Bill Muneio

The Isle of Man is definitely on my bucket list and I think this video does an excellent job of explaining why! It’s thrilling and scary as hell all at the same time.

The nation’s charms and history take a back seat to the din of whizzing bikes during the TT.

By Susan Carpenter, Reporting from The Isle Of Man

04:20 PM PDT, July 30, 2009

If I’d been able to sleep on the 10-hour overnight flight, it might have been a good plan. But I didn’t, which left me riding a motorcycle on the wrong side of the road in the rain while jet-lagged with no idea where I was going.

My destination was the Isle of Man, a tiny island in the middle of the Irish Sea off the northwest coast of England. It’s best known for two things: its status as a tax haven and a 102-year-old motorcycle race called the TT, which is run on real roads by unsung racers who whiz, at speeds approaching 200 mph, within inches of stone walls and spectators.

I planned to catch the tail end of the legendary TT, then enjoy the island in its natural state — that is, not overrun by motorcycles. I just had to get here, which meant flying to London, renting a motorcycle, biking 250 miles across England and taking a 3 1/2 -hour ferry ride to the port town of Douglas. It was quite the slog but worth it.

Read the entire article here: 

Isle of Man’s love affair with motorcycle racing – Travel – LATimes.com