Riding Nirvana

“So much of who we are is where we have been” – William Langewiesche
Words & photos: Lance Mitchell – Open Road Tours

I want to take you somewhere. Somewhere I know you’ll love, because you and I ride motorcycles. It’s a place with some of the best riding on the planet. And not just a bit here and a bit there; thousands of kilometers of it, stretching across a great mountain range.

But don’t think it’s arduous or so remote that you’ll have to forego creature comforts. Quite the opposite.

You’ll have your choice of fine food and wine, beautiful and historic towns to explore, incredible places to stay, and you’ll feel immersed in some of the most striking scenery that can meet the eye. It’s, of course, the Pyrenees.

The Pyrenees stretch from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean, forming a natural boundary between France and Spain. If you haven’t ridden there before it’s hard to imagine just how wonderful it is. It’s almost as though the place was designed as a motorcycling theme park, with superbly-surfaced roads criss-crossing winding mountain passes. One minute you’re in Spain, the next France.

At Open Road, we experienced this Nirvana for the first time after the pandemic had decimated our business, and we wanted to get away and do something spectacular. We’d heard others sing the praises of riding the Pyrenees, so the germ of an idea began to grow into a plan. At the beginning of a New Zealand winter, with cold and rainy days stretching ahead of us, just the sunshine, wine and great food would be enough of a draw. But the more we worked on the tour routes and destinations, the more excited we grew.

Viva Barcelona

As well as researching and booking hotels, we called on our contacts at Triumph Adventure Spain for help with the right choice of motorcycle. The bike they would provide was a near-new Tiger 1200, and it would prove to be perfect for two-up touring through the mountains. As is the custom at Open Road Tours, we took great pains over the details of the trip. The routes, the roads, potential stops, even the restaurants: we evaluated everything in advance to give us the best chance of getting everything right first time. In the back of our minds was the distinct possibility that this was the template for touring with customers in future, so planning and prep were key.

Time to book the flights, and because it was a long way we went early to get over any jet lag. Any good tour needs a great starting point, and there’s not much better than the beautiful, vibrant city of Barcelona. Famous for its incredible art and architecture, amazing food, and wonderful Catalan culture. It’s a city we’ve visited many times before, and every time we discover something new. It’s also a region that has a love affair with the motorcycle and you are made to feel welcome wherever you go. Seems like everyone rides, as the free bike parking on every street corner is always full.

Our meet and greet with the guys from Triumph Spain was fantastic. They took the trouble to fly up from their head office in Malaga to catch up with us and say hi. Great service, thanks guys. By now rested, we packed up the bike and headed north out of Barcelona. Our first stop was the famous monastery of Montserrat, perched on cliffs high up in the Montserrat Mountains. Set against a backdrop of incredibly jagged and rugged limestone peaks, it provides spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. We spent the rest of the day winding our way north, discovering smaller and less-travelled back roads. I’ve ridden in Spain before, and every time I do I am always impressed at, one, how brilliant the roads are; two, the higher speed limits (120 is often 130km/h); and three, the standard of driving. Everyone looks for bikes, maybe because so many ride as well and they indicate every lane change. Just the first day and we already felt we were in a rider’s paradise.

Road of discovery

Our first night on the road was in the small medieval village of Solsona, our hotel an incredible 14th century building beautifully converted into a boutique hotel. It’s a great find, and our hosts turned out to be especially helpful and welcoming. In the older parts of the hotel we find a carved stone sink, paintings and clay walls.

Solsona has a reputation as the best-preserved medieval fortified city in Catalonia, and it’s easy to see why. Cobblestone streets take you past beautifully restored stone houses into pretty squares with flowing fountains. A short walk to a local bar for a beer is just what’s needed after a day on the road.

From Solsona we continued north into the Spanish Pyrenees proper. Spain really knows how to build a road and they excel at tunnels. Our route over the next few days hugs the mountainsides, along small country roads, through narrow tunnels which open out to incredible views. We rode over incredible mountain passes with serpentine roads, through enchanting forests, alongside turquoise lakes, through deep gorges and along rocky ridges. We would pass ancient monasteries and putter through small villages. And each day just got better and better. In this part of the country it’s roughly 10 bikes for every car, and we meet fellow riders of all nationalities along the way. Everyone is just out having the ride of their lives and enjoying every minute. One night our hotel was a converted 16th century Monastery, the next a beautiful country farmhouse. Yes, there’s a theme for this trip: amazing scenery and riding by day, historic villages with cobbled streets, stone houses and unforgettable panoramic views by night.

