Roger, Gary, Me

Monday morning arrived with more nice weather. We had the usual “where will we go” discussion over breakfast and agreed on the route that took us

Most of the Old Gits gathered at breakfast at around 08:00, excited at the prospect of a day of wonderful roads on bikes with no luggage. The weather was playing ball with a blue sky, sunshine and temperatures forecast to be mid 20’s. Discussion on route and group options followed while breakfasts were consumed and start times agreed.

The bikes needed fuel so we filled up at the petrol station and headed out of town north on the D955 as it snaked along the banks of the lake. This is a stunning bit of road that encourages enthusiasm and we were all enjoying it to the upmost.

Half way around the route Matt identified that his clutch was feeling a bit “spongey”, a problem he’d encountered on a previous Euro-tour, and that it likely needed bleeding. As none of us had the tools needed to do the bleeding Matt left us and headed directly back to the hotel while we continued on the route.

The rest of us completed the route and returned to the hotel after a wonderful days riding.

The usual breakfast “where shall we go” discussion had us agreeing that a ride on the north side of the Gorges du Verdon would be a good start.

Matt was still having issues with his clutch but some of the other Old Gits had some tools and Matt was planning to address the clutch issues after breakfast. Matt and Martin had not done the Gorges du Verdon before so we recommended they did the South side once Matt had his bike back operational.

Gary, Roger and I set off along the north side of the Gorges, amazed by the views and having to make frequent photo stops. At the western end of the gorges we passed Matt and Martin who had ridden the south side. Matts clutch issues we now corrected so we all agreed to find somewhere for lunch.

After lunch we headed back along the south side of the Gorges du Verdon then did a run along the D955, with Martin and I swapping bikes for a while.

The evening was again spent in a Castellane restaurant, followed by a couple of drinks at the hotel then some packing in readiness for the next day.

We agreed on the route over breakfast, packed the bikes with the luggage, thanked the team at the hotel for looking after us so well, then headed out for the indirect route to Barcelonnette. The weather was not as good as it had been for the last few days with the possibility of rain in the afternoon.

Despite the extra load of the luggage, the roads were again wonderful and encouraging some fun riding.

As expected, the afternoon delivered some rain, requiring a stop to put on waterproofs although the rain didn’t stay for long and didn’t spoil the fun. The route we had chosen included 4 passes and the first 3 were great but the Col de la Cayolle has a poor, bumpy surface for the whole of the pass and all of us were beginning to get tired at the start of the pass, which made it slightly uncomfortable and hard work.

We arrived in Barcelonnette and found the hotel, unpacked the bikes and headed out for a meal in a restaurant in town.

We gathered for breakfast with Roger and I already knowing we wanted to ride to the Cime de la Bonette. The road up the Col de la Bonette is one of Steve’s favourite roads so he was happy to join us.

We filled the bikes with petrol then headed for the clime up the Col. I agree with Steve, it is a great piece of road with a great surface and stunning views. Roger and I had only ever been to the Cine once before, when the weather was overcast so the view was obscured but, the weather was now clear, with a blue sky and sunshine, making the view over the Alps amazing. Lots of pictures were taken.

The long ride down the south side was just as much fun and we all enjoyed the fact that the bikes were not loaded with luggage. After the Col de la Bonette we headed for the Col de la Lombarde. A bit of confusion at some roadworks traffic lights just before the start of the Col resulted in Steve and I overtaking a group of bikes I think from the Czech Republic, who seemed a little upset that we had overtaken them. We turned onto the Col road and Steve, over the intercom, said he thought they wanted to show us how fast they were but suggested we might like to return the favour. It was childish, but great fun, as Steve and I pushed on up the Col at pace, commenting that the leading two Czech bikes were trying hard but actually loosing ground on us. Finally, near the top, we pulled over to wait for Roger and Gary and watched the Czech bikes go past, gesticulating their frustration.

The ride down the other side of the Col was a little more relaxed although that didn’t stop me taking a wrong turn and ending up leading the group through what appeared to be some cobbled walkways of the local town to get onto the main SS21.

A lunch stop in Italy was followed by a ride over the Col de Larche back into France and then the Col de Vars. Both were great roads `but are definitely not as “intense” as the likes of the Col de la Bonette.

An on-the-spot decision to ignore the sat. nav. and ride back to Barcelonnette along the previously unknown D954 proved to be inspired. What a great bit of road and possibly the find of the trip. If you’ve never ridden it, it’s highly recommended.

Back at the hotel we swapped stories with other Old Gits over a beer or two before heading into town for a meal.

As is standard on an Old Gits trip, it was agreed that the last Friday before the run home would be a gentle day. The Col de Vars was chosen, via the D3 and D9. The weather was good and the ride along the roads to get to the Col was good, nice roads but a little more traffic than we would have liked.

We stopped at the top of the Col for a coffee and a cake, joining another group of Old Gits who were riding a similar route.

The ride back to the hotel again included introducing Matt and Martin to the newly discovered D954 which they appeared to enjoy as much as we did.

Back at the hotel we disposed of another couple of beers then headed for the local Chinese restaurant. It was a small establishment and I think 12 Old Gits needing to be fed at the same time tested their ability to deliver, but they managed. The food was excellent, as was the company.

Following advice from Richard S, who’d ridden it on the way down and described it as a farm track with tight switch-backs, we decided not to ride the Col du Chauss, but still to take the route that ran past it.

We headed out from the hotel towards the Col de l'Échelle then into Italy and the Frejus Tunnel. It was a slow process getting through the toll booths in the tunnel but it did give us an unexpected and unplanned opportunity to test the range of the Cardo headsets in such a unique environment. We established that in a tunnel, over 5km range was possible, still with clear communication!

After the tunnel it was motorway all the way to Chalon-sur-Saône and the Ibis hotel. While the scenery remained impressive for a large part of the journey, the roads were definitely not exciting.

We arrived at the hotel, checked in and met up with some of the other Old Gits. We took the advice of one of the staff at the hotel and went to an “all-you-can-eat” restaurant on the other side of the road.