tour, Brian wanted to keep the group
small, which was more than fine with
us. In the end, four riders signed up
for the trip between late April and
early May 2019. One rider was a new
customer for Brian, but a friend of
one of the other three, all of whom
had ridden together on Brian’s Pyre-
nees tour. It was rather like meeting
up with old friends, which afforded
Brian some comfort as he had not
had his normal allotment of time to
plan the tour in his usual diligent
manner.
Our rendezvous point in Madrid
was the AC Marriott hotel close to the
Atocha railway station. Once every-
body made it in, we collected our
BMW’s from a local rental franchise
a few short blocks away. The bikes
were all nearly new and in excellent
order. We had ample time to return
to the hotel and go for a walk so to
see some of the local attractions. It
TRAVERSE 74
was hot, so Brian bought all of us
ice cream cones at the gateway to
El Retiro Park, once the royal park
and reputedly the most beautiful in
Madrid.
We strolled through a market and
along paths next to families and
lovers alike, sprawled on the grass
enjoying the afternoon sun, until we
found the Crystal Palace - where we
promptly lost track of 'One of Our
Number' who’d strayed off – a harbin-