#RIDE 5000 MILES
How you are making the most of the heatwave
Members of our #ride5000miles campaign have been taking advantage of the best European summer since 1976 to clock up big miles. Since the heatwave started in May, our members have racked up more miles than ever before, both here and abroad.
One such rider is Doncaster mechanic Kevin Hollingsworth, who has just hit his 5000-mile target, having only taken up the challenge in May. “The summer highlight was my Portugal trip on my Africa Twin. It was 3700 miles in total. I took the ferry to Santander then rode to the border of Portugal and met some local bikers who put us up in a house in what seemed like a village time forgot. I had to sleep on the floor as beds were limited. Not my greatest moment. From there we rode further into Portugal and in Lisbon where we were yet again put up for the night by friends of our new friends.
“My favourite moment of the summer was being taken on a mountain ride with The Faro Moto Clube’s founding member Carlos Nascimento. It was a full day in the saddle with amazing twisty roads, breathtaking scenery, great food and Carlos calling us all sorts of names in Portuguese. The biking community in Portugal seems amazingly friendly and hospitable. Anyone thinking of doing a trip like this should just do it, and the more you can cross the language barrier, the more you get from the trip.” There has been plenty of enjoyment back in the UK, with the cooler climes of Scotland being an attraction for many. “My favourite part of summer was riding my beast of an MT-10 SP round the Scottish NC500 with my cousin on his GS over five days,” says Nick Gibbs. “I loved it, apart from the odd rain shower. There are some epic roads around the route but we didn’t do the singletrack road over to Applecross due to the sideways rain. We loved the trip. People need to experience the NC500.” Riders like Luke Fahy have also been taking advantage of the summer evenings. “I took this picture (left) a few weeks ago in East Keal,” he says. “I once photographed a bike here in the same spot days before smashing it up and losing it forever. This wasn’t the biggest ride of my summer but I just love that view and for me riding isn’t always about going fast or getting your knee down, it’s about exploring and taking in breathtaking views otherwise unnoticed in a car.”
‘It was a full day in the saddle on great roads’ KEVIN HOLLINGSWORTH