RiDE January 2020

Not for the first time, we spent most of the month being insanely jealous of our writer Simon Hargreaves. While the office-dwelling members of RiDE endured days of torrential rain, 1°C commutes and the first frosts of winter, Si was thrashing around Spain in the warmth on lovely bikes. Git. It was all part of the mile-munching special that’s in this issue. With winter now rearing its icy head, we always start remembering — and mourning — the sun-kissed roads of summer. But it’s not winter everywhere: for us Brits there are parts of Europe that feel like summer all year long — and they’re just a long ride away. We headed to Spain to count the cost of a winter escape and find out if it was all worth it. Talking…

Preseli Mountains, Wales Here is a picture of our biking group during a weekend in Wales. The group started as we were all co-workers at Peugeot/Citroën but it has organically grown to now also include family and friends. This picture was taken on the Preseli Mountains during a weekend away staying in the Brecon Beacons and Aberystwyth. There is Dad on his BMW R1150GS Adventure, Jon on an R1100GS, Keith on an R1200GS Adventure, Martin on a Kawasaki Z1000SX, Ian on a K1300GT, Nick on a R1150RS and me on my R1200GS. Stan Shires Get your bike in RiDE & win a BikeTrac system Each month the Star Picture will win a BikeTrac security tracker and a year’s BikeTrac subscription. As well as helping recover your bike if it is nicked, it logs journeys…

Brecon Beacons, Wales After two years in Germany, I marked my return back to the UK by going on a 900-mile tour of Wales with my best mate. This is one of our favourite sections of the Brecon Beacons but we also rode Snowdonia. What struck me was the sense of camaraderie between riders — it's what being a biker is all about! Ollie Tyler-Elder Champagne, France I recently took a five-day trip to the Champagne region of France. After staying overnight in Reims, I rode the Black Forest in Germany, staying in hotels along the way. The scenery was great and the roads pretty much traffic-free. Here I am with my Suzuki Bandit 1250 GT. Stewart Lawrence Donegal, Ireland After suffering a heart attack, I gave up riding my GS and downsized to a…

‘I’ve been catching sunsets on my old BMW K75 S, at Cockenzie, south east Scotland. I’m local, so often head down the coast.’ Mike Taylor ‘A selfie with my dog, Lemmy, on my Suzuki Bandit 1250. We’ll often ride between 70 and 80 miles, stopping for a walk and a pint!’ Nick Cannock ‘I went on an 11-day European tour on my Honda Blackbird with my brother Gordon and his girlfriend, Susan Peate.’ James Hill ‘Me and my Suzuki GSX-R750 on the Silverstone GP circuit on my first-ever trackday. I won the place during the British MotoGP weekend.’ Julie Atkins ‘I did 200 miles around Northern Ireland, on my Honda Monkey 125, running it in before heading back to work for a month.’ Gav Fraser Sign up now! www.facebook.com/#ride5000miles…

NOT MANY PEOPLE’S all-time favourite rides are on their doorstep, and Paul Hardy admits as much at the start of our ride together. We’re having a morning coffee at Babaco cafe in Watton, close to his home in Norfolk: “My absolute favourite rides are up the Dales and Pennines, and I want to do Wales,” says 49 year-old Paul, who’s no stranger to distance on two-wheels; in the 90s he regularly rode sportsbikes across to Germany when he was in the army. “In those days the creaky old bones weren’t so creaky, so you could do it,” he laughs. But today we’re closer to home, on Paul’s favourite Sunday route around the Norfolk and Suffolk border. And the sportsbike has gone too: “In 2013 I went from a ZX-10R to a…

Best day to ride Normally, autumn weekdays are very, very quiet but the B1120 links up with the A12 and can get busy with tourist traffic during school holidays. Out of season, Sundays can even be good too. Best corner The B1123 just after the Camel Park Oasis and before Linstead Parva has a couple of great corners. If you get to them in traffic it’s frustrating, so you have to plan your approach. Be careful Really rural roads (easy for you to say), so watch out for slow-moving tractors around corners and spilled mud on the road in winter. Thankfully, there are no livestock issues, but there are plenty of high hedges and hidden driveway entrances. Best place to eat The Krazy Horse cafe in Bury St Edmunds does cracking food, but stops serving at 3pm.…