Evenin' all,

Thanks for the quick adjudication Grant, no problems at all on that score.

One question/doubt though:, what do you mean by harder? More difficult than the under 650, longer, steeper, through tickets of rotating knives (only joking ). Seriously, the way I read it, the teams get to plan their own route around the checkpoints and use their own judgement about how tough the trail is likely to be - is this the case? Sorry to be so naive, it's tough being a virgin you know!

Slightly more seriously, are all the legalities checked out. The thorny issue of organised motorsports in controlled nature reserves has cropped up in the press again lately here in Catalona. I know that if one goes wrong the fine can be severe, especially for the organisers. But bearing in mind I have Spanish plates I'd get no quarter from the Constabulary if there was a bust. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to put a dampener, but it is a live issue!

I could try to look up the regs if that will help, but you know what you're organizing and where not me.

Regs

Simon

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I love the idea of rotating knives, may we should mount them on the wheels - sounds like Roman chariots!

By tough I meant harder to win - the fastest guys are in the over class - as in the overall winners have been on over 645s every year. But then some of us like a challenge

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

Always interested in what's happening. We're not there, so hard to keep up with the latest. Please find out what you can and email me,
thanks, Grant

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

Hi Grant et al,

This is the controversial law:

DECRETO 166/1998, de 8 de julio, de regulación del acceso motorizado al medio natural.


Which means '. . . of the regulation of motorised access to the natural environment' - well, that's lawyers for you!


I can't find a version in English, nor am I a lawyer, so I won't offer to translate. It's all common sense really, but all laws sound horrendous. I think the key is in how seriously it's been, or is about to be, implemented and enforced - a complicated issue in Spain! But the important areas are:

• what is a forest road? - answer just about everything, but the authorities can prohibit bikes on anything less that 2 metres wide and they can also limit or prohibit access in designated areas - but all of these must be signalled (section 5)
• blanket speed limit of 30 kph unless it is an organised sporting event (section 10)
• definition of informal groups and organized groups (section 19) - if you're all going the same way following a route, your an organised group
• size limit of informal groups is 7, i.e. six I guess (section 20), above that and you're a mob! - or perhaps by default an organized group
• organized groups must get permission (section 21 - which also lists the, not too difficult, conditions for compliance - famous last words!)
• indemnity - a sum of money has to be paid up front to cover material damage caused by an organized event (section 29)
• the fines I was talking about range from light (€60-300), through severe (€300 - 3,000), and then very severe (3,000 - 30,000) (section 37)

I guess the lesson is either get organized or pretend we're all there by coincidence. Oh and by the way, you also have to have your documentation on you, including details/personal registration of the event.

On a brighter note, if you haven't heard back from the Local Authority within 15 calendar days of your application to run the event, "En el caso de que éstos no se pronuncien en el plazo de 15 días naturales . . . ésta se entenderá otorgada por silencio positivo." you can take that as permission to ride! (section 21.1)

OK, well I wish I hadn't started this. I probably sound like some sort of crazy paranoid urban legal freak - which I'm not - but as I said before, the issue has been raised again lately. There's talk on Spanish and Catalan bike forums, which I can keep an eye on, but as a non-native speaker it's hard to sort out the wheat from the chaff amongst people who, for very good reason, have a high sensitivity to infringements of what they deem as their rights to free speech/association/roaming, etc., and sadly it's all too common for hyperbole to rule.

I'd better sign off now and dream sweet dreams of mountains, pastures, mud holes . . .

Simon

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Hi Simon.
How are things in sunny spain.
Ger F650gs Ireland

Hey Gerry, good to hear from you!

I'm afraid that "Sunny Spain" is a bit of a misnomer! As it happens I'm posting this under about twenty inches of rain, or so it seems! Seriously, probably no more than an inch or so in the last hour - and at last this means some COOL weather! Local riders are now taking to the trails once again, having left July and August for the proverbial Mad Dogs and Englishmen . . . and the dealers' showrooms are beginning to fill up with tasty looking second hand KTM 250s, so you never know!

Meanwhile, I've been celebrating my 53rd birthday with, among other things, a great ride out across some of the sierras here, most notably the Sierra de Montsec - dashing back home as the thunderclouds of a big cyclone overtook me with some torrential rainfall - real meteriological drama that I love!

So, how was your trip through the rest of Spain after the HUMM - a certain Nordic Godess of our mutual aquaintance tells me you're a bit of a dark horse with repect to the ladies accompanying you on the road/trail - do tell!

Cheers

Simon

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Hi Simon
Sorry for slow reply , i dont be on here that much.
certain news travels fast it seems . The trip got cut short as i had to make a dash to a hospital in london but it was great. I need to get to spain very soon for lots of reasons .
Was at the first ever Paddy dakar here in Ireland last weekend. Similar to the HUMM in theory!. See utube link for the start
YouTube - Start line Paddy Dakar 2010
There was a color full bunch taking part and being road legal for everyone was not a high priority.
i have a link on flickr for the HUMM pictures. my mail address is automationtechnology1@gmail.com
All the best
Gerry

a couple of vids of our short-lived HUMM below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nelcs7u6P_8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEhwXN0QE4M

hopefully next year we'll make it to the second day....

chris

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Hi Gerry,

Good to hear from you - shame about the truncated trip in Spain - maybe we should team up next year and explore the regions I told you about - see below. I'm going there next weekend - but on a birdwatching trip! Actually I'm more interested in the company and the craik as nine of us are renting a house over the long holiday weeekend, joining forces with foods (and wines of course!) from our diverse homes across Spain.

Next spring I'm planning to explore the Sierra de Moncayo region, not so rugged as the Pyrenees but challenging enough methinks, especially as the region is almost completely deserted and virtually unmapped (OK, there are military maps but these are very hard to come by!) so it's a case of follwing one's instince - and the compass of course, if anyobe remembers what they are these days!

Thanks too to you kiwi's for the videos of your trails and tribulations, the first section became my Nemesis in a way and it's been good to revisit the experience in virtuality!

Cheers to all

Simon

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