The rally “routine” begins.
For me, this means that I sit in the tent at 1 a.m. and filling the diary so that I can still assign photos and events 6 months later.
Otherwise the many activities would merge into one big whole and we don’t want that either, do we?
In any case, depending on the person, the rally “routine” can be broadly diversified during the day.
Some enjoy the sun and pool, or reading books,
others prefer chatting with other WIMAs around the campfire, or in the common areas,
many follow the Rally event calendar and take advantage of the tours/courses on offer, etc…
some explore the neighbourhood and shops on foot,
some take to the streets of the neighbourhood, etc.
As you can see, the range of possibilities is huge and of course varies from day to day, but that – in addition to the global supporting programme – is also what makes it so appealing.
So disclaimer: I can only describe my specific experiences during the following week, spiced up a little with the activities of other WIMA Austria women that I overheard or that we did together.
So I woke up at 7.00 am to be at breakfast at 7.30 am. Organised as a buffet in France, everything runs like clockwork, really well organised.
As we found out yesterday that the trash evening would be taking place today, we met in a common room today – despite the lack of preparation 😉 – to coordinate our roles in detail and to discuss and rehearse the entire programme.
It gets off to a very bumpy start, but as it progresses we find a way to pack everything into the show as desired. Satisfied, we put the props away and set off to circle the lake at Embrun.
This time we manage to find an almost direct route to the lake and we start the circumnavigation on the north-west shore. The road is more suitable for motorbikes than cars, as it is very narrow, but it always offers sensational views of the lake and the mountains behind it.
Once we arrive in Embrun, we refuel and the group splits up. Versya turns off in the direction of Col du Parpaillon to indulge her gravel passion, while the group continues around the lake.
There’s another ice cream stop and a few “creative” actions on the new Garmin, but eventually everyone returns to camp from the lake circuit.
Versya was at her tunnel at the top of the Parpaillon Pass, but due to a partial collapse and some ice on the south side, she couldn’t go through it and had to turn back. But not before applying the obligatory stickers and getting some “props” for our AUT:F performance on the way back.
Su had her worn tyre changed in Gap and was able to bring us some interesting photos from this side of the department. (Find the dog!)
In the evening, it’s time for another short rehearsal and this time, too, it went very well.
Diana has found the perfect music to accompany our show, so: Rock me Amadeus.
Also on the evening programme: a report from Trui (former President of Belgium), who can tell exciting stories about her experiences from her series “Ride she does” and here in particular with Iranian female motorcyclists (although banned there).
This is followed by dinner (here in (southern) France relatively late by our standards, so the evenings are correspondingly longer).
WIMA Italy starts the first songs while we are eating and this then leads seamlessly into the disco.
The Trash Evening starts at 22:00 (as a fixed component of a rally, every visitor knows what to expect: trash)
But the quality of this trash evening is of truly epochal proportions, not only are there many countries at the start, no, the individual contributions also have the potential to strain the jaw and stomach muscles extremely through constant laughter.
After a successful performance of our contribution, the props are sorted out again and then it’s back to the disco night (heavily dominated by Italo hits, I wonder why? )
Weather sunny and hot
Distance: Approx. 220km