Whilst the use of a sodden towel is of some benefit in reducing heat, there is no doubt that lying in damp bed has its drawbacks. I had slept for 4 hours but then, by 2:30 am I was wide awake. I stayed in bed wrestling with my own sanity as thoughts if starting out at that time kept recurring. By 3:30am, I was getting up, packing my final bits and quietly coming dowstairs at 4am. By 4:15 I was away, the streets were totally devoid of all traffic. My route took me up over the hills behind Menaggio and then a long twisty(and in places surprisingly narrow) road to Lugano. I could count the traffic on one hand and was thankful that I had chosen to ride at such a time. The sun was casting a beautiful pink hue on the numerous mountain peaks and the GT enjoyed the cooler (22C) air at this time of day.
The St Gotthard tunnel was a few km away and with only 1/3rd tank left, I decided to fill up at the (motorway) service station. However it was not yet 6am and everything was closed! Not to worry, my bike's computer was showing that I still 85 miles in the tank, so I entered the tunnel - it was a cool but pleasant 17C.
The speed in the 17.5km tunnel is 80kph (50mph) so I set the cruise and tries to relax; no one warned me that the St Gotthard tunnel is a fan oven! I was astounded at my temp gaugue went from 17 --> 23 --> 38.5C !!! I was getting worried because I had closed my vents on my riding gear and now, I really needed to get some air in - albeit very hot air! And of course, there's no where to pull over. I tugged at various zips and managed to get more ventilation.
As I approached the "8km (to go) marker", the temp guage started to come down and returned to 17C upon exit. I stopped at the first service station. Having filled up I went to the gents. Can you believe it; the gents required the entry of a Swiss franc coin??!! Of course I didn't have such a coin and wasn't prepared to break a €10 note; so I held on; but that's not good :-(
The views on the Swiss side were lovely; deep green grassy slopes, dotted with post-card Swiss chalets with snow capped mountains all around; wonderful!
My route led me to Luzern and north towards the Black Forest in southern Germany. I entered Germany at Koblenz, but blink at you'd have missed it. I stopped soon after at a cafe; indeed it was labelled "Bikers welcome" ! By now I was pretty desperate for a cup if tea / coffee. It was 8:40am and I had had little to drink except water since I left Como. Blow me; it was closed :-( This fact started to have a real impact upon my lower parts; I am normally not concerned about such things but now, I really wanted the loo!! Next door was an outlet for industrial tools. I walked in and looked helpless as I said "Enshuldeeganzi bitter; toiletten?" The middle aged lady looked up and smiled; she led me out through the workshop and round to a house in which she pointed to the loo. I smiled a generous smile and said "Dankashern". (careful to avoid the "Grazzi Mille" that I had been using in Italy!!)
A serious number of bikes were evident coming in the opposite direction on this road which cuts through the Black Forest south of Freiburg. However, can you imagine my horror to see that the gravelling of roads is not just the madness of the French. No the Germans appear openly frank about it.
Whereas the French lay out multiple temporary waning Triangles, the Germans here erect permanent warnings about gravel and helpfully suggest a speed of 30kph..... I was stunned; these are great roads being consciously destroyed by tipping tons of gravel over them. The cars find it annoying. The bikers find it potentially lethal.
Enough was enough; I set the Sat Nav for Strasbourg and routed towards Freibourg and the Autobahn.
The Autobahn (my first experience) was interesting. Whilst there was no speed limit, with only two lanes and fairly heavy traffic, there was no opportunity for anyone to speed.
I stopped at a service station, filled up -53mpg - and had a welcome sandwich. I set off again with the heat really building as the sun in the cloudless sky beat down relentlessly.
By now I was getting tired and was glad I was on the autoroute (we were now in France) as it was the safest place to be. The GT set a steady pace of 140kph (90 mph) and she hummed along in Comfort mode, making the ride plush. Naturally I had the odd excursion beyond this boring cruise, but we made good progress.
I stopped at an Aire, found some shade and actually fell aslepp for 20 mins. When I awoke I decided that enough was enough, and so I consulted my Michelin Guide and booked into a small hotel east of Reims; perhaps 40 miles away.
What about Dave, I hear you think? Well Dave's plan was to take the ferry to Belagio and then ride south, hitting the main east west trunk road which would take him east. Whilst I have textedit Dave no less than 4 times today, I haven't had an update. So cannot comment. (Yes I did try to call his mobile).
This evening a welcome rain shower has taken the heat out if the air. This suggests a good night's sleep with fresh air (wonderful) !!
I called home to say that, the plan was for me to be home by mid afternoon tomorrow.
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Dave's post
Well I set off down the coast and just kept going. I was a man possessed!
The further I went the less point there was of stopping so I arrived at Porto Recanati at about 8. There is no doubt that this was the hardest riding I have ever done in my life. I think I hit the coast from Rimini south at their busiest time and I had to filter through traffic like I was in London and avoid the thousands of scooters buzzing around everywhere. Not ideal after 9 hours riding and very hot.
Anyway it was my decision and I actually quite enjoyed it. I then had to get the tent up of course and blow up my posh airbed with lung power! i was dripping sweat but enjoyed the beer or 3 afterwards (great value at 3 euros a big glass)
Took the bike out today in true Italian style - swimming shorts, slip on shoes and a T shirt. No gloves. It was glorious and it was the only way I could possibly have gone out on her in this heat but I knew beforehand that the shoes weren't suitable and I'm going to buy a sturdy pair of trainers for the time I'm here.
Janet is having a truly awful journey from Lucerne. The motorways are a nightmare with jam after jam. She was at a standstill for almost an hour in a tunnel in Switzerland and she said Italy was even worse. She's just rung to say she will be about an hour (having left Lucerne at 7)
The further I went the less point there was of stopping so I arrived at Porto Recanati at about 8. There is no doubt that this was the hardest riding I have ever done in my life. I think I hit the coast from Rimini south at their busiest time and I had to filter through traffic like I was in London and avoid the thousands of scooters buzzing around everywhere. Not ideal after 9 hours riding and very hot.
Anyway it was my decision and I actually quite enjoyed it. I then had to get the tent up of course and blow up my posh airbed with lung power! i was dripping sweat but enjoyed the beer or 3 afterwards (great value at 3 euros a big glass)
Took the bike out today in true Italian style - swimming shorts, slip on shoes and a T shirt. No gloves. It was glorious and it was the only way I could possibly have gone out on her in this heat but I knew beforehand that the shoes weren't suitable and I'm going to buy a sturdy pair of trainers for the time I'm here.
Janet is having a truly awful journey from Lucerne. The motorways are a nightmare with jam after jam. She was at a standstill for almost an hour in a tunnel in Switzerland and she said Italy was even worse. She's just rung to say she will be about an hour (having left Lucerne at 7)
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