The Trip 2011

88 days, more than 19 000 kilometers, 2400 liters of diesel, 10 countries, 35 tracks or trails, 63 riding days with totally more than 70 hours of riding, 350 kilometers of running.. that's what The Trip 2011 was made of. We saw tens of cities, lots of old castles, nature from moon-like clay hills to coniferous forests, holiday destinations varying from beaches to skiing resorts as well as way of life in both rural areas and big cities.

Ridingwise the trip got everything. After 3 months pause the beginning was a bit tentative, but as the trip went on, skills improved a lot. Tracks varied from dry and hard clay to soft quicksand and created a sense of being in both rollercoaster and carrousel at the same time. Enduro turned out to be really fun, especially with high grounds and breathtaking views as in Spain. The trails were difficult, but that's the only way to learn new tricks. All this executed under the bright sunshine made the experience even more thrilling. Best parts can be seen in attachments.

We had a lot of plans and visions, of which some realized and others didn't. The original plan was not to live the whole time in the caravan, but it turned out to be a good home and was easier to warm up than local houses, so we did. We planned to spend more time on road, but it turned out that our base camp in Alhama was an excellent choice. Real caravaning with no roots was quite intensive and 3 months of that would definitely have been too much. In our pre-calculations, we were way too optimistic about the diesel consumption.. and hilariously exaggerating with food budget. However, total amount was quite realistic.

If you have a dream, something you have always wanted to do, or a passion to do something, you really should make things work and go for it. We are thankful for everyone who made this trip possible and helped us in making our dream come true. This winter was the best time of our lifes and something we'll never forget. Thanks for living it through with us!

http://vimeo.com/21310126

http://vimeo.com/21470848

Second half of the journey home

Our journey started with this trip's last motocross training in "New seven hills" track in Holland. No idea where did the name come from, as the circuit was as flat as can be. It was like driving on a perfect beach with extremely soft sand and lots of grooves. Video is attached below.

As a farewell present our navigator made us one more trick and told us to drive an extra 10 kilometers back and forth along the same motorway. Apparently it thought there was something wrong with the right intersection.. It was not the first time and still the Assistant didn't learn to check the whole route beforehand during the Trip.

Somehow we thought that when in Belgium, we are almost at home already. It was a bit suprising to realize that while the total journey from Italy to Belgium was ca. 1000 kilometers, it was almost 1500 km from Belgium to Stockholm. We weren't at home yet after all.

This time the weather was a lot nicer compared to the one, we experienced in December. It was still a bit windy on bridges in Denmark, but this is probably always the case because of the height. It was nice and springlike everywhere and even the the small amounts of snow still left along the way in middle Sweden looked quite nice in sunshine. Winter would be alright if the maximum time for snow would be 2 months.

It would definitely be a lot easier to live middle Europe. Even Denmark or South Sweden would do; you could still reach unfrozen terrains in 12 hours. This is definitely something that needs more working on.

http://vimeo.com/21291234

Sandy tracks and small houses

On Tuesday it was time to go and see, if the legends about Lommel were true. As we arrived to the pit half an hour before the track opened, it didn't look so bad; there was still plenty of space though more trucks, vans and caravans were arriving all the time. The circuit looked good, it was prepared and watered. It was oddly quiet, as it was forbidden even to start the bikes before the track was officially open. Few minutes before one o'clock the stillness started to crack as the most eager ones started their engines.. and then, at one, the training was on. There were ca. 80 pilots heading to the track simultaneously. After one lap the smooth surface was only a memory, and the legends of Lommel's grooves were reality. As a whole, the track was good, but huge amount of pilots with different skill levels made the experience feel extremely risky. Some hints of the day attached below.

On Wednesday we decided to try Eersel track in Holland, as lot of other Finns were going there too. As most of the tracks on this area, also this was well maintained sandy circuit. The amount of pilots was a lot more tolerable and the Rider got a better training than a day before, when the topmost feeling was get out of the way of faster pilots and pass slower ones. The sand in Eersel was more like in Finnish tracks and the circuit itself was really cool. See the video below.

