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

http://vimeo.com/21170295

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.

Wide range of riding grounds

Some kind of heatwave has hit Spain and we have been enjoyin it full-heartedly. Days have been filled with sun bathing combined with running and riding. Also our caravan is now bright and shiny, as we spent one morning waxing it. Now we can greet all the other caravan owner in their polished cars with pride. The assistant probably broke her personal record today by swimming in the see though the water was not more than +15 degrees, but the combination of the sun, turquoise water and pure sand was just irresistable.

This week has been very versatile riding wise. In both Totana and Zurgena the motocross training was a bit dusty, as the sun dries the tracks rapidly despite of the watering. On monday one of the local friends took the rider for 2 hours enduro ride trough hills and trails near Puerto Lumbreras. Unfortunately the helmet camera was not working right in the beginning, so we needed to go back to capture the best parts few days later. On Friday it was time for a lovely cruising under the olive trees in Lorca. Links to the videos of this weeks enduro riding are attached below.

Enduro seems to be very popular among spanish people. Especially during weekends you can see huge groups of pilots either getting ready for days ride or cruising along trails, which cover all the hillsides and dry river banks. They seems to be everywhere, and for example today it took only 5 minutes from our arrival to the beach before a group of pilots rode past. The rider started to plan that next time he'll have his gear and bike ready and he'll just join the group and see where they go. The only downsides for foreigners are that without not knowing the routes you might get lost and lots of trails go trough privat estates, so you need at least to have a permission to ride, if you are not riding with some local. There is also a possibility to get shot if you are not aware of hunting seasons.

http://vimeo.com/20222297

http://vimeo.com/20309549

http://vimeo.com/20391621

Some new photos also available  https://picasaweb.google.com/tk2inc/TheTripEndOfFebruary2011Spain#

Perfect day

Slowly awakening from dream.. opening your eyes to realize, it's already morning as the light is beaming trough the paper curtain covering the roof window. When slightly opening the curtain you'll have to screw up your eyes as the sky you see is so bright blue. For breakfast you have all the time in the world; cafe latte, nice slice of bread completed with chocolate croissants/donuts (the rider) and fresh oranges (the assistant). There are worse ways of starting your day.

After completing the training on Sunday, we decided it was a good day for a new tourist trip. The assistant still hadn't seen Aguilas, which was one of the towns the rider lived during his year in Spain. As it was located by the sea and the sun was still shining warmly, it seemed like an excellent destination.

We chose a view route and have to admit that it really was one of the best during this trip. The road was twisting and turning in between green hills, which occasionally turned into almond tree fields and villages. The only minus was our current vehicle... the curving road would have been even more fun in some nice sport car.

Aguilas was a perfect example of seashore town in Spain. Narrow streets trough the city lead to palm-tree-lined seaside boulevard, which connects harbour, beaches and squares. Two landmarks rise above city profile; ancient castle and white windmill. A speciality is Californian style long and high pier adding flavour to the coastline. After getting home we had only one thought... "venta piso en Aquilas". Unfortunately we are still lacking the lottery winning.

Change of plans

Despite of the extreme weather conditions the other parts of Spain (lots of snow in north, storms in south) are experiencing, the spring has arrived in Murcia. We have been having truly amazing days and as the weather forecast is currently showing figures above +20 degrees for the next 10 days we are having second thoughts about our travelling schedule. Somehow +10 in Italy doesn't sound so appealing after all... The original plan was to change the country in the end of February, but maybe we'll have to at least postpone the departure with few days.

Have to admit that we also had our share of the strong winds that tortured southern parts of the country. On Thursday we had to end the training in Totana sooner than planned as it was impossible to do any jumps in cross-wind. During the night we started to worry that the wind will actually turn our styrox box (called caravan) upside down as it felt that the other side was indeed rising every now and then. Luckily that didn't happen and we woke up next morning with the perfectly blue sky. Also the night lightning has been odd lately. The full moon has been luminating the whole neighbourhood so that it's almost like someone forgot the turn the lights off.

