...or do a Cogs and get on the piss or the crazy golf and cycles for the day
After riding there on the Thursday/Friday, we like a day off. We went for a walk through the woods to Bladel, and yes, bought lots of BEER
As for the rally as a whole, this was our seventh or eighth Dutch/Belgian Easter Rally in a row and although, in some minor respects, it wasn't the best, it was certainly one of the better ones (the weather for a start was a bonus).
We are accustomed to the 'european' fodder provided at these events and appreciate it as a cultural opportunity, not a challenge.
I do have one criticism though, and it's not so much with the orgainsation as with the execution...
On the Sunday we all found our way over to the Eurocircuit at Valkenswaard where the Dutcht GSers had laid on an impressive array of track and offroad training oportunities. I watched the offroad slot before mine and was really looking forward to it...
At the appointed time I made my way to the RDV point on my Tourance shod, mirror denuded 1100 to find I'm the only road-tyred oilhead in attendance. All the rest are HP2s and airheads sporting aggressive off road rubber. Now, I'd like to make it clear at this point that this was posted as 'Off road basic' and that was what I'd just witnessed; similar to day one on the Abercraf course.
It soon turned out that the assembled 'novices' were anything but! Including one Mr P. Gunn from Ireland...
The tutor played to the vast majority and, after three hair raising laps of the short circuit (of which I completed only one) at crazy, MX velocities, he announced we would migrate to the full-on enduro track
That was me out then, closely followed by two airheads also caught out by this perverted democracy. Ah well, at least I had the sense to admit inferiority and leave the field before causing major damage to myself or our bike...
One minor downside to a great weekend and we're both looking forward to the Belgian rally next Easter, already
On Monday we ambled up to Amsterdam for a drop of nostalgia, visiting Cafe Rusland, a sticker from which still adorns my Zegas from a visit some 19 years ago. The sticker's not been available for some 10 years we were told. So sorry, Romeo...
Amsterdam to Leicester (231 miles) on a single tankful. Can't be bad
CoGS & Lisa