NEOTT Goes To France - Sep 2023
Summary
In September 2023, Ron and Mike, the self-appointed international ambassadors for NEOTT, traveled to France to watch up close and in-person the world's best trials riders compete in the final rounds of the FIM TrialGP series and the Trial des Nations on back-to-back weekends. September is perfect timing since the vacation season is over, so the travel rates and crowds are down, and the weather conditions are still good. We thoroughly enjoyed our time on this two-week road-trip spent predominantly in small communities in the Southern Alps.
As a special bonus and thanks to Ron's industry connections, we were also able to tour both the EM (Electric Motion) and Sherco factories. A super BIG shout-out to the 1996 World Champion Marc Colomer and Jean Pena at EM, and Valerio Pastorino and Thomas Teissier at Sherco for taking the time to show us around. The experience provided valuable insights and proved intriguing, offering a glimpse behind the scenes into the processes involved in delivering world-class products to the marketplace.
As a special bonus and thanks to Ron's industry connections, we were also able to tour both the EM (Electric Motion) and Sherco factories. A super BIG shout-out to the 1996 World Champion Marc Colomer and Jean Pena at EM, and Valerio Pastorino and Thomas Teissier at Sherco for taking the time to show us around. The experience provided valuable insights and proved intriguing, offering a glimpse behind the scenes into the processes involved in delivering world-class products to the marketplace.
EM Factory Tour
|
Sherco Factory Tour
|
In short, if you've ever considered embarking on a similar trip to Europe, we'd say, "Just start packing and make it happen—you won't be sorry." While there are numerous sites on the internet to read about the events, check scores, and watch highlight videos, there is no substitute for being there in person and immersing yourself in the entire experience.
What follows is a travelogue of the stories we can share with the public for your general entertainment and for our long-term memory storage. To the casual reader, some of these details may seem tedious, but in many ways, this report is to serve us in 15, 20, 25+ years in the future, as neither of us really wants the memories of this trip of a lifetime to fade.
Le voyage d'aventure de Mike et Ron en France (Mike and Ron's adventure trip to France)
The idea took root on a chilly winter day while we were organizing the Northeastern Oklahoma Trials Team (NEOTT) January event. "Hey Ron, did you know that in September, on back-to-back weekends, there is the Final of the World Rounds followed by the TdN in France?" Continuing the thought – "We are both retired and not getting any younger. This might be the last chance to see Toni Bou and Adam Raga ride in person as they start to age out of the sport. And if not now, when?" The usually verbose Ron Lee was surprisingly succinct in his response – "I’m in!"
Certainly, much can unfold between the January idea and the September execution, but with 30 days until take-off, life's commitments were sorted, and plane tickets were secured – the adventure was ON.
So, who are the intrepid travelers? Ron Lee, a familiar face in the trials community, largely known for his roles as a rider, minder, mechanic, coach, and long-time affiliation with Sherco since 1999. Then there's the somewhat enigmatic Mike Cramsey, who, in his spare time, manages the behind-the-scenes intricacies of the NATC mototrials.com website and a few other trials-related sites.
As a 'military brat,' Mike had lived in Europe on and off for 13 years. In addition he made several business trips across the pond during his IT career. So he had some insights into the challenges of traveling abroad. On the flip side, Ron had been following the NATC trials circuit across the United States for over 30 years, but had never ventured beyond the US borders and was in for a treat.
Opposites in many ways, but both sharing a passion for the sport of trials, we were confident we could navigate a 2-week journey together, having previously traveled to a couple of Ute Cup events in Colorado and we've known each other for two decades.
A piece of advice for those traveling to Europe – pack a generous dose of patience; you'll need it daily to navigate through the various challenges that seemingly pop up at random. Working through the issues required both of us, sometimes resembling Laurel and Hardy, sometimes Felix and Oscar, and other times Batman and Robin. In the end, all challenges were overcome, making the trip highly successful despite the inevitable stresses.
Certainly, much can unfold between the January idea and the September execution, but with 30 days until take-off, life's commitments were sorted, and plane tickets were secured – the adventure was ON.
So, who are the intrepid travelers? Ron Lee, a familiar face in the trials community, largely known for his roles as a rider, minder, mechanic, coach, and long-time affiliation with Sherco since 1999. Then there's the somewhat enigmatic Mike Cramsey, who, in his spare time, manages the behind-the-scenes intricacies of the NATC mototrials.com website and a few other trials-related sites.
As a 'military brat,' Mike had lived in Europe on and off for 13 years. In addition he made several business trips across the pond during his IT career. So he had some insights into the challenges of traveling abroad. On the flip side, Ron had been following the NATC trials circuit across the United States for over 30 years, but had never ventured beyond the US borders and was in for a treat.
Opposites in many ways, but both sharing a passion for the sport of trials, we were confident we could navigate a 2-week journey together, having previously traveled to a couple of Ute Cup events in Colorado and we've known each other for two decades.
A piece of advice for those traveling to Europe – pack a generous dose of patience; you'll need it daily to navigate through the various challenges that seemingly pop up at random. Working through the issues required both of us, sometimes resembling Laurel and Hardy, sometimes Felix and Oscar, and other times Batman and Robin. In the end, all challenges were overcome, making the trip highly successful despite the inevitable stresses.
The plan was to arrive at Lyon Airport on Thursday and make the short drive to Sauvain, a very small farming community with around 300 people, where our Airbnb house was located. We aimed to spend Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the World Rounds in Vertolaye. Following that, we'd have Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday as free days to do whatever we pleased. Then, from Thursday to Sunday, we planned to hang out in the ski village of Auron for the Trial des Nations (TDN). We allowed time in the schedule to visit the Sherco and EM factories, even though early on, we weren't sure if those activities were going to happen. If those plans fell through, we'd have three days to explore France, as there is no shortage of things to do and see along the way. On Wednesday, we'd head back to Lyon Airport and fly back to Tulsa on Thursday morning, wrapping up two weeks in Southern France. The route covered roughly 1,000 miles of driving, and most of the time was spent on slow winding Alpine roads.
Wednesday\Thursday - Fly - Tulsa -> Atlanta -> Paris -> Lyon
We arrived in Paris on Thursday morning. I had received warnings about the complex maze that is Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport and was advised to allow plenty of time to find our way to our connecting flight to Lyon. Luck was on our side during the Atlanta to Paris flight as Ron happened to be sitting in the same row as Frenchman Martial Trigeaud, the co-owner of Time Bicycles, returning home from a few weeks in Arkansas. Coincidentally, Ron subscribes to their newsletter and has some Time goodies, so they had several hours to discuss bicycles and various topics. This encounter marked the first of many of Ron’s contacts that opened doors and created opportunities for us during this trip. Upon disembarking, we hustled up next to Martial, who was rapidly navigating the halls because he knew the way. Taking pity on us, he offered to personally guide us through the maze. Fittingly, Martial became the Tête de la Course, and Ron and I fell into the peloton to draft off of Martial. As we traversed the ups, downs, hidden corners, dark hallways, and secret routes that only a local would know, we whizzed past at least a hundred dazed and confused tourists. Suddenly, we arrived at the Immigration and Customs checkpoint. I sailed through the automated facial recognition process with no issue, but Ron got flagged for something or other and had to visit the Gendarme for an in-person review. All in all, it took about 15 minutes to go from the plane to crossing the border.
With our extra 'free time,' we had a quick breakfast with our guide to show our appreciation, and then we were off to find our connecting gate to Lyon. While that sounds simple enough on the surface, even that was a challenge due to some gate changes. We arrived at the check-in gate, only to have the Air France gate attendants tell us we were in the wrong place, repeatedly insisting, "Read the board - read the board," when I was trying to ask what was up. I was pretty sure we were in the right place, and after some hand waving with the gate attendants, it took a few minutes for them to realize they were in the wrong place, and they scurried off to wherever they were supposed to be. BIENVENUE EN FRANCE! Little things like this popped up
every
single
day ! !
