Thursday 12th May 4 riders set off for Berg En Dal to the International Jampot Rally. Dave A had
decided to make it a holiday with Rose and had gone via Harwich on Monday taking our tents with
him which lightened our loads. Steve P was half expected to join us but as he had been in France
until earlier in the week his plans were flexible, so when he didn’t join us at the Springwood Picnic
Site we were not worried and set off. Bob C leading us with Dave McK and Richard following
along the A59 towards Harrogate where we stopped for a lunch at a posh garden centre. Then
onwards via the York ring road to Hull. We arrived at Hull in good time and just as we moved into
the Boarding line Steve P arrived with a long story to tell of the disasters that befell him that
morning. 2 false starts with speedo drive rotation and jammed wheels, binding brakes and finally a
swap to his G80 competition machine. But he made it!
The boat was superb with a nice cabin and food and the entertainment was also very good. A
smooth crossing followed and we departed the dock in Rotterdam at about 08:30. Now the easy way
to get to Berg en Dal is to sit on the A15 motorway and head for Nimegen but Richard had decided
there was a better way on less motorway routes. So he took the lead and we followed some nice
urban roads over the Holland Deep bridge and down to Stellendam. It was here that we encountered
our first roundabout with a small wall on it to keep you in lane. Richard was taken by surprise by
this and nearly went off road! We finally met the A59 and then transferred up the A17 to turn off to
Zevenbergen where enjoyed a few more miles of suburban roads until we rejoined the A59 after
Wagenberg. Approaching s’ Hertogenbosch a navigational error lead to us exiting too early from
the A59 but we stopped at the junction and asked locals for directions. A chap (Graham) that joined
us at Rotterdam had a good map and after a bit of advice from a Dutch cyclist we set off again and
found the correct turn off. Eventually we arrived at our next turn off at another town called
Zevenbergen and followed the N324 to Grave. This is where strange things started to happen! At a
number of traffic lights Steve rode past to the front of the queue and then rode slowly for us to catch
up. Graham tried to tell me something which I didn’t understand but at the next turn it became clear
that Steve had a problem as the nipple had dropped off his clutch cable. Graham had a spare and it
was fitted but this was not a cure so because we were only about 5 miles from the camp Steve
decided to try it without a clutch. We set off again with Steve doing some remarkable and comic
gyrations at traffic lights to keep rolling. Finally we arrived the camp and found Dave A and our
tents already there. Stage 1 Mission complete!
The temperature at this time was in the 20s and I wished I had brought some shorts like Bob as we
all lazed about in the sunshine.
Later Steve investigated his clutch and found that the push rod was the wrong size and there was no
ball in the system. One of the Dutch gurus said he could get one made overnight and so the bike
was parked in garage for the night. The welcome from the hosts, the evening meal and
entertainment was good but at 10:30 yours truly, tired out, headed for the tent for some sleep.
Overnight the temperature fell and I think it rained as well so on Saturday it was a cool 12C. A great
breakfast was followed by an 80 mile ride out with just a light period of rain and we ended up on a
special parking area just beside the Nijmegen bridge. It was a grand sight with over 200 bikes of the
marque parked up. We all went into town for lunch and visits to the market, I took loads of pictures
but subsequently my memory card failed an I think they are all lost.
The local police assisted our departure by stopping the traffic across the main road as the 200 plus
bikes headed out for the 10 miles back to camp.
At this point my clutch started showing signs of dragging and it got progressively worse as we
neared the camp. So after getting set up with Bob making an oil catching tank from a water bottle,
we pulled the primary chain case off to find the clutch loose on the shaft and one of the
compression spring studs detached. The nut for the stud was in the bottom of the chaincase and after
cleaning, applying loctite and centre punching it the clutch was reassembled onto the shaft. It
seemed to runout quite a bit but was OK so it was left as it was and I will be revisiting it very soon.
By now Steve had received his push rod and ball and had a functioning clutch so all looked good
for Sunday.
Saturday night the meal was again very good and the group that provided the entertainment was
excellent. Retiring at 11:30 was not much use as even with earplugs the sounds of revelry in the
marquee overcame any effect they had on my hearing!
Sunday morning dawned cool and damp and we set off for Arnhem in light rain following some
very nice Dyke roads along the rivers. At Arnhem the weather was dry and we rode into the Dutch
“Alps” A hilly and wooded area north of Arnhem town where the hosts had arranged a large parking
area at an outdoor museum which was very interesting and included steam powered mills as well as
wind powered mills doing all the things they were built for. Here Bob and Steve tried their hand at
penny farthing riding and rope ferry crossing and we visited the tram sheds and walked under a
tram in the maintenance section as well as climbing to the top of a huge windmill.
The Trip back to camp was not uneventful and after we crossed over the new Nijmegen bridge to
get back to camp the dynamo chain on Steve’s bike decided to give up and jam the primary chain.
The backup van put him on the trailer and we all arrived back at camp at around 4pm. The dynamo
chain was removed and the primary and rear chain tensions set up again and the bike was declared
fit to ride.
The evening meal was a barbeque but with so many people to be served and only one serving
station for the salads etc it became a bit chaotic. However I think we all got fed and proceeded to
enjoy the band again and many of our number downed vast quantities of red wine!
During our stay the subject of the return route had been aired and one Dutch couple said we could
do almost half the journey on Dyke roads. So we got out the cycling maps that Bob had brought and
the Dutchman showed us where to start. Amazingly I was sort of elected to lead the gang back!
Monday dawned a little wet on the grass but the sun was showing it’s face so we packed up and said
goodbye to Dave and Rose and set out for Nijmegen and the Dykes. Amazingly we found the bridge
and turned off onto the dyke road where for the first 30 miles or so we had a smooth and unhurried
trip along the riverbanks. When the dyke road finished we turned into the local town, headed east
and at the next opportunity headed south until we came to the river again. Finally it got a bit
complicated so at Ochten we pulled off onto the A15 and stopped for lunch at a McDonalds before
continuing on the A15 to Rotterdam. This was also because Steve was finding it difficult to find a
full set of gears in his box so finding top and just plodding on was the best idea. Apart for a minor
brake binding problem with his bike we arrived at Rotterdam for about 3PM
Another nice meal and evening on board with the entertainment passing the time was a good wind
down from the riding.
Tuesday morning in Hull we felt a little rushed to get the bikes off the boat and to cap it all Dave
had acquired a puncture! This actually did us a favour as we were sent to the front of the queue and
out onto the car park where we fitted a spare tube that Bob or Steve had carried and by 10 AM we
were on the road again. Because of his gearbox worries Steve decided to head for the M62 so he
didn’t need to stop and we waved him off. The rest followed Bob who steered us to a little riverside
cafe in Knaresborough where we had some lunch and then we carried on to our final point at the
Canberra Club Samlesbury.
So finished the 2016 International Rally for the North West Section
I think we all enjoyed the experience, we all got on very well and had a few laughs along the way. A
great outing.
2016 International Jampot Rally
