Just back from the MotoGP - first trip self organised trip to France so I will post a report and piccies later this evening but on the way back to Caen lots of French people waved the victory salute at all the bikers. Wonderful to get the attention but I wondered why?
Le Mans MotoGP
- Thread starter johnboy
- Start date
Bengaz
Registered user
Did you manage to avoid getting hit by flying bikes in the Moto2 class.
Man, that is racing at its VERY best
Man, that is racing at its VERY best
original_concept
Registered user
Its France... damm I love France.
The best post-race village crowd 'high/low five' experience is after the Le Mans 24hr Moto in April.
One of my favourite 'low fives' I gave to a kid, whose Mum was frantically waving me down to ensure I 'fived' him, I nearly cried when I saw the delight on his face.
Everyone is a racing god on the way out of Le Mans ;-)
Tank
Registered user
That's France for you they just love bikes, except the Gerdarme of course 
I will look forward to reading the statistics in this weeks newspaper of how many people they caught for either speeding, drunken riding, drugs and riding, etc, etc!!
You also could not have asked for better weather for it for your first trip all be it maybe a little too warm!
Glad you enjoyed your first ride over though the roads over here take a lot of beating and you really appreciate how good they are as soon as you ride onto the main road from the ferry in England to all the traffic, roadworks, etc.
As mentioned the Le Mans 24 hour is even more amazing just to see all the fantastic cars that travel there.
I will look forward to reading the statistics in this weeks newspaper of how many people they caught for either speeding, drunken riding, drugs and riding, etc, etc!!
You also could not have asked for better weather for it for your first trip all be it maybe a little too warm!
Glad you enjoyed your first ride over though the roads over here take a lot of beating and you really appreciate how good they are as soon as you ride onto the main road from the ferry in England to all the traffic, roadworks, etc.
As mentioned the Le Mans 24 hour is even more amazing just to see all the fantastic cars that travel there.
Part 1 Le Mans 2010: "the virgin trip"
So having loaded the photos onto Flikr here we go
After a "jaunt in France" kindly organised by Wapping and Chasmill I decided I was up for a longer trip - 4 days instead of one! Le Mans MotoGP seemed a good idea and in a rational [irrational!] moment invited the 12 year old son as part of a Dads and Lads bonding sessions.
3 weeks preparation: Zumo fitted, AutoCom fitted, halfing the clothes and doubling the money etc etc and using the kitchen table for packing we were ready.
An amazing number of bags for 4 days including toolkit which was included more for someone elseto use than me!
Son and me 2000 hours about to set off on the Thursday evening: took 5 minutes to plug in all the AutoCom - first time! SWMBO took the photo - not a happy bunny.
75 minutes later and we arrived in Portsmouth for the overnight to Caen. I was begining to wonder at this stage as every 10 minutes "the son" said how much longer - perhaps the AutoCom was not such a good idea! Anyway lots more bikers made it enjoyable - amazing that some hardcore bikers will talk to a 50+ and son - biking at its best.
Arrived in Caen at 6.45. Being the organnised sort I had become an expert in Mapsource - literally overnight. Never looked at a real map, checked the weather etc. 15 minutes later with an instruction to turn in left in 4 miles I turned round - this was the view. TOPTIP 1: check ZUMO with real map
Anyway the we did find Hilman Bunker, had breakfast at Pegasus Bridge and marvelled at the roads around Hill 112
I think my son is thinking "perhaps school would have been better after all"
My attempt at clever piccies!
1300 hours we made it to Caen Memorial - worth a visit but do not expect to come out feeling on top of the world. War is not good. TOPTIP 2: a must just to remind you how lucky we are.
The son now needs to go to bed! More later.
So having loaded the photos onto Flikr here we go
After a "jaunt in France" kindly organised by Wapping and Chasmill I decided I was up for a longer trip - 4 days instead of one! Le Mans MotoGP seemed a good idea and in a rational [irrational!] moment invited the 12 year old son as part of a Dads and Lads bonding sessions.
3 weeks preparation: Zumo fitted, AutoCom fitted, halfing the clothes and doubling the money etc etc and using the kitchen table for packing we were ready.
An amazing number of bags for 4 days including toolkit which was included more for someone elseto use than me!
Son and me 2000 hours about to set off on the Thursday evening: took 5 minutes to plug in all the AutoCom - first time! SWMBO took the photo - not a happy bunny.