With our extra 'free time,' we had a quick breakfast with our guide to show our appreciation, and then we were off to find our connecting gate to Lyon. While that sounds simple enough on the surface, even that was a challenge due to some gate changes. We arrived at the check-in gate, only to have the Air France gate attendants tell us we were in the wrong place, repeatedly insisting, "Read the board - read the board," when I was trying to ask what was up. I was pretty sure we were in the right place, and after some hand waving with the gate attendants, it took a few minutes for them to realize they were in the wrong place, and they scurried off to wherever they were supposed to be. BIENVENUE EN FRANCE! Little things like this popped up
every
single
day ! !
Thursday Drive: Lyon Airport -> Montbrison -> Sauvain
We treated ourselves a little by opting for a rental car from the 'Luxury Premium' category and picked up a 4-door sedan, a twin-turbo diesel BMW M Series – a truly sweet ride. The journey to the Airbnb rental in Sauvain was supposed to take about 2 and a half hours. Supposed to... 😊
Stopping in Montbrison for some groceries and lunch, the TPMS lights come on for the passenger-side front tire, and sure enough, we've got a screw in the tire causing a slow leak. There was supposed to be a tire inflator in the trunk, but when we went to retrieve it, the bag was there, but no inflator (there is no spare tire). BIENVENUE EN FRANCE! Since we are tired and hungry, we decide to gamble that the tire will hold for a little bit, and we grab a quick lunch at an outdoor café. Fortunately, our server speaks enough English to guide us to a nearby tire shop. While the car is in the shop, we stroll over to a nearby bicycle shop to browse around and grab a snack at the bakery across the street (so many bakeries!!).
After a 2-hour delay, we are fixed up and back on the road. So, after 30+ hours and with just a few catnaps along the way, we arrive in Sauvain, ready for some dinner. However, the local 'restaurant' and bar in Sauvain turned out to be more bar than a restaurant because, for some reason or another, they aren't serving any food. 'Discussions' with the owner weren't going anywhere, but knowing there is a grocery store a short walk up the street, we head there and load up on some more snacks to tide us over until the morning and enjoy some beverages at the tables outside.
BIENVENUE EN FRANCE!
That said, the AirBnB had been recently totally redone and was very nice and our hostess was great. We had a great laugh when Ron proclaimed broadly that "French women are much better looking than American women". Our hostess puffed up and said, with the utmost assuredness, "of course all French women are better looking than American women".
After a 2-hour delay, we are fixed up and back on the road. So, after 30+ hours and with just a few catnaps along the way, we arrive in Sauvain, ready for some dinner. However, the local 'restaurant' and bar in Sauvain turned out to be more bar than a restaurant because, for some reason or another, they aren't serving any food. 'Discussions' with the owner weren't going anywhere, but knowing there is a grocery store a short walk up the street, we head there and load up on some more snacks to tide us over until the morning and enjoy some beverages at the tables outside.
BIENVENUE EN FRANCE!
That said, the AirBnB had been recently totally redone and was very nice and our hostess was great. We had a great laugh when Ron proclaimed broadly that "French women are much better looking than American women". Our hostess puffed up and said, with the utmost assuredness, "of course all French women are better looking than American women".
|
|
Friday Morning : Sauvain
On Friday morning, we roll out and walk around the corner only to discover that the local cheese shop is hosting a demo on their cheese-making process, which proves to be quite interesting. We also find out that on Fridays, the meat truck comes to town, allowing folks to stock up on their meat needs for the week. Additionally, we spot an open-air toilet, just in case you need to go while doing your morning shopping. :-)
|
|
|
|
While walking back to the Airbnb, one of the locals starts talking to us in perfect English. It turns out he is from Sauvain, lived in California for 18 years, and is now back living in his hometown. He shares that his granddad bought the house he is currently living in back in the 1920s and that his granddad was the former Chief of Police in Paris during WWI. Pretty cool.We also took a self-guided tour of the local 15th/16th-century church in town. You can find lots of pictures here on Google Maps. Did you notice that all the buildings here are solid stone fortresses?
Finally, I find myself wishing I had recorded a video of two cheerful but intoxicated Frenchmen backing out of the grocery store parking lot. While reversing, the front cowling of their van got hooked on a large planter, slowly tearing it off as they continued backing up. When they realized there might be an issue, they stepped out of the van, examined the cowling, did nothing, hopped back in, and resumed backing up, continuing the process of slowly pulling the cowling until it hung by a thread. They stepped out again, pulled the cowling off, tossed it into the van, and continued down the road. The whole scene unfolded in a sort of slow-motion manner, just 20 feet in front of us. It was quite funny, but I'm glad we weren't sharing the road with those guys.
In short, we enjoyed many experiences in this farm community of 300 people, just a short walk from the Airbnb.
Friday drive : Sauvain to Vertolaye
We fueled up on some baguettes and local cheese for breakfast, then made the drive from Sauvain to Vertolaye to scout out the roads and the event site. Now, we are only about 18 miles from the event site, but the roads are of the slow rolling French Alps variety (noting that the Tour de France passes through here as well). Frankly, we didn't care about how long the drive took, as the roads and scenery provided great fun.
Helpful signage for bike riders!
|
Along the way, we made several important discoveries:
|
|
Ron, serving as NEOTT's plenipotentiary* ambassador, arrived in France well-prepared with custom-made NEOTT key fobs and beanies to distribute as giveaways to various people we encountered. The recipients were pleasantly surprised and appreciative of the gesture. The initial beneficiaries happened to be the two cheerful and hard-working individuals at the front gate. The outcome: we've secured a place to stay for our next visit to France! Spoiler alert - YES, there will be a next time!
* now that's a 50 cent word ! - "A person invested with full power to transact any business; specifically, an ambassador or envoy to a foreign court, furnished with full powers to negotiate a treaty or to transact other business." |
|
Quickly, we're cruising the pit area like kids in a candy store. Straight away, we find ourselves at the Sherco pits, and Trial2 rider Spaniard Arnau Farre recognizes Ron, and they start chatting away. Despite a challenging Saturday where Arnau finished 12th out of 45, he easily WON the Trial2 class on Sunday, even with 10 penalty points.
Click here for a fun short video clip of Arnau doing a backflip at a local trial just because he can. Bright future for this young man. |
Flip 'em if you got 'em
|
Saturday : World Round Day 1
Some Youtube Video Links:
Saturday Results:
- The official TrialGP highlight video is here. Of course the highlights are what "they" want you to see. However this fine piece of writing (I think we can all agree this is a piece of something) will bring you some of the insights and behind the scenes action that you won't find anywhere else.
- Many more related videos can be found here.
Saturday Results:
- TrialGP Class: Bou (30), Busto (47), Marcelli (48)
- Trial2 Class: Suarez (20), Rabino (25), Hemingway H. (26) - USA Rider: Josh Roper 32nd (68)
- Trial3 Class: Hemingway G. (11), Galloway (28), Sandvik (32) - USA Rider: Murphy Aaron 11th (71)
- TrialGP Women: Bristow (17), Abellan (22), Monnier (52) - USA Riders: Maddie Hoover 8th (73), Kylee Sweeten 14th (109)
- Trial2 Women: Soyer (10), Bacchetta (19), Meling (21)
Before getting into what we saw on Saturday allow me a few minutes for a side journey or two. This is mostly for friends and family I've coerced into reading this entire article without full knowledge of the nature of our wacky sport (there will be a test :-)
Introduction: Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) events are organized as Professional Sporting Competitions, each section resembles a 'Pro Shootout,' akin to what we would have in the US. Having traveled 5,000 miles to witness the best of the best compete head-to-head in person, and with the top 5 riders tackling the loop and sections largely as a group, it was the perfect opportunity to see the big boys battle it out. Strategically, we would arrive at a group of sections and let them come to us. While waiting, we'd politely golf clap at the valiant attempts by riders in other classes. The moment the top 5 in the TrialGP class started showing up, there was a noticeable increase in crowd noise, energy, and excitement. More cameras popped out, more people rolled in to watch, and everyone settled in for their best viewing position possible...
