Hi,

I'm another solo newbie - maybe this topic should become a dating agency

I'm well keen on registering for the Mountain Madness together with Klaus, my BMW G650 X-Country. I live part-time in Tarragona, along the coast near Barcelona, and part-time in the Catalan Pyrenees!

OK, my credentials, or lack of them:

Age: the wrong side of fifty - just.
Experience: 1975 - 82-ish (can't remember exactly, it's the tablets you know!) Triumph T140 Trident, Ducatis; 350 Mac III and 450 Desmo, Laverda 750 SF2* - what a silly, silly boy!

Off-road: just getting the hang of it in the Pyrenees but plenty of free time to pratise before July - including in those very same hills!

Motivation: riding-wise I'm just along for the craic really, not a competitive type . . . so no neck-breakers on the team please!

Map reading: actually quite good, used to do 'real' orienteering as a cadet in school.

Secret weapon: I speak Spanish and Catalan, so I can always ask for diretions, and perhaps better, remember unpronouncible place names like Castellar de n' Hug - which means (Baron) Hugo's domain -or Bosc de l'Orri d'Andreu - the woods of Andy's sheep fold!

Habits: clean in thought, word and deed - can be pursuaded to imbibe!

So maybe there is a potential team: 'Team Cat-attack'**, i.e. me, Barcelona Pat possibly, or anyone else from around here.

My bike is 652 cc's so I'm with the big boys I guess , but could you clarify this Grant, as there seems to be some leeway - I mean what's seven cc's between friends! I'm not sure if Pat is interested or just being helpful about the headlights issue above, as his profile bike is a Suzuki VL800.

So, I've gone ahead and registered self with the provisionally named 'Team Cat-attack' in the over 650 cc fun-loving, easy-going category - so let's wait and see.

Regs

Simon

* which of course ended up in Brighton bankruptsy court - only joking!
** or should that be Team Cardiac-arrest!

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Blogging around Iberia

Simon, you're over 645cc, so that's it!

IF you have a team member with an UNDER 645cc bike, then you can choose whether your team will be in the under or over class, as discussed above.

The reason for the break at 645 is that an F650, KLR650 etc are all effectively in the same class as a 1200GS - big and heavy offroad, with a good turn of speed on the road - COMPARED TO a DR350 or KTM 525EXC or TTR250 or similar serious small and light off-road bikes, that are slow on the road.

And just a little note - the over 645 class is HARDER than the under 645 class - the overs have won overall every year.

hope that makes sense!

__________________
Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

If you're having trouble getting a team mate, no worries, go ahead and register and get yourself sorted, we can easily team you up with some compatible folks - in fact the dominant team over the years, "The Two Iains", we originally teamed up!

Keep looking and discussing it here, that's great, but if you don't find someone by closing date no problem, we'll find you a team mate so you'll be ready to

__________________
Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
------------------------
Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com