Great to have a sportsbike parked outside my front door again. A ride back from Chichester on the rolling roads over the South Downs in West Sussex with a warm welcome at Tiffins Tea Shop in Petworth.
It’s a GSX-R600, 2012 version, Pulls hard, corners tight. Noisy. Fun. Trim: Black Shiny Glaze. Unfortunately only a hire for the May Day weekend and the 2016 GLME Ascension Camp in Salisbury.

My biker mate Tony with his new Suzuki GSX600-L4 bike and Alpinestar leathers.

 A satisfying ride round the Grand Canyon of the Verdon - it's the largest gorge in Europe. Lots of opportunities for sporty riding especially on the south rim road. On the north rim, the Route des Crêtes demands to be taken with care. Interesting to stop at the Balcon de la Mescla to look down at the Sentier Blanc-Martel along the river bank, that I hiked the previous day: hiking and biking are different sports and experiences; here, the more obvious pleasure is in riding the road.

Skirting the northern flank of the Esterel massif is the old N7 trunk road that used to be the main route for the 38km (23 miles) from Fréjus to Cannes. Now designated DN7, the road is well made and graded, reliably wide and the curves are usefully banked. Heavy traffic is discouraged leaving sports bikes, sports cars and white vans to enjoy the ride and views. The residences (ie swanky villas) in the hills around are what you might expect up the road from Cannes: private pools of course, plus tennis courts and outdoor entertainment areas.

Read more: L'Esterel