6.ITT 1998 Heinsberg (D)
in "Polish English"
21-24.05.1998

I got the following informations about International Transalp Rally - "ITT-98" from reading TA pages on internet. Because I didn't have anything important to do, I decided to go.

Thursday May 21st - The first day.

The way to the treffen was very easy - olny west. There were some clouds on the horizon, sun behind me. I reached the German border at 7:30 - 350 km away from home. Traveling on "The Autobahn" I got to Hannover at 13:30. Then I decided to visit my friend Christian, who lives in a small village Springe. We were talking about old times, drinking tea. He gave me a map on which I found Heinberg. Wishing me good luck he went to another rallye with his girlfriend.

From Springe, throught Hameln road nr 1 (what a number) to Paderborn. Here the wether started to make worse. So far it started to rain. Angry and wet I lost my way. I found it crosing a cross-roads on red light. Ooops... Started with Erwitte road became narrow and views became "more mountaintly". The weather like in mountains here sunlight, there rain. To make me feel better I decided to go to meeting "unmarked roads". Near Heinsberg I saw first TA. Following him I got to the reception.

After paid income I put up my tent. By the way there was only free place for stamp. It made us more friendly. After supper (sorry - no tea) everybody went to "our" pub. During drinking beer there was a good time to make new friends. There are my new friends form Netherlands - Marc Stavinga, Hans deWaard (NL-WebMaker). We finished after midnight ....

Firiday May 22nd - The Second day.

Could night, without rain. Some people decided to sleep at hotel. Big, delishes breakfast made us wormer. After breakfast I went to a parking and I saw my bike's tire without air. Uach :-((.

This day there were two trips, longer (250 km) and shorter (200km) one. I decided for longer one. My trip started from looknig for tire-service. It took me two houres. Another two houres service was trying to repair my tube. Summary with four houres delay I started my trip.This photo I made after 100 km trying to chace my group.

It made gloomy - blue and cold. In roadbook I found informaction about trip-break at "Jerenimo". There I was informad that group was here long time ago. Lonly I continued my trip... The country looks like Polish Beskid Mountains. A lot of small streams creat mountain's lakes. In the evening I found German group. With them I continued my trip. Because of cold we decided to stop at little bar to drink hot tea, and coffee of coure, and cakes.

After big and delicious supper of course - party. Good humors, beers, good (to loud) music - making new friends. We were speaking English, even Russian. Nobody spoke Polish.
On the photo (on the left) "DeTi" (D-WebMaser). Not young, not loud, but good friend - TA fan.

The party was great. Everybody was having a good time. Dancing Fiesta Maccaena - New way of TransAlp's dancing , was the most funny moment. One of us, named Hobo danced on broom. More beer please ... .
There was no way to get cold at night.

Saturady May 23-th - The Third day.

The nigth was without rain but deep cold. In the breakfast time a sun shine put on the room. It makes hoter. Tradicionaly, at the day before depart all, everybody met at the parking to make a common photo. As usually we tried to meet together without ending. This motobike on the right is a special way to love TA.

There were only Holender's and German's motorbikers except Per - Swedish and me - Polish. Per is a veteran bikers, he made more then 140,000 km on his old TA bike. Private he is a kind joker and a grate friend. As a motorbiker he is a hot head.
He was smiling even that time when somebody put a banana at his bike's muffler.

Succeslly there is more and more us ... . Here he is - Hans Hobo..

And now - Luigi. His TA has a engine from AfrikaTV, 40 liters tank etc.... In Arabic language the note on the tank means TransAlp.

And already we are all, I hope. In opinion of the organizators there were about 130 TA. Specialy they prepared two ladders for making good photos. Mayby it works .... All this action takes us more then one hour.

After official part of this day - depart on the road. Thsi day I drove with my night friends. The leader of the group was Hans. There is a very good idea to ride behind the leader without thinking about road. You can admire countryside and you can think about something else. Hans was hard working - payed attention of the road-book and for us. In this time we relaksed our travelling. On the common trips photos are made only during eating time and time to put it out of the body. This is the first variant.

A pub was on the top of mountain. Near there was a view-tower. We conquested it on the foot. How we can see it on the photo it made me fear. The view was fantastic. Only that way down ...

Here a small break for finding geographical possition because traveling and using "roadbook" we can do mistakes. Not only we lost our way in this place. In fifteen minutes here sticked in the mud more than 50 motorbikes. ;-).

And we sticked in the mud because it was a slide down to country way. The way to motocross. Suddenly everybody became proffesional competitioner. There were some jumps and drooooops. I jumped too. "Deti" said only one sentencion - "This bike wasn't make for jumping". And he was right. Per (S) destroied (a little) his TA. One of the participant hurt himself a bit. The madness is not domain the Polishmen ;-)

From this place rather in touristic way we continued travelling. Hans "leaded us by the nose" througt all the region. After short break for an icecreams, tea and beer we mooned about narrow countryroads. On this dam (on the right) "DeTi" told me history about destroing dams during II WW.

When we came back to our meeting DETi and me decided to jump for a little trip yet. We wanted to test each other TA. During this trip we met Hans who was making a romantic photos. He tried to catch that short moment when the sun was going down. I hope that he done it.

The supper was more delicious than usually. Even became a queue of hungry people. We were coming back three times to get more food. From time to time we let some older transalpers to skip the line so they don't spend the rest of their life in the queue. They seemed to be starved to deth.

After the supper party in tawerna. Round mightnight the raylly was officialy closed. All the visitors were thanked for coming to the meeting. There were no diploma etc. So actient "veni, vidi, transalpi" ...

Sunday May 24th - The fourth day.

It was raining all the night and a little in the mornig. I packed my wet tent and get dressed in not quite dry cloths. After breakfast arround 8:30 I started moving back home. I was supposed to go back to Ople with Hans, but it didn't work again. I lost him again, sorry Hans. I Ople I took "The Autobahn" . It rained till Bielfeld. There was gigantic traffic jam near Hannover. Driving my wonderful TA I menaged to pass it pretty fast. Then the road torwards Berlin and Polish border was almoust deserted. It was the big luck becouse "The Autobahn" opposite direction was stack for good. Passing a fiew rain clouds I got home at 10:30 pm after driving 1,150 km. There wasn't too hot, only 4 on the temperature scale.
Lucky for me ITT98 was wery hot.

Bogdan Chudzikiewicz,
POLAND Sopot o/Gdańsk