The glint of the copper coloured panels on the side of a neighbour’s CBR600FW springs to life in the sunshine of the morning of the Equinox in Barons Court. Not the glint of the Wagner’s Rheinmaidens’ gold in the Rhine but for me a reminder of a powerful allure.
The allure that I first saw one spring dawn on my way to a breakfast television studio in 1998, which led me to buy the exact same model and colour, then leathers to match. Not at all my first bike, that 600cc bike took me to the Swiss Alps, Tuscany and above all to discover Provence and Marseille. In between trips, the orange bike took me faithfully to studios to work on major national television programmes.

Read more: Nostalgia

A short spin to Cassis to enjoy the spring sunshine!

White bike, white leathers riding through hills of limestone bleached white by the strong sunshine, plus the ever-present distraction of white snowy mountains in the far distance, the Allos range above Barcelonnette.Bonding with my new bike.. riding out from Marseille to the fine, clear roads of the Alpes of Haut Provence. Not La vie en rose as Edith Piaf sang her words but much the same story, just the colour is white.
Hold me close and hold me fast
The magic spell you cast
This is la vie en rose ...

Invited to a club day at the newish track, the Pôle Méchanique d’Alès in the Cévennes; an eye-opening introduction into the self-contained and passionate world of the track riders and their supporting mechanics etc. Self-contained because at least some of the outfits live in their motor-caravans and travel from track to track. I first touched upon this world at the Bol d’Or 24-hour race on its return to Ricard track at Le Castellet on 2015.

Read more: Pôle Méchanique d'Alès-Cévennes