FIRST: The premier TrialGP Class is stacked with the best 12 trials riders in the world. In reality, there is only one rider at the pinnacle (Toni Bou, with an impressive seventeen (17) world outdoor titles!), while riders 2-5 on any given weekend can flip-flop around. Riders 6 through 12 do their best to live and learn, attempting to break into the top half of the group. The premier class course is largely set to GO BIG OR GO HOME - meaning you either make it or you don't, as Mr. Casales demonstrates...
Introduction: Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) events are organized as Professional Sporting Competitions, each section resembles a 'Pro Shootout,' akin to what we would have in the US. Having traveled 5,000 miles to witness the best of the best compete head-to-head in person, and with the top 5 riders tackling the loop and sections largely as a group, it was the perfect opportunity to see the big boys battle it out. Strategically, we would arrive at a group of sections and let them come to us. While waiting, we'd politely golf clap at the valiant attempts by riders in other classes. The moment the top 5 in the TrialGP class started showing up, there was a noticeable increase in crowd noise, energy, and excitement. More cameras popped out, more people rolled in to watch, and everyone settled in for their best viewing position possible...
FIRST: The premier TrialGP Class is stacked with the best 12 trials riders in the world. In reality, there is only one rider at the pinnacle (Toni Bou, with an impressive seventeen (17) world outdoor titles!), while riders 2-5 on any given weekend can flip-flop around. Riders 6 through 12 do their best to live and learn, attempting to break into the top half of the group. The premier class course is largely set to GO BIG OR GO HOME - meaning you either make it or you don't, as Mr. Casales demonstrates...
|
|
As further evidence of the 'make it' (aka a Clean or Zero points) or 'not' (aka Five Points \ Failure \ Fiasco) nature of the Premier class, we can delve deeper into the numbers. And if you know me, you're aware that I often can't stop myself from digging deeper into the numbers.
Breaking Saturday down we have:
Breaking Saturday down we have:
- 47% of the scores for the class were 5's (Fiasco!)
- 45% of the scores were zero's
- 6% of the scores were one's
- 1% of the scores were two's
- 1% of the scores were three's
SECOND: When discussing 5's, we also HAVE to talk about the most hated rule in TrialGP - "No Stop." In the US (and most other countries), riders are allowed to stop, gather themselves, and continue on without penalty as long as they can complete the section within the allotted time limit. In TrialGP, riders are penalized 5 points for "stopping" within the section. We definitely observed how "stopping" is largely a subjective call, with different judges interpreting it in different ways. However, the overall objective is "...to encourage riders to maintain their balance and control while tackling challenging obstacles without using brute force. The rider must rely on skill, finesse, and technique to navigate the sections successfully."
Unfortunately, there is no way to discern from the score sheet how many 5's were a result of an actual riding failure or a 'stop,' but at the end of the day, a 5 is a 5, and a rule is a rule, so we move on...
Unfortunately, there is no way to discern from the score sheet how many 5's were a result of an actual riding failure or a 'stop,' but at the end of the day, a 5 is a 5, and a rule is a rule, so we move on...
THIRD: Connecting the dots (I'll come back to "No Stop" in a minute - patience!)
- Several months prior to heading to France I did a little bit of French language studies using an app called 'Speakly', made in Estonia. <<ok>>
- Cruising the pits checking out all the rigs, I spot a pretty fancy van and notice the license plate is from Estonia. <<interesting...>>
- Reading the program I see the only rider from Estonia is Keity Meier riding the TrialGP Women's class. <<duly noted...>>
- While watching section 12 on Saturday we see an unknown rider crash and lay on the ground for a very very long time but they eventually get up and move on. The rider was laying on the side of the course so the event was able to continue so we were more focused on 'the show' than the medical team. <<More food and drink s'il vous plaît monsieur...>>
- Fast forward to Sunday and we are riding the shuttle up the mountain to see sections 5-10. During the ride we start talking to Kristal who, it turns out is Keity's social media coordinator and going up the hill to shoot some video. She tells us it was Keity that crashed the day before that she is pretty sore today but powering through it. And yes, Kristel's English was WAY BETTER than our Estonian! <<so why does a trials rider from Estonia need a social media coordinator anyway I wonder to myself ?>>
- Fast forward a couple of weeks after the event and THIS video drops on YouTube - Kristel and Keity's quirky video recap of the event. A good rider's recap of a tough weekend, fortunately it has English sub-titles...<<thank goodness but I'll work on my Estonian for next time>>
- FINALLY connecting this series of dots --- I almost fell out of my chair laughing at this clip <<Tahan veel kord öelda, et nonstop on läbi aegade suurim jama mootorrattakatsete maailmas.>>
It turns out Keity is much more than a trials rider; she is also a stunt rider, which I guess explains why she has her own social media coordinator. You can find more interesting stuff and her daredevil stunts on her website here.
---Postscript to all this: on Jan 18, 2024 the FIM decided to change the rules, again, not only can a rider stop, they can also backup with their feet on the pegs! “A majority of manufacturers and a number of riders expressed their desire for the greatest possible ‘freedom’ in expressing their enormous technical abilities in the sections with the main aim of putting on a show." Full article here. ---
Now to maybe get back on track here...
Still a bit fatigued from traveling, we arrive at the event just before noon, spending the rest of the day hanging out and watching the spectator-friendly sections 1, 11, and 12. There were three other section areas up the hill that required taking a shuttle bus (navette) to reach, and we decide to do that on Sunday after getting a bit more rest.
Section 1 was a man-made 'indoor-like' section. While the obstacles looked huge to us 'foreigners,' the section was essentially a ride-through for all classes. Clearly, Busto rides through with the most style, treating the crowd to some bonus moves. Mental note: go where Busto goes for the best spectating experience!
Section 11 was set on the side of a very steep hill. It was fascinating to watch, and most riders navigated through without any issue. However, by Sunday, part of the hill became super slick, causing even some of the top TrialGP riders to accumulate get 5's.
Section 12 was located right next to the food and "liquid refreshment" tent (bière-moi s'il te plaît). The section was constructed with man-made concrete 'lego' blocks, featuring a huge, approximately 8-foot tall wall as the deciding obstacle. In addition to the 'you make it or you don't' nature of the wall, the judges were well-positioned and also looking for 'toe-dabs' by the few riders that reached the top. While there were more than a few complaints from riders who received penalties for a toe dab, from where I was standing, they all seemed like good calls. You can see Toni Bou's clean ride starting here in the Official TrialGP Highlight video. At the end of the day he claimed his 17th World Outdoor Title in a row.
After the event, we also spent some time in the pits, watching the mechanics prep the bikes for the next day. They only have 35 minutes to service the bikes and get them to parc-ferme for overnight lockup. Additionally, we had the opportunity to chat with USA riders Josh Roper (Trial2), Murphy Aaron (Trial3), Maddie Hoover (TrialGP Women), and Kylee Sweeten (TrialGP Women) about their day riding. GasGas USA Team Manager and 10-time NATC Champion Geoff Aaron was also there minding for Murphy.
Section 1 was a man-made 'indoor-like' section. While the obstacles looked huge to us 'foreigners,' the section was essentially a ride-through for all classes. Clearly, Busto rides through with the most style, treating the crowd to some bonus moves. Mental note: go where Busto goes for the best spectating experience!
Section 11 was set on the side of a very steep hill. It was fascinating to watch, and most riders navigated through without any issue. However, by Sunday, part of the hill became super slick, causing even some of the top TrialGP riders to accumulate get 5's.
