The Big Europe Trip

Not much was done on the bike during the month of July as Kate and I went on a trip to the UK, France, and Ireland. 5 years in the making, we wouldn't have been able to do it without the generosity of my friend Mike, who teaches in the UK and lives in Ickleton (near Cambridge). Mike had spent this summer cycling across Canada, and so we "house sat" for 5 weeks. The reality is, we squatted in his place and used it as a base. Again, without his place, there is no way we would have been able to stay as long as we did!

Now, there were a million stories, and nearly 1000 photos that came of the trip. This being my blog, I will focus on the "bike" portions of the trip, as this is what this site is all about. Prior to going, I had planned on attending the BSB race at Oulton Park, near Chester (in the norther part of the UK, near Liverpool).

In mid-July, after 3 days in Belfast, our quick and rediculously cheap RyanAir flight landed at John Lennon Airport, and Kate and I made the trip to our B&B in Chester. Unfortunately, there is NO public transit to the track. The closest we could get on race day was Tarporley. Another 6 miles of walking awaited us!! Thumb out on fast and narrow roads, no biker or car driver was willing or foolish enough to stop and give us a lift. In the end we did get to the track prior to the racing, but we missed the paddock tour and most of the autograph signings. When we did finally get to the gate, the marshals were astounded we had walked that far. Despite our aching legs, we at least had some decent weather.

Outlon Park is a lot like the track at Brainerd, MN -- laid out beautifully, but impossible to see much more than a turn at a time. Not exactly spectator-frendly, although that did not stop the thousands of fans who came on their bikes. The photo at the left is just a small sample of the number of machines that were parked up by the time we made it to the track.

There were also some cool machines, of course. The Ducati at the left is a 1098 -- an "S" in tricolor livery.

Another bike that was neat to see up close was the new KTM Superbike. I definately prefer the orange, rather than the white ones tested in UK magazines. Very few have made it to North America so far... I think they will eventually be released as a 2009 model. Probably close to 20,000 bucks as well!

The racing action was great. Sykes won both on the Rizla Suzuki, his first wins of the year. An Aussie on a Triumph 675 won the SS class, which was pretty cool to see. Those bikes sound unlike anything I have heard before. I was wandering the pits and paddock during the 125 and Superstock races, so I wasn't clear on who came out on top there. While we are impressed with our digital camera, the action photos are not too hot.

I really wanted to get autographs from 2 racers -- Mike Rutter and Guy Martin. In the end, I came out at a 50% average... Red Torpedo clothing had a 2 pm autograph signing, and I muscled my way to the front to see Martin. I said something stupid about coming all the way from Canada, and wishing him luck at the TT in 2009 -- he is on the cusp of a Dunlop or McGuinness-like TT soon, as in 2008 he was leading several TTs only to have electrical problems. Kate got a decent pic!

The idiot with all the Ducati swag is me... I fell for the incredible clothing, jackets, and whatever else for sale near the paddock. I've been following Rutter in the NW200 team this year, and that the jacket and cap I am wearing in the above pic. For full effect, we stopped at both the:

hospitality centre

and,

the NW200 garage, all in a vain effort to meet and get Mike Rutter's signature. According to one of his mechanics, he had trouble with traction control in Race 1 (ending up 8th or so), so he wasn't in the greatest of moods, and spent most of the time looking at the telemetry. Me, being a slow-arse with the camera, missed Niall MacKenzie stopping in for a visit. Luckily Kate take directions well, and she got some snaps of John Reynolds and Shane Byrne:

As ostentatious as I might look with the Ducat gear on, I was definately not alone. Those fans who rode there via bike were all in full leathers, boots, and etc all day, sweating it out watching the action. Others had brought or bought jackets, caps, shirts, etc of their favorite rider or team. Definately a bunch of knowledgeable fans, and rabid supporters.

Immediately following the 2nd superbike race, Kate and I started the long walk back to the bus depot. Once again, we revelled the residents of Chester with our willingness (at least my willingness) to walk 12 miles in a day to watch racing. I am amazed to this day that Kate put up with me, and didn't find a better looking bloke to give her a ride back to town!