In the five years I traded the company I had some great memories and met some great people.

Wankers were very few and far apart.

I am going to dedicate this site to the greatest people in the world – Mission Motos Customers!

Thanks Ladies and Gents!

Description: All these routes from Millau take the same route to Aurillac but from Aurillac I have given 4 options… Option1 & 3 are more suitable for Cruisers and heavy bikes whilst Options 2 & 4 have some narrow and technical roads still doable with cruisers and heavy bikes but maybe not so desirable on them. All Timings are Max time it should take incl stops…

Millau to Aurillac – Take the D911 out of Millau towards Rodez. After Bois-Du-Four take the right fork onto the D29 again towards Rodez. On the outskirts of Rodez merge onto the N88 (D1088) bypass and follow it North to the D988 towards Sebazac-Concoures, continue on the D988 to Bozouls where you take the D920. Follow the D920 to Espalion, where it winds along the River Lot to Entraygues-Sur-Truyere stick with the D920 all the way into Aurillac.

Option 1
198 miles approx 6 hours with stops
The D922 from Aurillac to Bort-Les-Orgues is a good fast road wide tarmac with a good surface and rides into the Volcanic Region of the Cantal. At Bort-Les-Orgues (By the Dam) take the D979 to St Angel, Meymac (Take the D36 until you re join the D979 – do not go on the D979E3), Bugeat, after signs for Viam look for the D940 which takes a left fork down into Treignac and Riders Rest.

Option 2
181 miles approx 6 hours with stops
from Aurillac take the N120 (Re signed as D1120 in places) to Argentat (duel carriageway and very streight to start) from Argentat take the D18 to Egleton where you will pick up the D16 to Treignac and Riders Rest.

Option 3
179 miles Approx 5.5 hours with stops from Aurillac take the N120 (Re signed as D1120 in places) through Argentat all the way into and through Tulle to Seilhac where you pick up the D940 all the way to Treignac and Riders Rest. – You can get congestion on the N120 and Tulle can be complicated uless you have satnav (which will try and push you down small D roads such as the D44 after Tulle).

Option 4
If you want to get really adventurious you could do option 1 with a detour up to the Volcano “Puy Mary” This is the one I would do From Aurillac cut through the centre and take the D17 up to Puy Mary, at the top of puy Mary hang left down the D680 until you join the D922 to Mauriac where you take the D678 to the D105 Chalvignac cross over the river Dordogne onto the D16 to Egleton and then D16 to Treignac and Riders Rest- From Aurillac to Puy Mary and to the D922 the roads are quite narrow but twisty and the views are spectacular. From Mauriac the roads become narrow again and the surface is uneven but can be fun (and you can imagine the French Resistance scamoering through these hills) . This one is 201 Miles and is going to take you about 7 hours with stops though you may stop more often for photo’s.

http://www.ridersrest.net/

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View Larger Map
link to map
The key is as follows:
The blue line is the one I would take that balances time with the ride.
The orange will save you time but has less good roads
The brown line goes through Andorra (for duty frees) takes longer/has better roads than the blue.
The red line is the one I would take – I would expect to make the journey in about 10 hours.
The motorway from Toulouse to Perpignan and down takes about 4-5 depending on the border delay.
The orange/blue line will take at least 6 hours
The brown about 8

There are a few national chains – but at the time of writing NO international ones.

What does this mean – that unless you see an address on the site for where you will pick up the bike then you are booking through an agent.

Why does this matter?
In terms of price – no problem – an agent takes their commission from the organisation who rents you the bike.
There can be a slight delay in repsonse.
Perhaps the biggest difference in dealing with renters direct is the knowledge of:

• Motorcycling
• The Bikes
• The area to be toured

I have dealt with one organisation where the individuals had not travelled to Europe and had never sat on a motorcycle. It was a frustrating experience for both client and agency staff.
And a very frustrating one for me as I was perpetually answering petty questions and dealing with clients third hand.

The reason to go south north is you take the single track road with slightly more traffic on it going UP Port de Bales with right of way AND you get some terrific views of the Barousse Valley on the descent.

Google has it at 85 miles/130 Km – it’s probably closer to 200KM all in all. At a 60 KPH average – which is good for these parts it’s around 3.5 hours continuous ride – I haven’t tried this circuit alone – but I figure I could do it in about that time. It doesn’t show that we probably attacked it in the wrong direction!