Thursday was Hondapark's, also known as Olmen track, turn. Once again the pit was overpowered by Finnish and Swedish pilots. The circuit twisted between pine trees and the amount of trees always in front of camera was equal to enduro trails in Finland. Track was a bit too wet at some places and this made it very soft and difficult. Also some climpses of this track in the video below.

In between motocross tracks we have passed many Belgian villages. The funny thing is, that they all look the same. They consist of mainly red bricked houses, which are all very alike and unique to Belgium. Offen the street side facade is very narrow, but then the house can continue who knows how long to opposite direction. The most sympathetic ones have straw or moss roofs.

http://vimeo.com/21080751

http://vimeo.com/21128726

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First half of the journey home

We were a bit sceptical about our route choice from Italy to Germany, as it included passing the Alps. However, it turned out that the Brenner pass was a piece of cake to our caravan. As the name of the road indicates, it's mainly built to bottom of pass and despite of the fact that the highest point is in 1372 meters, the journey moved along smoothly. Almost the only indication of the rising road profile was the snow which we hadn't seen that close since December. The only minus was the weather; it very foggy and cloudy. We could only see the huge walls of the closest mountains and enjoy the nice Alps style houses in nearest villages. Still it's obvious that with clear weather and during the summertime the views would be breathtaking. 

While driving through five countries we had good time to compare roads and fare collection systems. We came to the conclusion, that these two things don't correlate. In southern Europe (Spain, Italy and France) they use pay tolls, of which France is the most expensive one as Italy is the cheapest. The quality of the roads is pretty much the same; maybe a bit lower in Italy. In Austria you need to by a vignette, 7,90€ for 10 days, which is basically nothing compared to the pay tolls. Despite of that the roads were smoothest ever. Northward from Germany the motorways are free. The surface quality is not that good everywhere, but in Germany the lanes are extremely wide and even the Assistant had no problems in fitting our caravan on those. For as long as our narrow experience covers Belgium and Netherland, the quality is quite the same as in Germany, apart from the lane width. Also Belgians truly are pioneers in cycling; there are cycle paths everywhere.

As it was quite early when we arrived yesterday, we desided to take a look at Lommel track before heading to camping site. The first Finnish driver met us at the gate, and as we got in, we found more old friends. The same theme continued in a grocery store as well as at the camping place. The motocross world seems to be very small in Europe during wintertime!

Next destination: Belgium

Despite of the Italian consept of wc (just hole in the floor.. with porcelain edges if you are lycky) we would have liked to stay here a bit longer. However, the weather once again chose for us, as according to forecast it's only going to rain for next weeks. Therefore we are now heading towards north again and the next destination, and maybe also the last one on this trip, is going to be Belgium. Our route passes the Alps trough Brenner pass, so hopefully our poor caravan can manage the uphills and doesn't fall in the wind. To make the trip a bit easier we chose to use motorways instead of narrow, curvy and bumpy by-roads.

Our last Italian motocross moment was spent on Carpi track. It seems that Saturdays truly are the day to ride among locals. The pit was so crowded that some of the late-comers had to turn away. On the track, pilots were riding in line and the overall atmospere was a bit chaotic. However, if the rumors are true, this was a good practise for Belgium.

Generally we were supprised about the services available on major italian tracks. For example there are electric plugs freely available as well as showers, toilets (although only the whole-in-the-floor ones) and washing places for bikes. Maybe this is the reason why true pilots are camping on the pits while staying here. Our family-style caravan equipped with alcove was immediately part of the group.

So, thanks Italy, we enjoyed our short visit!

Two M's, Modena and Mantova

Italy had made it easy for us to choose our base camp spot, as the only camping place open (at least according to several days surfing in the internet) and located reasonably near the tracks was in Modena. Apparently it's off-season also here, as we have the whole place to our selves! The owner visits the site once in a while, but mainly we need to use our key card to get in and out from the gate. Have to admit that it's lot of easier then our sluggish manual gate and rusty padlock in Alhama.. We also have our own pet chicken wandering around the plot in exchange for dogs.

