Three amigos on tour

Zoë Francis-Cox shares the story of her ride to Euro Festival in the Golfe de Saint-Tropez and the memories made along the way with her two wingmen

There is a special feeling when you arrive at a Harley-Davidson event on your own bike that’s hard to describe if you’ve never done it before.

Although I’ve ridden to a number of European events in the past, it has been a while since I took a road trip to a rally. This most recent trip to Euro Festival in the south of France on my 2017 Sportster^® Iron reminded me of that special feeling – the elation of completing an exhilarating journey and being greeted by the roar and rumble of thousands of others who are all in that special moment with you too.

We grouped and set off from Calais five days before the event. ‘We’ are three colleagues (and friends!) who have met through our work and passion for Harley-Davidson. Alan has never ridden to a rally before, or even in continental Europe; Jeremy has been doing it for many years and is a seasoned rider; and I’m somewhere between the two.

Planning the trip was very much a combined effort, although I took the lead in the accommodation booking and final route. We had five days to do around 1,000 miles, which was a lovely amount of time to be able to avoid motorways and zig-zag a little to take in some of the best riding this area of France has to offer.

Our journey took us pretty much as the crow flies, with stops near Épernay, Dijon, Grenoble and the stunningly beautiful Verdon Gorge. The beauty of riding north to south in France is that you know the roads are just going to get better and better the further down you go. We experienced such a variety of landscapes, from flat, open fields and small farming villages to sweeping forest roads, mountain bends and a number of miles in very straight lines too!

Harley-Davidson’s Euro Festival was the first rally I ever rode to after passing my test and getting my first Harley^® – a 2007 Street Bob^® in Denim Black – back in 2008, and we were taking many of the same roads on this trip. The ride certainly brought back many wonderful memories.

Given the three of us had never ridden together before for any distance and were all on very different bikes, we quickly settled into a solid rhythm with our riding styles, speeds and support for each other on the road. Keeping mileages to no more than 200 per day meant a leisurely ride with plenty of time for stops. I have a larger tank on my Sportster, so fuel stops aligned perfectly with the Low Rider^® and Road Glide^®.

Alan recalls: “As someone who’s new to long-distance touring, the prospect of a 1,000-mile ride to the Southern France was very exciting, and I began to ask for touring and packing tips months before. I ride a Low Rider ST and have a sissy bar, so packing was going to be easy, right? Nah, I must have changed my packing about 20 times in the run-up to the ride, not least when the weather forecast was so changeable.”

Alan opted for a large waterproof duffle bag, rucksack and pannier bags. “I was very impressed with just how watertight the panniers on the ST are. I think I had way more kit than the others, but as it turned out the most valuable thing I brought was fast-drying waterproof trousers and my wax jacket. As a back-up, I had a lighter H-D armoured riding hoodie, which also doubled as a jacket to wear around in the evenings and at the event.”

Jeremy hadn’t ridden to a rally for a number of years but thoroughly enjoyed putting the 2025 Road Glide through its paces. “I actually owned one of the early Evo-engined Road Glides around 2000, and I remember thinking at the time that it was the ultimate bike for eating up huge mileages,” he reflects. “Comparing it to the new model is pretty unfair though – the latest generation has levels of performance, luxury, comfort and power that leave its ancestor in the dust. It’s the perfect tool for effortless trans-continental travel.”

One of the coolest things about riding in France was just how friendly everyone was, Alan adds. “Regardless of motorcycle brand, they will wave or shake a foot. You really feel part of a special community when on the road.”

And all of the H.O.G.^® members we met along the way made it even more memorable. Our friends from Dunedin Chapter, Scotland, who rescued Alan with an iPhone charger, and 40 members of the Belfast Chapter, Northern Ireland, rode down and managed to persuade H.O.G. partner Weber to do a mobile barbecue experience on a ride-out.

Alan sums up his first touring ride: “Such an amazing experience, and then there’s the event itself! If you haven’t experienced a major European event with tens of thousands of bikes, mostly Harleys, you just have to go to one. And if you have the time to ride to it, I cannot recommend it enough. I’m already thinking about Cascais in 2026.”

With great roads, beautiful scenery, strong camaraderie and an incident-free trip, what’s the one thing we are still talking about? The fact that I almost got hit by half a ton of pig carcasses that swung out of the open door of a refrigerated truck on a roundabout near Grenoble…

Our tips for riding in a small group

When planning routes with riding times and mileages, be aware that stops for fuel, photos, coffees and lunch can really eat into time. A four- to five-hour riding day can easily become six to seven hours before reaching your destination.

Pack for every eventuality – our ride saw temperatures ranging from 25C to 8C. Make sure your waterproofs and an extra layer are handy to get to in your luggage.

If you like to record your ride with photos and/or video, make sure you’ve trialled your kit before your trip. You need a setup that’s quick and easy to use.

Even if you have breakdown cover and know where dealers are on your route, it’s still useful to have a multi tool and a few spare bolts onboard. A first aid kit, tyre inflator and puncture repair kit are also handy, as is a jump-start power pack. It’s worth spreading items like this among your group to minimise extra bulk and weight. Bring a spare fob battery and make a note of your immobiliser bypass code.

Pack minimally. One method is to include one top/T-shirt per day – wear it clean in the evening and then on the bike the next day. Riding gear can be worn day after day as long as it stays dry in the event of rain.

Technology is your friend in the event of something unexpected, or just to estimate your destination time, warn of speed limits, ensure all riders are following the same routes if separated etc. Make sure everyone has something to refer to.

Organise items carefully – a pocket for earplugs, wallet, passport, sunglasses or toll ticket on autoroutes. Having one saddlebag liner with evening requirements (clothing, chargers, wash kit, lightweight shoes) is super useful and saves dragging everything off the bike each night. A magnetic tank bag is super-useful for many of these essentials.

Pre-planning overnight stops can have a mixed reaction. There’s something very free about winging it and waiting for the 3pm coffee stop to decided where to stay each night. However, pre-booking can provide peace of mind with knowledge of parking, evening food and security.

Special thanks to the team at Harley-Davidson UK&I for supporting our trip with the loan of the 2025 Road Glide.