OK, panic over.

I've now found the archive of the debate. This year's controversy is that the law, which has proven to be unworkabe, should be revised. The relevant minister promised this over a year ago but nothing has happened.

One of the motorbike organisations* has brought the subject up and that was what all the fuss was about. The answer was a big flo on the law, basically the view is that with the financial crisis no-one needs more expensive regulation, so for the tie being everyone just plods along as ever - only a very few green lanes are prohibited and signposted and there are precious few forestry police around to enfroce those that are!

Anyone who speaks Catalan can see the video here - but you'll have to select the 'Tema del dia', theme of the day, for 10/2/2010

Grant, I would send you the programme by email if I know what your address is!

Cheers

Simon
* in fact it was two NGOs led by the same bloke, Jaume Mimó, the Federació Catalana de Motociclisme and the Associació Catalana d'Access al Medi Natural

Phew and it's only Monday morning!

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Blogging around Iberia

Thanks Simon, That's good to hear - we didn't think there was a problem, but you did get us worried - nice to have it confirmed that all is good!

Contacting me is easy - see the Contact link at the bottom of every page, Or click my name at the top of the post, and "Send email to...", or: My name is Grant, and I'm at HorizonsUnlimited - easy!

thanks for checking into that and bringing it to our attention, we'll be be keeping an eye out. Anything further you hear, please let me know.

see you in the Pyrenees!

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Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Yes, glad that's over. Now all I have to think about is joining/forming a team!

Quite happy to take to luck on the day, of course, but it would be good to built some kind of a taem beforehand, bonding, all that sort of stuff.

So - anyone with a 650-ish single, not too interested in the competitve edge, likes/interested in good food and wine, jazz, gsoh . . .

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Blogging around Iberia

We put teams together as of close of registration end of JUNE, so lots of time to do a team-building weekend sky-diving or a meditation retreat...

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Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
------------------------
Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Steve, I've an XR400 - any room in your van? Share costs/share driving......

I did the HUMM in 2008 on a GS1150A with a friend on a 1989 Africa twin. Other than a deep and rapid water crossing we managed most routes - albeit with a little damage - but had a great laugh doing it. We are back this year on a Tenere (for me), and a KTM950 (for Ashley). We are riding there and back and happy to extend the team out to any remaining single riders out there. Talljohn.

I am hopefully getting my bike and kit taken down for me as I am tight on time this year.
I am flying into Barcelona on Monday night from Luton and hiring a car to travel up to La Molina.
After the event on Friday morning I am going back down to Barcelona airport to pick up my other half who is flying in at 1400hrs before we head South for the weekend.
Anyone who wants a lift in either direction let me know.
Leaving Barca @ 22:30 Monday 26th .... going back to Barca for 14:00 Friday 30th.

Simo-n-ice... we must meet up for a at the event ... Im 'part time' there too... a bit further South toward Tortosa... have a couple of lightweight traillies down there.

Evenin' all,

There may be a team Cat-Attack* in the making! davontour, yamaha Tenéré, has replied to my plaintive wails and we may be meeting up and talking turkey. So we seem to be in the 650 league, soft riding styles preferred and, easy on the jazz!

Furthermore, thanks to Barcelona Pat - there's also a possibility of a seperate meet for all in the Catalonia/Pyrenees region in late March, although the two could overlap.

So, thanks to talljohn for your encouragement, and 'Hello' to part-time neighbour Harv - I live full-time in the city of Tarragona, just to the north of you in Tortosa, and part-time in the Pyrennees north of Lleida. - a somewhere sometime would be very welcome Harv!

Watch this space!

Cheers

Simon

* the name 'Cata-Attack' is by no means fixed!

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Whats the average age? Havent planned anything yet for this summer, im 23 In July. Looks like a fun event. 2 bad most of my mates that ride motorcycle ride sport bikes.

Age range last year was 15 to errhmm, around 60-ish! 23 is fine, we had several in that range last year.

Average? probably 30's-40's. It's not a wild drunken party for sure, everyone's pretty focussed on getting in the most and best riding they can.

Sport bikes CAN ride the road event, but if they ride at hyper velocity for the whole two days they'll end up in jail or hospital. If they ride sensibly, they'll have a blast. OR they can ride their sport bikes there, and hire some great dirt bikes, getting the best of both worlds.

See you there!

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Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
------------------------
Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

The Fates were benign last Saturday when davontour and myself arranged to meet in the Pyrenean town of Berga. The sun shone, the birds sang and, amazingly, we ran straight into each other in the town centre, which is much larger than either of us had imagined!

So, the upshot is that it seems we meet eye to eye and have the making ¡s of a team for the Big Event. It's not an exclusive club, however, so if anyone likes the look of our corporate profile please get in touch with either of us. Here goes:

Bikes: 650/750 singles
Location: Catalonia; this is not too important but may come in handy for our possible training weekends - see below
Objectives: to finish the course, preferably in one piece and to have a great time doing it - we are NOT out to win any prizes!
Style: consensus over coersion; that is to say "No awkwards sods!"
Age (not the bikes!): let's just say we're into the grey zone
Sex: strictly by appointment!