Section 12 was located right next to the food and "liquid refreshment" tent (bière-moi s'il te plaît). The section was constructed with man-made concrete 'lego' blocks, featuring a huge, approximately 8-foot tall wall as the deciding obstacle. In addition to the 'you make it or you don't' nature of the wall, the judges were well-positioned and also looking for 'toe-dabs' by the few riders that reached the top. While there were more than a few complaints from riders who received penalties for a toe dab, from where I was standing, they all seemed like good calls. You can see Toni Bou's clean ride starting here in the Official TrialGP Highlight video. At the end of the day he claimed his 17th World Outdoor Title in a row.
After the event, we also spent some time in the pits, watching the mechanics prep the bikes for the next day. They only have 35 minutes to service the bikes and get them to parc-ferme for overnight lockup. Additionally, we had the opportunity to chat with USA riders Josh Roper (Trial2), Murphy Aaron (Trial3), Maddie Hoover (TrialGP Women), and Kylee Sweeten (TrialGP Women) about their day riding. GasGas USA Team Manager and 10-time NATC Champion Geoff Aaron was also there minding for Murphy.
Section 1
|
Section 11
Maddie on Section 12
|
Sunday : World Round Day 2
Navette
|
Section 8 - on the ribbon
|
Section 10
|
Sunday Results:
- TrialGP Class: Bou (29), Busto (38), Marcelli (51)
- Trial2 Class: Farre (22), Green (29), Hemingway H. (32) - USA Rider: Josh Roper 30th (75)
- Trial3 Class: Galloway (23), Hemingway G. (24), Ryncarz (34) - USA Rider: Murphy Aaron 12th (71)
- TrialGP Women: Bristow (11), Abellan (15), Rabino (35) - USA Riders: Maddie Hoover 8th (66), Kylee Sweeten 15th (106)
- Trial2 Women: Bacchetta (14), Fidje (18), Brandani (21)
On Sunday, we rolled in around 10:30 – 11:00 (hey, we’re on vacation 😊) and caught the shuttle up to the top where Sections 8, 9, and 10 are located. There are plenty of shuttles running to accommodate the fairly large crowd up the hill, and we only had to wait a few minutes for one to show up. The organizers did a GREAT JOB of taking care of the spectators.
Section 8 provides the most drama. Every TrialGP rider took 5’s on this section on Saturday. On loop 1, once again, everyone gets a 5. On Loop 2, everyone from Casales to Marcelli again took 5’s, leaving just Busto and Bou. The short story is Busto cleans it in dramatic fashion, and Bou again gets a 5. I’ve documented the longer behind-the-scenes story here on ADVRider.
Section 9 is pretty straightforward, and most riders had no issues.
Section 10 offers a bit of everything, and it was great fun to watch as Toni demonstrates below. While Toni navigates this challenging terrain flawlessly, I, on the other hand, take a '5' after tripping over a rock in the trail. Executing a spectacular stop-drop-and-roll, I slightly bruised up my knee, which unfortunately slowed me down a bit for the next three days. Ugh!
Section 8 provides the most drama. Every TrialGP rider took 5’s on this section on Saturday. On loop 1, once again, everyone gets a 5. On Loop 2, everyone from Casales to Marcelli again took 5’s, leaving just Busto and Bou. The short story is Busto cleans it in dramatic fashion, and Bou again gets a 5. I’ve documented the longer behind-the-scenes story here on ADVRider.
Section 9 is pretty straightforward, and most riders had no issues.
Section 10 offers a bit of everything, and it was great fun to watch as Toni demonstrates below. While Toni navigates this challenging terrain flawlessly, I, on the other hand, take a '5' after tripping over a rock in the trail. Executing a spectacular stop-drop-and-roll, I slightly bruised up my knee, which unfortunately slowed me down a bit for the next three days. Ugh!
|
|
|
Sections 5, 6 and 7 are, in European terms, a short-walk down the hill. Rather than wait for the navette we decide to walk it. For us it is a little further than we are used to walking 😊. Along the way we meet Ian Smith (the inventor of the OSET electric trials bike) and he is cruising around on an E-pedal assist mountain bike following his son around who is riding in the Trial2 class. His transport mode seemed like the absolutely the best way to get around. In retrospect, I wish I’d spent a little more time walking trails to get in a little better walking shape for the trip – next time!!
Set on the side of a very steep hill, the sections were dry, dusty, slippery, and getting pretty chewed up. The light breeze seemed to blow the dust on us wherever we stood. After watching about 20 riders, we moved on down the hill back to the paddock and finished out the day at Sections 11 and 12. Kudos to the checkers who worked in that dust all day, though we did see a couple of them with face masks on to help a little bit.
This particular ledge took max effort by the Trial2 riders. Short approach with a tall ledge angled to the right and it looked like you had to land it with your front wheel already turning to the right to have a chance at a clean ride - if you even made it up the ledge. Youtube video and pic by RC63 Motors.
Set on the side of a very steep hill, the sections were dry, dusty, slippery, and getting pretty chewed up. The light breeze seemed to blow the dust on us wherever we stood. After watching about 20 riders, we moved on down the hill back to the paddock and finished out the day at Sections 11 and 12. Kudos to the checkers who worked in that dust all day, though we did see a couple of them with face masks on to help a little bit.
This particular ledge took max effort by the Trial2 riders. Short approach with a tall ledge angled to the right and it looked like you had to land it with your front wheel already turning to the right to have a chance at a clean ride - if you even made it up the ledge. Youtube video and pic by RC63 Motors.
Back to Section 11, and the big boys start coming around on their 2nd loop. As mentioned earlier, the hillside is getting very slick, and in pretty quick order, Raga, Grattarolla, Marcelli are spinning out at the bottom and not getting enough drive to get up the hill, so they end up sliding back down on their butts. Each of the riders also messed up the gate marker, so it needed repair before the next rider could go. The organizers were well-prepared for this scenario, as the section worker was already hooked up in a mountain climbing harness. He rappelled down the slope, fixed the marker, and then hoisted himself back up again.
Next up was Busto who got a great drive up the hill and at the peak of the turn he did a wheelie and pivoted the bike on the back tire and rode back down the hill. This impressive move was witnessed by a smaller crowd, as it occurred near the end of the event. Most spectators had already started heading over to Section 12, the food tent, or their cars to avoid the post-event crowd.
You can see Busto’s ride in this Busto highlight video on Youtube (shoutout to great work by Sergio as usual). If you watch carefully he also picks up a point for a "toe-dab" at the big wall in Section 12.
Next up was Toni Bou, and all the aforementioned repair work caused a time delay, putting him behind schedule. He navigated through Section 11 in a business-like fashion and hurried off to Section 12. Rushing through Section 12 to beat the clock, he unfortunately took a 5 at the big wall. He then quickly made his way to the checker to punch out and stop the clock, concluding the day with a one-minute time penalty point but securing the overall win. Even at nearly 37 years old, he's not showing any signs of aging out for a few more years. (Post season update Dec 2023: Toni's contract with the Repsol Honda Trial Team was extended to 2027 with the goal of him reaching 40 titles (combined indoor and outdoor) by age 40)
Another long-term hero we were watching was Adam Raga, who, at age 41, had experienced some injuries during the year, and we could see he was struggling a bit on the bigger hits. On Saturday he was 5th and 8th place on Sunday. Here, he has a nice ride on Section 12 to close out the weekend. At the end of the season, he was released by TRS after being with them for 8 years, but he quickly signed with Sherco to ride in 2024. While Toni Bou has an incomparable win streak, Adam has been the Champion twice in the outdoors and four times the indoor champion. Over the years, he consistently pushed Toni and they both got better as a result with Adam securing 2nd place for 15 outdoor seasons and 11 indoor seasons.
