Early in the morming I started my all fuelled LC4 with mounted roadbook reader for a long and dull ride to Grathem. To go south from Utrecht I have to cross several large rivers and the only way to do so at an acceptable speed is by taking the motorway. No problem for my 400 when it is warmed up properly. For the pilot on the bike the story is completely opposite. Motorways are an absolute bore and standing on the pegs at 120 km/h, some slaloming and singing my favourite songs as loud as possible do not bring any revelation. Maybe things would be better if I only could manage riding a proper wheelie. Being photographed while speeding at 130 km/h on the rear wheel would add some fun... At the last fuelstation before Grathem I meet a few participants for the allroad tour. One of them is on an 1150 GS, the other on a rented F650. Just to get no problems they didn't mention the plans for the day...
In Grathem the café Geraats was found easily and thanks to my website (or my big mouth) I already was signed in before I entered. Angeline and Mirelle whom I met last year again provided the roadbooks and took our fees. The costs are no problem at all, organizing such a trip takes enough time and late night evenings! I had to wait for Pimco for a while but after all he managed to get a rented trailer for his WR. Leaving Rotterdam was a real pain because of the skating marathon the same day.
After taping the roadbook together and rolling it into the reader on my handlebars I discussed offroad riding possibilities and future with jan Tullemans. When Pimco was ready we rode away on the tail of the participants.
The roadbook was excellent but my Sigma-cyclometre annex tripaster
was not. At home I found that a broken cable and sensor falure caused
trouble. It wasn't for the roadbook but now and then I mad wrong
estimates of interval distances and Pim took over the lead - the one
that makes a mistake has to follow the new leader...
The tour went over the most beautiful tracks trough the forests and
fields of Limburg. Now and then speed went up close to 140 km/h and
at this speed the front wheel can be lifted easily to engage potholes
and mud.
A few times we met other riders that were talking life and carburants or that were taking a break after riding a misjudged bent. Fortunately there were no real injuries this year. We also met some participating women. Offroading seriously lacks heroines - you don't see women offroading very often. At noon we took a short rest at the Mac Donalds and took some mueslibars and a litre vanilla milkshake. Pim refuelled the small tank of his WR. Those moments I still am very pleased with the 20 litre capacity of my tank.
Short after lunch a real Point Photo was set up. One after the other we went through the S-bent, alongside the photographer and drifting away on a muddy single track. Afterwards I heared some riders were too busy smiling in the camera and were probably caught in action flying seperately from their bike.
Just after the photo we engaged a GS with a child on the passenger seat. The biker all found it too hard to ride the tour with the big Beemer and two on and told us he'd quit. I still think it is very brave to make such a sunday afternoon tour with your child. When KLaartje is about six years old she will have to ride with me too weather on her own LC2 65cc or a small quad. As an alternative I still can grow a beard, eat my belly round and ride a GS ;-)
The tour ended all too soon and everybody told his own version with a drink outside the café in the sun. Only two jobs had to be done before leaving: returning the roadbook (by throwing it in the fireplace) and putting Pim his WR back on the trailer. The ride bach to Utrecht I only rode secondary roads but in my mind I was very pleased I started looking for a pickup truck...