Dolomite Trails 2006

So here the tale begins......

So the GS is an offroad bike, right? Well not really its a bike for roads of any surface. But what it does do is allow you to go quite a long way and ride trails.

That was the plan for the 2nd European AdvRider Raid to Italy. The rally was organised by Giorgio, who has a summer house in the Cadore region of the Dolomites. Sort of north east Italy. East of Cortina, north of Venice...you get the idea.

Giorgio (why we are in a tunnel explained later...)


So, packed up and ready to go I departed from Dover a few weeks ago heading for Dunkirk, then hoping to make it down to Kaiserslautern in Germany that eve.

The route (sort of)


There was to stay with Walrond (Wade). Walrond is a US red cross director who is attached to the US Army for active service. So he's lucky enough to holiday in Bosnia, Iraq (twice the lucky fellow) and Afghanistan. Cool.....
After a great meal with the family and a sleep courtesy of the US Rhine Army we repacked and set off bound for ITALIA!

Packing with Wade


Rhine Army?


So a quick ride south on autobahn took us down to Austria and then at the end of the motorway towards Italy via the Fernpass.
There we hit total gridlock. The passes are just normal roads clogged with weekend traffic. I didnt find out later its very wrong to do virtually anything on a motorcycle in Austria so my third session (once this year twice last) of crossing the white line to beat the jams fortunately went unnoticed by the police . We got to Pieve di Cadore (basecamp) by eve and pitched up.

I must however confess to a minor incident. Just after entering Italy we were stuck in a traffic jam exciting a toll. We nudges our way forward...Donk!.... I felt something a little funny. I turned to the woman in the car alongside and said 'Did I hit you?' 'No, go, go, ok' she said. I turned to the other car I was wedged alongside. 'Did I hit you?'....'No, you didnt hit me' he said. I looked back to Wade. 'Did you just ram me?' 'Errr, no....' he said. Back to the woman 'I think I hit you'. 'No, ok, go' she said, The little kid in the back looked petrified. So on we rode. When we go to the campsite Wade said 'You did hit her, you know'. Inspection of the panniers showed a lot of blue paint and a long scratch/dent. Ooooppps.......

Home

So waking the following day (sunday) it was time to head up to the village to find our advrider mates. I hadn't met any of the FFs (as we call each other ) before so it was going to be firstly interesting and definitely ugly
So we rode the mile or two up to the town...or village...

Parked up outside the house of Titian (the local painter and decorator) looking for the others



Oh look, here's a quaint local. I wonder if he knows where anyone from the rally might be?

Loz, UK


Imagine how surprised we were to find it was a fellow FF busy putting on a set of new knobblies. He had a really natty tiny little electric compressor. Really tiny. Did the job a treat. He was staying with many of the softies in the Hotel Progresso. The name was ironic. It was unchanged since 1930 including most of the staff But it was cheap as advriders are cheap. Who's come in the three wheeled truck?

Anyway, turned out the early arrivals were all here so we kitted up and headed off for the first days riding. To be honest not at one time on this trip didi I have a clue where I was, where I was going, or what day it was. The others had GPS and all kinds of ****. Most days I forgot my hugely inadequately scaled map. Anyway, they lead, I follow , its a holiday after all

A few of us ready for the off (literally)


Giorgio went everywhere with his son (in green) on the back of his Super Tenere. Probably the only one of us with a decent tool for the job (excepting a 650 Strom and a Dominator).

Giorgio and son, purveyors of fine riding


One thing was learned quickly about Giorgio. Two miles meant four. Ten minutes twenty. A little tricky meant very tricky indeed...

[Richie]

Looking forward to the next instalment of this trip Rich...
Great photos m8, personally I'm looking forward to the full size avatar one...

Originally Posted by Richie1743

Looking forward to the next instalment of this trip Rich...
Great photos m8, personally I'm looking forward to the full size avatar one...

Many of the photos arnt good due to another 'incident'. Some are borrowed from Wade (Walrond), Michael (MIG), Steve and Ella, and SpanishBob so credits to them at this point.

Pedants note, Ill correct the typos later its hard work this

Where were we...

....ah yes.

It was difficult to make good time as TBH the roads were quite twisty. But at least this bit was tarmac. Looks like were off for a ride in someones terraced garden

A little twisty




But the view was worth the pain. And look how small Loz makes the 1150Adevnture look..

Grizzly blokes and a pretty girl


The FF on the left is Ilmostro (Dave) all the way from Georgia, USA with his hired yellow 1200. More about that later...

Ilmostro and Loz


So on we rode, leaving the tarmac for the trails. Everywhere was a little or a lot steep and twisty. Mainly single track tarmac switch backs followed by sections of gravel and rock when you got higher in the mountains.
It started to rain a little (the weather the whole trip was generally excellent) which made some things tricky. My goal for the day was to NOT be the first to come off. My dream was realised when CarbonCat, HP2 rider from California via Moldova on borrowed R1100GS binned it just before the crest on the next pic. He'll never read this so lets have a little and a . No pics of that...we were all shy at that point

Slippery when wet


We got up, now its down


More tomorrow.....

See, I knew there was a reason I was glad to have you back on the Org.

Looking forward to the next installment, and it's given me an idea...

... just off to 'Forum Suggestions', be back in a min.

Well Rich, Ive just seen a bit of road in those pics the MoFo's would probably like to go up and down.. several times... with sick bags...

SV'ers may be interested that it was almost exactly 1000 miles from Bristol to Pieve di Cadore (the way I went anyway ). So I did two 500 miles days almost.

I was beat after them.

How I ever did the 660 in one day on the SV back from France including heavy rain most of the way I dont know (Eurotour 2004?). Perhaps and RT or a Pan is more comfy. Perhaps I'm less fit. Anyway.....

K, thanks

VB, I actually felt dizzy at times on this trip

Great pics
What does FF stand for?

Originally Posted by Razor

Great pics
What does FF stand for?

Rich has told me... and sadly, this is 'U-rated' rite now...