As you probably have noticed, we couldn't live without internet, so visiting Vodafone was one of the obligatory tasks. You could say, it was quite multilingual process.. As entering the shop, the rider first optimisticly tried english. The response for that was only head shaking. Well, next he tried spanish, and that was received more positively. The older sales woman was able to communicate with it. Unfortunately, while the rider was getting his passport from the caravan, this lady was occupied by another customer. The younger one didn't speak spanish or english, but succested, that portuguese would be good. At this point the rider was not sure if he should laugh or cry. Fortunately one nice man at the end of the line announced that he could speak both italian and english, and volunteered to translate, so we got the connection after all.

On Tuesday it was time to visit the famous GP track of Mantova. The rider almost made an U-turn as we saw hundreds of camping trailers lined up beside the spot were the track was supposed to be. Luckily it turned out, that this was some weird USA style residential area. Despite of that, also the real pit was pretty crowded. At first the circuit felt really difficult; in constant stream of other riders the long grooves in curves and rutter faces of the jumps were a challenge. However, as the track got more familiar the riding started to proceed smoother. The fine sand was exactly what we were looking for after the dry and hard clay circuits of Spain.

On Wednesday our aim was to visit a smaller track near Modena, but as normal in these latitudes, it was closed though it was supposed to be open. We made a quick desision to return to Mantova even though it was a bit late for that. As an additional challenge, the rider had only completed couple of laps when the front tyre suddenly went flat. You can see all the action in the video below. Despite of the small rush we managed, for a change, to be back "at home" before sunset. Video of Mantova can be found in the link below.

http://vimeo.com/20854585

Bridges and tunnels

As it was dark when we travelled to opposite direction more than 2 months ago, the assistant was now exited to see some French landscapes (the rider is already more than familiar with those). However, the southern France was a bit of a disappointment; flat fields to both directions for as long as you can see and road tolls. It seemed that 50 kilometers is the maximum distance you can travel with one ticked. After that you'll have to pick up a new one, despite of the fact that you just queued to the previous paying station. Somehow the tolls also were annoyingly unefficient; in the worst one we queued more than half an hour. Of course we were travelling on a motorway, so there would probably be more to see along smaller roads. And also we were eager to go, so the time spent in lines was frustrating.

When we reached Nice, the landscape started to change. Suddenly the hills got higher and you could see glimpses of the sea every now and then. It didn't matter that it was getting dark; in our caravan one can tell the size of the hill by the gear in use. For the time being the second gear is fortunately still unused in motorways..

After we crossed the Italian border the road was amazing; in all possible ways. If the highway was not slicing a mountain in a tunnel, it was passing the villages from above, due high bridges. Occasionally you could take peek to someones living room, as the fifth floor apartments had their windows on same level and the distance to the road was only few meters. As a summary you can point out, that the italian roads are not so great (they are narrow and bumby), but the road toll system is excellent. You can drive hundreds of kilometers, change the highway during your journey as many times as needed, and still you only take one ticked while you enter the first pay road and pay it while you exit the last one. 

Our first riding destination in Italy was Cremona circuit. We had a bit of a culture shock while entering the track area.. there were at least 100 other pilots camping on a pit and half of them riding at the same time. A bit different than in Spain, where 15 riders during the week days was considered as crowded. After the first shock it turned out the track deserved it's popularity. While the profile is not that difficult, the challenge comes from shape and condition, which alters all the time. As distinct from the advance information, it was not too even.. instead it was very rough and after a while the rider went with lightning speed back to Hyvinkää track in Finland as all the sand track tricks came back to mind.

Last day in Spain

On Sunday morning we had a clear plan. First we'll pick up a new gas bottle from the petrol station we checked the day before (they had several new butane bottles), then we'll have a ride in Figueres, one of the riders favorite tracks and finally, we thank Spain for its hospitality and cross the border to France. Well, it didn't quite go as planned.

On our way to the petrol station, we started to speculate, if it would be wiser after all to try to find some propane. We remembered seeing another Repsol with wide selection of bottles ca. 15 kilometers before the city we were departing. As it was along the way we were going anyway, we chose it, as butane would nevertheless be available everywhere. Well yes.. they had a huge box full of gas bottles.. but all empty ones! So, we had no choice but to go back to the one, we were supposed to go in the beginning.

