Has it finally stopped raining? It’s been a while since there’s been anything to add because with the way the weather has been biking has not been much fun but here’s Brits Abroad 2007 pt 1. 
The trip to Spa went well even though the cloudfollowed us across the channel.
As we got off the ferry it looked quite promising and we actually sat in the sunshine while we waited for Jeff and Mel to catch us up. Jeff elected to use the Chunnel as it was much quicker than the old fashioned boat only to find his train was cancelled and his arrival much delayed.
Soon after we met up the clouds regrouped and gave us the occasional drenching for the rest of the day. Leaving the main roads as soon as poss. we twiddled our way across France through some fine scenery. Stopping off for a great lunch in a small restaurant which stayed open just for us. We enjoyed an interesting “tart of cheese” for desert which was both a local specialty and an acquired taste. Sadly not acquired by all!
Our route to Skt Vith took us in and out of France and Belgium a number of times as we re-discovered some familiar towns often approached from a new direction. At one point we passed very close to Chimay where we had visited a wonderful Classic Race meeting some years earlier, even riding past the Café where I managed to “obtain” a large poster for the event when we stopped for a snack.
The hostel at Skt Vith is one of the best, not just because it has its own bar where fine Belgian beer is very reasonably priced, in a pretty little town with fine restaurants just a short walk away. Here we enjoyed our first proper meal of the trip with some fine pizza and pasta and a lovely waitress who Sam instantly fell in lust with. It’s his age, this was the first of many over the next few days. (Meals and lust falling episodes)
Up nice and bright next day we breakfasted well and then set off for the Bikers Classic at the awesome Spa Francorchamps track. We had a bit of a sat-nav situation as we arrived resulting in most of us following the signs intended for participants only to the wrong entrance. Eventually we found our way to the secure and well organized parking and the spectacle we found was well worth the long trip.
As we approached the track sidecars were hurtling up Eau Rouge with the engine note rising rhythmically as the rear wheel lost and then fond traction on the greasy surface time and time again until they disappeared out of sight and sound over the brow.
The experience of standing at the bottom of the straight and watching the machines barrel through this section is right up there with the most popular Isle of Mann viewpoints.
As this was a Friday the crowd was thin and we were able to wander unhindered through the garages in pit lane and get right up to the most amazing variety of racing machinery. British machinery was well represented with exotica like Manx Norton’s, AJS 7rs and Triumph/BSA triples rubbing shoulders with more mundane production based T100s and the like.
Probably the best represented nation was Italy with Laverda and Guzzi strong in numbers and MV and others overwhelming in their technical prowess and presentation.
All the time spent wandering in a blissful eye-watering daze was accompanied by the most soul stirring soundtrack imaginable and the sweet smell of castor based oil
The trip to Spa went well even though the cloudfollowed us across the channel.
As we got off the ferry it looked quite promising and we actually sat in the sunshine while we waited for Jeff and Mel to catch us up. Jeff elected to use the Chunnel as it was much quicker than the old fashioned boat only to find his train was cancelled and his arrival much delayed.
Soon after we met up the clouds regrouped and gave us the occasional drenching for the rest of the day. Leaving the main roads as soon as poss. we twiddled our way across France through some fine scenery. Stopping off for a great lunch in a small restaurant which stayed open just for us. We enjoyed an interesting “tart of cheese” for desert which was both a local specialty and an acquired taste. Sadly not acquired by all!
Our route to Skt Vith took us in and out of France and Belgium a number of times as we re-discovered some familiar towns often approached from a new direction. At one point we passed very close to Chimay where we had visited a wonderful Classic Race meeting some years earlier, even riding past the Café where I managed to “obtain” a large poster for the event when we stopped for a snack.
The hostel at Skt Vith is one of the best, not just because it has its own bar where fine Belgian beer is very reasonably priced, in a pretty little town with fine restaurants just a short walk away. Here we enjoyed our first proper meal of the trip with some fine pizza and pasta and a lovely waitress who Sam instantly fell in lust with. It’s his age, this was the first of many over the next few days. (Meals and lust falling episodes)
Up nice and bright next day we breakfasted well and then set off for the Bikers Classic at the awesome Spa Francorchamps track. We had a bit of a sat-nav situation as we arrived resulting in most of us following the signs intended for participants only to the wrong entrance. Eventually we found our way to the secure and well organized parking and the spectacle we found was well worth the long trip.
As we approached the track sidecars were hurtling up Eau Rouge with the engine note rising rhythmically as the rear wheel lost and then fond traction on the greasy surface time and time again until they disappeared out of sight and sound over the brow.
The experience of standing at the bottom of the straight and watching the machines barrel through this section is right up there with the most popular Isle of Mann viewpoints.As this was a Friday the crowd was thin and we were able to wander unhindered through the garages in pit lane and get right up to the most amazing variety of racing machinery. British machinery was well represented with exotica like Manx Norton’s, AJS 7rs and Triumph/BSA triples rubbing shoulders with more mundane production based T100s and the like.
Probably the best represented nation was Italy with Laverda and Guzzi strong in numbers and MV and others overwhelming in their technical prowess and presentation.
All the time spent wandering in a blissful eye-watering daze was accompanied by the most soul stirring soundtrack imaginable and the sweet smell of castor based oil
Ideas for a caption to go with this photos in the comments section please!!
1 comment:
Right ok Jeff, what have you done with my bike?
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