RUST magazine: RUST#30

circuit de pyrénées
this was excellent fun, through the trees and the type of terrain these
bikes were really built for. We retraced our steps to etchartres and then
headed on up to the other side of the Col d’Aubisque as far as the Col
du soulor, which was reached through lots of tunnels and switchbacks,
going from bright sun to black in literally the blink of an eye, which could
cause a few problems under competition conditions. And that was pretty
much that, so we headed back to the van.
Apart from being shot at, which Charlie only discovered after the event,
there were other local hazards to contend with namely the removal of
road signs. “After a while,” said Charlie, “you could see the tell-tale signs –
lots of tyre skid marks in the road where riders were unsure of the route.”
Charlie reckoned that if he used our time as a sighting lap, he could
probably still be on the pace – yeah, right mate.
We had a great time in the Pyrénées. the roads are amazing, and even
if you’re not trying to retrace some old event, just go to Pau, head south
and pick up the signs for espagne – you can’t go far wrong.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Bike-Seal
When you’re planning any trip, holiday
or adventure on two wheels there’s one
thing that will stop you dead in your
tracks and that’s a puncture. Granted,
there plenty of products on the market
designed to rescue this situation, some
work better than others. if you’ve got the
time and the money you can call your
friendly breakdown service and get a
new tyre fitted depending where you are
at the time, only sod’s Law dictates that
these things usually happen in the middle
of nowhere. the best idea is to not have
a puncture in the first place which is
were Bike-seal comes in. Again, not a
unique product area but Bike-seal is a
mechanical process not a chemical one,
it’s a solution containing aramid fibres
and filler particles.