Dragon Rally 2007
It's Saturday morning and I'm sitting in Strensham Services with my never ending coffee cup still in all my full winter gear, having just ridden through fog, ice, and snow, hum…, must be the Dragon Rally then.
Tonka and Mal had ridden up to Tog's in Cheltenham the night before, me and Shunt were to met at the services. Shunt was having a mare. The spare bike had decided to destroy its front wheel baring on the way to be MOT'd on Friday and the ZL didn't want to start. Got a text from Shunt saying that he had got the bike started and was on his way. Tonka, Mal and Togs turned up looking like extras from a sumo wrestling film, so we waited. And we waited. After an hour and a half and no word we decided to go.
Up the M5, no problems at all. As soon as we got of the motorway the roads got worse. Slush every where. We made our way up through Kidderminster and up to Shrewsbury. Every where thick virgin snow on both sides of the road, slush and ice in the middle and visibility down to 100 yards in places. It took us over an hour to get to Shrewsbury so we pulled into the first services on the A5 to warm up and check up on Shunt. As we got off the bikes in the snow filled car park an old guy walk over look at the bikes, look at us and asked "Dragon Rally then?". Apparently he had done the first two in the early sixties!.
Shunt had sent us a text saying he was trying to catch up. Warmed up and fuelled up we set of for Wales. The A5 was down to one clear lane each way so over taking become real fun. Onwards and upwards. It was difficult to really tell where you were as the fog and clouds blocked most of the view. Llangollen, then on to Betws-y-coed.
Finally the clouds start to clear a bit and we get the first glimpses of the snow covered mountains. We decide to stop at Betws for food. This year the Dragon is being held at the Anglesey Show Ground, probably with show ground prices. It also gives a chance to see Shunts progress. Shunt stopped at the same services in Shrewsbury and was still following on. Out of Betws and the clouds cleared to give us the full on Snowdonia covered in snow treat. On and up around Llyn (lake) Ogwen, awesome!. Unfortunately there was no real way of stopping to take pictures, the car parks were to full of snow for the bikes and there aren't any pull-ins. What a view, the journey was all worth it just for that view.
Down into Bangor, round a corner and suddenly, no snow, dry roads and the suns out!. It was like a line had been drawn half way down the mountains snow on one side dry the other. We keep going on into Bangor in the fading light and across the Menai bridge. We arrive at the show ground just after 6pm some 9 hours after I left home! it was only 240 miles.
The show ground is a mud bath. We get our shit sorted as quick as poss. Togs are you still trying to make out that the jeans you brought we're just your old ones that don't fit or are they actually Sarah's?. We get a message from Shunt that the bikes playing up and he is giving up. We make our way up to the barn.
We get our goody bags (no nothing to do with Jade) and our rally badges. The Dragon is an old style rally no stalls, a band and a bar. The night shoots past, Tonka and Togs met up with other members of the White Helmets team, I bump into people from NW London MAG I haven't seen for years and we were generally accosted by several people who have met the club over the years. Good thing about being in a building is it doesn't matter if it rains, just as well as it pissed down all night. Well, before you know it, the bar had shut and it was time for bed.
The show ground look more like the Somme than a field in the morning, and we settled in for the entertainment of watching people getting their bikes out. Only problem was everyone was far too boring and either walked them out or rode very carefully, the only almost dropped it' was a Ducati 916 at least it would have been stylish. Disappointed breakfast was on order in one of the three, yes Tog's three burger vans on site, half of which was taken up by a car boot sale!.
All packed up and ready for the off. The old Bandit with special square motorway tyres is useless in the mud, so very gingerly I made my way off only to hear the unmistakable sound of a Triumph triple. As Tonka is such a short arse he has no option but to gun it well that was his excuse anyway!. It might have rained all night but it also warmed up. No snow!. The mountain roads however were now saturated from the melted snow and still having mud on our tyres we made our way very carefully back up through Snowdonia. We did stop for photos this time but there was only a bit of snow left at the top of the mountains.
As they say "24 hours is a long time in politics" and it sure makes a difference to the weather. We ride back in beautiful sunshine, which now hits the wet roads and blinds you!. We make good time and end up at a bikes cafe outside Bridgnorth on the A422. Proper tea in proper white mugs, can't beat it. If your ever in the area its well worth a stop.
Back home, still covered in mud. Well, that's the Dragon Rally ticked of the list.
Shunts saga.
He finally made it to the services at about the same time as we were filling up, and if it wasn't for a slight meeting with a knob in the car park who reversed out into him he would have caught us up. Having set of about 20 minutes behind us it was all going to plan until Shrewsbury. Shunt pulled into the same services as we did checked his texts to see where we were - we where still ahead off him. This is where it started to go wrong. With a combination of no map and snow over the signs he managed to miss the A5 turning. As the temperature dropped and roads got worse the bike started playing up cutting out every few miles. He finally pulled in to B&Q store and dry the K&N's off under the hand dryer. However it didn't make a difference, as soon as he hit the road again the bike cuts out again. The carbs must be freezing up!. It was at this point that the idea of trying to get it over the mountains in some time before Sunday was a non starter. Pissed off he headed home. Funnily enough as soon as the bike got back to England it behaved its self all the way home! Oh well it was a nice day for a 400 mile ride not.
