Last month we left Fast Bikes on their inaugural Cannonball Run in Bolzano – a small German speaking town located in the north of Italy.
In their March 2016 edition, Editor Simon Roots carriers on where he left off, heading east for Croatia.
A night in Bolzano showed exactly what the Cannonball is all about – good company, and forming genuine friendships. Unfortunately for Simon, the after-effects of the night before meant that a number of the group were still in bed when the time came to hit the road the next morning, so he ended up on map reading duties.
The high altitude makes for chilly mornings when riding in early Autumn, but they headed off climbing the SP72, frost glistening at the edges of the tarmac, and their Dunlop Sportmax SportSmart 2 tyres still cold. However, riding well within their limits, they enjoyed mile after mile of brilliant passes as they headed out of the Alps for Udine and eventually the border with Slovenia. Turning south for the Adriatic they crossed the border with Croatia and by the end of the day they’d reached Opatija.
The following morning they headed out for a track day at the Rjieka circuit which was once home to the Yugoslavia Grand Prix, which is located just 25-minutes from the Croatian resort town. However, due to some extremely high winds it was clear that the session wasn’t going to happen, at least not within the allotted time frame. This meant much reading of maps, and finding the route back through Slovenia and that night’s hotel at the Italian ski resort of Cortina.
The following day saw a run up the famous Grossglockner Pass cancelled due to it being shut, so the group decided to go with Plan B – a run to the infamous Eagle’s Nest, Hitler’s summer residence, before a final run in to Munich before everyone said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, hoping it won’t be too long until the next trip.
Every day sees you packing in the miles, struggling against fatigue and experiencing some of the most exhilarating roads in Europe. The general feeling of camaraderie which comes with sharing an experience with other like minded people is what draws people back to the event every single year, and the 2016 run kicks off in Clermont Ferrand on 26th August.
On his Cannonball Run, Simon used Dunlop’s Sportmax SportSmart 2 tyres and had this to say upon his return:
“I can’t tell you how impressed I was with these tyres. What do you mean it’s my job to tell you how impressed I was with these tyres? Right-o. They offered grip galore, super stability and just keep on going with well over 4,000 miles now rolled on them – with no sign of the white flag yet. I rode back from Germany back home in a one-er and even flat out on motorways they still refused to round off. They’re still on now, and a track day and many commuting miles later they look fresh and – more importantly – feel fresh.”
You can view the full range of Sportmax SportSmart 2 sizes here.
