Impressed by performance

I had my first really hard ride on my SWing yesterday, I went out with my local IAM group and we did all the passes in the Lake District. The ride leader avoids main roads as much as possible and he doesn't linger (making progress).
I did the same ride on my Deauville last year and I am very pleased to say that the scooter handled everything just as well if not better in some respects (no fiddling with the gear shift on the steep sections !!)
I am really impressed and I'm now much happier about the change to the scooter, at least my knees are not in agony as they were on the bike.
On a side note the only downer was the rear end breaking away on a bend (two bikes in front of me did the same) due to our farming friends covering the road in mud/ordure, our subsidies obviously don't cover the cost of cleaning up after themselves like the rest of us have to !

Any bike could slide out with cow poop or gravel on the rode! This is a driver problem.

Tell me more !!

Hardknott, Wrynose, Whinlatter, Honister, Kirkstone. At least you can have a drink at the Kirkstone Inn!

Which way did you do the passes, up or down?

I've been up and down Kirkstone Pass but that is very mild compared to Hardknott Pass. For me that is 'four wheels only'

Cheers,

I'm only about 30 minutes ride away from Hardknott Pass, I've done it and Wrynose both ways a few times over the years but I wouldn't make a special trip just to ride them. I find it more relaxing riding on the quieter fell roads around the Caldbeck area and then popping into Keswick for a bit of a ratch.

You're not likely to come across much 'cow poop' on the high passes, just unpredictable Herdwick sheep wandering into your path, or motorists who haven't a clue how to use passing places. It's lower down on the back roads when the are farmers bringing their dairy cows in for milking that's the real problem. They leave wide bands of liquid cow **** right across the road.

I agree Meldrew, the quieter roads are the better ones especially once the main tourist season is over. We did the passes one way last year and the other way round this year. It's an annual thing, I'm not going to make it too regular a trip, I really did it to see how the SWing would cope, very well actually !

Hardknott is one pass I would only attempt on two wheels if I knew there were nothing coming the other way. Some of those bends are a bit intimidating and being able to use all the road safely would be an advantage. Mind you one of the worst roads in the Lake District as far as bends, camber, steepness and condition are concerned is the start of the road up over Ulpha (south end). Did it once (both ways up and down) on a Virago, never again. Mind you the views you get are excellent.
Perhaps Meldrew knows of some worst ones. (Agree with Meldrew about the roads around Caldbeck - also good around Gilcrux as well).

Cheers,

Meldrew wrote:

I'm only about 30 minutes ride away from Hardknott Pass, I've done it and Wrynose both ways a few times over the years but I wouldn't make a special trip just to ride them. I find it more relaxing riding on the quieter fell roads around the Caldbeck area and then popping into Keswick for a bit of a ratch.

Spot on, I was not that impressed with the Lake District roads, too many grockles cluttering up the routes to have a relaxed run and not really a pleasing challenge to ride quickly. I can think of several runs into mid-Wales that would easily be on par, except the views. I will give the Lakes that much

tarmacburner2 wrote:

Some of those bends are a bit intimidating and being able to use all the road safely would be an advantage. Mind you one of the worst roads in the Lake District as far as bends, camber, steepness and condition are concerned is the start of the road up over Ulpha (south end).

Cheers,

Sounds like some of the Dolomite and Alpine passes off the main routes

While in France this June we were near the Millau Bridge when we spotted a sign saying 'Belvedere' (viewpoint) so we decided to go and have a look. It took us up the worst D.R.O.D. I have ever ridden up. In Google Earth enter Millau in the search. Find the D992 going west out of Millau. Then near Creissels locate the Chemin de Brunas. Follow this road until you reach the carpark. You can use Streetview and get an excellent view of the Viaduc de Millau. To give you some idea of the height gained, you leave the D992 at 1271' and the carpark is 2375'.
(D.R.O.D. = Donkey Road of Death)

It's a place I want to visit.
There's a programme on TV showing how it ws built - fantastic!

Totally brilliant, an absolutely fantastic piece of civil engineering. We followed the grid reference my companion had on his sat-nav and ended up next to compost heap in a farm-yard, the visitor centre was about a mile up the road ! Well worth the ride.

bikerboy wrote:

Totally brilliant, an absolutely fantastic piece of civil engineering. Well worth the ride.

Nah, that doesn't do it justice for me! I was completely blown away when approaching from the SW direction, in fact it brought a tear to my eyes I was so gobsmacked.

Similar effect to that of medieval cathedrals for many people. As I got really close it seemed a little bit of the magic was taken away as I started to take in the engineering... Weird.




PS: I really do love good bridges

Riding underneath the bridge was the highlight of our trip down to see the bridge in 2008.

Cheers,

I'm quite curious to know why the Millau Bridge is a favoured destination for bikers, I'd have thought the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark which has a total length of 22,277 ft, or the Oresund Bridge which connects Denmark and Sweden and is 25,738 ft would be the ones to do. The Millau is only 8,070ft in comparison.

Personally I've only ever been fascinated by one bridge and that's the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington State nicknamed 'Galloping Gertie' that collapsed in 40mph winds in 1940, you may have watched the black and white newsreel footage of it collapsing. Mrs M and me drove over the replacement bridge a couple of years ago, sadly not much of a view.

Been across the Tacoma Narrows many times in the past. The winds do keep you on your toes!

Bob

One of the attractions for me at least was the location. The A75 autoroute has got to be one of the best motorways to ride.

A possible reason for we English to do it is it was designed by an Englishman, Sir Norman Foster. A masterpiece in Design, a symbiosis of Function and Elegance.

Go see it Meldrew, I think you'll be impressed.

Cheers,

Try the three land bridges in Northern Holland for a brilliant afternoons riding!

I did it a few years ago while at the Dutch CX Clubs annual rally. There are plenty of things to see and its quite an odd feeling to be stood on top of the dike with water so close on both sides of you.

I did feel sorry for the two staff that work at the only fuel stop available on the Northern most link - it's almost 19 miles from the main land and a very lonely place indeed and the cost of fuel and food is about 25% more expensive because of it