have made for an interesting situation as you wouldn’t be able to pass quickly and the slower you go, the less stable the 1150 becomes – especially with the view out of the corner of your right eye to the edge and the valley below !! Leaving B-S-A behind you leave the trees behind to and ascend into a rocky grotto before breaking out into what I though was the last stretch up to the pass, where I took the photos below.....

Looking back to the narrow section:



Looking ahead to the false crest:



The road went on upwards and at the pass was a small lake. I don’t recall a cafe – if there was one it was probably closed and I saw 2 cars and 2 bikes in total on that ascent and the descent to Val d’Isere. I also saw – as I did on every pass – a number of cyclists. Only not as many here as the other shorter and lower passes ! One couple were cycling up as I was descending and they looked to be in their 60’s and had panniers on their bikes. MAD !!!

Val d’Isere was bustling and the roads were being repaired in the town centre – probably an annual event.

Cracked on down the D902 but after 6 or 7 hours in the saddle I was getting a bit tired. Had a text from a mate in Geneva to tell me he was having to go on a business trip to Spain on Tuesday but I could still stay with his family. I looked at the map and decided I could make Geneva that night but it would require me getting to Bourg St Maurice and then doing the Cormet de Roselend again on the D902 before going to Geneva via Albertville and Annecey.

So, that’s exactly what I did !
Here’s the Cormet:




Roselend was a lovely open and quick pass with only a couple of hairpins – at least after Izoard, Cenis and Iseran, it felt that way !

So now just the very hot, tiring faff of getting from Albertville to Annecy to Thoiry on the French side of the Border, where my buddy lives...............

A much shorter part 3 to follow !! Well done to anyone who’s still with this 

You fairly packed in the scenery for your first trip.

I certainly tried to Aiden. I pushed on every day to pack it in. Not sure I could have done that if I had been riding with anyone else with me. My finger joints are still sore !

Still got to remember that from Geneva I went through the Jura and up to Verdun, then along the Meuse and up to the Somme too. That was an 11 hour day on minor roads. About 460 miles in one hit. Not a lot by motorways I know but by smaller roads ... A lot of variety for sure !

Just need to take my bigger tent next time and, if it's the same time of year, a warmer sleeping bag to be able to kip higher up in the mountains for some nights of wild camping with clear skies and no people. I'd certainly camp out a lot more down south.

Dave

cracking report, thanks. I'm going to get the map out later and take a look at your route, I might be doing something similar later in the summer if there's some spare time.

If you do and you work out where I took the photos of the tunnels, please let me know ! I need to do a google earth street view of a section to try to work it out !

Cheers,
Dave

Great report Dave and cracking pics. Looking to do something like that myself next year.

can you download the track from the garmin, might be able to work it out from the time stamp in the camera data of your photo and the time stamp from the garmin.

Unfortunately the Garmin didn't hold the track. I've yet to look into why but the only track i seem to have been able to download is the last 2 days .... It pi55ed me off mightily when i got home and attempted to download the whole trip to find it seems to have disappeared. I don't understand how as it was there all through the trip

Dave

Fantastic first trip

We are covering many of the passes you mentioned later this year (and did a few of them last year) so it was good to see such a glowing report.

Just hope we get the same sort of weather.

Bury_Dave said:

Unfortunately the Garmin didn't hold the track. I've yet to look into why but the only track i seem to have been able to download is the last 2 days .... It pi55ed me off mightily when i got home and attempted to download the whole trip to find it seems to have disappeared. I don't understand how as it was there all through the trip

Dave

Click to expand...

Did you look in /gpx/archive/ folder?