French alps two up

[Den]

Dont see the attraction of hairpin after hairpin after hairpin.
Tiresome things. I see a little french sign with '17 Lacets' and sigh a weary sigh of resignment. Would be different solo on a sportybike, but usually its fully loaded with passenger ... and thats just unfair.

A good ploy is to get a hotel near the hairpins early in the afternoon, get the wife thoroughly exhausted,and sweaty, by any means available, then suggest she has a nap whilst you go out to check that weird rattle which you heard earlier. Luggage in the hotel ... baggage sleeping = lighter, hairpin friendly bike.

Unfortunately, to get to the goodness out of the hairpins .... you may have to endure sex and stuff.

 

[johnnyboy]

Some basic off roading ???

Yer gonna need more than that if you go off road via an Alpine hairpin ...

You'll be surprised how much your road riding skills will improve with a bit of basic off-road training; you should try it.

 

[JayC]

You'll be surprised how much your road riding skills will improve with a bit of basic off-road training; you should try it.

 

[johnnyboy]

??????????

 

[Den]

Never go round an alpine hairpin whilst smackin yourself on the right eye.

 

[Davey B]

I echo the above about either a slow speed handling course or an off road skills course IF you aren't happy with hairpins etc....but maybe Dens suggestion wins, get a nice hotel with a pool booked, ditch the Mrs and luggage and go have a play.

 

[JayC]

??????????

Refer back to Giles Lamb - "go off road via an Alpine hairpin..."

 

[johnnyboy]

Refer back to Giles Lamb - "go off road via an Alpine hairpin..."

Which is why I responded with how much your road riding skills would improve with a bit of off road training........... with a tongue in cheek suggestion that he should try it.

 

[JayC]

Which is why I responded with how much your road riding skills would improve with a bit of off road training........... with a tongue in cheek suggestion that he should try it.

There was me thinking no amount of off road training, when you are flying through the air after misjudging a hairpin, would be of much use. The beauty of the written word - you see a downhill slalom I see a desperate need for a chute.

 

[johnnyboy]

 

[Dave h]

french alps

a mate of mine was chasing me down a road off the B500 down to our digs,he was on gixer me on ZX12 came to hairpin i got round that looked up and he had missed the hairpin completely and was off roading down towards me, pissed myself laughing

Dave

 

[Giles]

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[johnnyboy]

That's fookin' cheating.

 

[Giles]

Not bad on tubed tyres about 2cm wide !!

 

[Wapping]

Looks like bends in the french alps are going to be an appitiser for an alps newbie like me, in preperation for the corsica and Stelvio, as I`m following the basic path of rivendell`s "tour De Corsica" route in July. by the time i get to Stelvio the training wheels should be off the bike, so hopefully I won`t fall over

Sholudn't you be concentrating your efforts on resolving the pressing problem of where to have lunch?

 

[Wapping]

Some basic off roading ???

Yer gonna need more than that if you go off road via an Alpine hairpin ...

Post of the thread Wasted on the masses.

I have always had the great desire to test (should one leave the road at high speed, hurtling off into the blue yonder and downwards) whether the gps voice will go: "Off route, recalculating". Then, as one passed the road beneath go, quickly: "Make a U-turn"...,, followed by.... "Off route, recalculating".

The voice would either be an annoyance or a comfort. I really haven't made my mind up.

 

[Rasher]

I thought these manouvres were covered in Part 1 of the test (for oldies) or CBT (For Newbies)

Anyway, seeing as the Alps cover about 85,0000 square miles (about the same as the UK) asking if all the corners are tight is a bit like asking if every road in Britain is 3 lanes wide and dead straight like the M1.

Anyway some are very tight and others are not, some roads have many tight bends, other have a few, some have none, to make life easier on you some 8000 years ago Cavemen started work on this particular problem, firstly on caves (not so handy) later paper and now via the latest technology on your mobile phone, yes the answer is the map:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_cartography

A book such as the "Motorcycle Journey's" bible of Alps travel will also be of great help.

Some roads are well worth avoiding if you don't like stacked switchbacks, but you would be ruling out some of the worlds most spectacular roads, including some of my favourites:-

Splugen, Furka, Grimsel, Majola, Stelvio, Umbrail, St Bernard (Both) San Carlo and probably many more I have not yet enjoyed

On the other hand many flow quite wel and have few (if any) truly tight bends including many of the passes on the Route Des Grand Alpes, which is probably a good destination.

I would imagine the Col De La Schlucht in the Vosges is almost as tight as anything the Alps has to offer (Although the Splugen and San Carlo take some beating for endless switchbacks) I am going there in April so will be able to directly compare for you.

In the mean time why not plot where you want to go, post it up and ask for the collective here to advise of any passes you may prefer to avoid - you will probably be pleasantly surprised by how few are really low speed 1st gear corners in the Alps.

Maybe gatecrash a CBT session somewhere and knock all their cones over on your lardy GSA.

Deserted car parks are probably your best bet, as stated the off-road school is of little use, if you intend to overshoot the hairpins go and get lessons from this guy:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIf_vfmC2zA

 

[johnnyboy]

Post of the thread Wasted on the masses.

I have always had the great desire to test (should one leave the road at high speed, hurtling off into the blue yonder and downwards) whether the gps voice will go: "Off route, recalculating". Then, as one passed the road beneath go, quickly: "Make a U-turn"...,, followed by.... "Off route, recalculating".

The voice would either be an annoyance or a comfort. I really haven't made my mind up.

Well, one should jolly well go and try it; don't forget to let us know the outcome with one of your superb ride reports though.

 

[Dave h]

french alps

Thanks rasher, thats it not going anyware till i can smash cones down will pick my route carefully using maps i have in detail of that area, plus the motorcycle journeys bible that i have. my wife will just have to stifel her screams while missing hairpins out, cannot be much of a drop till the straight road again

Dave

 

[Giles]

Thanks rasher,

..... And not one word about the californian suberbike school .. Trés Bonne ..