Gerontious

I know exactly what it is. It’s a thing and gender neutral at that. Sorry for that bit of woke snowflakery, I’ve just woken up and realised what day it is. Which is a novel experience that has left me slightly traumatised. .

The white zone is for loading and unloading. Only.

you won't believe what I bought today.. go on, guess. have a guess. toss a coin. think to yourself how strange coincidences can sometimes be. not the same but almost. almost.. but not quite. shorterer and brownerer.

Im not a huge fan of northern France so tend to get that part over as fast as possible.. nor do I really like using the motorways, and I especially dislike having to pay to use them. Most years we go to the German eifel and use motorways almost as far as Luxembourg and then get onto ordinary roads and head east to the border. Its tedious but once the worst is over it gets a hell of a lot better. very quickly. I live in a large town and so the last thing I want to do is ride to visit other large towns, give me small or medium sized villages every time. If your goal is the Vosges to begin with... get there as fast as possible and then have a slower return. Or as I said above hug the border once you are past Valenciennes, dipping into and out of Belgium. The further east you go the better it gets. If its your first ever trip to Europe.. I would suggest going to the Eifel and spend a week exploring. Then if you get a taste for it, plan something more epic for next year. take 2 weeks. Head down to the south of France, the Pyrenese. Or my personal favourite... Austria.

Quite surprised to see petrol, here in the back of beyond £1.55 a litre. Job done. Burger King needs me then home.

Off to Sportsbikeshop in desperate search of financial ruin, well... it helps pass the time. Don't it?

Maybe I misunderstood. Constant night shifts tends to result in not thinking straight (occasionally) So.. could you clarify on what you are actually doing. How much time you have. how much time you have to get from (say) Calais to the Vosges. how long you have in the region and how long you have to return. From Stoke, I would suggest an evening ride down to the Tunnel and either stay near there overnight. or cross immediately and stay in an affordable hotel close enough to the Tunnel. in both cases so you can have an early start the next day. If you want to get to the Vosges fast, then use the Peage. If you want a slower, more scenic route.. head for Lille and then Valenciennes and from thereon, hug the border (France/belgium) east.. you'll soon be in the Ardennes and its lovely. other than that, head directly to Luxembourg and stay in the north of the country.. and then from there head south and east. avoiding Metz towards a town with the charming name of Bitche. which is in the heart of the northern Vosges. From there its just a 50 mile (or less) ride to the Rhine and the very start of the B500. or you could wend your way south and into the Southern Vosges.. and from there over to the southern end of the Black Forest. The much nicer part in my opinion. If you do find yourself right near the bottom end of the BF... consider a days ride out to and from Lauterbrunnen, in Switzerland. one of the nicest places to gawp at in Western Europe.

here you go. And no, Ive never used Calimoto. The Eifel map only shows north of the Mosel, but drop south into the Hunsruck and there are some great roads that wind down to the river, especially between Cochem and the Rhine. And if you can.. visit Piesport. especially the viewpoint above the village on the north bank. No photo can possibly do justice to the view and the twisty road down to the river crossing isn't too bad either. eifel.pdf Luxembourg.pdf

Here is the route map, its not exhaustive or definitive but be assured its a very good start for a holiday on either side of the Rhine, just back it up with a proper map that will show details and attractions. On the Vosges side look up "Route De Cretes" a 55 mile scenic route that climbs the Grand Ballon. at the top you're as high a Ben Nevis and on a clear day the Swiss Alps fill the southern horizon. A glorious sight to behold. The emphasis on the green routes are great tarmac, curves and sightseeing. so a bit of everything and are well worth checking out. The map is simple so its easy to follow or copy over to a sat nav. I would also suggest you look at Bestt Biking Roads for more routes in the region, if this isn't enough. In the Black Forest particularly, you can't really go wrong anywhere.. just follow your nose if you see an interesting sign. The minor roads are well worth exploring. 541677609_BlackForestVosges.pdf

