Aragon 9.2, Mission Accomplished

Train left on time. I was the only bike on it and there was just enough room to squeeze me on, right at the back. Not even enough room for a scooter!

Back of the queue

France threw one last lot of rain at me for good measure, as I waited in the boarding line. C'est la vie.

Ginny is covered in shit once again, so she'll need another wash. To be fair, until yesterday's rain, she was pretty dusty, so would have needed a jetwash anyway. As for me, well my boots are going to need another polish. 

Arrived home at 18:15. Bloody roadworks on M20 and 50mph limit, is a real pain. But hey, I've been doing 50mph most of the week!

We've clocked up 1,995 miles this passed 9 days and as usual Ginny hasn't missed a beat and even with 8.5k on the tyres, has felt sure footed in all conditions.

Stats to follow, as usual.

Cheers

Aragon 9.1, Back to Blighty

Weather has been worse than yesterday.  OK though coz I was togged up and kept my hands dry enough to get my gloves on without issue. Worst part probably was being blown and sprayed to bits by juggers going in the opposite direction. 

Stopped for fuel at the Carrefour Contact store in Nouvion. My bro' will be familiar with that stop. Popped in and grabbed something to eat, plus a couple of cans of Grimbergen Blonde. Just enough room in the top box, with me wearing my waterproofs. Every cloud! 😁

France is brown. Not parched like parts of Spain but with the crops now harvested, all that remains is the brown stubble of sunflower and corn plants. It's quite stark.

Despite the persistent and heavy rain, it has been an interesting journey.  I've seen another wild deer, a couple of under cover cars, as in new models disguised with black and white shapes, to hide the make and marvelled at Chartres Cathedral, as it stands proud like a beacon, in an otherwise flat landscape. Stunning.

As a rider I like to acknowledge fellow bikers, with a wave or a nod.  More recently, that has included police motorcyclists, as Grizzly may recall. On this trip I have waved at several Spanish cops, with no response. Today however, two French cops, to their credit, actually waved back. I should point out, I only wave at them because my hand is already raised by the time I identify them as plod. Anyway, makes a change to get a reaction. 

Despite my stop for fuel/food, I was ahead of schedule. I had toyed with the idea of spending time in a McDs, using free wifi, to kill some time before my crossing but as the rain hammered down, I decided to come straight to the terminal. 

Good news, I was offered a crossing 2 hours before mine. Bad news, they wanted £42 to do it. Basically, I'd be doubling the cost of my crossing. Bollocks to that. 

So, here I sit waiting to be called for my 17:50 crossing. At least I'm in the warm and dry and I still have free wifi, so it's not all bad.

I was the only bike in the new shelter and I've availed myself of the free secure helmet storage system. It's a bit like an in room safe at a hotel. Open, insert helmet, close, select code, verify code, lock.

Helmet Locker

90 minutes to the off. All being well, I should be back home by 18:30.

Bye for now.

Aragon 8.3

My last night.  As such, I decided to forego the cheap set menu and splash out. The BBQ chicken burger is very nice. I washed it down with a half litre of expensive Grimbergen Blonde. I'm worth it though. Besides, despite what the Egyptians thought, you can't take it with you. Sorry kids!

I've got 245 miles to cover tomorrow, with a fuel stopped planned for about half way. I haven't yet decided what time I need to leave here. Too early and I'll be twiddling my thumbs in Calais, too late and I risk missing my train. Ideally I'll get there at just the right time to get on an earlier crossing. 

That's all for now. Just got to finish off this beer then head back to the hotel.

Grimbergen Blonde

Aragon 8.2

A Bertie Bassett day weather wise. 60% rain, 30% wet, 20% sunny.

Left at 09:50, in the rain. Now the bikers amongst you will understand, that no matter how careful you are to keep your hands dry whilst getting ready to leave, just one drop of rain makes it a chore getting your gloves on. And so it was. Once togged up though I was happy enough.

90 minutes in and my backside was aching. Strange but having waterproofs on seems to invoke the princess and the pea effect. After all I did 3 hours before I started shuffling about yesterday. Even stranger though, the ache subsided, (maybe the shuffling dislodged the pea) and I ended up riding through to my fuel stop, 4h30 into the journey. That's about the most I've done on Ginny in one hit.

