S
Steve398
Guest
Is this the right place for this? Whatever..
Phew, where do I start? I moved across to France on the 27th August to have a wander round for a year or so.. so far I've frightened myself silly, bewildered the French with my unique version of their mother tongue, stayed in dubious hotels and spent loads!!
For the first month I decorated a mates annex so that I could use it as a base, I then spent a silly weekend in Holland with a collection of reprobates (of which I was proud to be a member, and my liver is still recovering thanks) before returning to base and eventually off to Villeneuve-sur-Lot to stay with an ex-neighbour..
Then..
ROUTE NAPOLEON - Grass to Grenoble
Beam me up Scotty.. What a total hoot! Jeez, you think you've found bends then there's this, bloody miles of 'Oh my God, Kee-rist'. Your neck goes into owl mode as you try and follow where the damn thing is going and you attempt to follow it.
I feel I should add that the option is smearing yourself against the rocks on a left-hander or a free flying lesson over the endless drop on a right hand bend. It's a very long day filled with re-assessment of your bend skills before sinking into several beers at the Formule 1 at Gap (2/3rds the way through, I'm old OK?) As it turned out, a very bad decision.
The next day at 0730 I rolled out of the hotel intent on doing Grenoble and beyond! 2 miles up the road I'm frozen and I note with immense concern that there's big black heavy clouds over the mountains and oncoming traffic is snow-covered.. SH*T!! I can hear the voices of my orphaned children crying my name, I'm in the middle of the bloody Alpes on a poxy bike in freezing fog with 30 foot visibility and hairpins bends that I can't see 'til I hit them. Thereafter followed 90 mins of utter terror, especially when I see that the temp, according to a pharmacy display, is -2C. My horror terminated with a mile downhill (seriously downhill) stretch into a village when I found sanity and hot coffee.. oh, and a flat straight road.
Grenoble eventually beckoned, thank God. By this time I couldn't feel my fingers, toes, eyes (visor froze), and for the delicate amongst you, extremities.
More later, if you wish..
Phew, where do I start? I moved across to France on the 27th August to have a wander round for a year or so.. so far I've frightened myself silly, bewildered the French with my unique version of their mother tongue, stayed in dubious hotels and spent loads!!
For the first month I decorated a mates annex so that I could use it as a base, I then spent a silly weekend in Holland with a collection of reprobates (of which I was proud to be a member, and my liver is still recovering thanks) before returning to base and eventually off to Villeneuve-sur-Lot to stay with an ex-neighbour..
Then..
ROUTE NAPOLEON - Grass to Grenoble
Beam me up Scotty.. What a total hoot! Jeez, you think you've found bends then there's this, bloody miles of 'Oh my God, Kee-rist'. Your neck goes into owl mode as you try and follow where the damn thing is going and you attempt to follow it.
I feel I should add that the option is smearing yourself against the rocks on a left-hander or a free flying lesson over the endless drop on a right hand bend. It's a very long day filled with re-assessment of your bend skills before sinking into several beers at the Formule 1 at Gap (2/3rds the way through, I'm old OK?) As it turned out, a very bad decision.
The next day at 0730 I rolled out of the hotel intent on doing Grenoble and beyond! 2 miles up the road I'm frozen and I note with immense concern that there's big black heavy clouds over the mountains and oncoming traffic is snow-covered.. SH*T!! I can hear the voices of my orphaned children crying my name, I'm in the middle of the bloody Alpes on a poxy bike in freezing fog with 30 foot visibility and hairpins bends that I can't see 'til I hit them. Thereafter followed 90 mins of utter terror, especially when I see that the temp, according to a pharmacy display, is -2C. My horror terminated with a mile downhill (seriously downhill) stretch into a village when I found sanity and hot coffee.. oh, and a flat straight road.
Grenoble eventually beckoned, thank God. By this time I couldn't feel my fingers, toes, eyes (visor froze), and for the delicate amongst you, extremities.
More later, if you wish..
