Tour of Europe 2008
Adam, Andy H, Andy M and myself set out on a 10 day tour of the Alps;
July 10 - Colchester to Cuisery, France
July 11 - Cuisery to Bardonecchia, Italy
July 12 - Bardonecchia loop
July 13 - Bardonecchia to La Thuile, France
July 14 - La Thuile to Andermat, Switzerland
July 15 - Andermatt to Bormio, Italy
July 16 - Bormio to Alleghe, Italy
July 17 - Alleghe to Kitzbuhel, Austria
July 18 - Kitzbuhel to Arlon, Belgium
July 19 - Arlon to Colchester
July 19, 2008 - Home
Pictures, then the final 400km home:
On the tunnel for 1520:
Home at:
Day nine
More pictures
Stats:
3061 BMW miles (a BMW mile is about 10% more than a real mile)
271 liters (60 gallons)
51.18 BMWmpg (see above)
£320 of petrol
£300 of hotels
588 photos
July 18, 2008 - Homeward bound
Today was the end of nice roads....here the motorway blast started:
Past a few fast cars on the motorway...stopped at services....general boring stuff.
Out of Austria, into Germany (past Saarloius plant where i use to work) then Luxembourg. Filled up with cheap gas and then into Belgium.
By now it was late...2030 and all the hotels in Arlon were full. We finally found a really posh restaurant/hotel...the car park was full of nice cars. I put on my best smile and they let us stay!!!!
They managed to serve us cheese and salad:
Andy laid an egg:
Adam and i relaxed whilst we waited for his motorcross trousers to be pressed:
Stayed here
Day eight
Day ten
July 17, 2008 - Rain.
We oversleep and leave haeding for Cortina at 10:40. We take coffee in Cortina:
Then head for Kitzbuhel....where the rain starts!!! No pictures in the rain....except when we stop in McDonalds:
Then....when we decide that it will not stop, we pay euro18 each to drive up Grossglockner (Großglockner). It was wet and cold. At the top is a multistroy carpark. We left....once Adam sat a warmed up with his heated jacket on:
More rain...so no pictures until we arrived in Kitzbuhel. Still raining, i was sent off to look for a cheap hotel in the very posh town:
Pension Johanna came up trumps!!
Adam spent time bouncing on the beds:
In town, we had pizza and beers!
Still raining, we walk the town...a spot of shopping and hammering:
BMWs sound like this:
Stayed here.
Day seven
Day nine
July 16, 2008 - The Dolomites
The hotel had a cracking view and balcony:
(the camera lens has two dirty marks on it.....)
Up the Stelvio Pass - unfortunately, the pass was closed on the northen side due to a land slide:
We headed into the Dolomites:
The brakes were taking a pounding:
We stopped to ak directions towards a hotel....the hot police woman was the onyl person we could find!!?!?!:
Adam failed with the police woman, but managed this bird:
We stoped in Alleghe - here:
Before going out, Andy M finally pulled out his travel steam iron!!!
More pizza:
More amerato:
Day six
Day eight
July 15, 2008 - The motorway of passes
A loop around Andermatt on mountain passes that were more like motorways....very fast and sweeping:
Adam:
Andy M:
Lunch was Mad Swiss Daniel who took 20 minutes to produce three sausages and three slices of bread!!!:
Headed back into Italy and stayed in Bormio.
Après biking:
Stayed here
Day five
Day seven
July 14, 2008 - Then they were three
Out of La Thuile and just south of the Mont Blanc Tunnel....where The Hall had decided to head home:
The three of us, Adam, Mark and Andy M - headed up the Petit and Grande St Bernard passes:
And into Switzerland...where you can smoke indoors!!!:
First time on this trip, we went to McDonalds!
Another Mountain pass.....
Then into Andermatt to stay in a 1970's hotel:
It may have been 1970's decorated, but it had the most complicated key system:
Stayed here
Day four
Day six
July 13, 2008 - The Stella Alpina Rally
Andy M and I set off on the ride up th Col du Someiller - not quite making the top of 3020 - made it too 2780:
Said goodbye to Francesco again:
We headed off towards France......Andy giving me another wave:
Up and down the Col de l'Iseran and into Val-d'Isère - where we parked on a roundabout and watched Elvis - all 4 of them:
Onwards, and into La Thuile for the night.
More pizza, Amareto and cow riding were undertaken:
Day three
Day five
July 12, 2008 - Another late finish
The SP1 is patched:
We meet the Italians (well, one of them) - Francesco.
We rode the 'Eddie Izzard' pass - Adam was almost fatality got by a bee:
I took great pleasure zapping him with this.
Up to Col de la Bonette:
This is when the day started to go wrong....up a gravel track that was closed:
Then Andy ran out of fuel....whilst other had to coast down to the only filling station near by.
Another late night....back to the hotel at 2130ish...and out for pizza...again!
Stayed here
Day two
Day four
July 11, 2008 - We're going to Die, then Bardonecchia.
Minor running repairs:
More French motorways:
Finally, after 700miles, we leave the motorways and head for Die....the mountains begin! (andi think a third wave from Mr Hall):
Lots of mountains...and pictures that don't really capture the size of it all:
My rear brake line explodes - luckily next to a bike shop and we head in for minor repairs:
Andy has a minor off here:
We make Bardonecchia, Italy late:
Stayed here
Day one
Day three