Kawa was in very intensive use while KTM was lying on the garage, but since the orange devil is back the rider has spent this week with 2-stroke. Some new tricks have now been planted deep enough so that they start to show while riding. The most visible one is probably the use of rear brake while jumping. As 2-stroke motors don't have such a powerfull motor brake as 4-strokes do, the front of the bike doesn't fall as easily during the jumps. With 2-stroke bikes the desired effect is achieved by using rear brake "manually" and with brake light shining jump curves nicely. Video from Totana is attached below.

http://vimeo.com/20093699

Two motos is not enough

Our weekend plans changed unexpectedly as suddenly both of the motos were our of picture. On Saturday the rider was testing the newly designed Totana track with Kawasaki, but after completing the second round we noticed that one of the front fork was leaking oil. As it was almost streaming more than just dropping, we concluded it was better to stop riding as oil was heading to front brake disk. The KTM had already spent a week in Antonio's garage waiting to get the suspension fixed, but due to unfortunate pilots (breaking their bikes just before the big race on Sunday) its delivery was postponed to Monday. You can watch some riding at Totana with Antonio link below.

Fortunately the weather was on our side and because we couldn't ride on Sunday we spent a nice day laying by the pool for a change. On Monday we continued with the same theme during the afternoon and headed then to Antonio's after siesta. KTM was already waiting and we also got the front fork fixed, so now both bikes are like new again. The assistant also was once again wondering the quick daily changes in Spanish weather. At noon, on the sun, the bikinis were exactly the right thing to wear.. and 6 hour later, just before sunset, the winter jacket was well needed on a field while shooting the rider's figure-of-eight circulation (sounds a bit dum but is actually a really good training). Anyhow, no complains. Compared to the news we have read about the current Finnish weather up to -39c record temperature this is more then fine.

Some pictures of Toledo are now uploaded and can be seen in the link below.

https://picasaweb.google.com/tk2inc/TheTripBeginningOfFebruary2011Spain#

http://vimeo.com/19876335

Next stage marathon?

After busy weekend in Madrid we have been enjoying the quiet life of a small town. Despite of relaxed atmosphere we have still managed to be efficient. The only thing on to-do list still waiting "a right weather" is waxing the caravan.. but considering the latest weather forecasts it seems that also that might get done some day in near future.

The assistant has been running in ecstasy. Apparently almost 200 kilometers on spanish ground is starting to pay off as jogging feels even better than before. This combined with the sunshine leads to need to limit the running speed. It happens that she increases the speed without noticing and it's probably not good to execute all exercising above hardcore pulse limit... It's a shame that she hasn't been able to use Sport tracker while running here (employer paying the phone bills might not have appreciated the continuous use of internet connection); the route map would have been a lot more interesting after this trip.

On Tuesday we visited Cehegin track and with help of new front brake disc the rider was able to approve the lap times with 3 seconds between first and second rounds. On Thursday it was time for re-opened MX circuit in Zurgena. The track was very spanish like, built on a hillside and offering a nice view to countryside. It might still need a bit more watering but otherwise it was in excellent condition. You can see the video of the day in the link below.

http://vimeo.com/19813173

Caravan's first night in real camping place

Though Repsol has served us well, we missed electricity and decided to spent the other Madrid trip night on a real campsite. We chose one near Toledo, both because it was close to Sonseca track, which was on schedule on Sunday, and because Toledo was told to be a really nice old town. The camping site was very nice and it turned out there are benefits in travelling during low season; besides us there were only 3 other mobilehomes, one camping trailer and one tent. And yes, you read right: tent. As we took a late walk to see the city in the night light, a couple was comfortably sitting in front of a campfire beside their tent. That night we didn't complain about the little chilliness... only one look to the thermometer which showed figures close to zero and we were very satisfied with our styrox walls and extra floor heating.

On Sunday we took a tourist tour in Toledo. As told, the former capital built on the hilltop was very attractive with old stone houses and narrow alleys. As the downtown was surrounded by a river, there were also impressive bridges leading to city. On one occasion we decided to follow a quide with large red flower held above her head. Because of this we are probably now represented in several Japanise holiday pictures, but at least we got a good tour. We'll add some more photos of the town later.

The Sonseca track was watered and prepaired very Californian like. It offered excellent groove training tought after 2 intensive riding days the rider was already a bit tired. Some ideas of the track in the video below.

http://vimeo.com/19719743

Spanish hospitality

On Saturday we spent the sunny day at Yunquera track and met more old friends. We got to the conclusion that the spanish way of motocross training is lot more fun than the finnish one. The pit was crowded and most of the pilots had their families and friends along. When the siesta time came, the grills started to appear and soon there were picnic groups everywhere. Of course it is possible that the differences in average climate conditions have something to do with the fact that this is not seen in Finland.

Also the hospitality of spanish people is remarkable. During the 5 first minutes of reunion with the madrileños we were offered a place to stay the night as well as possibility to do loundry. However, as we already had plans for the next night and as the Repsol once again served us well during the previous one, we didn't take advantage of the offer.

