Assist injured biker, Barcelona/Catalunya, parking
 

Hi there
I wonder if anyone can help?

I've been riding off road around southern Europe, and the Balkans and Alps were excellent. Arrived in Camprodon near Ripoll in the Pyrenees the day before yesterday.

Yesterday I hurt my back badly in a completely innocuous incident, meaning I can kind of walk and lie flat without pain, but sitting in a chair hurts and riding a bike is impossible, especially off-pavement. The strong and cheap Spanish painkillers are helping :-)

It is very likely that I will have to interrupt my trip and fly home to England from Girona or BCN.

Does anyone have somewhere, ideally close to Girona or Barcelona airport, where I might be able to park the bike for approximately 11 weeks (Assuming I'm able to ride a paved road in a few days time)?

I'm a school teacher and my next holiday starts 23 October so that is the first possible return date I can fly back to Spain and collect the bike. It'll be cooler then too for enduro riding! In that time my back can recover properly.

Can anyone help with parking my bike somewhere out of the way? It's a BMW X Challenge, so very narrow and not taking much space in your garage or barn or garden.

Muchas gracias!

Hi Chris.
I live in Bilbao, so I cannot help you, but I will copy this message in this site: www.bmwmotos.com the biggest site for BMW owners in Spain. I hope someone contacts and helps you.
Good luck

Here you are the link. Good luck and get well soon:http://www.bmwmotos.com/foro/mensaje...ml#post7138626

Hi again Chris. Two people have answered so far, one in Barcelona and the other one in Girona saying they have room for your bike. The problem is that none of them speak english. Do you speak spanish?
In case you don't, I can put you in touch with them.

Many thanks for your hard work and caring attitude. Unfortunately my Spanish is pretty bad.


I also contacted the HU Community in Barcelona and received 2 very positive replies. Facebook has also produced a lot of great help, so for the moment I think I'm sorted. I need to rest and see how my back progresses. Maybe in a few days I can ride the paved road the 150 or so km to BCN.

Best wishes to Bilbao!

Glad to read this:thumbup1:

Was at the chiropractor today and got good advice, a massage and acupuncture.

It seems I've got some muscle damage in my back and with more treatment and relevant exercise it'll be sorted soon to be able to ride the pavement to BCN.

Also, the weather has improved so it's less bad being off the bike than in the last couple of days.

You need to exchange the bmw for a lada Chris ! :)

If the pride of Novosibirsk came with a caravan, it'd fit right in here on the campsite. ;)

Maybe I´m not much of a help, but as I´ve been battling some problems with my lower back for nearly 2 years now, I´m looking to soon make a trip to Greece & Italy, and only ride one-way, so I send the bike back home to Finland by truck & fly home from Milan, Italy. The cost in this case appears to be around 400 euros for the bike, plus my flight tickets. Just thought I´d mention this possibility, though I know nothing about trucking options between Spain & UK.

Thanks for that suggestion. There are Spain to UK bike freight options. I'm intending to leave the bike in the S of Spain at the end of August and return at Christmas and New Year to visit Morocco. I'll have to see how that plan progresses.

Enjoy your trip to Greece.

Hey Chris, had a chat with Dave and he says that there is a very good / friendly place in Fuerteventura called Lets Ride Spain (Malaga) he's going out there on the 19th Sept He recons it's and excellent place and they might possibly come and pick the bike up if it's not too far. Just an Idea!bier

Hope you can get yourself sorted.

Cheers Steve

Hi Steve
Thanks for the idea. Unfortunately it's at least 500 miles from here to Malaga, so a bit too far. If I need parking in Barcelona (<100 miles) I'm hopefully sorted.

Hope to ride some dirt tomorrow. Wish me luck! Did 40 miles on the slab to the welder and back today (silencer mount sheered again: Did it last year in Siberia too) and was ok on the body. Also stopped medication this morning.

Hope you're getting out on the bike yourself.

Ps. The flow rate on that Ortlieb water bag thing I bought is tending towards sh!te :cool4::smartass::mchappy:

Nothing wrong with the flow rate, it must be operator control!:D

Hope the back lasts you out until you get back. Give me the nod when you do and we'll meet up for a beer.
Steve

Indeed, a bad craftsman always blames his tool ;) You going to Darren and Leigh's event in Keighley?

Made it to Gosol 100 miles west on the vb5 roadbook. 70 dirt and 30 pavement. Took it easy (when i remembered to) and feel ok, but I definitely know my back is there.

Dazzers dooo is in my diary. Will be there.:thumbup1:

Quick update.

Rode about 250 km in 2 days
Scenic pavement and a lot of dirt. Also some very narley stuff. Had a day off today near Tremp
Back is ok, so far.

Will continue to take it easy and enjoy the views.

Arriving A Coruna, Galicia 03 September
 

Chris, we have safe and secure parking for your bike with our BMWs ... and a spare bedroom for you overlooking the beach in Mera, Spain about 20 K out of A Coruna. We arrive Spain 03 september.

Seems like you are O K now. We hope so. FYI... There is a ro ro ferry to England from north coast Spain, but I don't have up to date info.

Elisa and I wish you the best. Right now, we are visiting our ranch in Flagstaff, Arizona - but will be in Spain 03 September until 21 October 2014, then back Colombia (for our motos stored there) and ride on to Buenos Aires.

Let us know where and how you are... we have friends and family throughout Spain - Elisa's 2 brothers - Daniel and Jesus are on north coast - and both are medical doctors! Daniel rides a BMW and if necessary could assist you on the road...

xfiltrate and rosa del desierto

Many thanks for the offer of help. Touch wood, I hope I'm ok at the moment and don't require any more medical input. If the worst comes to the worst, I'll be in touch.

I'll ride a bit more in the Pyrenees and then slab it down to Gibraltar in preparation for a Moroccan viage over Christmas and New Year.

:) Pleased to here you are sorted....
 

Chris, you just keep bouncing back.... good for you, Elisa broke three toes riding the Trampolin de la Muerte, so we left our bikes in Colombia and flew to our ranch in Flagstaff for her recovery.

We understand how frustrating injuries can be - we were also delayed 15 days due to a coffee growers strike that roadblocked all roads in and out of San Augustin, Colombia. the Colombian people came to our rescue so we try to help HUBBERS with medical problems.

Morocco is GREAT we stayed a couple days at a hotel off the Souk in Marrakesh - that used to serve as temporary residence for traveling U S Peace Corps volunteers ....and we slept comfortably in a cozy hammock strung on the roof... hotel name was "Sidi Sur" I think.

The best was Essaouira, Morocco - on the coast - a cultural experience second to none...although I did sense the local police/military were very hard on the locals - jailing some just because they spoke with foreign tourists and I witnessed first hand constant sweeps of the tourist areas by the military to insure safety for the tourists, but with little or no regard for the rights of the locals.

We had many memorable experiences and wish you Happy Holidays in Morocco - you won't find many "drinks parties" as alcohol is banned - although we were able to score wine with the help of black marketeers...

Be sure to respect the King of Morocco, his statues and images etc.

xfiltrate and rosa del desierto