Indeed it is cold and drizzly. Morale is high on the 1090, My BMW Enduroguard suit is doing the business (even on a KTM) and the Michelin 6's are holding the road spot on!
We're minding our own business, putting along, when suddenly a French Police Biker comes the other way, waiving at us to go hide in the gutter... politely we back off and move over, and catch up with a couple of stationary cars... Nothing much is happening, so we 'discretely' pass them, and gently cruise the gutter at walking pace. Another Police bike appears, this one's pointing AND blowing a whistle! and I'm thinking "Hmmmm , Tour de France?" Sure enough, a minute later a couple of dozen 'MAMIL's ' come briskly whiring towards us, followed by assorted vans and estate cars, all logo'd up. nothing much more happens, and after a few local vehicles start moving off, we take their cue, and set of gently..
Two miles up the road we encounter a MASSIVE tail-back of traffic, turns out the turning we need down into a scenic gorge, is indeed the route of the cycle race, and All vehicle traffic is being held at that point. GG asks a freindly traffic cop how long the road (and vehicles) will be held for? HOURS apparantly!!
Now the heavens open, and the rain lashes down intensely. Bikers at the front of the queue jump into waterproofs, and the traffic cops tough-it out in shirtsleeves and forage caps! Lucky for us said Traffic cop is very bike freindly, and he lets us scoot a U-turn round the Police vans and mooch off back away from the planned route, and to tackle a very wet diversion for an hour or so.
))
. All this, and free Ornithology thrown in!