Rich
Southern Rep
main news page
Tonka and Mal had ridden up to Tog's in Cheltenham the night before, me and Shunt were to met at the services. Shunt was having a mare. The spare bike had decided to destroy its front wheel baring on the way to be MOT'd on Friday and the ZL didn't want to start. Got a text from Shunt saying that he had got the bike started and was on his way. Tonka, Mal and Togs turned up looking like extras from a sumo wrestling film, so we waited. And we waited. After an hour and a half and no word we decided to go.
Up the M5, no problems at all. As soon as we got of the motorway the roads got worse. Slush every where. We made our way up through Kidderminster and up to Shrewsbury. Every where thick virgin snow on both sides of the road, slush and ice in the middle and visibility down to 100 yards in places. It took us over an hour to get to Shrewsbury so we pulled into the first services on the A5 to warm up and check up on Shunt. As we got off the bikes in the snow filled car park an old guy walk over look at the bikes, look at us and asked "Dragon Rally then?". Apparently he had done the first two in the early sixties!.
Shunt had sent us a text saying he was trying to catch up. Warmed up and fuelled up we set of for Wales. The A5 was down to one clear lane each way so over taking become real fun. Onwards and upwards. It was difficult to really tell where you were as the fog and clouds blocked most of the view. Llangollen, then on to Betws-y-coed.
Finally the clouds start to clear a bit and we get the first glimpses of the snow covered mountains. We decide to stop at Betws for food. This year the Dragon is being held at the Anglesey Show Ground, probably with show ground prices. It also gives a chance to see Shunts progress. Shunt stopped at the same services in Shrewsbury and was still following on. Out of Betws and the clouds cleared to give us the full on Snowdonia covered in snow treat. On and up around Llyn (lake) Ogwen, awesome!. Unfortunately there was no real way of stopping to take pictures, the car parks were to full of snow for the bikes and there aren't any pull-ins. What a view, the journey was all worth it just for that view.
Down into Bangor, round a corner and suddenly, no snow, dry roads and the suns out!. It was like a line had been drawn half way down the mountains snow on one side dry the other. We keep going on into Bangor in the fading light and across the Menai bridge. We arrive at the show ground just after 6pm some 9 hours after I left home! it was only 240 miles.
The show ground is a mud bath. We get our shit sorted as quick as poss. Togs are you still trying to make out that the jeans you brought we're just your old ones that don't fit or are they actually Sarah's?. We get a message from Shunt that the bikes playing up and he is giving up. We make our way up to the barn.
We get our goody bags (no nothing to do with Jade) and our rally badges. The Dragon is an old style rally no stalls, a band and a bar. The night shoots past, Tonka and Togs met up with other members of the White Helmets team, I bump into people from NW London MAG I haven't seen for years and we were generally accosted by several people who have met the club over the years. Good thing about being in a building is it doesn't matter if it rains, just as well as it pissed down all night. Well, before you know it, the bar had shut and it was time for bed.
The show ground look more like the Somme than a field in the morning, and we settled in for the entertainment of watching people getting their bikes out. Only problem was everyone was far too boring and either walked them out or rode very carefully, the only almost dropped it' was a Ducati 916 at least it would have been stylish. Disappointed breakfast was on order in one of the three, yes Tog's three burger vans on site, half of which was taken up by a car boot sale!.
All packed up and ready for the off. The old Bandit with special square motorway tyres is useless in the mud, so very gingerly I made my way off only to hear the unmistakable sound of a Triumph triple. As Tonka is such a short arse he has no option but to gun it well that was his excuse anyway!. It might have rained all night but it also warmed up. No snow!. The mountain roads however were now saturated from the melted snow and still having mud on our tyres we made our way very carefully back up through Snowdonia. We did stop for photos this time but there was only a bit of snow left at the top of the mountains.
As they say "24 hours is a long time in politics" and it sure makes a difference to the weather. We ride back in beautiful sunshine, which now hits the wet roads and blinds you!. We make good time and end up at a bikes cafe outside Bridgnorth on the A422. Proper tea in proper white mugs, can't beat it. If your ever in the area its well worth a stop.
Back home, still covered in mud. Well, that's the Dragon Rally ticked of the list.
Shunts saga.
He finally made it to the services at about the same time as we were filling up, and if it wasn't for a slight meeting with a knob in the car park who reversed out into him he would have caught us up. Having set of about 20 minutes behind us it was all going to plan until Shrewsbury. Shunt pulled into the same services as we did checked his texts to see where we were - we where still ahead off him. This is where it started to go wrong. With a combination of no map and snow over the signs he managed to miss the A5 turning. As the temperature dropped and roads got worse the bike started playing up cutting out every few miles. He finally pulled in to B&Q store and dry the K&N's off under the hand dryer. However it didn't make a difference, as soon as he hit the road again the bike cuts out again. The carbs must be freezing up!. It was at this point that the idea of trying to get it over the mountains in some time before Sunday was a non starter. Pissed off he headed home. Funnily enough as soon as the bike got back to England it behaved its self all the way home! Oh well it was a nice day for a 400 mile ride not.
Rich
Southern Rep
main news page