Next up was Busto who got a great drive up the hill and at the peak of the turn he did a wheelie and pivoted the bike on the back tire and rode back down the hill. This impressive move was witnessed by a smaller crowd, as it occurred near the end of the event. Most spectators had already started heading over to Section 12, the food tent, or their cars to avoid the post-event crowd.
You can see Busto’s ride in this Busto highlight video on Youtube (shoutout to great work by Sergio as usual). If you watch carefully he also picks up a point for a "toe-dab" at the big wall in Section 12.
Next up was Toni Bou, and all the aforementioned repair work caused a time delay, putting him behind schedule. He navigated through Section 11 in a business-like fashion and hurried off to Section 12. Rushing through Section 12 to beat the clock, he unfortunately took a 5 at the big wall. He then quickly made his way to the checker to punch out and stop the clock, concluding the day with a one-minute time penalty point but securing the overall win. Even at nearly 37 years old, he's not showing any signs of aging out for a few more years. (Post season update Dec 2023: Toni's contract with the Repsol Honda Trial Team was extended to 2027 with the goal of him reaching 40 titles (combined indoor and outdoor) by age 40)
Another long-term hero we were watching was Adam Raga, who, at age 41, had experienced some injuries during the year, and we could see he was struggling a bit on the bigger hits. On Saturday he was 5th and 8th place on Sunday. Here, he has a nice ride on Section 12 to close out the weekend. At the end of the season, he was released by TRS after being with them for 8 years, but he quickly signed with Sherco to ride in 2024. While Toni Bou has an incomparable win streak, Adam has been the Champion twice in the outdoors and four times the indoor champion. Over the years, he consistently pushed Toni and they both got better as a result with Adam securing 2nd place for 15 outdoor seasons and 11 indoor seasons.
Monday – Drive : Sauvain to Lyon for lunch then on to Villard-de-Lans
Martial, our Time Bicycles guy, had told us that if we had time in Lyon to go and eat at the “Halles des Lyon Paul Bocuse” Their website says the place is “A mecca for taste buds, a legendary institution of good food, an essential crossroads of tastes and flavors, an international reference for gourmets, the Halles de Lyon – Paul Bocuse are emblematic of Lyon and French gastronomic excellence.”
Lacking any other concrete plan, we set the GPS’s to take us to the Halles des Lyon for lunch. I say GPS’s plural because we were running the car’s built-in navigation system (TomTom) and Mike had an iPad running Apple Maps. The TomTom was easier for Ron to follow the visuals in the center of his dashboard and as the navigator Mike had an iPad mini running Apple Maps which allowed for looking ahead, zooming in and out and trusting but verifying the TomTom. Not surprisingly they sometimes conflicted in directions. More often than not Apple Maps gave the better directions so as the navigator I had to sometimes over rule the TomTom much to Ron’s distress since it didn’t match what he saw on screen whist trying to manage all the traffic conditions. Yeah, in 1,000 miles of driving we missed a few turns but not many.
Getting into Lyon was also our first real taste of big city driving in France. Definitely sensory overload, fast moving, close quarters, roundabouts everywhere. Even though we had GPS oftentimes the instructions were too late for the traffic situation. Sometimes the verbal instructions didn’t match the actual road signs etc etc. About a half mile from the Halles Ron spotted an easy access parking spot and dropped right into it without having to do any parallel parking or other fancy maneuvers so we took it and enjoyed a ½ mile walk through the city.
Like the sensory overload of driving, walking into the Halles was a food sensory overload with kiosks, cafes and restaurants everywhere you looked in a space about the size of two large Walmarts. We were in what seemed like the world's largest food mall! Of course we had to look at everything making it very difficult to make a choice, tired and hungry we finally landed at a place where the waiters spoke English and enjoyed a great lunch.
The BMW was a wonderful car and certainly capable but, in the end, we decided it was too low to the ground for two very tall and “distinguished” (i.e., not so young anymore) gentlemen to crawl in and out of multiple times a day. Since we were in Lyon for lunch and only about 15 miles from the airport car rental we decided to drive over there and see if we could swap the car out for something else. No problem they said. We stayed in the same Luxury Premium category to keep things simple and selected the French made DS7 Crossback SUV. Much easier to get in and out of and roomier in the foot wells. All around a better fit and feel to it and it was our rig for the next 9 days.
Still lacking a concrete plan and just trusting that we'd work something out on the fly, we decided to head to Grenoble, see what’s up there and decide where to get a hotel at that point. Sounds easy enough until we got there and realized Grenoble city driving was a lot like Lyon plus folks were starting to get off work and traffic was picking up. We decided we'd had enough of that nonsense so we set course back into the the mountains and the Grand Hotel of Paris operated by Best Western in the ski village of Villard-de-Lans a town of about 4,200 people.
Lacking any other concrete plan, we set the GPS’s to take us to the Halles des Lyon for lunch. I say GPS’s plural because we were running the car’s built-in navigation system (TomTom) and Mike had an iPad running Apple Maps. The TomTom was easier for Ron to follow the visuals in the center of his dashboard and as the navigator Mike had an iPad mini running Apple Maps which allowed for looking ahead, zooming in and out and trusting but verifying the TomTom. Not surprisingly they sometimes conflicted in directions. More often than not Apple Maps gave the better directions so as the navigator I had to sometimes over rule the TomTom much to Ron’s distress since it didn’t match what he saw on screen whist trying to manage all the traffic conditions. Yeah, in 1,000 miles of driving we missed a few turns but not many.
Getting into Lyon was also our first real taste of big city driving in France. Definitely sensory overload, fast moving, close quarters, roundabouts everywhere. Even though we had GPS oftentimes the instructions were too late for the traffic situation. Sometimes the verbal instructions didn’t match the actual road signs etc etc. About a half mile from the Halles Ron spotted an easy access parking spot and dropped right into it without having to do any parallel parking or other fancy maneuvers so we took it and enjoyed a ½ mile walk through the city.
Like the sensory overload of driving, walking into the Halles was a food sensory overload with kiosks, cafes and restaurants everywhere you looked in a space about the size of two large Walmarts. We were in what seemed like the world's largest food mall! Of course we had to look at everything making it very difficult to make a choice, tired and hungry we finally landed at a place where the waiters spoke English and enjoyed a great lunch.
The BMW was a wonderful car and certainly capable but, in the end, we decided it was too low to the ground for two very tall and “distinguished” (i.e., not so young anymore) gentlemen to crawl in and out of multiple times a day. Since we were in Lyon for lunch and only about 15 miles from the airport car rental we decided to drive over there and see if we could swap the car out for something else. No problem they said. We stayed in the same Luxury Premium category to keep things simple and selected the French made DS7 Crossback SUV. Much easier to get in and out of and roomier in the foot wells. All around a better fit and feel to it and it was our rig for the next 9 days.
Still lacking a concrete plan and just trusting that we'd work something out on the fly, we decided to head to Grenoble, see what’s up there and decide where to get a hotel at that point. Sounds easy enough until we got there and realized Grenoble city driving was a lot like Lyon plus folks were starting to get off work and traffic was picking up. We decided we'd had enough of that nonsense so we set course back into the the mountains and the Grand Hotel of Paris operated by Best Western in the ski village of Villard-de-Lans a town of about 4,200 people.
Villard-de-Lans (wiki)
Villard-de-Lans was the home of the 1968 Olympic Luge Competition and was a great little town to just hang out in. There were plenty of little cafes and restaurants within easy walking distance, offering great views of the surrounding mountains. One day, a group of about 25 Swiss bicyclists came rolling into town, doing their best Tour-de-France impression, and stayed at our hotel. They had a tough day on the road and looked pretty tired, but they must have recovered fast as they were up and gone early the next morning.
