Mugello 2018 - Tour 1 Ride Report

Khulu

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For years I’ve enjoyed reading Ride Reports on this forum and always intended to write mine but, as sometimes happens, I never have. However, during the festive break, I was looking through my book of previous trips to mainland Europe and they were all beginning to blend into one so much that I couldn’t clearly recall which year I went to which specific places!
Of course if I had written ride reports after each one it would have been easy.
So, I’ll start with 2018 (tours 1 and 2) and try and work my way back to 2015 when I got my GSA TC TB.

Tour 2018 -1 Ride Report

It’s late May and it’s time to head over to Mugello for the MotoGP races.
The worst part of my journey is always the long, slow slog through England (sorry to all the English but it’s true - 630 miles to the channel tunnel from home).

Day 1 – Sat. 26th – 737 miles
Surprisingly, I got to the tunnel without too much anguish and, as usual, waited at the side of the platform for most of the cars to board the train and then I did too. As I always do I park my bike on the sidestand with the sidestand facing the front of the train; this always generates a disagreement with the onboard staff. They say their policy is for the sidestand to be towards the rear of the train and I always state that the train is more likely to brake hard rather than accelerate hard and so my method is safer to prevent the bike falling over (I’ve saved a Spanish bike from doing just that before). Eventually, they concede and my bike stays parked the way I want it to.
Off the other side and ride a few miles before turning right onto the A26 peage heading south. I decide to stop at Saint Quentin as it’s been a long enough day and, once off the peage, I ask my Nav V to show me hotel options. I, mistakenly, pick the nearest one which is up a hill at the back of an industrial area but is enclosed with a high security fence / gate arrangement. I go in and it’s fairly cheap, €46, (for a reason) but they only have a food dispensing machine and there are no restaurants close enough for me. So, a Snickers bar and a can of coke later and I’ve had my dinner!

Day 2 – Sun. 27th – 550 miles
As usual, I’m up early and ready to roll (c. 07:00). Fire up the bike and head for the security gate where I dismount to punch in my secret “open please” code but nothing happens. I try it again, twice, and still nothing happens. Great! I go back into the “hostel” type place but, of course, there’s no staff about at that time of day. Back out to the bike and I notice a person gate in the security fence and it doesn’t need a code to open it so I go through it and punch in my code from the outside – and the gate opens. Quickly I mount my steed and exit before it can shut on me. That was lucky!
I spent a nice relaxing day cruising down the peage at 80mph heading for Reims, Metz, Karlsruhe, Imst and then Soelden (which is just to the north of the Timmelsjoch pass). I stayed in Soelden in 2016 when I was heading to the Austrian MotoGP races and there was a pub there (Black & Orange) that I wanted to frequent but, in 2016, it was closed on Mondays. Guess which day I was there? Correct, a Monday. This year I arranged to there on a different day so I could sample their dunkel beers and enjoy some rock music. That was the plan.
I rolled into Soelden, crossed one of the bridges (that go over the snow melt river) and picked a hotel where I saw a woman sitting outside on its deck. I parked my bike across the road and walked over to ask if she had a spare room for the night. The hotel was closed but suggested one down the road. I walked down to it and it had a sign (on A4 white paper) stuck to door telling me it was closed for c. 3 weeks. Back on the bike and cruise, slowly, through the town only to see the same white paper on all the hotel doors (including the pub I wanted to frequent).

Apparently, I’d arrived at the town’s annual break period between winter and summer visitors – I now know when not to try and stay there in the future.
It was time to stop for the night and up the hill from here is the north side of the Timmelsjoch pass so I needed to stop soon. I started riding up the hill and came across a small hamlet which, luckily, had an open hotel / bar / restaurant with a room available for me! And they sold Weiss beer on draught; that’s me sorted then for the night.
 

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Day 3 – Mon. 28th
On the road early, as is my way, and head up the Timmelsjoch pass.
 

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(I’ve ridden it before and I enjoy the flowing, and well maintained, curves as well as the Grossglockner but the Stelvio isn’t my idea of fun. I only go up all these 0º bends so I can get some great views from the top.) I continue on the SS44 to Vipiteno and then Innsbruck, Jenback (A12) and then to Zell am Zimmer to ride the Gerlosstrasse again through Mittersill and on to Zell am Zee. A right turn here and we’re heading to the Grossglocknerhochalpenstrasse (one of my favourites). By the time I reached Zell am Zimmer it was warm so the jacket was secured to the bike and I continue by t-shirt (much cooler).
 