The circuit was very nice; serpentine track on a hillside, covered with red clay and well watered and prepared. Around you could see wavy green fields with snow covered mountains in the horizon. The adjustements of Kawasaki are getting better every day and the moto is starting to feel really good. The locals forgot to mention, that you are not supposed to complete the new step up with 250 bike. As the rider nicely beat the jump round after round, other pilots started to gather along the track to see and ask details of how it was done. Video of the day is attached below.

It turned out that the pit was the most difficult place on the track. It was located at the top of the hill and it was a bit challenging to get the caravan there. Fortunately there is gear one in all cars... Also the rider had problems in finding the way from the track back to the pit and partly because of this he rode a "light" 50 minutes warm up. Maybe the main reason for this however was, that he got carried away with the new circuit.

Later it turned out that the riding is not the most dangerous part of motocross. After completing the training without falling the rider accidentaly left his finger between wall and garage door while loading the bike back in after washing it. We were already planning how to cut the glowes to be able to fit the swollen finger to them, but luckily it survived without any visible injury.

http://vimeo.com/19643144

Alleys, smog and fields

We have noticed that there is one crucial weakness in our TomTom navigator; it's missing a truck setting and for some reason, it's always leading us to centers of small villages through the narrowest possible allies. Yesterday we took a very close look on house walls (good thing the more experienced pilot was driving) in Tarancón before finding our way out of town again and to the track we were looking for. Judging by the amount of raised eyebrows and long stairs, ours was the first caravan the locals had ever seen... 

However, after an extra tour in the center we found what we were looking for and spent a very efficient day with both motocross and jogging. As there is not much to see in running through field roads, you can see the motocross part in the video below.

After training we headed towards Madrid. The assistant had been thinking about taking a tour in the city somehow, but as we got closer it didn't seem so appealing anymore. There was a thick smog cloud hovering above the whole city and the eight line motorways were crossing in all directions. Propably the city center would be nice, but also more suitable for a separate long weekend some other time.

Oh, and one more addition is required: if you don't have a watch, try to live with gas heating. It's like a clock and the bottle will be empty at 3 a.m. sharp.

http://vimeo.com/19609709

Jumps and barriers

You could think that on a holiday you have all the time in the world.. but still we are too busy to stop and write few lines of our days. So some words before we run again.

The rider has been testing bikes to the limits. On Tuesday it was motocross with Kawa in Calasparra. The track is located on the hillside and surrounded by pine trees and mountains. The view was awasome and as you can see from the video below, the rider spent most of the time in the air. Yesterday it was time to torture KTM with some enduro indoor training. Tyre barriers and stones gave up after all and the rider got some good training for next summer's cross country races. Some clips of that one also attached below.. and what a great song we found to go with it!

During the past few days we have been enjoying the sunshine again. As the weather forecast looks promising also when looking at Madrid, we'll be heading north either this evening or tomorrow morning. More of that trip later, and meanwhile you can see some new pictures here http://picasaweb.google.com/tk2inc/TheTripEndOfJanuary2011Spain#.

http://vimeo.com/19501251

http://vimeo.com/19458544

Mountain riding

After the pretty moist weather we have been experiencing lately (it did rain one day after all) we decided to go see the enduro trails, the rider had visited last time he was here. The path was located near Lorca and is actually a way through which the water runs down from the mountains when it rains heavily. The path was in excellent riding condition and we almost lost sense of time while the rider was cruising up and down the trails and mountains while the assistant walked along with the cameras. Unfortunately the only picture from the highest top is in the riders head, so next time we need to get the cameras up too. Anyway, you can get the idea of the surroundings in the video below.

Today we visited Torremendo track again. Because the rider was a bit tired due to 2 hours enduro yesterday, we took the training more lightly and choose a sunny detour home afterwards.

First we drove around tourist area of La Manga, which consists of a narrow, sandy spit of land, has beaches on both sides and a lot of 80's style hotels. Probably crowded during summertime. Then we continued towards Cartagena and drove trough the La Union area, where the landscape was very weird looking. The colour of hills varied from yellow and red to grey and there were lots of cute, ancient looking ruined factories along the road. The view was so odd that when we got back home, we needed to google what an earth had been going on in there. It turned out that the whole area is known of its mining business which has continued centuries, and also of the fact that because of the mining activity the whole area is now highly contaminated... Maybe it's not such a good idea to buy an old factory and turn it into a cool loft house after all.