75 minutes later and we arrived in Portsmouth for the overnight to Caen. I was begining to wonder at this stage as every 10 minutes "the son" said how much longer - perhaps the AutoCom was not such a good idea! Anyway lots more bikers made it enjoyable - amazing that some hardcore bikers will talk to a 50+ and son - biking at its best.
Arrived in Caen at 6.45. Being the organnised sort I had become an expert in Mapsource - literally overnight. Never looked at a real map, checked the weather etc. 15 minutes later with an instruction to turn in left in 4 miles I turned round - this was the view. TOPTIP 1: check ZUMO with real map
Anyway the we did find Hilman Bunker, had breakfast at Pegasus Bridge and marvelled at the roads around Hill 112
I think my son is thinking "perhaps school would have been better after all"
My attempt at clever piccies!
1300 hours we made it to Caen Memorial - worth a visit but do not expect to come out feeling on top of the world. War is not good. TOPTIP 2: a must just to remind you how lucky we are.
The son now needs to go to bed! More later.
The following photo is included for TOPTIP 3: drive on the right when in France
The photo shows the corner which I rode round on the wrong side of the road with my son on the back. It was only when I came to the first junction that I realised my mistake - perhaps the ribbon on the right hand mirror may have helped.
Anyway we spent the day at Le Mont St Michel - glorious run there and back.
On the way back we came across one of those "for the next 5km priority from the right" signs. The most bizare riding experience - essentially you have to indicate left at every side road entering the main road. Needless to say a bit of a disjointed ride. TOPTIP 4: give way else you will get wiped out.
Sunday: set off for Le Mans. Again great roads - I did not take any piicies as it took about 5 minutes to unplug all the AutoCom. Also at this stage I was begining to regret the AutoCom as "the son" had worked out he could play his IPOD through it - is there any way of turning it off other than unplugging? The battery gave way on the IPOD fortunately at about 10 o'clock on the way to Le Mans. I did however enjoy riding through France at 25 degrees c with no traffic listening to "Free Bird" - the one track that he had of mine!
Some piccies of Le Mans:
So many bikes:
???????
Too bloody quick for my camera
Got back to Caen too early so played on the beach: what a 12 year old also enjoys in his leathers
To Caen: full circle not really RTW more Round a small part of Normandy
What do Dads and Lads eat on tour:
Got back home 0745 Monday morning in time for work and school!!
Hope you enjoyed it
Final TOPTIP: if you have not been to France on a bike you do not know what you are missing
Dahoum
Registered user
Ace
thanks for the ride report
and thanks on behalf of your son for giving him some great memories with his Dad.
thanks for the ride report
and thanks on behalf of your son for giving him some great memories with his Dad.
Konica
Registered user
really enjoyed reading this
wheeledwidewebb
Registered user
Thanks for making the effort to write the trip up for us, Le Mans looks just too busy for my liking though.
Good read, cheers.
Good read, cheers.
It's more about the going than the distance. Your lad will never forget his first trip away on the bike.
les049
Registered user
Le Mans was my first biking overseas experience this year, looks like i went the same way as you's but crossed on the Thursday night into Caen and then whipped it back up on Sunday night to get the 1945hrs FastCat as some of the guys had to work first thing on Monday.
Could'nt get over the straight roads especially the D roads ! but roundabouts a little greasy.
Weather was fantastic was'nt it !
83000 attended on the Sunday, wow !! Could'nt believe the amount of bikes in that carpark in your photo on that day
Even had great seats in the stand close to the start/finish straight
And yes the French, how they waved and cheered as you ride through the villages, it's as if they were being liberated again haha
Will deffo be doing this trip again next year and looking to go biking more in France from now on !
Could'nt get over the straight roads especially the D roads ! but roundabouts a little greasy.
Weather was fantastic was'nt it !
83000 attended on the Sunday, wow !! Could'nt believe the amount of bikes in that carpark in your photo on that day
Even had great seats in the stand close to the start/finish straight
And yes the French, how they waved and cheered as you ride through the villages, it's as if they were being liberated again haha
Will deffo be doing this trip again next year and looking to go biking more in France from now on !
I had a bad experience on the FastCat about 5 years ago - rough would be an understatement - never again
I have withdrawl symptoms this w/e - need another injection of travel
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