Pidcock Motorcycles News

Mon, 12 Oct 2009

Adventurer sponsored by Roy Pidcock BMW

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Headline: Adventurer sponsored by Pidcock

Squash Falconer, who last year scaled the Himalayan peak of Cho Oyu, recently returned from a trip to France with a difference!

Squash rode a BMW F650GS, from her home in Derby to Annecy in France with a paraglider on her back, thanks to Roy Pidcock Motorcycles, who are based in Long Eaton. This was the first time she had rode a BMW motorbike and she was very pleasantly surprised by it's performance and handling.

It was just over 800miles from her home to the foot of Mont Blanc where the second part of her adventure started as she prepared to climb the infamously tough mountain. The third part of her adventure would be to paraglide down the mountain!

Squash commented "It was really important that I arrived as fresh and relaxed as possible, as I would have very little time to prepare for the ascent up Mont Blanc. I spent 3 days getting there and the bike was very comfortable - the longest distance I did in a day was 500miles - and I was walking perfectly at the end of it!

Although quite a big bike it was really easy to manoeuvre and ride. The fuel tank is below the seat, which means that the weight is much lower than other bikes I have rode in the past. This makes a huge difference to the way the bike handles, it's so much better. It corners very smoothly and you feel very in control.

The bike also had heated handlebars, a welcome luxury. Now I've experienced them there's no going back! They really make a huge difference to long cold journeys. The upright sitting position is very comfortable and the small visor does a great job at protecting you from the wind, which is so important on long journeys. All in all I did almost 2000 miles on the bike and enjoyed every minute! I am really thankful to Roy Pidcock BMW for the loan of it."

Once conditions allowed, following several setbacks, Squash was able to start her expedition up Western Europe's highest summit.

As she prepared for the final part of her journey up the mountain she wrote on her blog "I was feeling confident, nervous, excited and worried all at the same time. Would this be it? This time tomorrow would I be flying down from the summit of Europe's highest mountain?"

The last part of her climb was just as awful as she'd remembered from a previous expedition, in fact worse. The adverse weather conditions were taking their toll. She knew getting to her destination would take hours. Squash says "At times like these, I put myself into an almost trance and just keep going. Mostly I think about food and being in a warm bed safely back down from the mountain. "

Finally she was at her destination and luckily the wind, although still fairly strong, had changed and was now okay for take off. She was only half way through attaching herself to the harness when the wind caught her wing, despite having it anchored using her ice axe. The axe simply pinged through the air with the force of the lift from the wind. Her wing was now free and was dragging her backwards off towards the edge off the mountain.

She managed to regain control by throwing herself down on the wing and stopping it from travelling any further. She had only a moment to pull herself together as it was vital that she got this take off right as the wind window was changing by the minute. Not only was she on snow but it was also a steep take off. Falling wouldn't have been pretty! Thankfully her descent was successful and she is now safely back at home planning what to do next.

If you would like to see more of her adventure you can tune into the new series of the BBC programme Inside Out in November.

Alternatively if you fancy an adventure of your own, and the sound of being out on the open road on two wheels appeals, you should visit Roy Pidcock Motorcycles on Fields Farm Road in Long Eaton this weekend. Alternatively you can visit their website at www.pidcock.com/bmw

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