July 28th - August 3rd 2006: a holiday by bike named 'Tour de Germany'. Like every year on the CBX, and like most years with Erwin.

On the left you see a map of our trip, every colour representing a traveling day. Start and finish: Nijmegen.

Every trip's destination is marked on the map with a number: click it to directly go there.

Summary:
Friday July 28th, 208 km: Nijmegen - Vasse - Altenberge: 'Mätzig's Showfighter event'.
Yellow way on the map to destination '1'.

Sunday July 30th, 31 km: Altenberge - Buldern: camp site 'Biker's Farm'.
Red way on the map to destination '2'.

Monday July 31st, 291 km: Buldern - Utscheid: camp site 'Little Creek'.
Blue way on the map to destination '3'.

Tuesday August 1st, 155 km: Utscheid - Daun: camp site 'Zur alten Schmiede'.
Orange way on the map to destination '4'.

Wednesday August 2nd, 192 km: Daun - Melderslo: camp site 'd'n Toerstop'.
Green way on the map to destination '5'.

Thursdag August 3rd, 60 km: Melderslo - Nijmegen.
Purple way on the map to destination 'start & finish'.
to the map

Trip 1, Friday July 28th.
After three weeks of sweltering heat the time had finally come: the familiar combination of biketrip and rain. The first stop was north of Almelo to collect Erwin.

Click the picture to follow me and the rain from Nijmegen to Erwin by animation. By the way: the red parts indicate thunderstorms ...

Source: www.buienradar.nl
Goal of day 1 was the big streetfighter event at Altenberge, near Münster. The event is called 'Mätzig's Showfighter Day's' (don't mind the grammatical error on the poster) and was organized for the eighth time.
The event and the site reminded me of camp sites Witten and De Haar during the Assen TT: a huge place, about 5,000 madmen and all the ingredients for a good party.
  We put up our tents and drank some beer. On the picture you see Erwin next to his new Ducati 750 Sport.
Why walk to the bar?
Ear protection at such an event is a must.
 

The new generation was abundantly present.

Picture: Sabine Welte ©
There was entertainment day and night. Seven guys in a water filled trailer made incredible noise by revving up a Honda FireStorm engine mounted on a miniature tractor.
No less loud was this V6 engine, again exhaustsless. In fact there weren't too many fitted exhausts on the site these days.
If it could burn-out it would burn-out, even small ones.
The CBX got quite some attention.
Like always touching and pinching turned out to be irrepressible.
  We met a colourful group (dressed in black) and enjoyed quite some beers with them.
 
One of them tested the seat ...
... but turned out to be quite happy with her own ratbike.
There was a mixed collection of streetfighters at the site, like this 'fellfighter' (translated: 'hide fighter').
Its little sister was present as well.
A lot of featured bikes from Fighters Magazin were present, like this Spondon.
Besides showfighters there were many burnfighters.
 
My good friend and journalist Sabine Welte was hunting all bikes and events down.
 

She recorded the present motley crew.

Picture: Sabine Welte ©
 

Typical German style: blood, guts, skeletons, skulls, monsters. Or, as they say: 'böse' (translated: 'bad').

Picture: Sabine Welte ©
  Later on the party really got going. Not only in the marquee ...
   
  ... but especially outside at the so-called 'burnplatte': a wooden floor of about 8 by 8 meters, surrounded by a steel fence.
   

It's more of a public execution place for bikes and rear tyres.

Picture: Sabine Welte ©
   
 

This is what remains after minutes of abuse.

Picture: Sabine Welte ©
   
An indispensable ingredient next to the smell of rubber: fire spitting men ...
   
... and fire spitting bikes.
   
  A pity one can't include the sound of engines and crowd in a picture.
   
Hour after hour, all night long.
   
 

Almost surreal scenes from a science fiction movie. Or from Dante's Inferno.

Picture: Sabine Welte ©
   
Outside the pit the burning continued.
   
But, eventually: enough is enough.
  to the map

Trip 2, Sunday July 30th.

We got up many hours after I took this picture; sometimes, when nature calls, one has to ;-)

 
   
It was only 31 kilometre to bikers' meeting point Biker's Farm at Buldern.
See the red way on the map to destination '2'.
   
The man at the top right of the picture is Sven, the owner of Biker's Farm. Our intention was to gain our breath ...
   
... but one simply revises its plans when nice people come along.
   
The wheater changed dramatically. It did not affect our mood though.
   
From that moment sun and rain alternated.
  to the map

Trip 3, Monday July 31st.
Our target was bikers camp site 'Little Creek' at Utscheid: Buldern - A1 Keulen - A1 Blankenheim - E29 Prüm - Utscheid.
See the blue way on the map to destination '3'.

291 kilometre: a new distance record on this version of the CBX. The steel seat and the steel grips: they really wear you out.

 
   
We weren't that wildly enthousiastic about this camp site. Compared to the former ones it was just boring. In fact we were quite pleased to 'chill': eating canned meat over a fire, drinking some beers and hitting the sack at a decent time.
  to the map

Trip 4, Monday July 31st.
Utscheid - Sinspelt - B50 Bitburg - B257 Daun-Pützborn.
See the orange way on the map to destination '4'.

We planned our trip in such a way we could speed over one of my favourite German roads: the B257.
   
At Daun we went by the German MOT, the feared and abhorred 'TÜV'. We dared not go inside as one German warned us: "Entweder die erschießen dich, oder die erschießen sichselbst" (translated: "They'll shoot you. And if not: they'll shoot themselves.")
   

Our goal was bikers camp site 'Zur alten Schmiede'. On the left you see owner Henry, 'der alte Schmiede' himself.
   

In reality he doesn't look too different.

   
The peculiarity of this camp site is its German owner; not a Dutch one like on most French and German camp sites. But, like everywhere else: mostly Dutch bikers.
   

To explore the Eifel we sped about 155 kilometre on the beautiful roads around the Nürburgring. On the top right of the picture you see a road sign called 'Rasen ist out' (translated: 'Speeding is not done'); aim at it to see it magnified.

The sign has a contrary effect though: you brace yourself because you're sure some delicious curves are about to come ;-)
   
As we arrived at the Nürburgrings' famous 'Nordschleife' all hell broke loose: it rained cats and dogs for quite some time.
   
Fortunately the sky cleared up so we could open the thottle once more. Back at the camp site my gloves got the opportunity to dry in the sun.
  to the map

Trip 5, Wednesday August 2nd.
192 kilometre: Daun-Pützborn - B257 Meckenheim - A61 Venlo - A73 Horst - Melderslo.
See the green way on the map to destination '5'.

The last stop: bikers camp site d’n Toerstop.
   

 

Two years ago I came here for the first time. I already knew my bike was added to 'The Hall of Fame', but I hadn't seen it live.

   
Immortalized in a golden frame; now I can rest and die ;-)
   
We met the proud owners of this Ural: "No, it's no Dnjepr, it's an Ural!".
   
We spent the evening with them and other bikers at the bar 'till after closing time. On the left you see owner Henk Gerrits.
   

Trip 6, Thursdag August 3rd.
Home sweet home: Melderslo - A73 Malden - Berg en Dal - Beek - Nijmegen, a short 60 kilometre trip. The counter showed a final score of 937 kilometre.
   
 
Finally: his T-shirt proclaims 'Chrome won't get you home'. Maybe chrome doesn't ... but stainless steel does, for the fifth time up to now. And it won't be the last time.