V2XS

Towards the end of October I completed a 3 day navigation enduro in the Massif de Morvan organised by Sport Adventure. This was the third of these events I have entered – the first was in the Normandie mud last November, followed by the Dordogne in May. This time I was teamed up with my mate Dougie who had driven down from Yorkshire in his big van.

There were about 15 of us in total and the event follows a consistent format. Three days of riding nearly all off road covering about 150Km per day. Riding along unknown trails at a reasonable speed is challenging enough but the navigation element is what makes these events unique. The route is marked out using a road book system – as used on the Paris Dakar rally. This is a scroll of paper mounted to a reader on the handlebars of the bike. The navigation instructions are presented as small pictograms with distance markers – for example “turn sharp right in 1Km opposite a church” or “take the left fork in the trail in 800m”. This seems simple enough but at speed the changes in direction come thick and fast and are quite difficult to read when you are bouncing along a rough trail at speed.

Following a spell of bad weather last year there were a lot of fallen trees across the trails – some were small and could be ridden over, some were large and presented a large enough gap underneath to just about squeeze the bike through, others completely blocked the trail and it was then necessary to head off into the woods to try to find a way round. The logs were wet and slippery which meant that even crossing a small one was quite treacherous and resulted in a few offs.

Accurate distance measurement is vital as a check that you are in the right place – each box on the road book shows the distance from the previous junction and the total distance travelled. Paying close attention to this ensures that even if you go wrong, which we did many times, you can quickly recognise the error and backtrack.

The conditions were quite muddy in places but nothing like the gloop we experienced in Normandie. On the first day it started to rain in the afternoon and got dark early which made the trails through the woods much more difficult to follow safely so we finished early and missed out the last 20Km. We did manage to complete the route on the next two days.

I tried to describe the feeling of riding in this event to my family and came up with this…

Riding along unknown often slippery trails with random fallen trees at the speed I like to ride (as fast as possible with a small safety margin) is a huge buzz – much like skiing on the edge of control I would imagine – requires 100% concentration and good fitness/endurance to be able to do more than 10mins. Add to that the need to navigate using the road book and odometer with changes of direction every few hundred yards. Then do it for hours at a time…

For those new to the blog and the whole Morocco or Bust adventure, here is the previous post on this :
https://v2xs.com/morocco-or-bust-2/

What happened, what went wrong, have we missed the epic adventure of men and machine battling against all the odds to get to Morocco or Bust ?

The short answer is …
there was too much work to do.

For the long answer read on …

Having bought the 4L and being full of enthusiasm for a new project Alexander and I embarked upon the long list of jobs I had created to make the car suitable for the adventure we had in mind. The first and probably the worst job was crawling about underneath the car to rustproof and paint the chassis and underbody. We managed to achieve this in one weekend but it was horrible messy work and I had hammerite tattoos on my back and arm that lasted two weeks.

Close examination of the car revealed that it was surprisingly sound – some corrosion at the front end of the chassis rails but these are not a key structural element and not a CT failure point. This is just as well as repairs to the chassis require the body to be removed which I was not planning on doing.

There is no doubt the 4L has bags of character and as a local runabout it oozes charm and gets lots of thumbs up from the locals and is perfectly suited to this kind of use. The brakes are unassisted drums all round and are terrible – but if you remember to give them a mighty shove they do actually stop the car. The trombone gearchange is totally bizarre but actually works very well, the steering is light and reasonably accurate. Plenty of room in the back for trips to the dump or collecting a new washing machine. Yes it is noisy and the suspension is harsh with no load and the doors don’t fit properly but these things only add to the charm.

The real issue for me came down to this :
“Will the 4L manage the 5000Km trip to Morocco and back?”

