A Weekend With Paul

[Henrik_imp]

Last Thursday I got a text message from a good friend Scott Smart, the son of Paul Smart (and incidentally the nephew of Barry Sheene), telling me that his dad was in Switzerland riding and that we should try and meet up. Now normally it is not difficult to find a reason to go riding a bit, but when you then have a chance to go riding with a motorcycle legend you can imagine I was quick in contacting Paul!! I have known him a long time, but we have never actually done any rides together before.

I managed to get a call through to him later in the day, and we agreed to meet up in Brig as he would be coming down from Zurich over the Susten and the Grimsel pass. We were to meet at 4PM on Friday there, and I would then lead home to my place by the Lake Geneva. Now riding out of the valley from Brig is pretty boring, as it can really only be done on a motorway towards Lausanne, but I had planned to try and limit the motorway to an hour and instead cut off over a nice pass over the Mosses and down to Gruyère.

Unfortunately Paul was late, and it was almost 6PM when he showed up. He had been riding with a journalist and there had been various delays etc., and the traffic over the mountain passes had been dreadful apparently. So, given that it would take 2h30m back to my place the fastest way possible, and riding over the Mosses pass would add a good 1h30m to that, I told him we would do the boring thing and head straight home. I just felt sorry for him as he was on a Ducati Scrambler, and we would be facing 2h of strong headwind at motorway speeds. Ah well, he’s seen worse…

The next day we got up early as I wanted to go for a proper ride through the Jura Mountains that I know so well. Paul had never ridden the area, and I know most people tend to think if it as much less interesting than the grandiose Alps. I, however, prefer riding there to the Alps. The weather was perfect, and we were on our way by 8:30.

The start is a climb to St Cergue, possibly the most famous motorcycle road in the area, and one that tends to get very crowded on weekends. Early Saturday mornings you can get the place to yourself, and that is how we got to warm up. After St Cergue, I would head to La Cure and France, and then St Claude. The ride down to St Claude is very spectacular, and first-timers with me here are always stunned by the gorge just above the city. It is true that one does not normally associate such gorges with the Jura Mountains, but the reality is that there are some many of these hidden gems to be found around here (I have posted about this on here before). I pulled over to the side half way down to see how Paul was doing, and he was ecstatic! He too found these roads more fun to ride than in the Alps, and there was absolutely no traffic!!

[url=http://s122.photobucket.com/user/henmyr/media/Paul1_zpslqljkssm.jpg.html]
Paul trying to steal my bike!

After St Claude, I headed towards a little place called Clairvaux-les-lacs to stop for a coffee and a croissant. The road here is very twisty through a fairly thick forest. Great fun with a good pace, except for when we hit a part that was being worked on, and the road was covered with gravel. Once in Clairvaux, we ordered our coffee but were disappointed as they had no more croissants left.

At this point I start taking us back to my place, and the road goes by Morez before rejoining La Cure and the road we came up on. This section to Morez is quite a bit faster, and this morning it was particularly good as there was very little traffic. Fast sweeping turns gently undulating up and down…motorcycling heaven!!!

By the time we get back to my place and lunch, the sky has suddenly clouded over and it is not long before the rain begins to fall. Ah well, we had such a good morning that it is actually nice to then instead crack a beer and relax in the afternoon.

The following day we get up early again, and although everything is wet outside it is not raining. So, we head back up in the Jura Mountains, but this time I start up through another pass called Marcheruz. Again a very popular place for motorcyclists in the area, and I am surprised that we are alone. At the top of the pass I am able to scan a bit the weather over the mountain range, and can plan where to take us next and stay dry.

The ride down from Marcheruz to the Lac du Joux is like a postcard, with sleepy cows in the sparkling green fields all around us. The road surface, although a bit moist, is perfect, and we are just taking it easy enjoying the scenery more than anything else. The rest of the morning continues like this, and each time we stop for a picture Paul tells me how wonderful he thinks this all is, and that he must come back here to ride with me again.

Unfortunately the afternoon is spoiled by very heavy rain, and so we don’t manage to get as much riding done as we would have wanted. The next morning Paul takes off for Zurich, and then a flight back to England. But we leave at that he will soon be back for another ride, and then I can plan for some longer rides in advance. There are still many secret spots I know there to show him, and I am already looking forward to it.

One last thing. The CB1100 was flawless, and I like it more each time I ride it. Something I do fail to understand though is the complaints I read about the seat, as I find it to be one of the most comfortable ones I have ever known. After hours on the bike, I just don't feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. My only problem is that with long legs my knees tend to start hurting after a while, but I sorted that out using some knee braces that I usually have for skiing.

[Rocky_imp]

Great story

[curlyjoe]

Great story

I agree!

[redbirds_imp]

Wonderful story Henrik set in such a remarkable place.

I agree with your assessment of the seat. Once broken in, very comfortable for a solo rider.

[the Ferret]

Awesome awesome awesome... too cool that you got to ride with a legend. He looks good for his age and bet he still rides pretty well too. Lucky him as well having such a knowledgeable guide.

I think I can remember a picture of him at a invitational race someplace leaving the course and flying over some bushes but not falling all the way down some cliff but I can't find it now.

[Cormanus]

Great report, Henrik. You're a lucky bloke; not just to live in such a place but also to get to rid with legends.

Did you give Paul a ride on the CB1100? If so, what did he think?

[Henrik_imp]

Glad you enjoyed that.

Paul is in great shape, and he certainly can ride faster and longer than I could ever dream of doing, and I am like twenty years younger. But you know, the best thing about spending some time with somebody like him, is listening to the stories he tells in the evening after having gone riding. He has raced against so many of the other famous riders of his era, and is friends with pretty much all the top riders of today, so there are endless stories there.

He didn't try my Honda. Do you think I would lend it to just anybody??

Seriously though, I suggested it, but there would have been some contractual problems with me on his borrowed Scrambler, so we left it at that.

[the Ferret]

Loved the line about not just lending it to anybody lol

And he'd have had problems going back to Ducati and saying " I rode the most fatastic bike. I didn't want to give it back ... It was a Honda"

I think he would be in his mid 70s now.

[Cormanus]

He was born on 23 April 1943 making him 73. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Smart...cle_racer)

[the Ferret]

Geez he's younger than Rocky