PYRENEES PRANCE

Text and Photos by: Stephen Davis The seed was planted on a prior trip to Spain while driving a four-wheel rental admiring the engineering of the Spanish roadways. They portended exciting riding and glorious scenery on two wheels. After getting a medical report that came with the likelihood of a reduced life expectancy, there was new emphasis to complete an adventure on some of the best roads on the Iberian Peninsula. The Pyrenees Mountains beckoned. The booking with IMTBike for a custom, ten-day, self-guided tour from Barcelona to San Sebastian and back was made in July 2019 for September 2021. Little did I know a pandemic would intervene. Fortunately, by the time of the scheduled trip, I was vaccinated, in decent health, and had obtained travel clearance from the United States, Spain, American Airlines, my doctors, and my spouse. How did enjoying motorcycling get so complicated? During the process, I yearned for the days when, as a teen, on the spur of the moment, I could kick start my 1972 Suzuki TS250 and go riding in the mud! Getting Started in Barcelona

The tour included a rst night stay in central Barcelona at the Abba Sants Hotel, where I was to meet my IMT contact “Nacho” at 6 pm in the lobby. He came with a friendly attitude, a detailed tour handbook, and maps. Most of the info in the tour book was previously provided via email, so I had purchased my own maps on Amazon and marked the ten-day course with a highlighter and notes. Nacho gave me the same maps with his own highlighting, plus a map of the zigzags in and out of France not covered by the other maps (more on that later). After a beer and some war stories, Nacho and I walked two blocks to the IMT shop in Barcelona where we went over the rental bike, a 2021 1250GS, equipped with all the bells and whistles, including “shift assist” (quickshifter), multiple riding modes, a

programmable nav unit, and BMW side and top cases. It even had cruise control and a heated seat. It was a hopped-up, water-cooled, high-tech version of my 2001 1150GS oil head. Since I wasn’t planning to hit much dirt on this trek, I requested tires suited to spirited riding on asphalt. I was pleased to see that IMT kindly obliged by out tting the GS with brand new ContiTrailAttack 3s.

The nav unit was preprogrammed with each daily course for the entire tour, including suggested lunch stops (on your own) and ve-star hotel accommodations (included in the tour package with parking and breakfast). The routes were carefully planned, featuring the best roads with the least traf c for thrilling riding. After a hearty breakfast buffet at the Sants, washed down with a couple of cafés con leche, I wheeled my duf e bag across the street and around the corner to pick up the GS, dodging pedestrians, bicyclists, electric scooters, moto scooters, motorcycles (universally “motos” in Europe), skateboards, and seemingly every other land-based mode of transportation known to man. Nacho had the bike fueled and ready to go. It was 9 am. I loaded my gear into the on-board cases with room to spare and slipped on my trusty Aerostich suit, AGV helmet, and gloves (mandatory in Spain). Leaving the duf e with Nacho and bidding him a friendly adios, I eased into the jumble of weekday traf c and headed north.

Barcelona to Costa Brava

The morning Barcelona city slog gave me insight into local riding practices. Lane ltering was implemented by all motos. Taxi and bus lanes were also fair game. I happily joined the ow. North of Barcelona and headed for Sant Feliu de Guixols (the destination for the night), the turn off the “national road” (freeway), C 35, at exit 94 (Gl 681) was where the highlights of the day began. This two-lane road, with some sweepers and twists, winds down to the picturesque costal pueblo of Tossa de Mar. With its charming, well preserved medieval walls and castle, Tossa is probably the best place in all of Catalunya to stop for a seafood lunch. I took the opportunity to gorge on octopus (pulpo) and mussels while enjoying a glass of Albarino and a gentle sea breeze on the terrace of a local bistro. As I sipped the wine, noting a hint of nectarine over its crisp acidity, and a light, citrus nish, I began to understand why the Turkish and Berber pirates frequently plundered this part of the coast centuries earlier. Alas, I had to leave to do some plundering of my own, for the best stretch of road awaited. After a shot of expresso, I snugged up my helmet in excited anticipation. The two-lane snake from Tossa to Sant Feliu (Gl 682) is simply spectacular. It is well known to Catalan riders who call it the “Carretera de l’Any” or the “Highway of The Year” due to its 365 curves in 20 kilometers. I selected the “Dynamic” riding mode on the GS. The road is an engineering masterpiece and well maintained. Importantly, late on a Monday afternoon, with an alternate national road preferred by most drivers, traf c on the road was sparse. The 20 km beauty has only one side road and undulates up, down, and around along a glorious coastline interspersed with patches of forest, low shrubs, and steep cliffs that drop hundreds of meters to the blue-green Mediterranean Sea. It was like an amalgam of the Paci c Coast Highway, The Tail of The Dragon and the Twisted Sisters, without traf c. Testing the limit of the big GS and my own riding skills, I moved at a brisk pace. The Conti tires stuck like glue (I put 170 km on the new rubber before pushing them hard on this part of the ride). The low center of gravity, telelever suspension,

excellent brakes, and reliable torque of the twin boxer proved ideal for this type of riding. There were 9 other vehicles encountered during the 20 km stretch, 6 going south and 3 that I passed. It was an adrenaline rush not to be forgotten. I arrived in Sant Feliu in time to nd a bottle of Macallan (12 Year Triple Cask) in town and retire to the Park Hotel San Jorge before dark. Watching the darkness descend over the sea from the terrace off my room, I heard the waves crashing against the rocky shore. Raising a glass, I toasted a great day of riding with 9 more to go. Costa Brava to La Seu d’Urgell