The answer to this was “possibly” and to change that response into a “probably” or even a “yes” would require a strip down and rebuild of many of the mechanical systems on the car. Having been through the car and made a list of all of the work I would like to do in order to feel comfortable doing that journey, I began to question the whole idea. As a local runabout none of these potential issues would be a problem as you would most likely be able to make it home, order the parts and fix it – the parts are readily available and the car is mechanically and electrically very simple. On some deserted mountain road miles from anywhere it would be a different story…

Bear in mind that although the Quatrelle I bought is a 1986 model from near the end of the production run (a 33 year old car), the actual design and manufacturing setup for the car was from the 1950s with the first car produced in 1961 – which makes it about a 60 year old car in terms of technology. If we were entering the 4L trophy then we would have to put the work in to make the car reliable enough to complete the event – but as we are just planning to follow some of the route and get to Morocco at our leisure the 4L may not have been the best choice of vehicle. On the positive side I did sell it for more than I paid for it….

So now begins the search for a suitable alternative to allow the Morocco or Bust challenge to become reality…

Lots of pictures here :
https://photos.app.goo.gl/bb1zHNWhmjzpE2tD8

Prompted by Cristelle, I signed up to do a charity run in Cahors in aid of “La Lutte Contre Le Cancer” – raising money for Breast Cancer Research. This event takes place every October and is run over 6Km around the city with classes for running and walking.
However, it is only open to ladies…

I had to get a medical certificate from my Doctor to be able to participate and asked him if he could also give me an attestation that I’m a woman.
He said “OK no problem, just take your clothes off !”

I declined, so was in need of a disguise…
Fortunately my friend Gaynor came up trumps with a small black Tutu! This was ideal as it looked suitably lady-like and didn’t hamper my ability to run.

I was a little concerned when filling out the application form that it clearly states “ladies only”, but I ticked the M box for gender anyway. However, the application was accepted and I duly collected my race number and rather tight fitting ladies pink T-shirt the day before the event.

On the morning of the race (Sunday 13 October) we parked to the South and walked up to the centre of Cahors along with a throng of other people all wearing their pink T-shirts. Couldn’t help noticing that there was a distinct absence of men!

At the assembly area (Place F. MITTERAND) we did come across a couple of other blokes, one of whom was our old friend Remi from Rouffiac – but we were clearly in a small minority. Cristelle had assured me that “loads of men take part”.
There was a brief “warm-up” before the start to get everyone jumping and the blood circulating.

At 10.00 a short countdown and hooter signalled the mass start – runners first, followed by the walkers. There were apparently 350 runners and nearly 3,000 walkers. I was in the first group away with about 50 others but was tripping over people so made an effort to get clear and nearer the front to try to run at my own pace.

Lots of spectators along the route who seemed amused to see a bloke doing the run – plenty of photos and thumbs up as well as the odd “Well hello mademoiselle” greeting!

I managed to complete the 6Km course in under 29 minutes and ended up finishing 5th on the road but I’m sure nowhere near that on the timesheets. I may never know as the organisers at the finish line were not quite so welcoming and I was told I would be disqualified – as was a girl that finished slightly behind me as she was under 18.

A beautiful Autumn day and a very enjoyable and worthwhile event to take part in which by my estimate must have raised over 25,000 Euros for breast cancer research.

Just back from a wonderful 5 day break in San Sebastien, Spain. Only a 4.5 hour drive from here so easily accessible for a long weekend. We booked an AirBnB apartment but the choice was a little restricted as we needed parking for the car – this meant being on the outskirts with a fair walk into the centre. Managed to fit the bikes into the Land Rover which made things easier – great for exploring and getting our bearings on the first day but we subsequently used the car to get into the city having worked out some good parking spots.

The apartment was just on the edge of the city in the University district on the western side and completely surrounded by trees and greenery – incredible to be so close to the city and the sea and yet out in the countryside.

Living near Cahors and hours away from the sea it was lovely to spend some time on the coast – just watching the waves and the light…

We were near the Western side of the large bay of San Sebastien with an elegant promenade running all the way round to the old town on the Eastern side.

My usual habit is to head out in the morning for breakfast and we managed to keep to that routine, although typically some hours later than I am used to! The freshly squeezed orange juice was amazing, the Spanish coffee less so. We avoided the pastries for breakfast (wasted calories apparently), but mainly because they were likely to disappoint compared to the French offerings and we wanted to sample the local fare as much as possible. This came down to a choice between different types of spanish tortilla or tostada (toast). The tostada can be served with jam, but the locals prefer it with olive oil and tomato and it was delicious – as was the tortilla (strangely served with bread).

