Winter Biking. | Bikers Caff | Back Room Forum

Sat 7 Feb 2009 14:42

Winter Biking. - madux

All this snow reminds me of a long trip I made in late November - 1978 or 9 IIRC.
Surrey to Switzerland on a Honda 350K4. Off the ferry at Dieppe at 4am (ish), lovely ride across France, nice lunch somewhere. Then it got cold. Somewhere near Dijon I stopped to put plastic bags over my gloves and boots. Then it started snowing.
I was riding with my feet down, following some car tracks in the snow.
I remember stopping at a bar and asking how far it was to the border - they all laughed at me and said the pass was closed - I would never make it on a motorcycle.
I carried on regardless (Seems foolish now of course - no breakdown cover or credit card in those days!)
By the time I got to the border at Vallorbe I was riding on fresh, virgin snow, which was easier.
Amazingly, as I left the Jura behind and descended towards Lake Geneva, the sun came out
(I thought it was late evening by now but it was only about 3pm) and I finished the trip warm and dry and enjoying the dry, sweeping mountain road and whooping with delight as I found grip on the hairpins. Seemed like summer had returned!
First stop was my local for a well-deserved pint. 15 minutes later a friend walked in and demanded to know why I had not picked him up when he was hitch-hiking just south of Paris.
I had to say "Sorry mate, I didn't see you."

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