The weather forecast has finally turned more positive, so we are planning a trip to Barcelona area during next week.

http://vimeo.com/19310302

Dunes of Marocco

Who turned the climate thermostat down? Good thing we have our winter jackets automatically with us, though wearing long underpants during a run were still a bit overacting. The rider has been thankful of his windstopper underwear, and judging by the looks of other pilots, whey would appreciate to have some too. During the past few days it has been a common look to see pilots riding with hoodies on top riding gears...

Despite of the weather we have continued our everyday life. Yesterday we visited totally three tracks; the first one near Mula was in such a bad shape that it was impossible to ride, so we continued to Cehegin, had a nice session there and on our way home had a short stop in Calasparra circuit. A group of German pilots was camping in latest one (with an adorable hippie van!) and they had just returned from Marocco, where they had been riding dunes. Considering the chilly early evening we were experiencing it sounded as a very attempting idea.

Today more Finnish pilots appeared to Totana track and the rider got a good training with Kawasaki on a circuit, which was grooved and watered world champion like.

P.S. They just mentioned in the news that tomorrow 30 provinces in Spain are in state of emergency either because of heavy rain, hard wind or extreme coldness, but fortunately Murcia was not among them.

Easy week

This week has passed somehow very fast despite of the fact that we haven't done anything special. We have enjoyed the facilities of our Alhama camp (electricity and washing machine for example.. life is a lot easier with those) and filled the days with motocross, jogging (the assistant also finally beated the flu), video editing, spanish tv and magazines. Very relaxing!

After some serious thinking the rider desided to invest some more in KTM and yesterday the moto got totally new shock absorbers. Afterwards we tested it in Totana track and now it seemed a lot more suitable for motocross also. Today it was time to join Kullas & co in Torremendo. The rider was a bit sceptical at first, as we had heard that the track was a bit supercross like with lots of small jumps. However as the condition of the track was excellent and the layout of the jumps well designed, it turned out to become a new favorite. The rider was so enthusiastic that he rode until he only barely could hold on the handlebar. You can see some videos of the day (amateur and pro edition) in the links below.

Spain is still experiencing extreme weather conditions. Now the mist and fog are gone, but instead the nights are awfully cold. It's slightly past midnight and the temperature is already below 0. If this keeps going our new gas bottle (propane this time... should be better to our moody fridge) will be empty before we have time to say "cat". Fortunately the forecasts anticipate more long time average like weather for next week. Maybe it will be time for Madrid trip then.

http://vimeo.com/19049545

http://vimeo.com/19042377

Almonte riding and a foggy way back home

As we woke up on Saturday morning it seemed the whole world had turned white. Luckily it was only morning mist and not snow. We spent almost the whole daylight time in Almonte track which was both fun to ride (sandy curves and impressive jumps) and nice to watch (lined with "ball trees" and covered with red sand). You can see the result of the days training in the link below. 

Our plan was to visit a track near Gádiz on Sunday, but as we got nearer on Saturday evening, it become clear that it would have been a really muddy experience. All the fields were soaking wet and in addition to that, the fog which had once again surrounded us on a highway was so thick you could only see few meters forward. With a quick look at the map we took the next intersection towards Malaga. How handy it is to have your home with you and be able to make changes to plans in seconds!

When we continued our trip on Sunday, we got a pretty good picture of Costa del Sol on our way. You have to admit that somehow the small villages outside tourist areas are a lot nicer than these crowded holiday destinations. Germans had decided to maintain homely feeling also in Spain as they had turned a Lidl parking lot to a caravan site. It was a funny sight with tens of caravans parked side to side in the middle of commercial blocks with all having satellite antennas pointed at the same direction. Maybe they were watching Marienhof..

Along the way we visited several tracks on Malaga area and desided to take a ride in Cartama before heading back towards Murcia. We tought we got rid of the fog when heading east, but it turned out the whiteness had conquered the whole peninsula; they even wondered it in evening news as it had caused several accidents and delayed flights. What a strange weather conditions we are experiencing this winter.

http://vimeo.com/18913609

Track hunting part 2 and some touristing afterwards

This time we had coordinates; actually two sets of them, but unfortunately the navigator didn't know any roads leading to neither one. Once again we were wondering how people got along before internet, because with the help of google map and street view, we were able to spot a suitable looking sideroad leading to the track. However, it was only sand covered, and considering the amount of puddles in it, we decided it was wiser to take a look with mountain bikes first. As a result we ended up parking the caravan along the bigger road, packing our things and heading to the track with only moto. It was definitely easier and more safe considering we wanted to continue our road trip later today.