Having had heavy, medium and light rain, the last 50 miles from the fuel stop were a pleasant surprise, as the sun came out.

On reaching Chateaudun, I found the Hotel, an Ibis budget, sans une receptionist. There's an auto check-in machine but that requires a booking reference. As I booked through booking.com, I didn't have one. There was nowt for it but to take a wander round the shops, an Intermarche and a B&Q style place and to pass the time till 5pm, when reception would be staffed. There was an 'emergency' number but I couldn't get it to work.

No matter, I passed the time and bought myself a 1-3 socket for a few quid. I only had one useable socket last night, which made life a bit difficult. 

Back at the hotel, reception had opened and I checked in.

Up in the room I checked the booking paperwork, only to find it said my reference for the machine was my booking.com reference, minus the dots. DOH! That'll teach me to read the stuff properly. 

Freshened up, I'm going to have dinner in the Buffalo Grill next door. Hopefully I'll be able to eat without any discomfort. Yesterday I had no dinner, as my acid reflux problem flared up. Maybe, most likely, the eggs, sausage and chips of the night before.  It was a bit greasy.

Anyway, time for dinner.

Aragon 8.1

Great sleep in my massive comfy bed. Awake 08:40. Helps not having Spanish wankeros next door with tv blaring out gone midnight.

As expected, it is raining this morning. Forecast looks like being wet for the entire ride. Not great but it is what it is. 

Big bed

Aragon 7.2

2nd half of the journey was much warmer than the first. It wasn't especially sunny but a bit of cloud cover kept the temperature higher. 

An uneventful ride in the main, sticking to speed limits (not many do) I was at one point overtaken by a huge Spanish juggernaut. There are some great roads in France and I have rarely had a bad ride here. Some great countryside, pretty villages, rivers and even a big fort have been encountered on the route today.

Not only those but on the wildlife front, I've seen a couple of shepherds, with dogs, herding, Spanish rabbits, a sky full of massive birds of prey (not near the rabbits) and a field full of cows and egrets. What is it with those two? Seems they are bezzie mates.

I made another fuel stop whilst still on the back roads. It was going to be touch and go whether I could make it here without but played it safe. Ginny had covered 277 miles by then. If I'd gambled, it would have been more like 350.

The hotel is in Lormont, on the outskirts of Bordeaux. A proper room, with a super king bed. It in itself, is almost as big as my room for the last 4 nights. Of course it's a bit pricier too.

I arrived about 16:30 and bagged a parking space right by the door. Having checked in and unloaded Ginny, I gave her screen and headlight a good clean. Rather those bugs on her than in my teeth, eh? I also did an oil check. That was fine. Ginny clicked over the 14k mark today and we've done over 1400 (maybe 1500 now) thus far.

Tomorrow I'm riding to Chateaudun. If you recall, I came through there last week, the second failed Intermarche fuel attempt was just across from the hotel. That's another 5-6 hours in the saddle.

To finish up today, here's a pic of Marc Marquez, MotoGP winner and sure to be, 2019 World Champion. 

Marc Marquez, #93 Repsol Honda

Aragon 7.1

On my way home.

Left Calaceite just after 8:00. Stopped for fuel about 10 mins later. Fuelled up with the help of a nice lady and hit the road. 

Within  20 miles or so , I started to feel the cold. It had been ok when I  left but although bright sun, the temp seemed to be slipping the other way.

After 60 miles I reached Zaragoza, by which time I was quite cold. I hadn't expected that. On went my jumper. On to the autovia. As we climbed towards the Pyrenees, I was no warmer and could only imagine the mountains would be colder still. I stopped again. On went my waterproof jacket to keep the wind/chill out. That seemed to stem the cold tide.

My return journey is the same as the outward, so I've crossed  through the Pyrenees and from Spain to France via a 5.3 mile tunnel. 5.3 miles at 14 degrees.

Now in France the temperature has risen to 22 degrees. I'd not eaten, so I have stopped at McDs for egg mcmuffin and coffee. Hoping I'll warm up and outside will stay warm and dry to Bordeaux. 

