BAD NEWS!!

Very bad news, the weekend after arriving home my computer died, just as I had organized all the photos and videos but of course before doing a back up copy. Result: many beautiful photos and all the videos lost. The techies tell me it’s the hard drive and therefore will be difficult to recover. I’m really pissed off.
Luckily I have some photos in Dropbox, so the text won’t be completely bare.
On the positive side, we live and learn, and this will be a good excuse to return soon to the Alps….

TUESDAY 20TH: BOVES – SUZA: 325 km (90km off road)

I wake early again. It’s like when I was a kid and on Christmas day and I would wake in the early hours and bother my parents till they would let me open my presents. Today the presents are the incredible mountains visible from Christian and Priscilla’s house and through which I was anxious to start riding. Today’s stage is promising and has a lot of off road, my favourite.

I start by checking my equipment, route and download the video camera memory card onto my tablet. All this techie stuff is a pain; I also have to spend ages recharging it all. When the others get up I am ready, we have a coffee together and I go down to pack the bike up. This is not my greatest talent and I will have to practice for future trips as, being a bit of a perfectionist in such things, I waste rather a lot of time making sure everything is perfectly packed.

My slowness has it’s reward; Christian’s parents arrive to say good bye and his mamma has brought me a fantastic ‘panini de prosciutto’ (ham sandwich) and a bottle of water, so at least I’ll have a good lunch. I say my good byes to this delightful family, fill the tank and head of in the direction of France.

It’s a glorious day, cool with an incredible light and visibility. I go through the outskirts of Cuneo and take a small road which leads to Castelmagno. As the kilometres pass the road becomes narrower and steeper, the first ‘tornanti’ appear and the scenery is more spectacular by the minute. The Pyrenees which I am used to are lovely, but these mountains are impressive!

I start to climb a mountain pass which I gather must be well known as the road is covered with painted messages to cheer on the cyclists and at the top a statue of the great Marco Pantini.  I’m in the valleys of Maira and Stura, at the beginning of a beautiful track with views so stunning they slow me down. I have to keep stopping, I can’t help it, these views are too beautiful to miss.
On one of my stops some Germans on their “tourateked” BMW GS from tip to toe pass by and hardly give me a glance; who the hell do these guys think they are?. Anyway I continue and after a while there in the distance I spot the Germans. Instinctively I up my speed – the carrot is dangling. I’ll show them! For a moment I forget the mountains and I focus the ride, the 22 kilos of luggage are hardly noticeable. First I deactivate the traction control, followed by the little magic button which delimits the motorbike (clutch switch) ……GAS!! My Super takes to this kind of terrain like a duck to water and I’m in my element, the skids are under perfect control, the improved suspension glides over the bumps and I’m really enjoying myself. Soon i’m on their tail and I then I pass them (waving politely, of course). They are too loaded up with their aluminium panniers. Once in front I really lay it on and they are soon left far behind. Take that!

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Tras unos cuantos kilómetros de diversión llego a lo alto de la pista, la vista es espectacular, me paro a hacer fotos, descansar y comer el panini. Al cabo de poco llegan los alemanes, esta vez si se paran, me saludan y se ponen a mirar mi moto… también están haciendo una semana de ruta por los Alpes, charlamos un rato, me hacen mil preguntas sobre la Super T, le hacen fotos y seguimos cada uno por nuestro camino. Al final eran majos y todo.

After a few fun kilometres I arrive at the top, the view is stunning and I stop to take photos, rest a bit and eat my Panini. After a while the Germans arrive, this time they stop and look at my bike ….. they are also spending a week in the Alps, we chat a while and they ask me all about my special Super T, take photos and we each go on our way. Good guys in the end.

Once alone I start to think about things …. Yes it was fun and I showed them who’s got the better bike and who’s the ace driver, but a fall, even a small one, at this stage, apart from making me look the biggest prick in the universe, could have ruined the whole trip. I should calm down a bit, it’s OK close to home but too much of a risk out on a trip like this.

I arrive at the road that takes me to Elva. It’s beautiful, carved in the mountainside and full of tunnels. On one side the rock and on the other a vertiginous precipice dropping down to the river. From Elva I go to Sampeyre and from there I take a wider road to a Col d’Agnel and Briançon in France. Every kilometre of the ride is worth it. Stunning.

I cross Briançon and ride towards Italy, Sestriere. Arriving later than planned, due to the continual photo stops, but hey, who cares? The tent on the back gives me the liberating feeling of improvisation; so I decide to make my way to the Argentiera Valley which Isaac had told me was especially beautiful and where I could camp. I’m not carrying any food, so I stop to get a pizza in Sestriere. The owner of the pizzeria is a biker so we chat a while and I tell him of my plan to take the Assietta track which leaves Sestriere towards Susa. He tells me it’s not possible, the track is closed to traffic Wednesday and Saturday.

Damn! This was something I really hadn’t foreseen. I wolf down my pizza and get on the bike. A quick change of plans, this is one track I don’t want to miss even if I have to do it at night!

The track goes along the crests of the mountains over 2,500 metres high, the sun is beginning to set, bathing everything in a gorgeous red light, it’s very late and have no idea how many kilometres I have left, but even so, I can’t resist the temptation to stop, drink in the beauty, enjoy the moment and take a few photos.
The best thing about riding alone is the fact that I can improvise, take my own decisions and be responsible for them, be they well thought out or on the spur of the moment, it’s how I feel at that moment.
To finish off the scene, at that moment the moon rises up from behind the mountain. Silence, a perfect evening. As the sun goes down I remember I am alone in the middle of these unknown mountains and with little idea of what lies ahead. So, I get back on the bike. The sun has now gone down completely but the light from the almost full moon and my fantastic LEDs lights allow me to make good progress. I continue and arrive at the Colle delle Finestre where the paved road starts, I’ve reached civilization. After a bit the ‘tornanti’ start; they are so tight that the light from the bike can’t follow the closed angle.

If you have a map, check out this mountain pass, it leaves from Meana to Susa in Italy, the switchbacks are so close that they appear one thick line on the map. Incredible.

I arrive after 11 pm in Susa, I’m knackered and don’t feel up to looking for a site to pitch the tent; I need a shower and a bed so I book in to the first hotel I can find. After the daily ritual of charging up my gadgets around the room I hit the sack. It’s been a great day and to cap it all I’ve had my first nocturnal off road experience …… but tomorrow the Jafferau and Sommeler await!!