I had one of my best dinners of the trip here while Ron was "talking" to the two older French couples at the table next to us. Now, they didn't speak English, and we didn't speak French, but after some international hand-waving and signaling, a sampling of the local homemade French Herbal Liqueur "Génépi" was shared, and soon Ron and his new best friends were playing a drinking game and communicating perfectly!
After a couple of days, we were back on the road but still with one 'play day' left before the TDN, so we made our way to the town of Gap about 3 hours away.
I had one of my best dinners of the trip here while Ron was "talking" to the two older French couples at the table next to us. Now, they didn't speak English, and we didn't speak French, but after some international hand-waving and signaling, a sampling of the local homemade French Herbal Liqueur "Génépi" was shared, and soon Ron and his new best friends were playing a drinking game and communicating perfectly!
After a couple of days, we were back on the road but still with one 'play day' left before the TDN, so we made our way to the town of Gap about 3 hours away.
|
|
|
Gap (wiki)
The town of Gap has a population of about 40,000, similar to our hometown. However, the street traffic density felt about 5 times tighter, putting us back into 'big city' driving mode. Fortunately, we had plenty of time and eventually found a hotel with the local tourist shopping district just across the street and numerous bicycle and motorcycle shops within walking distance – it couldn't get much better than that.
We explored some bicycle shops and, after a bit of a long walk (and getting lost a couple of times in the twists and turns of the shopping district alleyways), we arrived at "Dafy Moto Gap", a multi-brand motorcycle mega-store that boasted around 400 brand new motorcycles on the showroom floor in a town of 40,000 people. Remarkably, it was busy even on a Wednesday afternoon. This was quite amazing, considering that in the US, you'd be hard-pressed to find a showroom this big in a city of a million people.
There were all kinds of cool bikes to drool over, including a €50,000 Kawasaki H2R – surely, we were in motorcycle heaven.
We explored some bicycle shops and, after a bit of a long walk (and getting lost a couple of times in the twists and turns of the shopping district alleyways), we arrived at "Dafy Moto Gap", a multi-brand motorcycle mega-store that boasted around 400 brand new motorcycles on the showroom floor in a town of 40,000 people. Remarkably, it was busy even on a Wednesday afternoon. This was quite amazing, considering that in the US, you'd be hard-pressed to find a showroom this big in a city of a million people.
There were all kinds of cool bikes to drool over, including a €50,000 Kawasaki H2R – surely, we were in motorcycle heaven.
|
|
|
On the way back to the hotel about 2 blocks from Dafy was another motorcycle shop and they carried the Sherco brand so we had to stop in there and visit as well. After a lot of walking we settled on having dinner at the hotel and the next day we were on the road to the site of the Trial des Nations - Auron Ski Resort. The trick was getting there using the high mountain roads. If you hit Google Maps for Gap to Auron you'll get the 'fast' way but not the most scenic way. The Col de la Bonnette is the "Highest Road in Europe" and has been used in the Tour de France several times in the past and will be used again in 2024.
Col de la Bonnette (wiki)
The trip from Gap to Jausiers was largely uneventful, except for stopping to take in this scene. The little town of Barcelonnette seemed to have it all - camping, kayaking, bicycling and moto in the mountains - all tidy little bits of information duly noted for a future trip :-)
We did notice a large BMW Adventure Bike rally being set up in one of the small towns along the way, which helped explain why we saw more and more adventure bikes on the road as we got closer to going up the mountain.
Leaving Jausiers is where the real climbing begins, and as we started out, several adventure bikes zipped past us, setting the tone for the next hour of adventure. Meanwhile, we were somewhat slowed by the large number of bicyclists on the road, pedaling their way to the top. We concluded there was also a bicycle rally of some sort going on in the area because when we got to the top, there were a lot of sag wagons and support vehicles parked up there. There was absolutely no room for error on these roads, and I was glad Ron was driving.
There was no time really for pictures, but this YouTube video shows what it looks like from the seat of an adventure motorcycle, zipping up to the top of the mountain in about 20 minutes (it took us an hour+ up and another hour back down the other side). This road is only about 7 miles from the Italian border, and near the top, we see some old artillery bunkers.
Leaving Jausiers is where the real climbing begins, and as we started out, several adventure bikes zipped past us, setting the tone for the next hour of adventure. Meanwhile, we were somewhat slowed by the large number of bicyclists on the road, pedaling their way to the top. We concluded there was also a bicycle rally of some sort going on in the area because when we got to the top, there were a lot of sag wagons and support vehicles parked up there. There was absolutely no room for error on these roads, and I was glad Ron was driving.
There was no time really for pictures, but this YouTube video shows what it looks like from the seat of an adventure motorcycle, zipping up to the top of the mountain in about 20 minutes (it took us an hour+ up and another hour back down the other side). This road is only about 7 miles from the Italian border, and near the top, we see some old artillery bunkers.
Click to play - Jausiers to Col de la Bonnette (North to South)
|
Old Artillery Bunkers - click to play the last 2 minute ride to the Summit
|
The summit was packed with motorcycles, bicycles, hikers and support vehicles so we just kept rolling down the other side. Pretty quickly we are driving through an abandoned military post established in 1898 - "Camp des Fourches". The site consists of 26 buildings and you can read more about it here and see lots of pictures on Google Maps here. All pretty cool stuff for us flatlanders.
Photo from landmarkscout.com
From here, we're rolling down the hill from an altitude of 9,000 feet to Auron Ski Resort (6,000'), which is also the location of the 2023 Trial des Nations.
TRIAL des NATIONS
Quick Intro the TDN
Consider the TDN like the Olympics, where riders compete as a team for their respective countries. TDN is a chance for select American riders to come to Europe, experience the culture, and ride against the best in the world to help improve their skills. For 2023, the Women's team consisted of Maddie Hoover, Hailey Glueck, and Kylee Sweeten. On the men's side, we had Josh Roper, Alex Myers, and Will Myers.
Consider the TDN like the Olympics, where riders compete as a team for their respective countries. TDN is a chance for select American riders to come to Europe, experience the culture, and ride against the best in the world to help improve their skills. For 2023, the Women's team consisted of Maddie Hoover, Hailey Glueck, and Kylee Sweeten. On the men's side, we had Josh Roper, Alex Myers, and Will Myers.
Auron Ski Resort (wiki)
We roll into the ski resort area and pretty quickly run into the Canadian TDN Team Manager and 11-time US Women's Champion Christy Williams. She gets us oriented to what's up and shortly after that we run into Mark Myers, (Alex and Will's dad (Ron works on Alex and Will's bikes at the US Nationals). The 'kids' are out riding mountain bikes so Mark, Ron and I decide to have lunch at the nearest cafe "le p'tit flocon" (The little snowflake). We are seated outside, Mark and Ron are to my left and at the table to my right is a mid-30's French woman and her friend. We start examining the menus and she see's that we are struggling so she just jumps in and orders for us. Turns out she speaks five different languages having gone to school in England, Germany and New York. She and her friend had driven up from Nice just to have lunch and practice their Italian! We engage in some fun small talk until the food arrives. Ron looks at the portion size and grabs his stomach and says something along the lines that it is going to fill him up. She leans in through her cigarette smoke and as smooth as can be says "A man with no stomach is like a house with no furniture!" We will laugh about that moment for a very long time.
Hard to put into words everything that happened over the next three days but in general, Friday and Saturday Ron mostly hung out with Team USA helping out as needed and I went hiking around the mountain checking out the loop and the sections looking for the best spectating spots. There was also a Vintage trial event going on Friday and Saturday so watching some of the heroes of yesteryear was fun too.
Sunday was 'game day'. Just lots of fun watching the World's best up close and personal. Team Spain was stacked with the top 3 best riders in the world and clearly the odds on favorite. Being the favorites they got to ride last so it was interesting to see all the other teams come through with their race faces on full of grit and determination then here comes Team Spain cracking jokes, pausing to take selfies with the checkers, challenging each other to take a harder line and in the end, when there was no doubt as to the outcome, Bou and Busto were stunt riding most of the sections on the rear wheel only - much to the appreciation of the crowd.