Aragon 6.3

After Moto2 I hung about for a bit until some dark clouds prompted me to leave, so missed the Red Bull Rookies again.

3rd day, 3rd different exit from the circuit. Considering there were over a hundred thousand people today, getting away was both easy and fairly quick.

Got back and listened to Arsenal v Aston Villa. Not great by the sounds of it but we won. 4th in the table.

After lounging about, I went back to the restaurant from last night. Two ice cold beers, some croquettes and a Spanish take on sausage, egg and chips, later and I'm feeling bloated and tired. Hopefully too tired to be woken by the noisy Spanish fuckers next door, like last night. 

Iberian egg, sausage and chips

Shall be on the road fairly early tomorrow I expect. My overnight is in Bordeaux, 300+ miles away. Tomtom and headset are talking once more (I'll check again in the morning), so hopefully all will run smoothly.

Catch up with me tomorrow. 

Aragon 6.2

Soon warmed and dried up.  Not quite the continuous sun of yesterday but still 27 degrees.

2 races down, Moto2 to go. No spoilers.  Couple of Spanish airforce jets came over before the MotoGP race.  Right over the top of the stands, then breaking into vertical climbs. Could see right into the flames of the afterburners. Cool.

104k people here today they reckon. I didn't think this one got so busy. Getting out should be interesting.  

More later.

Aragon 6.1

Race day.

I removed the water from the fridge last night, so I shouldn't have to buy any drinks at the circuit. Of course, being out all night defeats the object of having them in the fridge in the first place. Hey ho.

Awake at 06:20. Up and out by 07:15. Still dark. Few spots of rain not long after leaving but didn't amount to much. Tomtom and headset still not talking, despite me sorting it last night. Go figure.

Approaching the circuit I saw something I've not seen before, a sunrise rainbow. Beautiful but obviously a sign of rain. Sure enough, last few hundred metres, it started to really pee down. By the time I got off the bike in the car park though, slightly damp, it was practically done. 

Decided to leave jeans on, though promising to be another scorcher. Had another bacon/cheese baguette for brekkie. Could get used to them, if not the price!

Moto3 warm up due in 3 minutes. Track dampish.

Aragon 5.3

Another day comes to an end.

Tried a different restaurant tonight. A bit more upmarket than last night, more gourmet. 

Walked in to the sound of Mr & Mrs America. As usual, very loud. Talking to some poor Italian chap, who now has them as friends on Facebook and knows almost everything there is to know about them, as do I, e.g. how many bikes he owns, where their daughter got married and where her mother lives! They are from Colarado btw.

Besides being loud, the woman also had an annoying laugh. Double whammy!

The waitress handed me a hand written English menu, from which I chose some 'special' croquettes, each with a different filling, followed by chicken stuffed with almonds, well almond paste. Washed down with a grande Estrella Dam, cheaper than last night's, it was a pleasant experience. 

Croquettes. Meaty & fishy selection

Stuffed chicken

Now almost ready for bed. Can't afford to oversleep tomorrow. 

One more night in Calaceite tomorrow and then I'm heading home.

Aragon 5.2

Watched all the qualy and then decided to come back, giving the Red Bull Rookies a miss. The expected rain never materialised, so I'm like a lobster again, having roasted away in 28 degrees of blazing sunshine. Had my jeans on today, so at least no burnt legs. Betty swollocks though. 

Not sure where I'm eating today but will leave it a little later. As it's not a tourist resort, they don't serve early. 

Might have a little nap before I go out. Sunshine is tiring.

Aragon 5.1

Woken in the night by torrential rain. Up and out just after 8:00. No rain and brighter skies to the west, so no waterproofs. Roads fairly dry anyway.

Best laid plans, eh. Shop bought water in fridge, in the games room.  Games room locked till 11:00! Bollocks. 

Plod near the circuit diverting us this morning, down some bumpy back lanes. Put me on the wrong side of the circuit, so ended up having to ride all the way around to my parking spot. Few spots of rain as I walked to the stand. Have brolly, poncho and waterproof trousers. Might be a downpour later on. Beicon/queso baguette for brekkie and a coke for later.

One other thing. Headset lost connection with Tomtom! Will need to sort later.

