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This is a report of the first real bike trip I made, on a Benelli T50 50cc to
Luxembourg when I was 17 years old. Almost 800 km in rain and snow!
My parents had hired a holidayhome on a camping in Larochette and with the
Easter Holiday we would go there with the whole family.
As a bike rider, I didn't like to go there in the back of the car so I
decided to go on my Benelli T50 that I bought two months ago.
It is about 400 km from our home in Voorburg, where I lived with my parents
at that time, to Larochette in Luxembourg. That is just to far for a 50cc
to do it in one day so I asked friends of my parents in Breda if I could
sleep in their house on my way to Luxembourg.
I left home in the beginning of Friday afternoon and past Delft and Rotterdam,
I drove to Breda. It was very cold and raining. Unfortunately I did not have
the quality bike clothing I have now so I was very cold and wet when I arrived.
My parents friends have a butcher's shop and when I arrived that evening, cold and
wet from the rain, they were just making their own sausages and my goodness, that tasted
good after a ride like this.
They fixed me a great meal and I had a very nice evening, until the moment I went
to bed and looked out of the window and the whole world was white with snow .....
A little worried about the next day, I went to bed.
The next morning the snow was still there and my hosts advised me not to go and
let my parents pick me up with the car.... I appriciate their concern but, no
way. I go by bike!
After a good breakfast I left at eight in the morning and drove in the direction
of Turnhout in Belgium. It is snowing hard and it's cold but it's fun too. I had
the feeling my adventure now realy started, now I left Holland.
Past Herentals I drove in the direction of Huy.
My Benelli T50 is build in Italy and I think they don't have much snow there because
with heavy snowfall like today, the snow is sucked into the airfilter and finaly
gets into the carburator so after I while the Benelli starts to cough and finaly
stops in the middle of nowhere........
It is beautifull to drive in a forrest in the snow
Fortunately I had an idea what happened and I had some tools with me so I cleaned
the carburator of the water and reassembled it again. After that the engine started
again.
There was about ten centimeter of snow on the roads and because of that I did not
see a ridge on the side of the road so when I wanted to get on the road again I slipped
and ended up laying in the middle of the road in the snow.. Oeps....
Then a Belgian car was approaching, slowed down and... drove around me, laying on the road,
and continued to where ever he was going. So much for the Belgian good Samaritans....
I was able to get up again and picked the bike up. No damage done because of the slow
speed and the soft snow so I got in the sadle again and drove on to Luxembourg.
A month ago I bought a small handlebar fairing at a bike shop in The Hague and I was
very happy with it now because it kept some of the snow and cold wind away from me.
It sure was worth the 97,50 guilders (44,30 Euro) I spend on it.
Past Bastogne, Esch-sur-Sure and Ettelbruck I arrived on camping "Auf Kengert" in
Larochette at six o'clock in the afternoon. It is still snowing.
At six PM I arrived at my destination
It is good to be able to get dry clothes and to get warm again and it feels very
good I made it to Lorochette on my little 50cc bike.
It looks beautifull with the snow on the hills and after dinner an telling my
parents, brother and sisters about my trip, I enjoy a good night sleep.
My Benelli T50 in the snow
The next morning, when I wake up the weather is a lot better. It is not snowing anymore
and the next days I enjoy exploring the twisting roads in Luxembourg on my Benelli.
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