The track would have been perfect with a little less rain during the recent weeks. Now the jumps were broken as the water had been streaming downwards on them and they were in huge need of repair. However, it was still a good soft start to rider recovering from the flu, as you can see in the video below.

After motocross session the clock was not that much, so the border of Portugal being only 50 km away, we decided to take a road trip to Faro. Somehow it seemed that the more west we drove the more summerish the view became. Comparing to the dryness of Murcia everything looked so "spring green" and brite that it was almost unreal. However buildings and roads were definitely in much worse shape than in Spain. Maybe it is true that Portugal is a bit further from the European standards...

As a finishing touch to our turist day we drowe to Playa de Castilla to see the sunset. The beach town was a bit deserted this time of the year, but the beach definitely had potential. White sand to both directions for as long as you could see. Oh, and along the way to the coast was a really weird village called El Rocio. With the sand covered roads and white houses it looked as it was a scenery from some western movie. Some photos along the way can be seen in the link below.

http://vimeo.com/18799408
http://picasaweb.google.com/tk2inc/TheTripJanuaryBeginning#

Through snowpeaks to Andalucia

On Tuesday morning we woke up with the phone ringing. The missing part to the fridge had finally arrived. With our fingers crossed we headed to the Cruz Caravanas. On our way we visited Totana track to say hi to Harri Kullas, who's also currently training in Murcia region. Have to admit that the lap times are faster when an internationally ranked pilot is riding around the circuit...

Afterwards it was time to visit the repair garage once again. We dared to be only slightly optimistic, but to our great relief the mechanic came back after a short while to tell us the fridge was working again. The best birthday present to the rider!

With the fridge working, the rider being well again (by the way, the assistant is having the flu this time, but that's not so crucial) and with the Alhama's ground burning under caravan tires it was time to hit the road again.

With quick look to the weather forecasts it was easy to decide that northern tours could wait a little longer, so our destination was going to be Andalucia. The views on the way were breath-taking. Our poor caravan was really token to its limits with the road going up and down, reaching 1400 meters on its highest. Around Granada the highest peaks had a snow coat. We decided to skip the skiing part though.

After travelling above the clouds in Baza, wondering the houses which were partly caves in hillside in Guadix, driving trough a olive tree fields in Osuna, queueing in traffic jam in Sevilla and laughing to tv antennas in Huelva (apparently every single household needs its own one, and the higher the better), we concluded, with the sun setting before us and the border of Portugal getting closer, that it was time to stop and have a good nights sleep.

Sickness under the sun

How did this happend? We successfully escaped northern influenza season, but now  the rider is suffering from terrible flu in here. This is not what we agreed of, but no can do. With some tea and sympathy covered with extra C-vitamin portions he'll hopefully get better soon.

At the meantime the assistant has been sightseeing surroundings, this time with bike (mental note: bring a camera, also when going just for a quick bike tour). It was interesting to discover that it is possible to ride 45 minutes uphill and then be back at the starting point in 15 minutes with help of downhill. Also the rider conquered some mountain paths before getting ill. If you are not afraid of hights, you can check the link below...

This morning we once again spent some hours in locat repair garage. This time it was Fiat service place and our aim was to get the yellow "check the engine" light to turn out. Unfortunately the first optimistic mechanic ("this only needs an update from the internet") was not able to make the light desappear after all. Apparently they would need more time to dive deeper into the problem (and there should not be the siesta time just starting), so we decided to go back some other day with better time.

We had agreed to visit Antonio's garage after siesta, but as it was still a bit early, we decided to take a tea break on a large and flat parking place of local shopping center. It turned out that they are very popular among the caravan owners. It was almost as we were on a camping site... While the rider was resting
the assistant also managed to take a quick sneak into a shopping center itself.

With Antonios help Kawasaki got more oil to it's front fork, which should make  compression damping more progressive. Solutions to softness of KTM's suspension are still under consideration. At least now one moto is ready when the rider recovers and gets back to the saddle.

http://vimeo.com/18600556

Chilling at Campo

Finnish summer arrived to Alhama yesterday and we were able to open the tanning season by the pool. However, more of similar days are needed before we stop looking like ghosts, and also the pool would need some cleaning before the reality would meet with the picture painted above... But it was a good start anyway.