Aragon 4.3

Not pissed but a little merry on 2 pints or whatever they were. 

Chef (lady) turned up for work at 20:10 but wasted no time getting stuck in. I was so hungry by this time, I even ate the free olives, well four. I hate olives!

I was on my second beer by now. Tables had been pre arranged, table for 1 being by the bog door! Couldn't understand the menu, so ordered chicken and chips, with salad and some chorizo.  Quick as a flash, 10 minutes and it was sitting in front of me. And very tasty it was too. Meal and 2 beers cost me €14. Baguette and coke earlier at the circuit, cost me €9.50.

Mmm, beer.

Mmm, dinner.

Back in the room and ready for bed. It's only 21:30 though, Grizzly time plus 1 hour! 🤣

Full day tomorrow with free practice and qualifying.  Think it might rain ☹.

Aragon 4.2

Came away earlier than originally planned. There's only so much sun an Englishman can take. I have a nice Russian tan, despite the sun cream.

Got back and took a walk to the supermarket, for some supplies, which includes fried egg flavoured crisps! It's far cheaper to buy water in the super than at the circuit.  10x cheaper!

After the super, I took a walk up a nearby hill, to visit a pre Roman settlement. As I dodged the goat droppings, I thought this place should be called Calashite! The view from the top was worth it though. There is also a Hermitage. I went inside and as the door was open, took a walk/climb up the bell tower. A man was waiting when I came down to tell me off. 🤣 Shouldn't have left the door open, eh.

Got back and nipped over the road to the bar/restaurant. An Estrella Dam is going down a treat. There are some brits inside. 3 guys about my age and a younger woman/girl, maybe a daughter. Blokes yacking away, girl excluded. Tried to make conversation. Not sure she's the full shilling. Time to blog. Blokes too busy to notice little old me.

Hoping for a little dinner about 8pm. Might be pissed by then. 

Calaceite from the hill.

Aragon 4.1

Set an alarm. It didn't go off. Was already up, washed and dressed by then though. Don't get it. Tested it last night, worked.

Got to circuit about 09:00. Moto3 FP1 had just started. Changed into shorts, as it's going to be a scorcher, indeed, already is. No covered stand like Austria. Cream applied.

After MotoGP, I popped down to get something to eat and drink. Warm cheese and bacon baguette and coke. Watched Moto2 from nearer the start line.

Lunch break now. Have popped the umbrella up to give a bit of shade.

There's not too much in the way of facilities here. A handful of merch stalls and one, as far as I can see, food outlet. Quite different from Austria. At least I can pay cash for stuff here though.

Seat is perfect. Right at the first corner and high enough that there's no fencing obscuring the track.  Will be in the best spot for any first corner shenanigans.  I chose the seat myself, so well done me. 

FP2s coming up later.  Should be home by 17:00.

Turn 1

Aragon 3.2

Brilliant day. Great twisties in the Pyrenees to empty autovias in Spain. Weather great. 

Refuelled Ginny about 40 miles from Calaceite, before passing the Motorland circuit at Alcaniz.  Assuming no lorries, should be about 35 minutes ride time.

Arrived about 17:20. Shown to my tiny room and Ginny parked up in the underground car park, I freshened up before settling down to watch Frankfurt v Arsenal. Gunners 1-0 up at the moment. 

Something interesting just up the road, that I just had to stop for. A little layby with a stone pillar showing the line of the Greenwich Meridian! Not something you expect to see in Spain.

Ginny across the Greenwich Meridian

Tomorrow I shall head to the circuit for the free practice sessions. Will give me the chance to suss where everything is, before it gets too busy. Forecast is good.

Aragon Trois.Uno

3 shocks today. Not much shocks me, so 3 in one day, blimey.

1st was oversleeping. Had set alarm on phone for 07:30. It didn't go off. Consequently, I only got up at 08:40. Filled with a decent brekkie, I left at 09:40, 40 minutes after I had planned. 

I rode for about an hour before reaching my fuel stop, another Intermarche. No problems this time though.

Shock 2. Came into a large town to find an animal circus. Caged camels, zebras and even a tiger. I didn't realise these still existed. Such a sorry sight.

