On the Mountain!
Monday, May 30, 2011 @ 4:00 AM
The Mountain in question is Snaefell, not Mulhacen! And we have been picking up quite a lot of speed on some stretches today, just to see what those amazing bike supremos are up to when they average 130 mph on ordinary roads! Even 100 on the most open parts is terrifying enough but they do all of that on the bends! This is a great event, full of good spirit and bonhomie...we exchanged a few words with the great John McGuiness this morning...delighted an Argentinian who had hardly spoken a syllable of Spanish in 5 days...got good tips from other bikers about the best spectating positions...admired the harbour at Peel...terrified ourselves watching TT3D, the movie. Tomorrow is both Classic racing (& Sidecars) and evening practice for the main events. Excellent! And the place is heaving with motorbikes, from the wonderful old Ariel to speedsters Ducati, Yamaha, Honda, Harley of course and many others. All colours, shapes and sizes.
We had a great ride up through Spain, via Ciudad Real and Avila, to the Picos and Santander. The roads were fast and smooth, La Mancha full of splendid colour and interesting vistas. Avila, a walled town, had nesting storks, high-flying eagles and masses of wheeling swifts. We stayed cheaply right outside the walls and ate a good meal inside (bean stew, suckling pig etc). This was not quite the case in the Picos...we stopped for the night in Riano (or similar name, by a lake) andd thought it was a very ugly place. All concrete and verandas, like a badly designed ski resort. Thank goodness that the subsequent ride through the mountains was so spectacular! If you have not been there, then go, preferably on a bike of some sort or in an open sports car!
Our kind friends here have insisted that we sleep indoors for this week, though we will camp from Friday when their Italian paying guests arrive - who knows, it might be Agostini dropping in! So we are living in the lap of luxury for now but it will be tough getting down to those skimpy sleeping mats and chilly mornings in the tent. Thank goodness for thermal underwear and warm socks.
Hey, it's almost 1am and I need to sleep - Steve is snoring gently already - but I will post again soon.