The ZeeBra-tour.

In the beginning of July RakkiRauw opens a new topic in the motorforum, in which he announces that he is going to organise a tour through the province of Brabant. It seems to me a good idea and so I leave early on saturdaymorning into the direction of Breda.

Depart...
I wake up early and start my morning-ritual of medication, shower, bikeroutfit, breakfast, bike out of the garage, closing the backdoor and then at seven-thirty I leave home. It is drizzling slightly, but not enough to wear my raingear. I agreed with henks to meet him at a service station just prior to the exit of Gorredijk. As soon as I drive through my street I feel kinda naked. Forgot to put on my backprotector and then I wouldn't feel good on my bike all day. So I drive back home to get it and put it on. That is why Henk is already waiting for me at the service station. I fuel up quickly and skip the nicotine-break in order to catch up the time. We agree to have our next break at Eemnes, that is when Henk needs to fuel up again. The first part I am leading.

Halfway-break...
At Eemnes we stop at servicestation "het Veentje". Henks fuels up and we get ourselves a refeshment and make use of the sanitary facility. One cigarette and then we move on. Henk has been in Breda before so the second half he is leading. Just before the end of the trip, he misses a turn, but soon knows to come back on track and then we drive into the parking, on the corner of Groene Woud and Noutenhof. Inside the building, there is coffee/tea and sausagerolls. I haven't counted the people, but I believe we were with about 20 men/women present. It's good to see the familiar faces and nice to learn to know the new ones. At eleven we start the tour in and around Breda.

Breaks...
Near Meersel-Dreef we have our lunch, and then we move further into Belgium. After another break the bike of Rabbithunter won't start anymore. The toolset is surfaced, because he has a hunch of what it can be. Indeed it is a socket molten together and is causing shortcircuit. Something else then a blown fuse. So Rabbithunter will be my pillion for a few kilometres to a place he has agreed with a friend of his, in order to pick up his bike. We leave him behind, surrounded by terraces. Because of the nice weather a good place to wait. Eventually we end up at the "Kogelvanger" near Breda. There we talk for a while. Slowly the group is minimising and around six PM Henk and I also decide to move up North.

Homeward...
A few kilometres after our lunchbreak we both had fuelled up, so we can drive quite a few kilometres. Near Hilversum we take a fuel/nicotine-break and agree to drive by Drachten in order to get home. Then we move on into the polders. Near Lelystad we really get a shower, but we move on as die-hards. Because I know Henk has no raingear with him, I don't stop to put on mine and so we drive on to the Frisian country. There we have another nicotine-break near a fuel-station and say goodbye. Near the exit of Beetsterzwaag it starts drizzling again, this can't be true, but soon it is dry again. Then we pass by Drachten and Henk takes the first exit into the direction of Oosterwolde and I take the next into the direction of Dokkum. Around nine I am back on base. Immediatly I put the bike back into the garage. Check the counter and make an attempt to calculate. The counter has 633 kilometers (393 miles) more then this morning. Then I walk into the house, it is nearly dark outside. I switch my computer on after greeting the family and make the announcement in the bikerforum that I have arrived safely. It is almost a tradition to do so.

Betty Smit, Motormeisje.nl

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