We've decided to stay at the hotel during the event and I at least will then carry on camping further south in the Pre-Pyrenees, if anyone wants to tag along that'll be fine - I know some pretty awsome routes!

In the spirit of the event we've decided not to do our training sessions in La Molina, even though that would be the most convienient place for us both to meet. Instead we may have a few training sessions in a TOP SECRET desert location way to the south of the Pyrenees! So ideally, anyone joining the team should be able to travel to the Catalonia/Aragon border sometime around may/June. But this is a) not finalised and b) not essential!

I guess that's it for now - purrrrrrr!

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Blogging around Iberia

Simon / Davontour
Were you thinking of off-road or sticking to the black stuff (not referring to guiness of course ..but then again ...hmmm!)? We can discuss more at end of the month - but despite my bike sounding like a tractor, I don't think it'd get through the mud!

Like the approach - and starting to think seriously about doing it - though it would have to fit in with my big summer ride. Curious that you say you are more on the grey side - I too seem to have more colour on my chin these days than on the top of my head!

Off on travels again t'morrow - so won't be checking in for a couple of weeks. Looking forward to 27 or 28th.
Cheers

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Pat
www.patonabike.blogspot.com

Attachment 3068Hi Pat, great to hear from you, although sorry we seem to have been ships that pass in the night, perhaps!

First the bad news - yes David and I are into going on the off-road circuit, both our bikes and our boots are geared up for it. But bearing in mind your bike I had wondered about signing you up as our official groupie - an honorary position that only requires ceremonial duties of course, not the Full Works

On a brighter note I see that there is a possibilty of renting a bike through the HUMM team - don't know if that would suit?

In the meantime - let's have a great time on March 27/28th. I blazed the trail after meeting David last weekend - before the blizzard but it didn't exactly feel like it! Note the interesting effect of the Great Snow that paralysed Catalonia during the week of March 8th and a timely reminder to allow extra braking distance during adverse weather conditions!

Cheers

Simon

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Blogging around Iberia

Spring - geddit? Oh well, never mind. In the first few days of spring the severe weather relented and gave David a window through the snow to meet at the best place to cross the Pyrenees, the Gate of the Good Water (in keeping with the Top Secret nature of our training, all locations are given in cryptic clues!), so we were able to have a session of team building and pre-training, er, training!



After a brief tour of the valley and its amazing roads, and surreal sights, - here we have Gaudi on a Natural High, perhaps - we headed off to a good supper and rest at our Top Secret Mountain Hideout.



Sadly, David was only able to stay for one night so we were only able to trail lite as his Tenere was fully laden from his madcap trip to Britain - just to have a set of bespoke panniers fitted!



Nevertheless Team Cat-attack was able to see some of the splendours of the region - none the worse for the imminent return of inclement weather - at exactly 1,676 metres I'm not sure if this is low cloud or high fog!



Not to forget Barcelona Pat, who, having declined the honour of being Team Cat-attack's own Groupie, despite its purely ceremonial rôle, is the Team Cat-attack Fan Club's member #1 - and, being the only member thus far, the de facto President of same.



Pat and I met last Saturday at the official Team Cat-attack greasy-spoon biker's caff - Can Pere (Pete's Place - and far from greasy, the food's excellent!). Following the meet an excellent day's riding was had by both despite the vastly different approaches to the biking experience of said Cat-attackers!

As well as introducing President Pat to some of the marvels of the region, Simon's unerring sense of where to get a good scoff led to the new offical Team Cat-attack restaurant, canteen*, and bar near Berga where Pat, evidently a gourmet of some stature, was able to sample a hitherto unknown (to him!) local speciality, rabbit cooked in a chocolate sauce, while Simon gorged himself - at Pat's expense - on cap-i-pota, a dish meaning 'head-and-hoof', or in this case trotter:- a marvel of unctuous gastronomy for lovers of tripe, brawn, faggots and other offalatic (ouch!) delights!

So far so good. The next training session is as yet unplanned; either at a Top Secret location near the Costa Brava, of once again in the Pre-Pyrenees. The original desert training weekend is still on for late June/July, but so far its location is so Top Secret even Team Cat-attack doesn't know where it is yet!

Meanwhile, counterfeit membership cards of Team Cat-attack are now known to be changing hands at prices upwards of 1,000,000 shares in Google.cn, so prospective members should contact either Simo-n-ice or davontour for a prospectus!

Regs

Simon

* that's another cryptic clue

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Blogging around Iberia

Hello- This is my first post here, and my first time going to HUMM!

I'm riding my Yamaha WR250R to the event from Germany.

Unfortunately this thing only has a 2 gallon tank and can make it about 100 miles between fill-ups when riding hard off-road.

In the past, how long have the off-road riding days been? Miles/Hours? I'm trying to figure out if I should buy an aftermarket tank ($$$) and/or how many MSR or Rotopax bottles I should bring along.