Having worked out a parking strategy we went out each evening and enjoyed a lovely walk along the promenade towards the old town to find something to eat.

This area is packed with what you would like to call tapas bars, but in this region they serve pintxos rather than tapas – a similar concept but nearly all the pintxos are served on a piece of bread.

I get complaints if I post too many food pictures, but the fresh fish was wonderful – we tried monk fish, turbot and sea bass and they were all amazing. We had to ask for a serving for one person as it was invariably enough for two!

On the second day we walked up to the castle which is above the old town at the eastern end of the bay. There are lots of old defensive batteries and cannons with complete command of the harbour down below. Plenty of people swimming and surfing and the water was still warm (apparently)

Heavy rain was forecast for the next day so we drove along the coast to Bilbao to visit the incredible Guggenheim museum and it didn’t disappoint.

Designed by Frank Gehry, the intention was to create a building that would be as interesting as the art works and exhibits that were contained within. In many cases the building actually surpassed the contents with it’s incredibly complex shapes and titanium panels that change colour with the light.

Of the exhibits “The Matter of Time” installation by Richard Serra was the most impressive – huge elliptical/toroidal structures made of rusted steel plate. Walking through the structures was a memorable experience – changing your perception of the space around you and confusing your mind so that it became difficult to pass through without touching the sides.

On the last day we ventured along the coast road to the West to a small but very active fishing village called Getaria, with a beautiful sandy and deserted beach.

Lovely boats in the harbour and about a dozen seriously big fishing boats.

We found a small shop on the quayside to stock up with local wine and olive oil and get a recommendation for lunch – barbequed fresh fish..

We had a sea bass (for one!) – so simple but absolutely delicious.

Back in San Sebastein for the evening there was a beautiful sunset over the bay as we walked along the promenade into the old town.

Deboned rack of Basque lamb with chargrilled leeks for dinner (well we had fish at lunchtime)..

Breakfast on the last morning before the drive home was the traditional tostada with olive oil and tomato…

What a wonderful week…

The Golden Gnome Challenge is a motorbike competition held every year at John’s place near Belmontet. All credit and masses of thanks to John and his team of volunteers for setting up and safely and smoothly managing the whole event.

The event is run over the entire weekend with three competitive elements each of which is scored and the points added at the end to decide the winners.

Day 1

Trials : 8 sections ridden individually at low speed with the objective of not putting a foot down (or falling off). Each foot down (dab) scores one point and falling off scores the maximum of 5 points. this total is then subtracted from the points gained in the other events.

Motocross : Four riders at a time, race for three laps of John’s motocross circuit. 9 heats and three finals.

End of Day 1 barbeque (Toulouse sausage and Merguez kindly supplied by Roland)

Day 2

Enduro : Le mans start and then complete as many laps of the Enduro course as possible in 2 hours. Each lap is c3Km and takes about 7 minutes.

All finish by midday to comply with Sunday noise regulations (this is France after all!).

This year there were 12 riders split into 6 teams. I was partnered with 15 year old Adam who is dangerously fast, which I hoped would make up for me being the slowest one out there. My expectation at the outset was to finish last as I am probably the oldest and least experienced of the group…

Most people were riding full size Enduro bikes – typically with the grown-ups riding newer and bigger machines and the young-guns riding battered old 125 two strokes.

Two extremes were Roland on a 2019 KTM 450 monster and Gaby on a very tired but light weight 125 – and they ended up finishing first and second on points!

Which just goes to show that it’s not the bike it’s the rider. A point further emphasised by Paul who turned up with an ancient Honda trials bike… great for the trials part of the competition but for Motocross or Enduro – not the best choice, or was it….? One of the competition rules is that you have to use the same bike for all three events.

Trials

8 sections, ridden one rider at a time in order (decided by drawing lots). Sections were short, mostly quite steep up and down and very tricky on enduro bikes.

I thought I would be OK at this and should have done better because this is the one discipline where I have had some practise.

