Taking the Longer Way Home By Peter Dunn # 111630 (September Owners News)

September 7, 2006 Page 1 of 2    12

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The easy option is to take the autoroute and then the French N roads to Peronne, but there’s lots to explore in this part of Europe so I’m taking the longer way home. My idea for the morning is to ride through some of the ground fought over during the Battle of the Bulge and find some of the tanks from the conflict that are still there as memorials.

On previous trips to this area I’ve visited Bastogne with it’s collection of Sherman tanks and Historical Centre, La Roche with it’s museum ( www.batarden.be ) and also La Gleize with it’s December 1944 Collection ( www.december44.com )whose prize exhibit is a King Tiger tank parked outside the museum. For this journey I’d researched the locations of an American Sherman and two German Panzers and had plotted their position on the map. My route would take me on a journey to find all three then back across the border into France for my ride north.

The sky looks grey and miserable; however I’m wearing a Gore Tex riding suit with another waterproof jacket on top. I have Gore-Tex socks inside my riding boots and the RS has heated grips, so even if the weather is awful I should stay relatively comfortable. For the first 5 miles as I ride out of the city the roads are mainly dry and it’s safe to filter through the commuter traffic and head out towards the Ardenne. What my map hasn’t shown me is the extent of the suburbs around Luxembourg. I ride along town roads with low speed limits, lots of traffic lights, junctions and the rain gets heavier.

One of my policies on this type of ride is to ensure I have plenty of petrol so at the first opportunity I stop at a petrol station and fill the tank. I now know I have a range of around 220 miles before I need fuel again. I also swap my gloves for heavier winter ones as my summer gloves are now soaked through. Looking at the RS’s clock I realise that I making very slow progress. Normally I expect to achieve at least 60 miles in an hour. This morning with the rain, traffic and slow roads I’ve only travelled 20 miles. My hope is that as I go further north the roads will open out and the speeds increase.

My route takes me up to Ettelbruck and then onto the N15 heading West towards Bastogne. The Michelin map No 909 has the road edged in green indicating a picturesque route but in the rain it’s not much fun and the views are spoiled by the rain. However, there is little traffic and the road is entertaining to ride at a gentle pace. After half an hour I reach the outskirts of Bastogne. Each of the entry roads has the turret of a Sherman tank guarding the road. I pass the guardian and head for the town centre. Despite the rain, it’s busy so I ride up to the central town square and past the monument to General McAuliffe and the Sherman tank named Cobra King on the corner of the square. If the weather was better I’d stop for a cup of coffee and a cake at one of the many cafes but today I press on riding along the high street. This is the N874 and goes out of the town past the Historical Center and into the countryside. This isn’t the most direct route I can take to my first destination at Houffalize ( www.twenot.nl.panther.htm ) but this allows me the chance to explore some of the surrounding villages that were defended during the siege.

My map shows me I can stop at Mageret then turn onto some small back roads going across country to the N30 main road to Houffalize. In the village I find another Sherman tank turret and a display board explaining what happened in the area in December 1944, together with period photos. It’s still raining so I don’t stay long. I ride along the road that follows the perimeter front line of the siege over small hills and through woods. At one point I pass a memorial to the 101st Airborne, then it’s back onto the main N30 road. I ride quickly and feel in tune with bike despite the weather. After ten miles, the road takes me down the hill into Houffalize.