In general, for a biker, Spanish roads are better than French roads. Why?
Well, where in Europe can you find the following?
- Perfectly smooth roads littered with 50 to 100 mph bends
- High speed roads with 5 minute gaps before seeing another vehicle
- Twisty mountain roads where 20 mph is fun
- A whole population that thinks bikers are great
- Little rain
- Roads without a bend for 20 miles
- Big gaps between towns and villages
- Sunshine
- Car drivers that call you past when the road is clear
- Car drivers that warn you of nearby police
Spain, that's where.
The problem with Spanish roads is that they are at least several hundred miles away from the UK. However, considering that French roads are, in general, much better than English roads its great fun just getting there. If you wish to, you can bypass France by taking one of the two ferries which join southern England with the northern Spanish coast.
All the roads in this guide are on, or near, the UK to Costa Blanca route - a mass of France and Spain is missing. Never mind, this lot should give you some ideas. Unless stated otherwise all the directions on this page assume that you are heading south.
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Warning! Although the weather in Spain is usually sunny, there is a weather related hazard of dust instead of rain. On some of the older 'polished' road surfaces a layer of dust makes the road very slippery. If in doubt, stop and have a good look at it. Braking hard on a dusty surface is very similar to a wet one; the problem is that the hazard is not immediately obvious.
The first time you notice it, is usually when you're sitting on your arse wondering what happened. Hard acceleration can unstick your rear tyre easily, and braking for a bend can sometimes cause a slither. Always allow a little in hand, and don't try knee-down antics unless you have repeated a bend a few times before - you just don't know what to expect.
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