RIDE WITH THE SPYDERS (Part 1)

Salut à toi my biker friend,

You already know that I’m not a great car fan but I appreciate to share the road with all passionated and regularly I have ride with my old mate, Thierry, the gentleman Spyder Porsche driver.

Lucky me, this time, Thierry invited me for a 4 days road trip in the East of France, in the region of Vosges (near by the German border) with some of his SPYDER PORSCHE club members. YES!!!!

Ok, let’s go!

First of all, join the little city of GERADMER which is a commune in the Vosges Department. It is nicknamed “The gem of the Vosges”. Gérardmer is said to owe its name to Gerard, Duke of Lorraine, who in the 11th century built a tower on the bank of the lake or mer, near which, in 1285, a new town was founded.

Gérardmer is situated at a height of of 2,200 feet (670 m) at the eastern end of the small lake, the among forest-clad mountains. Historically it has been the chief summer resort of the French Vosges and was a centre for excursions, 

For this first stage, alone,  I of course only took secondary roads. And, as usal, i crossed some villages with “particular” names …

The weather in this first week of june was not really good. Some rains, almost cold and a shy sun but it was ok, no reason to use a rain suit.

Finally, after a 400kms / 250miles little trip, I arrived at our hotel, where the parking was laready full of  … nice beasts.

And after a great diner and a good night …

It was time on the friday morning to leave the Beau Rivage hotel …

This part of France has a great reputation among the motorcyclists / car community. The wealth of mountains, forests and lakes makes this area one of the most beautiful places to explore by motorbike (or car). 

For sur it’s gonna be a super experience to follow these monters cars on these beautiful roads.

And, at the exit of Geradmer, right after the gas refull …

… I very quickly unerstood that I had a very new problem to solve: how was I supposed to keep up with those car, literally superpowered four-wheeled suction cups that clung to the road in a way no motorcycle ever could? And on narrow mountain roads, no less. Houston, we have a problem!!

In the following photo, you can clearly see on my face the dilemma I have just discovered…

So, whether we like it or not, we are discovering the region and its magnificent roads.

With these picturesque little villages…

… its small forest roads …

… its misty roads …

… its sun-drenched mountain roads…

Where a great many groups of French, Luxembourgish, Belgian, Swiss and—above all—German motorcyclists come to have fun.

Not to mention, of course, the tens of thousands of cyclists appearing from all directions.

Cycling in the region (as in all mountainous regions of France) is practically a religion. Over the years, the famous Tour de France has regularly passed along these roads.

And almost all the mountain passes in the region pay tribute to this discipline.

We were even able to see and cheer on the participants in the centenary edition of the Paris-Colmar walking race, which was held during the first week of June 2026.The total distance is approximately 506 kilometers—equivalent to 12 marathons—to be covered within a maximum time limit of 87 hours. The Paris-Strasbourg race-walking event was established in 1926 and took place annually until 1937. After World War II, the competition resumed in 1949, initially following the Paris-to-Strasbourg route. From 1952 to 1959, the race was contested in the opposite direction, from Strasbourg to Paris. Then, following a hiatus from 1970 to 1975, the competition ran from Paris to Strasbourg in 1976 before reverting to the classic Strasbourg-to-Paris route from 1977 to 1980.Since 1981, the event has been known as the Paris-Colmar.

Naturally, one of the goals of this multi-day road trip was to enjoy the local cuisine. I won’t go into the details—rest assured, we didn’t miss out on a thing.

This gave us the opportunity to stop at one of the many local farms.

Classic regional architecture.

With its fleet of typical agricultural machinery.

And the decorations classic to any mountain farm.

The primary purpose of this stop, of course, was to allow us to sample some local products.

Back on the road after that little gourmet break.

And once again, superb mountain roads under the sun.

Where we encounter more and more motorcyclists.

We’ve lost count of the small villages we’ve passed through.

It’s time to reach our stop for the night.

The next day, the main goal is the National Automobile Museum.

Located in the city of Mulhouse, a French city of the European Collectivity of Alasace (Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region of France). It is near the border with Switzerland and Germany. With about 105.000 inhabitents, iIt is the largest city in Haut-Rhin and second largest in Alsace after Strasbourg. Mulhouse is known for its museums, especially the Cité de l’Automobile (also known as the Musée national de l’automobile, ‘National Museum of the Automobile’) and the Railway City (also known as Musée Français du Chemin de Fer, ‘French Museum of the Railway’), respectively the largest automobile and railway museums in Europe. An industrial town nicknamed “the French Manchester”, Mulhouse is also the main seat of the Upper alasace University, where the secretariat of the European Physical Society is found.

We were joined there by a new fellow traveler who arrived in a magnificent Alpine A110—the modern pride of the French sports car industry.

I can guarantee you that from that moment on, our convoy on the road looked pretty impressive.

The National Automobile Museum houses the most beautiful automobile collection in the world with more than 450 exceptional cars.

At the end of the 60s, Fritz Schlumpf planned to open his collection to make it a museum open to the public, but the crisis of the textile industry caused the liquidation of the company. Fortunately, the accumulated treasures will be saved, and the Association of the National Automobile Museum, created for the occasion, will be able to buy back the entire collection. Finally, the museum, located in Mulhouse in a former wool mill bought by the Schlumpf brothers in 1957, will open its doors on July 10, 1982, nearly 40 years ago.

Bugatti, Rolls Royce, Hispano Suiza, Delahaye, Mercedes, Ferrari, Porsche, Maserati… the most prestigious brands are worthily represented, but also more popular Renault, Citroën, Panhard, passenger cars, sports cars, racing cars, especially F1.

The National Automobile Museum – Schlumpf Collection is located in the Péricentre district of Mulhouse (Haut-Rhin) and houses the world’s largest car collection.

It features over 500 vehicles, including the famous Schlumpf collection assembled by the Schlumpf brothers—comprising 560 automobiles from 98 different pioneering brands built between 1878 and 1918 (430 of which are classified as historical monuments)—as well as the largest collection of pre-1910 automobiles alongside the Louwman Museum in The Hague, an impressive collection of 14 Rolls-Royces, and the world’s largest Bugatti collection (over 120 vehicles).

Housed in a former textile spinning mill built by the Schlumpf brothers in 1880—itself a classified historical monument[5]—the museum spans an area of ​​over 20,000 m².

From 1999 to 2021, the site’s operation was entrusted to Culturespaces under a public service delegation agreement. During this period, the museum expanded and underwent modernization[6].

Since January 1, 2022, the museum has been managed by the Association for the Management of the National Automobile Museum.

There are so many vehicles on display that it is impossible to capture the richness of this museum in just a few photos.

The best thing to do is to go and see it for yourself during your next vacation.

It is well worth the trip if you are a fan of mechanics (and even if you aren’t).

It is also worth noting that there are some fine examples of vintage motorcycles on display.

Like that AB

Or that old tricycle.

After visiting the museum (which took a little over two hours – though one could easily spend twice or even three times that long there), it was time to head to our hotel for dinner. The trip wasn’t over yet; I’ll tell you the rest in an upcoming article.

See ya soon on the road, who knows?

Hervé, your french biker friend.