Misschien dat jullie me ook nog wel kunnen helpen met mijn twijfels en tips voor de regio Hauts-de-France en Normandië voor slaap plaatsen en route tips.
Kopie van mijn Facebook berichten, in het Engels om meer publiek te bereiken:
⁉️Advice needed for TET France North West area until Paris.❓Hi Guys and Girls,
I need your advice on the north west area of France.
I'm riding my bike from the Netherlands to Gibraltar via, France, Spain and Portugal over the TET to there hopefully cross over to Morocco or other wise if the ferries are still locked done by mid of December I will head via the Mediterranean coast to catch the ferry in Sete.
What are track conditions of Section 1 and section 3. Similar type of clay ground like the Belgium TET?
I have road a mix of the old and new TET Belgium and with the current wett💦🌧️ weather conditions the slippery clay is a real energy drainer.
As I'm on a long journey and this sections are close to my home I maybe want to skip them and go back on a future holiday with better weather ☀️ and a lighter luggage setup.
My riding skills are ok, no pro but also not a complete novice.
Physical condition is good, running 1/2 marathons monthly, and in flat surface able to lift my bike up easily 10 times.
Mentally not the best at the moment 60%, scattered mind and hard keeping 100% constant focus on the road.
Bike is in good condition and not to heavy 180kgs fully loaded and fueled up, tires are proper offroad ones and most likely going to score a fresh set around Dunkirk.
I personally heavy lean towards skipping this part of the TET for now and take a tarmac B-road option to just bellow Paris.
But I'm not very familiar with this area of France so I doubt if to choose for option:
A.: google maps route from Dunkirk to Houdain avoiding highways. (Buying a set of 50/50 or 30/70 tyres (%on-road/off-road) in Dunkirk)
B.: Take a Scenic route along the coast created with kurviger route planner (Buying a set of 50/50 tyres)
C.: Continue TET going diehard mode. ( Buying a proper set of knobies)
I think B is the best option giving my self some nice coastal views, time to get my mind straightened to get mentally back to 90%+.
High chance of finding good cheap sleeping options (B&B, hostels or hotels) maybe some camping but with the weather conditions for coming week 🌧️ I prefer a bit of luxury.
Personally very much in doubt if option C is not going to end up in a break down, for me personally or the bike. Bone Fracture 🦴🤕🏥, broken bike 🏍️🔧⚒️ or a mental breakdown 😭🤯😱.
Rather come back in the future when I'm mentally doing well.
Time is not really an issue have money saved up for 1,5 years of traveling but prefer to be in Morocco before Christmas 🎄.
Additional questions:
- Any body knowing a good bike store around Dunkirk which can help me with a new set of Tyres and proper fully synthetic oil 10W60 or 10w50?
- any body knowing a good MX store around Dunkirk to get a extra set of goggles with a nose guard, antifog Lens and a light tinted lens for wett weather conditions and evening Twilight?
- and an MX store with experience on Husaberg/ Husqvarna/KTM, want to have my TPS and ignition/spark 💥⚡👨🔧 checked starting cold is sometimes difficult and under very wett slow speed 1/2th gear the bike some times stalls, I'm personally thinking TPS is maybe a bit of or condens in one of the electrical connectors ( these have been cleaned before the Trip and most of them are filled up with dielectric grease.
- any body a recommendation for a place to stay around Dunkirk for 2 or 3 days?
- the beach races the do in this area (Pilot de sable) Do they also have training days or MX tracks around there, would love to pay a visit for a look around and share a coffee ☕ with some local rider's.
Thanks everyone already for your help.
And for the people interested in my journey check out my polarsteps:
‘The Offroad Adventurer going South NL to NW Africa‘ via
https://www.polarsteps.com/SamTheOffroadAdventurer/4412577-the-offroad-adventurer-going-south-nl-to-nw-africa (Currently only in 🇳🇱dutch, but maybe google translate works, looking into adding 🇬🇧 summaries in the future, during my rest days)
Instagram: The_offroad_adventurer
Or just follow my Facebook profile.