The San Jorge is perched on a rock wall above a private beach. A winding wooden staircase joins the two. The grounds offer magni cent views and excellent facilities, including an Olympic size swimming pool, elegant bar, rst class restaurant, and an expansive high-ceilinged salon housing a superbly tuned Samick grand piano. As I explored the resort in the morning, I imagined staying longer, but the road and a new adventure awaited. So, bidding farewell to the Mediterranean, I loaded the bike and headed for the Pyrenees foothills. The memorable riding started on GI 660 out of Calogne. It is a beautiful, twisty, mountain road leading into the Serra de les Gavarres and to the small city of La Bisbal de l’Emporda, a place of medieval origin, known for ne ceramic craftsmanship since the eighteenth century. However, the highlight ride of the day was an even more remote stretch of asphalt winding through the town of Monells and on to the provincial capital of Girona. Going up and over a 484-meter peak. This secluded backway is full of great curves and forested sections with absolutely no traf c. You will note a recurrent theme of little traf c on the routes described. IMT found the “best” roads for the type of tour I wanted to experience. I requested twisty, technical, challenging

riding, with as little competing traf c as possible. For me, the less traf c the better, since I can go as fast or slow (usually fast) as I want without the stress of worrying about vehicular con icts. While European drivers are generally more cognizant of motorcyclists, and more courteous, there always seems to be at least one or two idiots out to get you, no matter where you are. So, all other things being equal, less traf c is always better. Also, law enforcement for speeding was minimal. The generally recommended practice is to strictly comply with the speed limit going through the towns along the way. Elsewhere, one can be more liberal with the throttle. Conveniently, the BMW nav system signals you of the presence of speed cameras and there are even friendly signs along the roadway warning in advance of their location. Girona was not on the tour set by IMT, but I wanted to see its cathedral (Cathedral de Girona) and basilica (Basilica de Sant Feliu). The Catholic art in these two structures was magni cent, rivalling some of the n-

est museums in Rome. The architecture of the Cathedral is unique. The solid west face is Catalan Baroque; the cloister and tower, Romanesque; but the rest of the building is Gothic. The single nave is the widest in the world and behind the altar is “Charlemagne’s Chair”, named after the Frankish king whose troops took Girona in 785 AD. Beyond Girona, the next stop of interest was Besalu. Walking over the ancient bridge leading to the city, defended by a river, walls, towers and vaults, I imagined what it must have been like in the Dark Ages. As I passed, there was a musician sitting on the ancient stone structure playing for tips in the shade of one of the magni cent arches. I threw a Euro in his overturned hat. In the square and around the narrow cobblestone streets (pathways), I found unique shops, bough a ceramic cup (for my Macallan), picked up some fruit at a farmer’s market, and relished the medieval vibe. I even found a coat of armor standing guard at a vendor’s door. One expected to see a character from Game of Thrones come around the corner. Back in my own suit of armor (my riding suit), I still had 158 km to the next hotel. No more time for sightseeing. The next few roads were excellent and, again, without much traf c. Cresting the Coll de Canes at 1120 m, I was gaining elevation and digging the GS Dynamic mode. I have always loved the up and down sprints following the path of rivers. Here, there were plenty. Heading north off the B 402 to the ski resort town of La Molina was a special road (BV 4031) that runs up to the source of the Llobregat River. Navigating amazingly fun switchbacks, I soon hit 1900 m before dropping down into the valley on equally challenging switchbacks and arriving at La Seu d’Urgell and my accommodation for the night, the Parador Nacional de la Seu. As I settled into another 5-star hotel and poured a couple ngers of Macallan in my new ceramic cup, I felt pleased with my choice of motorcycle. There was no way anyone could have fun on a cruiser on this route (IMT didn’t offer one). ADV, sport, or sport tourer are the bikes for the Pyrenees. This was not a ride for the novice. The torque on the GS in Road or Dynamic modes (mostly in 2nd gear) was vital for snapping out of uphill switchbacks. Even loaded with side and top cases and with a 200-pound rider (including gear), I had no trouble nimbly navigating the rising and falling, twisting, asphalt. This was getting really good. Tomorrow morning couldn’t come soon enough. ,