| Hello, you are currently browsing to Retro-Renault Archive which is a copy of our old forum. You cannot post replies in this forum. Please click here to go to the active website.
|
| Author |
Message |
Neal
Forum Moderator
Joined: 18 Feb 2004
Posts: 7432
|
| Posted:
Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:13 pm |
|
Here's some pics from my recent biking holiday in Morzine in the french alps:
3 bikes and all our gear in the back of a Ford Focus:
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0167%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0166%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
6 of the guys lined up outside our chalet:
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0417%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
Posh (Ross), Temps (Simon), Nouveu (Richard), Lurch (Richard), Dr. Crane (Fraser), Mr. Orri (Olly). Excuse the lycra! There were 12 of us in total including a couple of roadie bikers. Tour de France came through the town during the second week so they were happy 
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0184%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
Bikes locked up in the basement... probably around £20,000 worth of mountain bikes there!
Getting on the Pleney ski lift. Just hook your bike on the outside, jump in and up you go!
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0195%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0196%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0197%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0198%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0203%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
The obligatory last minute faff before any ride can begin...
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0201%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0206%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
This is just one of the many lifts the go up the sides of the valley. From there you can either coast down a bit and catch another lift to even further up, do a long cross coutry ride up, a long cross country ride down, or do a full on DH down to the bottom.
Some shots of the various rides:
[img:450:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0245%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0247%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0216%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0219%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
One of the trips was an all day ride over into Switzerland to a little hut place in a valley called 'Cantine de Barmaz'. This was a real highlight of the trip. You ride there all day, and it's a tough, tough XC ride, some lung bursting climbs plus long, technical battering descents etc. Then you have a cheese fondue and some beers in the evening and retire to the upper floors where there are matresses and swiss army blankets (no lighting though, pitch black). Next morning you get up, have some breakfast and head back.
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0430%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
[img:450:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0418%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
Nouveu, apparently unimpressed by the camera flashes in the pitch dark
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0425%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
The 2 dogs who live at that place, who we named 'cheesedog' and mini-cheesedog'
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0431%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
A cool little burst shot I did of Lurch on a downhill run...
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100B0280%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100B0281%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100B0282%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100B0283%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100B0284%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
Unfortunately it was doing something similar to this that I came unstuck...
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0307%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
That's me sat in the treatment room of the medical centre with a broken collarbone. Note the makeshift 'sling' made of an innertube. I had to walk down the mountain like this, it wasnt fun!
Not really sure what happened tbh, I don't remember it, but I think I wasn't going fast enough and cased a landing over a jump. We'll be going back next year, I'll do it again, hit it faster next time, make sure I clear 
Anyway the collarbone, or clavicle, is a very tricky bone fracture to deal with, since you can't set it in a cast. They gave me this figure of 8 splint/brace thing to hold the bone in place while it heals. Basically just pulls your shoulders right back, really uncomfortable. I have to wear this thing 24/7 for 6 weeks... still got another 3 to go 
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0524%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
OUCH! 
[img:450:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0326%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
[img:800:600:f812e35a77]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0325%20(Medium).JPG[/img:f812e35a77]
Since then the whole upper front right hand side of my body turned yellow with bruising, just fading now, 3 weeks later!
Right, that'll do for now, might add some videos tomorrow... Posh also had a helmet cam which he used on some of the descents, need to get that footage off him. |
Last edited by Neal on Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:27 pm; edited 2 times in total |
|
|
|
Chris H
Forum Moderator
Joined: 02 Mar 2004
Posts: 19978
|
| Posted:
Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:15 pm |
|
lucky you mate, I think you take over from my dodgy ankle for biggest injury on a trip |
|
|
|
|
andy 16v
Site Subscriber
Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Posts: 591
|
| Posted:
Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:28 pm |
|
Some great pics neal! hope the bone heals quick for you matey. |
|
|
|
|
mals
Self Proclaimed Comic Genius
Joined: 04 Jul 2004
Posts: 3482
|
| Posted:
Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:28 pm |
|
Nice looking place Morzine, whats the skiing area like? and when on you e holiday did you do the shoulder, not the first day I hope |
|
|
|
|
mals
Self Proclaimed Comic Genius
Joined: 04 Jul 2004
Posts: 3482
|
| Posted:
Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:29 pm |
|
|
|
|
Neal
Forum Moderator
Joined: 18 Feb 2004
Posts: 7432
|
| Posted:
Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:35 pm |
|
nah, was the 4th day, still shit!
My pal Tom did his wrist several days later, although it was really just the final straw for a niggling injury that he already had but hadnt bothered to get sorted.
So we spent the rest of the holiday fashioning projectiles from cans and bottles etc and launching them with bangers. Great fun. |
|
|
|
|
Chris H
Forum Moderator
Joined: 02 Mar 2004
Posts: 19978
|
| Posted:
Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:36 pm |
|
| Neal";p="104102 wrote: |
So we spent the rest of the holiday fashioning projectiles from cans and bottles etc and launching them with bangers. Great fun. |
just before we got deported... |
|
|
|
|
mals
Self Proclaimed Comic Genius
Joined: 04 Jul 2004
Posts: 3482
|
| Posted:
Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:39 pm |
|
Bet 'cheesedog' and mini-cheesedog' were well impressed at that! |
|
|
|
|
Neal
Forum Moderator
Joined: 18 Feb 2004
Posts: 7432
|
| Posted:
Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:48 pm |
|
This was the final version of our bottle rocket and launcher. Believe me when I say we went through many, many different kinds of projectile and launcher before settling on this particular type of bottle! The rocket was a water bottle with bits of foam meat tray cut up for fins. The launcher was a thick walled plastic pipe which Tom found out on the trail a couple of days earlier and decided would be perfect for the job
[img:::1b092c1967]http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0447%20(Medium).JPG[/img:1b092c1967]
And the result:
http://www.renault-turbo.com/neal/morzine/100_0452.MOV
It shot off so quick we couldnt track it, I didn't know what had happened to it, then it nearly smacked me on the head.
This was with the big fat 'stick of dynamite' bangers
It was good fun, at least it staved off the depression of being laid up with a broken bone while there was riding to be done. |
|
|
|
|
Wicked Neo
FCS Event Manager
Joined: 04 Jan 2005
Posts: 3680
|
| Posted:
Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:05 pm |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