All that said, I can't let you off the hook yet and I'll share just this one story from Section 9.
Sunday was 'game day'. Just lots of fun watching the World's best up close and personal. Team Spain was stacked with the top 3 best riders in the world and clearly the odds on favorite. Being the favorites they got to ride last so it was interesting to see all the other teams come through with their race faces on full of grit and determination then here comes Team Spain cracking jokes, pausing to take selfies with the checkers, challenging each other to take a harder line and in the end, when there was no doubt as to the outcome, Bou and Busto were stunt riding most of the sections on the rear wheel only - much to the appreciation of the crowd.
All that said, I can't let you off the hook yet and I'll share just this one story from Section 9.
With Loop 1 already in the books, EVERYONE had taken a 5 on this massive rock in Section 9. I had scouted this section out the day before and knew I wanted to spend some time here so after watching Team USA on the 1st loop I started following the big boys (Norway, GB, Italy, France and Spain) around the course.
Loop 2 it was more of the same as I watched Norway, GB and Italy all take 5's. About half the riders didn't have enough speed built up to even make an attempt and instead they stopped at the bottom of the rock and bailed out. One of the GB guys just punched out. The few riders that did get enough speed to even make an attempt were coming up short and falling off to the right hand side.
France's first two riders also got 5's but were given a good round of applause by the mostly French crowd. Then it was France's top rider Benoit Bincaz (Sherco) turn. He wound his bike out to the moon and beyond. Nobody else that I saw was even close to the RPM's he was getting from his bike. From the sound alone you could tell he was going to have a good go at it. He got a solid takeoff, got good air time and lifted his bike up to the top taking a single point at the top - the first rider to not get a five and the home town crowd loved it. In the end this one ride helped France edge out Italy for 2nd place.
Team Spain was up next. Marcelli had an ugly 5 ending up with his bike on top of him and needing someone to lift it off of him. Busto also got a 5 not as ugly as Marcelli but almost as bad. Then Mr Toni Bou came along and cleaned it making it look easy. See my video below for Bou's ride.
I was glad I 'did my homework' the day before and was able to be in perfect position to witness everything unfold firsthand. Being able to capture the best ride of the day made it even better.
Click the pic to see my video of Toni's clean ride.
Team USA
- The official FIM TDN Video recap is on Youtube here
- Team USA's Maddie Hoover made the video with a nice ride here
- Picture below is a great view of the bike impound area and team pits. This was a busy place! Each country had their parking space marked out by tape on the ground. All very well organized.
Parc Ferme ("The Pit Area")
French Organizers Roll In Style!
|
Team USA Pits
|
Team USA at work
Josh
|
Alex
|
Will
|
Maddie
|
Kylee
|
Hailey
|
TDN complete - off to Nimes (wiki)
Nimes, once a part of the Roman Empire, is often referred to as the 'most Roman city outside of Italy', and human settlements in the area date back to 4000 BC.
Our time spent around the pits during the TDN paid off when Ron ran into Sherco's magic man, Valerio. As a result, we were connected with a tour of the Sherco Factory in Nimes. Similarly, through some behind-the-scenes emails and contacts, Ron arranged a factory tour at EM, located about 45 minutes south of Nimes. With these plans in place, we were pretty much set for the next 2-3 days; we just had to descend the mountain and complete the 6-hour drive to Nimes.
It sounds easy enough, but, of course, it wasn't. However, by now, we were just used to the fact that new challenges were going to pop up throughout the day, and we'd work through them:
Our time spent around the pits during the TDN paid off when Ron ran into Sherco's magic man, Valerio. As a result, we were connected with a tour of the Sherco Factory in Nimes. Similarly, through some behind-the-scenes emails and contacts, Ron arranged a factory tour at EM, located about 45 minutes south of Nimes. With these plans in place, we were pretty much set for the next 2-3 days; we just had to descend the mountain and complete the 6-hour drive to Nimes.
It sounds easy enough, but, of course, it wasn't. However, by now, we were just used to the fact that new challenges were going to pop up throughout the day, and we'd work through them:
- We left pretty early only to have a parked bus blocking our exit from town. I had to hop out and guide Ron through the very narrow gap the driver left for cars to 'get through'.
- We also needed gas and the first station we came to was closed. Fingers crossed we continued on and fortunately the second one was open.
- GPS giving conflicting (and bad) directions that we chose to ignore and hope for the best (we were right - GPS was wrong)
- Being gentlemen of leisure, we had lost track of the fact that it was Monday, and the rest of the world needed to go to work or school. As a result, the road down the mountain was surprisingly busy with commuters and parents dropping their kids off at the school bus. By the way, these weren't yellow school buses; they were tourist-class coaches, and it looked like everyone, from elementary to high school kids, were getting on these things.
- Checking into the hotel there was a small communication error with the clerk. She had put us in a room with one bed! Um no! Got that fixed quick!
- Still fairly early in the afternoon, we decide to jump in with both feet and drive downtown to the tourist district to see the ancient Roman architecture.
- Finding the underground parking area downtown was a fun challenge. We missed the quick turn on the first pass and had to go back around several blocks to get lined up for another try. Only then did we barely squeak in on the second attempt. The streets were very narrow, and there were a lot of one-way streets. So, up and down, round and round we went. A few near-misses later (hey, 'rubbing is racing'), we were in.
- Time to enjoy a little walk through history on a nice day.
- We find out later that the arena also hosted a World Championship trials event in the 80's. Photos courtesy America's only Trials World Champion - Bernie Schreiber.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We had dinner at the hotel, which, interestingly enough, was a training hotel for individuals aspiring to enter the high-end hospitality business. Everyone was trying hard and aiming to over please, as the overseers were watching every move. We didn't mind being spoiled :-)
Another puzzle to solve was figuring out how to get the electricity in the room to turn on. Luckily, Ron is a licensed electrician! It took us a few minutes, but it turns out that just inside the door, there is a slot for your room key. Insert your room key card into the slot, and the lights come on. When leaving the room, take your key card, and the lights go out. Brilliant!
We also had the hardest time getting used to the fact that the French dinner time starts at 7 pm and not one minute before! You might get seated at 7 which means dinner isn't showing up until 7:30 or 8pm. Of course, we are used to just walking into a restaurant and eating on-demand. Not so in France, all the mealtimes are baked into the core of daily life in France and no amount of arm waving and pleading is going to change that. We eventually settled into the cultural patterns but it took about a week to get fully in sync.
The 75-item dessert buffet was overwhelming. I decided to pick just 9 items for dessert to make it more manageable. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the whole bar, but I ended up with these items, and they were all delicious.
Another puzzle to solve was figuring out how to get the electricity in the room to turn on. Luckily, Ron is a licensed electrician! It took us a few minutes, but it turns out that just inside the door, there is a slot for your room key. Insert your room key card into the slot, and the lights come on. When leaving the room, take your key card, and the lights go out. Brilliant!
We also had the hardest time getting used to the fact that the French dinner time starts at 7 pm and not one minute before! You might get seated at 7 which means dinner isn't showing up until 7:30 or 8pm. Of course, we are used to just walking into a restaurant and eating on-demand. Not so in France, all the mealtimes are baked into the core of daily life in France and no amount of arm waving and pleading is going to change that. We eventually settled into the cultural patterns but it took about a week to get fully in sync.
The 75-item dessert buffet was overwhelming. I decided to pick just 9 items for dessert to make it more manageable. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the whole bar, but I ended up with these items, and they were all delicious.
|
|
Sherco Factory Tour
Ron has had a long-standing affiliation with Sherco since 1999, and Valerio and Thomas were more than happy to have us drop by and take a tour of the facilities. We began by meeting some of the office staff before quickly descending to the assembly line floor, where we observed rows of Sherco Enduro machines being built. Many of the engine parts are made in-house, with numerous CNC machines cranking out components and various quality control devices hard at work.