Shock 3. Turned into a roundabout to discover rather than a white line at the edge, it had a raised kerb. Luckily, I realised in the nick of time and so only caught the edge, which, fortunately was rounded, else I may have been on the floor. 

I am now in Espana. I went into a very long tunnel in France and came out the other side in a different country. Weather thus far ok and reasonably warm.

Stopped for a wee and to take on some fluids too. 100 miles since I fuelled up. Still a fair way to go.

Laters

Aragon Deux.Deux

The trouble with taking the non motorway route, is the number of 30kph areas you end up riding through. It can be a real pain in the arse, especially when you throw in the speed humps. That said, the ride was still enjoyable. 

I made it an hour down the road, after lunch, before I had to pull over and remove my jumper. The temperature had been slowly rising and Ginny was showing 30 degrees when I stopped. I switched to my fingerless gloves too.

The first part of the ride was dual carriageway. Cruising along at 70mph, Ginny drones like an aircraft. You know the sound when you go on holiday. It would be easy to nod off on a hot day like today. The flip was up though, to combat that. 

Negotiating the outskirts of Bordeaux was a bit painful, especially for a couple on a Suzuki, who appeared to have fallen foul of a fuel spillage, luckily not on my side of the road. I was soon out in the country and riding through a forested area. Don't ask me the name. Moustey sits in this area. I was practically the only vehicle on the road, which was great but it was quite bumpy.

I arrived at my B&B about 17:40. I'd just dismounted on the driveway, when the electric gates began to move and my host came out, pointing for me to park in his massive barn. As mentioned before, he doesn't speak English, so my 40 year old schoolboy French is being put to the test.  I probably understood 30% of what he said and he seemed to understand my replies ok. I know where the restaurants are and what time they open and he knows what time I want brekkie, so all's cushty.

Tomorrow I have about 330 miles to cover. Grizzly, my very own Michael Fish, will be giving me the weather lowdown later.  I don't think it's going to be that good. ☹

That's all for now. 

View from my window

Aragon 2.1

At my fuel stop. Grabbed some lunch too.

Run down has been really nice. Clear blue skies and a nice temperature, in the 20s.  Funny how 50mph seems plenty when the weather is decent, yet far too slow when it's pissing down and you just want to get to destination. 

Not seen any deer today but did pass Futuroscope in Poitiers, to which I have been. Once when I took the girls, on the infamous "are we going to die daddy?" trip and once with Cath and her kids.

Just gone 2pm as I write, so I'm thinking of taking the non motorway route to Moustey. That should eat up about 3.5 hours. See how I feel.

Aragon 2 point oh

Woke about 7:30. Dozed till 8. Got washed/dressed and went down for solo brekkie. Somewhat less than a full continental but ok.

Sun is streaking in the room, though it's a bit on the windy side. Forecast is for 28 degrees after lunch. Rain over the Pyrenees but I'll not be that far south today

I have a 5 or 6 hour ride today, depending on whether I avoid motorways or not.  Check in at my b&b isn't till 17:00, so I'm not rushing to leave the hotel. Check out is till 11:30. I didn't see anything of interest to stop at today, else I'd have built that in. Fuel stop is 205 miles away, 2h40m. That's when you'll next hear from me I expect.

Laters.

View from my room, back of Ford dealership!

Aragon 1.2

The second part of today's journey was interesting. The weather perked up around Rouen to give some prolonged sunshine but it clouded over later. At least I wasnt cold any more, as it did warm up the further south I got.

My scheduled fuel stop, wasn't. I stopped at the Intermarche pumps as planned but my card was declined. I carried on for another 28 miles or so, until I found myself in Chateadun, where I'll be staying next Tuesday. Another Intermarche, same result. A native seemed to be having the same issue. Computer says No! A couple of miles further on, I finally managed to get some fuel.  Ginny had covered 289 miles by then, beating her previous best by 2 miles.

The last section was quite slow going, not just because I hit Tours at knocking off time either but I did catch sight of quite a few wild deer along the way, which was pretty good. 

I arrived at Mister Bed at 17:55. A quick change and I was out to get some grub.  Lunch never happened, so I was ready for something. I checked out several of the eateries around but settled for the Buffalo Grill, so give yourself a point if you guessed that. 

