So, thats it. The adventure is over. Home now (to an absolute deluge of rain!!) after a total of 2150 (blindingly sunny) miles over 14 days riding ....... but WOW, what an adventure it was!!!
Some of the highlights being..... rescuing Marc after his trip 'over the edge'. Admittedly initially it was a definite scare - I can't imagine how it must have felt for him - but once we knew he was okay and we set about recovering the bike, all was good, and what a tale to tell so that was most definitely a feature point in the trip as well as Jase's VLOGing strap line that was born out of this event, "Drama on the trails boy's, drama on the trails".
Meeting up with Ryan King and Darren (aka Griff) for our final days ride on the ACT route into Tavira. I knew nothing of the surprise but great job by Jules and Griff for pulling that off. Brilliant, and great to meet Ryan and Griff.
After a long days ride and being desperate for our digs to freshen up and chill, finding out Kirky had booked the same hotel/ Villa from the previous night. Lovely Villa, but no good when its 200 odd miles back where you've just come from. The pizza I was devouring at the time this mistake became apparent was also a highlight. It was amazing and exactly what was needed after a long days riding.
Finally, but not least, the scenery and views. That was a major part of what this trip was all about. From the mountainous regions of northern Portugal to the wide expanses of rolling hills in the south of Portugal then back to the Pico's mountain ranges of northern Spain, scenery that will live with me for a lifetime. Wow oh wow.
So chuffed too that we've managed to cover such distance without any serious issues. Punctures yes - a total of 6 between three bikes. Shame for those bikes/ riders but it was a group effort/ problem to sort each time. No stress, just get it done then crack on - but not a bad average for 6 bikes over two weeks riding and given the terrain we've ridden. We bumped into other riders with far worse tails to tell - hospitalised mates and dead bikes needing recovery, and on the ferry one guy who'd written off his bike on day 1 so forced to ride pillon for the entirety of his trip, so all things considered we did well, really well, and testament to the AWESOME Tenere 700. What a bike it is (despite now needing a VERY deep clean and some TLC)
Tips for next time - take helmet sanitizer, buy a throttle wrist rest for the lengthy road sections and take less luggage (ie clothes!) In hot countries you can wash as you go and dry stuff overnight.
Not much left to say other then what a great bunch of mates to do this trip with. No aggro, no dramas just collective descions and harmony. Perfect (although some might choose not to room share with certain others next time ...... naming no names)