What let me down…
Apart from a general lack of competence, most of the sections were on slopes rather than flat which required balance but also very precise throttle/clutch or brake control. Not so easy with my two stroke as there is little very low speed torque so you have to keep the revs up and rely on precise clutch slipping, but too much drive and the back wheel spins. More practise needed for next time but should be able to do a lot better. I was placed 7th out of 12 after the trials. I did manage to beat gung-ho Adam and (rather surprisingly) Paul riding his Honda trials bike.

MotoCross

My expectation was to finish last and that’s what happened. It was all new to me. Based on the recent outing with Doug and Mark for the VINCE it seems my normal “brisk” trail riding pace is pretty fast (by trail riding standards) and I was generally going faster than them. However, even going “fast” on the trail you are only using part throttle and part revs. Racing is a completely different ball game and quite alien to me on this bike having hardly ever used full throttle or maximum revs! My instinct is to back off as soon as the rear starts to spin or slide, but that is most of the time in MotoCross so I was just pottering round at the back.

I did get faster with each race so was gradually getting there. Very slow around the banked corners. Embarrassed to be beaten by Paul on the trials bike, but he was nailing the banked corners flat out and getting a slingshot onto the next straight. In the C final he finished first !

Finished Day 1 in last place overall but with 5 others only a few points ahead. Our team also last.

Enduro

2h continuous running around the enduro loop – partial lap of the MotoCross track then through the woods in and out of trees – mostly second gear. c 3Km lap about 7 minutes per lap. This is a test of sustained speed and concentration – the gaps between the trees seem to narrow as the speed increases and it becomes more dangerous – hit a tree with the end of the handlebar and you’re off! In addition to the riding skill required to weave between the trees at speed there were also some steep and slippery descents and the rock strewn stream bed to cope with. Doing one lap is not too hard but doing it non-stop for 2 hours is also a test of fitness and endurance.

The Enduro race features a Le Mans start – bikes lined up 30m in front of the riders. At the whistle, run to the bike, jump on, get it started and go !

I was one of the first to my bike and it fired up straight away – my plan was to follow along at my pace and try to pick off a few people and rely on crashes to get a better than last place. But having got the bike running I just set off and was 3rd into the first corner!

Overtaking opportunities are limited through the woods section so having held third for a while I moved over to let the fast guys through half way round the first lap. They all vanished into the distance so I just kept going at my speed – none of the trailing group caught up but I was lapped by the leaders a few times.

No serious injuries but there were some casualties…
Adam’s bike had blown up before the start of the race so he couldn’t take part.
Paul retired after a couple of laps on the Honda Trials.
Einar crashed out – hit a rock in the dry stream bed, handlebars caught a tree and he was off but landed on his ribs on an exposed tree stump – Ouch! He retired badly bruised.
Alfie did the same on his last lap but didn’t fall as badly, ripped the clutch lever and master cylinder off his bike and had to complete the lap with no clutch.

I had a few close calls going through the trees – touching hand guards and body armour but no offs, I did stall several times but the electric start on my bike got me going again.

Near the end Simon overtook me (for the second time!) – exactly the same bike as mine except his is a 125 – but I stuck with him for the last 1.5 laps, right on his back wheel and even going round the MotoCross track I was right with him. I suspect he was getting tired and had slowed his pace – to lap me twice he must have been running about 10% faster than me for most of the race. On the other hand I was not too tired and was possibly getting faster – definitely faster on the MotoCross – so who knows? When we stopped he seemed to be completely exhausted (he’s a stone mason so strong but maybe not fit?), I was OK to keep going. I did suggest we should make the Enduro 3 hours next year to give me more of a chance but everyone else was too knackered to agree to that!

Results

I was 7th in the Enduro, which brought me up to 8th overall on the individual scores. Our team still last as Adam didn’t compete in the Enduro.

What a fantastic event – completely different level compared to what I’m used to and I’ll clearly never be one of the front runners so have to settle for trying to be the best of the rest (who are in a minority in this company).

The Enduro was won by Roland with Gaby second. Roland won the individual prize with Simon and Gaby taking the Golden Gnome Team Trophy home.

The winner Roland was second in the trials competition despite riding the biggest and most powerful bike at the event – remember it’s not the bike it’s the rider…

Looking forward to next year….

PS. To see how motocross should be done you can see my team mate Adam performing in the A final..