The rider has started to gain speed and we decided it was time to test new ProCircuit exhaust and Kawasaki racing software to get the bike faster too. The program adjusts the timing and amount of fuel injected to motor and by altering settings you can modify the bike to meet the needs of different track surfaces as well as pilot's riding habits. Only our good intentions backfired as it turned out the suspension of the bike wasn't hard enough to match the new speed. Some more adjustments needs to be done as you can see in the picture beside. There is a bit of a same problem with the KTM, so we also wondered if it would be easier just to get the rider to lose some weight...

Anyway that doesn't seem very likely as in the evening we tested how the gas oven in the caravan works for home made pizza, and it turned out to suit the purpose very well. With whole kilo of pizza flours in our cuppoard we'll probably end up using it several times before the trip is over.

P.S. As it was expected considering our location country, there was no word of the missing part to the fridge. Mañana, mañana.

Nightmares and dreams

The fridge problem is starting to turn out to be bigger than expected. Yesterday we spent hours first in trying to locate one "official" repair garage (we'll definitely give the manufacturer some feedback about their recommendations) and then, when finally giving up with the first one and finding the second one, waiting nicely in the line until the shop was closed. Fortunately the rider's good manners and ability to speak spanish got us a quick look at the problem yesterday, and an invitation to come back today. Sadly that didn't fix the problem either.

After 3 hours of more or less efficient work, the mechanics told us that there was only one more part they could try to replace, but that they would have this particular item earliest on Friday. As a footnote you could say that we still had it better compared to some brittish couple, who had been waiting outside for 2 hours, and who now was sent away with nothing (apparently they didn't speak spanish). So, once again (it was the same yesterday) we were on our way home at the time all the grocery stores were closed. There has definitely been some complications in our food care during present days! Fact that needs to be fixed immediately.

Despite of the bad luck with the fridge, other parts of the past few days have been nice and sunny. Today was time for Cehegin, the roller coaster like circuit the rider has been dreaming about the whole year during his gym sessions in cold home country. Finally the dream realized again and taking a ride along the ups and downs felt as good as remembered. The video transmiting some of the euphoria can be found in the link below. The funny thing was, that the track was totally occupied by Finns today. With seeing the nice foreign landscape but still hearing only finnish it was like attending a traditional package tour. Clearly more then few pilots have escaped the ice age with their families, but who could blame them; here is definitely better.

http://vimeo.com/18444118

Track hunting

Have to admit, that waking up without the sound of rain is better than the tapping few days ago. Also yesterday some rain clouds passed us, but fortunately the only result from that was awesome ending to enduro video. The link can be found below if you want to see your self.

Because it was Sunday today, all the service places to fix the fridge were still closed. We'll have to try to get something done about that tomorrow. However, now we had opportunity to concentrate to more important things. We had agreed to meet some other pilots on a new track near Murcia. The interesting addition to this meeting was, that we only had a highway number and some approximate distances to find the place. Couple of times it seemed that we were going totally wrong way, but at the end we saw such an amount of cars parked along the road that there was no mistake the track had been found. The circuit was quite packed, but the rider still managed to enjoy the challenges of a new track and also met some old friends along the way.

On our way home we spent half of the journey planning what we would have for dinner. It was quite a dissapointement to discover, that the grocery store was closed also today. When do these people end the celebration? Luckily we had some frozen emergency pizza saved for occations like this, so we got our dinner after all. Oh, and we also took a sightseeing tour in Alhama, the assistant jogging and the rider showing the way with bike.

Some photos of our journey from the north and the surroundins in here can be found in http://picasaweb.google.com/tk2inc/TheTripDecember#

http://vimeo.com/18349825

Fighting with the fridge

What an interesting New Years Eve! Cheering about new gas bottle yesterday (we now have a five years gas agreement to Spain, our address being the gas shop) turned into a growling as our fridge decided that it didn't feel like working with gas anymore, neither Finnish nor Spanish.

We have been playing detective the whole day looking for hints, googling solutions, trying possible new tricks, consulting older caravan owners and trying their tips. The rider even turned into a chimney sweeper during the process, but nothing seems to help. Looks like our last hope is to turn into a professional in near future, when the world has got enough about new years celebration.

However there was also many good things in this day. As we woke up to the continuous sound of rain tapping the caravan roof, the rider was forced to rest and feed himself while the assistant got chance to enjoy some spanish vine. We also allowed ourself few candies brought all the way from home.. what a treat. With the bikes checked and maintained during the day too, the whole gang, if not counting the fridge, is now ready for the new year 2011!