De Twentse tourtocht | |
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Norbert, who already had participated in several ride excursions with
the Dutch Honda CX-500 club,
found it obviously high time that also in his surroundings an excursion
took place. And what to do? Correct. Norbert organised a ride excursions
in Twente, and invited everyone to come on 20 September to Twente.
Unfortunatly the date, septenmber 20, was a date choosen for many events. There was at Woerden the 'Veteran moped and motorcycle' meeting, and at the 'Ginkel Moore' the airborne memorial para-dropping, with other of veterans, from Poland and Britain. And another vaone had picked that date to build a shed fror his tree CX's. For myself: I had been on the Veteran meeting in Woerden last year, and I didn't had to build a shed. And although such a para dropping is always an impressive sight, i choose to ride to Twente, to see what Norbert had put together for us. My TomTom gave that it was 118 km, door-to-door to Irenestraat 4 in the Lutte. But I chose to drive the first stretch on the N304, the road to Apeldoorn. Since I had the lowers assembled under the Polaris fairing on my "Red Rascal" I had not yet real enjoyed of the advantages of it, but now, with only a megre 3 degree Celcius outside temperature I feld nevertheless a difference. The something thicker gloves were also sufficient, and ah... it was a nicely drive. The sun did its best, the views were splendid, and the engine did the ordinary good. Onto the A1, and the TomTom indicated that I would arrive in De Lutte at 9:47. Plenty of time. The A1 between Apeldoorn and Borne I find A dull and uneventfull road, but it gets you where you want to be. And indeed, clear for ten hours I was at the junction, and a couple minutes later arrived I at cafe 'Lutterskwartier'. I parked the "Rascal" beside the CX of Norbert, and went in search of coffee. | |
 ... parked the "Rascal" ... | |
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Inside Norbert and three others were drinking coffee. Extensieve greetings,
more coffee, and some smalltalk about everything shortened the time until
half past ten. During that time two more bikers came in, what brougt the
total to seven, including two germans, who didnt t have to ride so far
to be here.
At half past ten we left. Firstly in the direction of Vasse, a small village in the municipality Tubbergen. And from there we cross out the Twentse landscape. Sometimes a messy impression, as bits forrest sudden make palce for a grass country, then bunch, a corn field and then grass. Cosy farms, and then, all of a sudden, large farmer company, hurries himself out of place in the landscape, where it next building after scarcely hundred meters with trees, is an old, barn. The terrain is then flat, and then sloping, sometimes in imperceptible undulations, slowly as the many runnels and waterways which we pass. In Ootmarsum we drive straight through the old centre of the borough, there's little choice with all that one direction roads that makes up the town. But beautiful. I don't know if the weekend shopping public was glad with seven motorcycles behind each other on the street. Twente is richly to history, and that is to be seen in the many churches which we encounter along the route, still one more beautiful then the other. And then bunch, and look, complete Dutch, all of a sudden there is a mill. A corn field, then a piece bunch. Thus goes by, way after street after alley. On momnet there is a bit road what you can hardly call pleasant, and my beautiful Rickman Polaris stands rattling and shaking as if it can drop off each moment, but then the way is rather normal again. On a given moment we drive along the 'Grensweg'. And indeed, on a sideway stands suddenly in perfect German " Anlieger Frei". Germany is here only one meter away. Further and further it goes, onto a given moment we just stop. It seems that one of our germans has to do some shopping, and therefore we pauses at a filling station, to wait for him. This filling station to the Nordhornseweg the last one before the German border, which we can see just a hundred meters away. And it is come and going with German motorists, who here, in the cheaper Netherlands, refuel. | |
 ... we stop ... |
 ... germans ... |
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Although my " Red Rascal" is in need for some refeulling, I decide not
to refuel here, in this crazy upheaval. That is possible a few kilometres
away, where it is quieter. As soon as the plough is complete we start again,
and go further. It is not simple, because from the place where we stand now,
we have to take a left turn, across a very busy road. With two or three
at time we reach the other side of the way, and further slowly riding we
wait for the others. Eventually, after a piece surprising beatifull Twente,
we come just outside Geesteren, along the N343, and now I need really to
refuel the tank, because the CX already runs for 10 kilometres on reserve.
