The Großglockner Hochalpenstraße is a magnificent pass road, the highest in Austria; maximum elevation of the road is 2504 m. amongst peaks and glaciers up to 3798 m. It made a huge impression on me on a visit In 2009 when we stayed in Heligenblut, 1288 m., on the southern approach. I remember fondly the engineering of the pass road, the views and the driving challenge. That was a hiking and car trip. I've tried several times since to schedule a motorbike ride there but it's always been too far, too difficult to schedule or simply the weather has been unfavourable. Perhaps this year in August with the GLME Summercamp in Imst: my name is now in the hat and my fingers crossed...

This is the postcard I made in the style I was using at the time, before I started this John HikerBiker site.

See also
GLME 2016 Ascension bike camp | GLME 2015 Ascension bike camp | GLME 2012 best rides | GLME 2012 bike camp
Alps Biker 2016

Lots of happy bikers at the GBMCC London Christmas lunch 2016. It's been a great year for GBMCC, including hosting the GLME 2016 Ascension bike camp in Salisbury in May . A record of 99 bookings for the Christmas lunch, with 50 going on to the RVT where Charlie Hides was the entertainer, others went on to the Leather Social at Comptons.

Hires version of my montage available on the GBMCC site shortly.

New bikes, helmets, leathers and all the other kit for riding a motorcycle ... a biker feast at the NEC. A smattering of old street and race bikes looking relatively agricultural compared to next year’s menu-driven monsters. Yes, bikes have menus and nudge buttons too, that’s great, making options available to the rider.

Read more: Motorcycle Live 2016

Last ride of the year, Marseille to St Tropez via Toulon and Collobrières, the “Capital of the Maures”. It’s a holiday weekend here so unsurprising to find myself joined at the fuel pumps leaving Marseille by several other sports bikers, then mugged (ie expertly block-passed) by several more as we all rode up the bends on the road to the Circuit du Castellet, the Paul Ricard motor-racing track. I continued on the road to Toulon, still riding in the style of sheep dressed as wolf; other bikers weren’t so mindful of the numerous well-intentioned posters suggesting specifically to bikers that the road is not the place for competitive riding. Air at Goldilocks temperatures: for me, neither too hot nor too cold, although a bit of a pesky Mistral wind here and there.

Read more: Saint-Tropez