I'm off to the Cote d'Azur this week.

[J.P]

So, Thursday night I'll be making my way across the Channel by train to start my slog down to the Cote d'Azur to meet up with my wife on Saturday afternoon. All motorway down to Grenoble for Friday evening, but then Saturday will be the glorious Route Napolean.

After a week of rest I'll be making my way back through the Alps over a couple of days to the Black Forest and the famous B500, and a bit of gateaux. Then the last couple of days back through Germany & France to make it home.

I'll be on Bike No.6, as Bike No.5 will be getting some TLC.

And YES, I will be locking the pannier's on properly this time. :eek: :mand:

[bex]

Awesome, have a great trip. Bring back some good weather :)

[J.P]

I'm hoping I at least find some on the way there and back :)

[bex]

Well don't be selfish with it and go hogging it all! :running:

[JerryXt]

that's decided me. The family want a holiday this year and I can't go on one of my cycling trips, so we'll be packing the old audi full and pegging it down to the sea by way of the mountains.

Have a good trip JP !

[Char]

I'm sure you'll have a great time - make sure you post some pics.

[Paivi]

Bitch!

I'm starting a new job on Monday so not able to take any holidays until September or so. :(

Have a safe ride and don't forget to stop occasionally to enjoy the scenery!

[J.P]

Don't worry about that Paivi, I'll be taking lots of pics along the way.

[JerryXt]

well done Paivi! Good place?

[Paivi]

well done Paivi! Good place?
Fanks. Back to my old team at DB, which I loved. :)

[Funkatronic]

nice work JP, have an awesome holiday mate

[gary tompkins]

Hope you get the S4r fixed in time for trackday

[bigredduke]

Have a great trip! That part of France must be fantastic out of peak season (v. envious)

[JerryXt]

BRD, first week of October is amazing down there. Usually good weather - 20ish degrees and sunny. The place is empty.

[Liz]

Have a great and safe trip Justin.

[SunEye]

If you're going down the Route Napoleon then if you've got time when you get to Castellane turn right and do the 70 mile loop around the Grand Canyon du Verdon.

The road between Draguignan and Castellane is a good one as well.

I know some people think that the south of France in the summer is too busy for good biking, but let me tell you that it's not. I was down on the Cote d'Azur last August (in the car :thumbsdown: ). Although the coast roads are a traffic jam in the summer the roads inland are quite empty if you stay off the motorways and really major roads. Stick to the D roads. The twistier they look on the map the better they usually are :biggrin: In the mountains you'll probably find more Dutch people than French. The French have a big obsession with going to the seaside in the summer leaving their beautiful countryside empty for the rest of us to enjoy :biggrin: I think the Dutch go to the mountains because they haven't got any of their own.

One thing to be wary of in the mountains in the summer are the large number of cyclists tackling the classic Tour de France climbs like Mont Ventoux and Alpe d'Huez. Obviously if you like staring at men in lycra it's the place to be. I seem to recall that at least one of the famous climbs actually has a cycle lane up it which does help to separate the bikes from the motorised vehicles.

[J.P]

Thanks Suneye, I know the Gorge Verdon as I was down in the same area a couple of years back and loved it, hence I wanted to head back that way again.

And I agree with you about the difference between the cost and the mountain roads, a world apart from a traffic point of view.

[MrsJel]

Have fun, great roads, verdon gorge lovely, also the gorge du tarn if you get chance (but just remembered that's over towards Millau, doh)
If you're coming back up through the black forest, look out for a little blue 696 surrounded by triumphs :-)

[J.P]

Will do , and you look out for a red streak that is the Multistrada. :)

[J.P]

No matter how 2 Star the accommodation in cheap French hotel's, I'm always impressed by the quality of the restaurants that are attached to them :)
A Very nice Le rump steak et Frites avec sauce pouvre this evening, after a 495 mile trip from Bethune to Grenoble which took me a leisurely 9 1/2 hours of motorway riding with plenty of stops for coffee, watering and a couple of naps along the way. Petrol on the motorways of france is about £1.41 a gallon so not cheap for petrol that's sure.
The Multistrada is averaging about 42 mpg on the motorway.

[steeevvvooo]

1.42 a gallon. Bring me some back please! ;)

[Paivi]

1.42 a gallon. Bring me some back please! ;)
I think he's thinking of the price of good quality house wine...

When I went to France two months ago, I was unpleasantly surprised to see that petrol was the same price there, especially when peeps here in the UK complain it's expensive.

[gary tompkins]

Maybe that's so many europeans drive Diesels

[J.P]

I'm now in the Black Forest, 30 degrees today, phew.

Haven't had Gateaux yet, but it's still early....

[steeevvvooo]

nice! was close to that today, up to 31 tomorrow, but thunderstorms on Tuesday?

When are you back again?

[J.P]

Back on Wednesday afternoon, up to Mallory Thursday afternoon.

[J.P]

German food is great, it's just like Italian !

[gary tompkins]

What's the latest on the S4r J.P & are you still doing Mallory on the Multi?

[J.P]

Emma posting the spare keys to Alec to see what he / if he can fix it this week, I'm not too hopeful given the limited time he'll have.

The Multi will be fine, but the Pilot Road 3 tyres aren't as grippy as the Pilot Power 2CT's I've got on the Monster, which I've found out a couple of times this week.

[J.P]

So today I made it through the famous B500 in the Black Forest in Germany.
Very nice indeed and very good quality road, busier than I thought it was going to be, but no problem with the quick overtakes of the Multistrada.

Ticked one important thing off my list of 'things to do in Europe'.

;)

[J.P]

It wasn't all fun though, has to ride around a near fatal bike accident with a German on a BMW GS overtook on a bend and ran straight into an oncoming car. :( Bike just looked like a pile of spares but the guy was still alive thank God.

[J.P]

Made it from Germany this morning through Belgium, Luxembourg and France and hardly any motorway, which is why it took me 10 hours and 40 minutes with all the various stops for fuel, water - gallons and gallons of it, for me not the bike. Temperatures hitting 35 degrees again today and it was almost unbearable on the bike, 105 degrees was the hottest I saw the engine gauge get.

Made it back to Nord de Calais for the night then a shorter hop home tomorrow.

I deserve a lot of these....

[J.P]

So a great two weeks all in all, with a nice weeks rest on the French Cote D'Azur.

I covered 2,075 miles and spent £438 on petrol in the end.

The Multistrada didn't miss a beat all the way and really is perfect for this type of Euro tour, super fast, comfortable, plenty of luggage space and with the electronically adjustable suspension you can change it at the moment the road conditions changed for a more spirited or more comfortable ride.

All bikes will have the option of electronically adjustable suspension in 5 years I reckon. It's a must.

[J.P]

Here's a whole bunch of photo's from my recent trip.

Hope you like them.
http://gallery.me.com/justinphotis#100729

[Funkatronic]

wow !!
that looks like it was an amazing trip JP well played

also, thought of a new nick name for you

yo will now be known Justin Focus :D

[J.P]

Thanks Ali, you're not the first person to suggest a nick name...

[MrsJel]

So today I made it through the famous B500 in the Black Forest in Germany.
Very nice indeed and very good quality road, busier than I thought it was going to be, but no problem with the quick overtakes of the Multistrada.

Ticked one important thing off my list of 'things to do in Europe'.

;)

Didn't get to the B500 til Saturday, then Sunday, then Monday - good innit!!

Sadly not on 696, had to pillion on GS.

Glad you liked it too.

Carole

[J.P]

The B500 though very different from top to bottom. Top was tight, twisty with lots of small villages, bottom half, long, flowing, high-speed sweepers.