Europe 2012

Anyone fancy a biking holiday next year?

Would love too! need to get the pennies saved!!

As with any touring holiday. Pack your bags ready for the trip a day or two in advance. Then go back to your bike & take out half the gear you have packed. You have packed too much
Allow a sum of money for each day you are away. I reckon to work on around £100 a day. This is for fuel, food, accommodation & a few bevvies at the end of the day. Take a credit card with you, you will spend more than you think
Get some breakdown cover & make sure it is relay cover that will get your bike home should your bike be unfixable
Don't overplan your miles. keep your plan flexible. I usually aim at around 250-300miles a day. you will find that some days you will be happy to do 400-450miles others you will be happy with a couple of hundred. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking its an indurance test. It really shouldn't be. By keeping your plan flexible you avoid stressing out to meet deadlines.

Courtesy of Sheff, GSX1400.org

As featured in Ride magazine,
Calculate your average fuel consumption by getting vat receipts when you fill up. These tell you how many litres you have used, note your milage over a period of time and calculate the average mpg.
Budget for doin an extra 100 per day to be safe,
Base fuel costs on super unleaded price here to be safe,
Nationwide credit card offers no commission in Europe and 1% outside,
Halifax Clarity.. Check debit card charges abroad.
Post office for cash.

France - Route Napoleon N85 From Grenoble to Antibes avoiding the A51 motorway and taking the D900 instead. This route is flowing through spectacular scenery.
Route Des Grandes Alpes - From Thonon-Les-Bains at Lake Geneva to Menton at the Riviera near Monaco (D902). More demanding ride probably best spread over 3 days stopping at Bourgeois St Maurice and Guillestre.

Allow 2 days ride from Calais for either of these. Or, they could be incorporated into a round trip.

Route Des Grandes Alpes


Route Napoleon