All in all it’s a road of discovery, as we find smaller, less-travelled roads that pass through beech and fir forests, and alongside limestone rock faces. Rounding a corner in the middle of nowhere where the houses are few and far between, we came across a small country restaurant with smoke drifting from the chimney, promising a warm welcome. As we were also experiencing a little inclement weather, it was nice to find somewhere to dry off. Although we were the only patrons (possibly because we were early) we were welcomed and settled into a simple Spanish lunch prepared by our hosts.

Buen Apetito

It’s worth remembering lunch in Spain starts late, and many small country restaurants offer a fixed-price menu of three courses each with three choices, often including wine, which we swap for cold drinks instead. You’ll often see the locals indulging over lunch, so it pays to be aware of this when you’re back on the road. What’s on offer varies but it can often be simple cuisine like a salad of local produce followed by grilled meats and a dessert. You can almost guarantee it will be tasty and filling.

Our research was working well, riding on unforgettable roads and enjoying charming places off the main routes. Only a few turned out not to be worth going back to, but that’s the value of doing research on the ground: we find the hits and exclude the ones to miss.

We soon discovered it’s very hard to find a boring route through the Pyrenees. Some are just better than others. When on the French side of the border, anything with a name starting with ‘Col’ is an almost dead-cert great ride. These are the mountain passes, and of all in the Pyrenees, the Col d’Aubisque is arguably the most awe-inspiring. Along with every other rider on the road that day, we stopped at Les Crêtes Blanches Hotel, located in the heart of the Val d’Isère ski resort. It’s the perfect spot to admire the incredible views, where the mountains surround you in an almost perfect semi-circle. An unplanned detour provided a great ride down the mountains towards Argeles-Gazost. Amid rolling green hills, rocky mountains and picturesque valleys, the road winds a snaking route through small villages and alongside fields where sheep and cows roam freely.
Perhaps a little too freely: at one point we had to stop and wait as a cow slowly meandered across the road, the cowbell around her neck ringing out as she made her way, undeterred, to the other side.

Bikes Rule
Throughout the Pyrenees you’ll find bikes outnumber cars, sometimes it seems like 10 to one. You’ll encounter everything from solo riders to groups of two or three, right up to packs of a dozen or more. And they came from all over Europe and the UK. The bigger groups seem keen on BMW GS’s, while there are plenty of Multistradas too. Our big Brit Tiger 1200 fitted right in, and certainly had all the power you could want.

The etiquette was welcome: no big egos on show, and a lot of riders seemed content to rein it in to take in the scenery and atmosphere.

Sally gave the view from the back of the Tiger a thumbs up as she could see over the top of my head. Meanwhile the seat was just firm enough to avoid pains in the bum.

Timing and Highlights
We went in June, and we found it the perfect time to go. It’s before the start of the main holiday season in Europe, so everywhere you go feels uncrowded and there’s plenty of accommodation available. Most places are just opening up and pleased to see you. The weather was warm without being over-hot, so there’s no discomfort wearing all your gear. And we learned long ago the art of packing for a long road trip: sort out what you think you need then get rid of half of it! It’s easy to get carried away but what you think you’d like is usually more than what you actually use. And if you have forgotten something you can always hit the shops.

Highlights? For Sally it was the awe-inspiring scenery, the food and the lovely people we met along the way. For me, nothing beats riding on stunning, well-maintained roads with very little traffic on a great bike like the Tiger. The views, food and people just made it all the more magical.

Once you’ve ridden the Pyrenees it’s something you’ll remember for the rest of your life, and want to return to over and over again. It gets under your skin like nowhere else. Ride it with us, and we’ll make it the best it can be: we do the hard yards planning all the details, we have the knowledge and we have the contacts so you can enjoy possibly the best riding of your life.

If this has whetted your appetite and you want to experience motorcycling Nirvana for yourself, get in touch.

Sally & Lance
www.openroad.nz
hello@openroad.nz