In Search of Switchbacks
Geneva was busy and hot – the sign above the pharmacy displayed 30 degrees and the traffic stood chaotically still. Random rev’n’go commuters whipped by, one on the back wheel, two in mini-skirts, but our fully loaded big bikes needed patience. Then a new sound. I tilted my helmet towards the left rocker box of my boxer twin and sure enough, my tappets were complaining. Never heard that before… it must be hot. Martin and Mike pressed on over Mont Blanc Bridge and I followed with noisy valves, yearning for the open road. Luckily, Mike knew the way, leading us out of Europe’s financial centre and into moving air at last. My tappets cooled down as we crossed the Swiss border into France.
The real journey had started at Thonon Les Bains, 700 miles from London. The Route des Grandes Alpes (Great Alpine Road) lays down 450 miles of bends from Lake Geneva
