“Betty is badly damaged”

The beginning was extremely tough. The weather was terrible: snow, freezing cold… My first stop was at the foot of the Morvan massif in Burgundy, after 560 kilometers. The average temperature was 0°C. The next day, I rode 860 kilometers to the Massif Central, where I encountered a highway completely covered in snow.

I took a break in Urepel, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, to check the weather forecast. It didn’t look promising, so I took advantage of a brief break in the weather to cover more than 1100 kilometers in a single day. I spent twelve consecutive hours on my motorcycle. Once I reached the port to cross into Morocco, I had issues with the ferry: what should have been a 1.5-hour crossing took the entire day.

Mechanically, my “Betty”, a 2009 BMW 1200 GS Adventure, held up well. I took some very challenging off-road tracks, and the chassis scraped the ground hundreds of times. But I didn’t have to make any adjustments or repairs. That said, she’s now badly damaged.

It was on the way back, in Spain, on the third day after leaving Gibraltar. I had passed Malaga and was heading towards Granada. About an hour after passing Granada, I noticed oil traces on the road, so I slowed down. But ten kilometers later, my bike slipped. I tumbled for about 40 meters, and the bike flew over me, landing ten meters ahead. I landed on my shoulder and broke my collarbone. Luckily, the road was fairly busy, and bystanders quickly called an ambulance and the police, as it’s the police who contact the recovery services. As I said, the bike is now severely damaged. Repairs are estimated at over 10,000 euros, while the bike is worth around 13,000 euros.

Drivers called for emergency services. The ambulance arrived quickly, but the ride was rough—I could feel every bump. The clinic’s service was quite poor. They only did an X-ray because I insisted, explaining I was sure my collarbone was broken. Fortunately, one nurse spoke a bit of French. I have a high pain tolerance, so they thought I was faking it. The doctor said I couldn’t stay at the hospital and should see a doctor once back in Luxembourg. One of the nurses later told me I was lucky because when I stood up, my broken bone moved forward and could have damaged my lung. I had to contact a colleague who spoke Spanish and eventually convinced the doctor to give me strong intravenous painkillers. They still refused to keep me overnight, so I insisted they let me go find a hotel.

I contacted LAR for help finding a hotel, as my phone battery was nearly dead. The nearest hotel was 1.3 kilometers away, and I walked there. I managed to find a pharmacy for painkillers and a shop to buy food, water, and a charger. The hotel staff were extremely helpful—they even spread butter on my toast the next morning! The next day, I looked for clothes since all I had were my motorcycle boots, hospital pants, and a T-shirt. I found a Decathlon store 1.8 kilometers away. After taking some painkillers, I walked there to buy clothes and cereal bars. When I returned, I finally took my first shower in three days. It was painful, but I was glad to clean up and look presentable again. Over the next three days, I stayed in constant contact with LAR, who arranged a flight for me, an ambulance to the airport, and a reclined seat on the plane. I arrived in Luxembourg on a Friday but had to wait until Monday for surgery, as the doctors were overwhelmed.

I’ve decided to stop doing road trips by motorcycle. I’ve been riding off-road since I was ten and on the road since I was sixteen—so I have 28 years of experience. But this trip made me realize it’s time for a change. I’m still glad I did it, despite the tough weather. For my future trips, I plan to use a 4×4 truck. It offers better protection against wind and rain. Finding lodging can be costly, and even though prices are reasonable, traveling by truck would be more economical. For instance, I calculated that a typical day in Morocco, including food, lodging, and other expenses, cost me about 45 euros. I also believe that human connection is just as possible in a truck as on a bike. I already own a camper van, and road trips will resume in June—so let’s see how it goes!