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It was cool at the top so, after a refreshment and a nibble, down the south side we go. I’m aiming for the Dolomites and a hotel, somewhere, in Arabba. Unfortunately, the cool turned to rain as I arrived. I found a hotel, parked my bike in their basement garage and the rain just got heavier, and heavier, and heavier! Where did the Dolomites go?



A pleasant evening of food and weiss beer followed.
 

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Day 4 – Tues. 29th

I can’t see me enjoying 18 passes today in this!
 

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I’ll just have to come back, in warmer drier weather, another time to enjoy all these passes at their best.
Instead, I head south to where the weather is a bit kinder and it eventually gets so warm I have to stop for an ice cream!
 

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I decide to have a scoot up the Passo Rolle but as I reach the top the bad weather is starting to roll in so I head south again still chasing better weather. (I’m sure you’ve all got the drift that this tour isn’t going to be one of those unforgettable ones [except for the wrong reasons] when you recall the abysmal weather Europe got early on last summer). About 5-10 miles from a town (I didn’t know it was there until I stopped to check a map) I was riding a local road, under the A27, and the heavens opened, again. Nowhere to stop to put on waterproof trousers so I carried on and the first place I came to I saw a hotel to my left so I pulled in right, always the best side to stop on, and run over to the hotel and they had a room available. I was ushered to park under cover (which I duly did) then went to my room for a hot shower and a complete change of clothing to let my wet gear dry out. It turns out I’d arrived at Hotel Calvi in Vittorio Veneto and it was very nice.
 

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Day 5 – Wed. 30th May

Nicely presented breakfast food!
 

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My plan was to arrive at Mugello early Thursday afternoon so I can be ready for the mad rush to get into the circuit boundaries when the gates open at 3PM and get a good camping spot (free, of course) ready for three days of bikes on track. Where will I go today, I wonder. I headed to the west side of Venice but decided not to go in (I’ll go another time when I’m on 4 wheels with my misses) so I continued heading down the coast towards Ravenna. I milled about Ravenna but didn’t find anything that took my fancy so I continued down the coast and ended up stopping at Cervia.
I had a few cultural hours walking about the old salt producing town then it was time for beer and food and beer.
 

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I'll add day 6, plus others, at lunchtime.
 

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OK, here's day 6:

Day 6 – Thurs. 31st May
As I couldn’t get in to camp until 3PM I had planned to visit the Ducati factory for a free tour and also visit the museum. Set the Nav V to the required coordinates and away we go. Found it no problem and parked at their security gate waiting to get in. I showed them my Ducati Owners Club card but they wouldn’t let my bike in as it wasn’t a Ducati! I started to do a 3 – point turn on the upward sloping road when the guard waved me in but also waved me out the exit gate and directed me to park across the road wherever I could find a gap. Ducatis only get in!

The factory tour was interesting and the way the staff pivot Diavels on their side stand and spin them 180º was impressive. The museum was also very good and you can get right up to the bikes (no barriers) for a close look at all the goodies.
 

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Here's more pics:

They seem to load in a random order!
 

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It’s head to Mugello time (or Scarperia to more exact – I love the place). Taking a back road from Bologna to Scarperia is, to me, just gorgeous Tuscan hillsides and I could ride them all day or, lottery win permitting, buy a place over there. I’ve been a few times and knew to wait in Scarperia until the gates opened at 3PM but this year they weren’t allowing bikes in to camp! Motorhomes (of all shapes and sizes) were fine with their pit bikes onboard but serious bike riding fans were not! I was moved from entrance to entrance until one official said it was down to the new security measures. It appears that only the Italian bikers knew this (Bookmoto didn’t) which left me riding about looking for somewhere to camp for 4 nights. I eventually found somewhere within walking distance but, boy, was I pissed off for days!

The next four days were all bike racing, bands and partying so here is a selection of photos from these days. Fortunately, the weather had stabilised and it was hot and sunny for these four days but come Monday all was to change.
 

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and more;
 

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