The clock was a bit much by then, as the track was closing already at 13.30. Driving a bit faster than allowed.. finally curving to the petrol station.. the rider heading to cash office, while the assistant already taking the old bottle out.. and then the rider coming out, shaking his head; the last three full bottles were sold 10 minutes ago. At this point the atmosphere started to be a bit tense. Luckily the nice sales girl had named one more service station we could try, so with a map drawn on a backside of receipt paper we finally found a place which was able to sell us full bottle of butane. The lesson learned: If something suitable is available, go for it, and don't reach for the moon, at least in Southern Europe.

We finally arrived to the circuit at 12.20, so there was one hour time for all the action. Fortunately the track was an old friend of the rider, so with active and systematic procedure we managed a good training combined with video shooting (see the result below) and departed the area at 13.30 sharp. Though have to admit that shower and lunch did not take place until outside the gates.

Muchas gracias España y nos vemos amigos!

http://vimeo.com/20810854

Heading to Italy

It's amusing how sometimes it seems that all the misfortune is gathered to same period of time. During yesterday and today we have been experiencing some of that. Luckily only small amounts and in very minor things; camping sites non-existent on the area where we need them.. perfectly located camping places checked to be open according to our original time schedule, but after changing our plans are not opened yet.. gas bottles not available anywhere near when needed.. water tap on a service station not working as the tank is empty.. roads blocked or cut down in direction we needed to go.. Of course it's also possible, that this is actually normal when speaking about travelling, and we have been just lucky until now!

This week we experienced few days with clumsier weather. On Thursday's rainy day we entertained ourselfs by shopping and relaxing. The assistans also made a nice jog through the beach boulevard and narrow streets of Blanes. (Something you wouldn't do in Finland.. run along shopping streets.. but as nobody knows us here it seemed like a too good opportunity for sightseeing to be missed). On Friday our plan was to ride in Sant Celoni again, but the track was too muddy. However you can see video from Wednesday in the link below. It also turned out that we needed to adjust our travel plan more seriously, as the forecast anticipated more rain to Spain for next week.

Our original aim was to take a weekend trip to Lleida, as there were two good tracks open on Saturday and Sunday, and then head back to Girona area. However, after checking the weather forecast once more, we came to the conclusion that we need to go to Italy, as next week with sunshine looks like a perfect timing. Therefore we rode today in Bellpuig and are heading to Girona, or Figueres more precisely, already tomorrow.

Bellpuig as an GP track was first a bit more difficult than expected. It was also well watered, so on the morning it was very slippery here and there. However after the rider got to know the track better and the circuit started to dry due the sunshine and other pilots, the riding got easier. As a summary it was a cool track and a good training day.

http://vimeo.com/20625698

Final month

After two months we said goodbye to our excellent base camp in Alhama and turned the caravan's nose towards north. The dogs definitely sensed something was different when we packed our things, as they sat quietly on the other side of gate and just watched. The atmosphere was a bit sad as we drove trought the city for the last time, but soon the feeling turned into exitement of beeing on a road again. We still have almost one month before we truly need to be back in north, so there is still plenty of time for new places.

Our first destination was Catalonia. We took a coast road and despite of the falling darkness we saw some very interesting places. We learned that for example Benidorm looks almost like Manhattan with skycrapers (more than 25 buildings oven 100 meters high) reaching to heights. It looked really odd after the small white villages which elsewhere occupy the coastline. Also the nature here is totally different compared to the south. The trees seem to be covered with ivy so the landscape is very rainforest-like and green, though it's an early spring and some of the trees are still lacking leafs.

Today it was time for Sant Celoni motocross circuit. The rider was familiar with the track and it was a good training day on a prepared surface. We'll probably go back on Friday, if only the weather allows... they forecasted rain for tomorrow and we are already listening the patter of rain right now. That's a pity as we are camping right beside a beautiful beach lined with seafront promenade, which both would look a lot better in a sunshine. Luckily we still have the sound of waves.