During the tour, Ron had the opportunity to meet with the trials bike production manager, sharing insights gained from working with the 2023 models at the Nationals. About halfway through the tour, Thomas joined us, and we delved deeper into the details of the manufacturing processes. It became evident that Thomas is a passionate business owner, and extremely knowledgeable about every aspect at every workstation.
After the tour concluded, they treated us to a great lunch, and we called it a day. Everything was very much appreciated - Grazie mille! Valerio is Italian but was able to effortlessly switch between many different languages on the fly. Pretty cool guy and a great host.
During the tour, Ron had the opportunity to meet with the trials bike production manager, sharing insights gained from working with the 2023 models at the Nationals. About halfway through the tour, Thomas joined us, and we delved deeper into the details of the manufacturing processes. It became evident that Thomas is a passionate business owner, and extremely knowledgeable about every aspect at every workstation.
After the tour concluded, they treated us to a great lunch, and we called it a day. Everything was very much appreciated - Grazie mille! Valerio is Italian but was able to effortlessly switch between many different languages on the fly. Pretty cool guy and a great host.
|
|
EM Factory Tour
Ron and Jean Pena had met earlier in the year in California, and Jean was impressed with how well-organized Ron's team van was (side note: no one's race van is as organized as Ron's!). That chance meeting and a few emails scored us a tour of the EM Factory. We spent about 10 minutes in the upstairs offices doing the meet-and-greet thing, noting that EM had on display their 2022 Scottish Six-day bike complete with all the mud from the last day. It was pretty cool to see the bike in person, as I had actually followed their story closely over the six days (There is a nice write-up of their adventure here). Then, pretty quickly, we were out back getting a personalized introduction to each of the models by the 1996 World Champion, Marc Colomer.
EM's 2022 Scottish 6-Day Finisher complete with the mud from the last day.
2023 EM Race Model
|
2023 EM Sport Model with an overview by 1996 World Champion Marc Colomer.
|
Following the bike tour, we walked through the various parts and assembly areas, ending at a stack of motorcycles in crates ready for worldwide distribution. Jean told us they've outgrown this facility and, within a week, will be moving to a new, larger facility a couple of miles from here.
Jean graciously offered to take us out to lunch, and we went to, of all places, a Harley Davidson motorcycle shop/cafe - did not expect that in France! Hamburgers and hot dogs on the menu! The inside of the cafe was adorned with American football team banners, Route 66 memorabilia, etc. It felt like we were in Tulsa - pretty cool and a poetic start to the transition back home.
|
|
|
Back to Lyon
It was mostly highway driving back to Lyon. However, we did 'enjoy' sitting in a 2-mile traffic jam for well over 30 minutes due to a combination of an accident and some poor guy's car breaking down in the fast lane. He was just stuck in his spot while everyone maneuvered around him.
We topped off the fuel tank in the rental car, and even that had some drama. Ron really needed to go to hit the head, so I started pumping gas, and he took off. It dawned on me that there were about 6 cars in line behind us since it was the end of the business day, and people were all converging to turn in their cars, get on their planes, etc. The problem was I couldn't move the car once done, and if I could, the only option was to exit the facility and come back around.
Now, the car only needed a few gallons, so I proceeded to squeeze the pump handle as slow as it would go while waiting for Ron to return. I could have filled up a 35-gallon good ol' U.S. of A dually pickem-up truck faster than I put 3 gallons into that car. Finally, Ron returned, and we scooted out of there.
As we were turning in the rental car, we noticed an American woman next to us checking in. She was getting her rental van, loading up her custom bicycle shipping crate, and embarking on her French cycling adventure. We were so jealous!
We decided to stay at the hotel directly across the street from the airport so we didn't have to mess with shuttles, Ubers or any other transport we just walked across the street to check-in. Easy-Peasy.
We topped off the fuel tank in the rental car, and even that had some drama. Ron really needed to go to hit the head, so I started pumping gas, and he took off. It dawned on me that there were about 6 cars in line behind us since it was the end of the business day, and people were all converging to turn in their cars, get on their planes, etc. The problem was I couldn't move the car once done, and if I could, the only option was to exit the facility and come back around.
Now, the car only needed a few gallons, so I proceeded to squeeze the pump handle as slow as it would go while waiting for Ron to return. I could have filled up a 35-gallon good ol' U.S. of A dually pickem-up truck faster than I put 3 gallons into that car. Finally, Ron returned, and we scooted out of there.
As we were turning in the rental car, we noticed an American woman next to us checking in. She was getting her rental van, loading up her custom bicycle shipping crate, and embarking on her French cycling adventure. We were so jealous!
We decided to stay at the hotel directly across the street from the airport so we didn't have to mess with shuttles, Ubers or any other transport we just walked across the street to check-in. Easy-Peasy.
Back to Tulsa
Weirdly, once we checked in to head back to the 'New World' we had absolutely zero issues, drama or miscommunications. After all the daily miscues of the last two weeks coming home was oddly boring. Lyon -> Paris -> Atlanta -> Tulsa then an Uber to the house getting in around midnight.
Links
Tips -n- Tricks
A few things that worked for us:
- If you have a passport, check the expiration date and be sure it isn't going to expire within 6 months of your trip.
- Get your passport early (3-4 month lead time)
- Get an international drivers permit if you plan on driving. And do some studying ahead of time on the road signs etc.
- Carry some trinkets from your home base to give to the locals - they really appreciate it!
- The Translate app on iphone can also take a picture of a menu and translate the menu items into English - game changer (the writing does need to be in a fairly readable font and not over stylized) ! Likewise we used Translate to convert the instructions on the combo washer\dryer and at the gas pumps to make sure we were putting the right fuel into the rent car - very important and not obvious the first time filling up. Practice with it before you go as there are lots of other features in the app.
- Put Apple AirTags in your backpack and luggage for tracking - very handy.
- Wise International Debit Card - easy to use low cost currency conversion and easy to transfer funds back and forth was super handy.
Last Story - I promise!
When we first got the rent car the clerk asked us if we wanted tire insurance for €10 per day. We thought that was a little weird since we'd never been asked that before so we declined. After a few weeks of driving experience we understood why. Turns out the curbs in France are shaped much different than US. They are taller, have a 90 degree angle on them, are knife-edged at the top and made of a much more durable material than your typical US curb. All these 'features' combine to just shred your tires and rims should you get a little too close to the curb. Of course with all the narrow streets and tight quarters you are right up on curb in those street parking situations.
This picture, though a little on the extreme side isn't too far from what every car wheel in France looked like. It would be a good graphic to show renters why they might like to accept the offer of tire insurance. This guy was parked next to us at the hotel in Nimes and I just had to capture the visual.
This picture, though a little on the extreme side isn't too far from what every car wheel in France looked like. It would be a good graphic to show renters why they might like to accept the offer of tire insurance. This guy was parked next to us at the hotel in Nimes and I just had to capture the visual.
At some level, this image could be seen as a metaphor for the trip—lots of little bumps and bruises along the way, but we kept on rolling. We'd go again in a heartbeat!
What's next?
The 2024 events will be in España! Sept 13 & 14 in Ripoll and the TDN is Sept 21 in Pobladura de las Regueras if a person is interested....
or
Belgium and Germany are on back-to-back weekends in June, just saying...
or
The Scottish Six Day Trials in May, Ron has contacts here too... :-)
Decisions - Decisions
or
Belgium and Germany are on back-to-back weekends in June, just saying...
or
The Scottish Six Day Trials in May, Ron has contacts here too... :-)
Decisions - Decisions