Back in the room, I'm looking for some Champions League on the tv. Don't think they have any, least not on terrestrial tv. 

Till tomorrow then. 

Aragon 1.1

Left the house at 7:20 and was checked in by 8:00. As hoped, I got an earlier train. 

Met a couple from Chester on a home built Harley, heading east once in France. Nice couple. A good chin wag passes the time.

Unfortunately, the weather isn't what I was expecting. Heavy cloud is hampering the temperature and having made my usual mistake (will I never learn?) of thinking my thin jumper will be ok, I'm feeling quite cold. Glad then to be stopped and having a coffee, after 2:15 on the road. Next stop will be for fuel and lunch.

All Abroad!

In a tad over 12 hours I'll be walking out of the door. The packing is done, save for a few bits, that I will need tonight, toothbrush, etc and Ginny is waiting patiently in the garage. I've checked her tyre pressures today, stuck a few psi in and fitted Tomtom again.

Including the 35 miles from here to the tunnel, I shall be covering about 340 miles tomorrow, give or take. I was planning a stop at my usual Tesco fuel station off the M20 but I filled Ginny up when she came back from her 12k service and I've not ridden her since, so there's no need for that stop now. Ginny's range is such, that I will easily reach the next planned fuel stop without any danger of running out. That's at a place called Dreux, west of Paris.

My main concern, when I reach the hotel, will be where I'm going to have dinner. Looking on the map, I'll be spoilt for choice, with the usual suspects all within a mile of the hotel, McDs, BK, KFC, Buffalo Grill. In fact, that is the choice for most of my overnights in France, with maybe a noodle bar or pizza place thrown in the mix too. As Paul and I found out when we went to Le Mans, the Buffalo Grill do a reasonably priced 2/3 course set meal choice, including a beer, so I expect I'll be paying at least one visit on this trip. As most of my hotels are sans brekkie, I foresee the odd egg Mcmuffin being consumed too. These trips are never fueled by gourmet meals, that's for sure.

Check back tomorrow to see how I've got on during the day and what meal choice I made 😉

Free Wifi!

Nearly Time

Time, to start thinking about packing for my trip to Aragon.

I'll be leaving Blighty on Tuesday. I decided I'd take things a little easier this time, so I have two overnight stops on the way down and on the return journey. On Tuesday night, I'll be just south of Tours, at Chambray-les-Tours, then Wednesday in Moustey, about 38 miles/60km south of Bordeaux. From Thursday till Monday, I'll be in a town in Spain, called Calaceite. It's about 30 mins/26 miles from the Aragon circuit. A bit closer than I was to Spielberg with my hotel in Austria.

Some of the roads I'll be travelling on, are ones that Grizzly and I rode in July, when we left Zaragoza for Barcelona. I wonder if I'll recognise any of it? The weather forecast for my time in Spain is warm, low to mid 20s Celcius, with a small chance of rain on the Saturday. Hopefully though, the rain will stay away.

The temperature on the way down looks to be decent too, possibly as high as 29C in Moustey, with a tiny chance of precipitation and the way back also looks to be warm and dry. My stops on the return are Bordeaux and Chateaudun. The only clouds on the horizon, would appear to be on the last day, when rain is likely. Of course, it could all change over the next week or so anyway but it's nice to have some positive vibes before one sets off on another 2,000 mile trip.

I expect my language skills or lack of them, will be put to the test a bit this trip. I know my hosts in Moustey don't speak good/much English, as they already indicated that to me, so my schoolboy French will have to come into play once more. Spain, who knows? At least I know the international signage for requesting a bill! 😉 Where would I be without Grizzly, eh?

If I get chance, I'll give Ginny a clean tomorrow. She's not been cleaned since I got back from Austria and has only been out once since, when she went for her 12k service. With the nights drawing in and winter fast approaching, I doubt she'll get many more outings this year, certainly no big trips. If only we lived in a more temperate climate.

As regards my packing, I have made a start, mainly because things are still lying about from the Austria trip but it shouldn't take me long to get everything together and everything is clean, ready to go. I do seem to be missing a pair of my riding socks though. 😕

That's all for now.