The others park the bikes, to stretch the legs.
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 ... de benen te strekken ... | |
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Another motor needs a refeul also, and then we take a very short
brake, before we move on.
Move on? Eeeh no.. For the five meters from pump to parkingplace I started the CX, and at the parkingspace I switch off using the 'kill-switch', because the helmet lay over the contact switch. And now, the engine won't start again. The 'Neutral' light is on, but nothing happens, when I push on the startswitch. But when I, trying everything, pull in the clutch, the engine starts normal. I don't know why, but it spins like always. I ride towards the other bikes, that are riding wait-loops on the nearby rondabout. When the other bikes are approching, Norbert takes an exit, toward Geesteren. I have so far nearly always drove 'second', and the german rider which now drive in second place beckons me to pass. Fine with me, room enough. But just before I go, I see something silvery shining falling. I have to wait until we are in Geesteren, where we must wait in the crowded Dorpsstraat, before can address him. "Hast du etwas verloren? ", I ask in my bests 'tourist-German'. It appears that its sunglasses have become the victims of the Dutch ways and the gravitation. Moan, but unfortunately. Norbert is planning to eat at "Fraans en Marie", but when we all have the bikes parked, motorsuits loosened, helmets locked away, and gloves put away and are walking toward the doors we find out that neighter Fraans or Marie is awake, for the doors are locked. The next try is "Theodorus", but again, it is closed. Again we suit up, put our helmets on and leave, this time to Borne. Riding through that old town, I spot someting, and signal Norbert, who had missed it. But at "Las Carretas" the kitchen opens not before the evening. A freindly lady point us across the square, to "Born Lunch and Dinner". We may leave the bikes at "Las Carretas", wich we do, and find a place under an enourmous parasol. | |
 ... in the shade ... |
 ... Born Lunch & Dinner ... |
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Coffee is ordered, and later a considerable lunch, because
the most of us are become a bit hungry, it is already after two oçlock.
But it lasts just as before our lunch is there, and the joke
is already made of "they must get the eggs from under the chicken".
After a while a young lady of the service coms to tell us that
it will take some time, and offer that for this reason we get drinks
'on the house'. We have no haste, and just as we start at our
drinks, a van of a
butchery stops. A young man steps out, runs with a large basket inside
and within a few minutes, like magic, the ordered lunches appear.
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 ... lunch ... | |
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About tree o'clock we move on, leave Borne, and ride between extended
tree-nurseries. Here tree are shaped and cut is various shapes, leaving
nice formed
Here the grown trees and shrubs are this way pruned, so that there
fancy formed shrubs remain. I have seen this often seen, but still
never on such a large scale and mixture of forms.
But I don't have much time to look at it, because there ther's a sandpath
on the route. Fortunately there is also a bicycle path near it, and
soon we all ride on the bicycle path, until the sandpath proceeds
in normal, hardened road.
Eventualy, after another set of rapidly changing Twentse landscapes, we reach the startingpoint. I place my CX besides an expensive looking WV, who is just starting to ride. But backing out the parking space he almost hit the motor!!. A press on the horn wakes his up. but it was a bit to close for my likings. I say goodby to the others, and leave. The plan is to ride through Haaksbergen and Eibergen, and there find the A18 and the A12 towards Ede. But that plan shatters on the reality of the geography, it's to complicated. So, I ride once more the A1 toward home, until just beyond Apeldoorn. There I take the N304 to Ede, and it is 17:30 when I park my CX behind the house, on his own spot. The speedometer indicates a total of 384 kilometers, and my TomTom told me that Ede-de Lutte is 118 kilometres. So Norbert's ride through Twente was 148 kilometres long. That is a lot, but to to much. But I'm not sure if it 's a good idea to make it an yearly event..... | |
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