I’ll post you a full route map for both regions a little later this evening. Watch this space. (As they say)

I’m at work tonight, but will upload a route map for the Eifel and Luxembourg tomorrow. If you’re looking for an affordable Hotel, then I can heartily recommend The Schloss at Neuerburg. 12 miles from Vianden. https://www.schlosshotel-neuerburg.de/en/

I’m so excited by this news I’m already booked into the priory to have my legs amputated at the knee, then my feet reattached at the ankles

I understand that the story being told on Russian Tv is that these people are being killed by Nazis because they helped the Russian army.

Never seen the need for a jet washer. Bit old fashioned I guess. I just use a bucket of warm water with a capful of Wilco own brand car wash. A large microfibre cloth, which is only used for the bike and goes in the washer afterwards and then after a rinse off, let the bike dry naturally. Finally a polish off with another microfibre cloth with a dab of polish on it. Vinegar based cleaner for the mirrors and light lenses to get rid of any watermarks and a bit of wd40 to wipe down the wheel rims. No fuss, takes about an hour with a coffee break. The bike lives outside so there’s not much point obsessing about it.

Just waiting for next months rota to appear so I can book the bike in to have my new sat nav wired in and the old one removed, not something I want to DIY as the switched feed is hidden away. (and Im lazy) Been looking at inner bags for the panniers as a certain posh git who will remain nameless has been bragging about his newly bought ones and we can't have that. (can we?) who knew that pannier bag envy could possibly be a thing. Also Ive been looking a pretty roads. (and my savings account) .

Just a suggestion. a week in France is doable, but Spain is a major slog. Have you considered the Ardennes/Eifel? Base yourself either in Luxembourg or close to the border In Germany and you can take advantage of cheaper petrol and have a vast region on your doorstep. Think mid Wales but on a vaster scale.. with the Nurburgring an easy ride away. Stunning roads everywhere and a very easy ride from the Tunnel. Heres a route map for you to look at. I can recommend a hotel for you to base yourself at, at a very reasonable price/ half board. eifel.pdf

The OP describes it as a Smart Charger which I imagine is the same thing. Would be helpful if he told us exactly what it is. As for the actual question there is no reason not to connect it directly to the battery!! I had an F800S and my optimate was connected in this way. This assumes it’s a standard battery and not an upgraded Lithium. In which case you MUST use a lithium charger.

They’ll be adding 2 extra wheels and a roof next. You have to marvel at such cleverness. Awesome.

I'll need new shoes to keep up. those Nike ones with the built-in springs should do it.

She asked me why I take my wedding ring off before sex. I just shrugged and said "Habit"

I love important questions like this. Deep philosophical questions to ponder while dealing with people who can’t remember what happened 5 minutes ago. my usual tactic is to tease it out with a bit of corned beef. Does it every time!! But always change the fuse afterwards and make sure it’s a 5A or the alarm will go off and mayhem will ensue.

It’s posts like this that make life worth living, excitement with just a hint of pathos to soften the drama. *like

I know about that, but.. I prefer to use a dedicated sat nav when riding and my phone set to do not disturb or switched off. I'm not really a fan of subverting the law. there's no fun in being warned in advance.. its far more enjoyable not being caught. But then I rarely go to the sorts of places that police tend to hide behind bushes. I'm bit fussy like that. one reason why I generally work weekends.. the police tend to congregate behind bushes on Sundays up to no good. waving their tools about. (tools of the trade. obviously) and I think its just a tad objectionable that they might wave them in my direction. The idea!! its a lot more civilised during the week, when I only have those inconspicuously conspicuous white vans to look out for. cant miss them really. Always parked in the oddest places.

Your sat nav can warn you of mobile speed traps? how does that work. when the position is always changing. As it happens I seem to be doing alright, Ive not had a letter drop through my door for 4 years and that one came from the Polizei at Aachen. fine. €30