2023 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos

[Prairie Dog]

With winter solstice set to officially arrive here in a few days, one can choose either to jump on the trainer or bundle up and get out in the cold. Many like myself, have chosen to swap their road, mountain, or gravel bikes during the winter season for a fatty just because it’s more fun and a bit safer if the trails or roads are icy.

Riding outside will definitely make the time go by as opposed to staring at a screen and is also closer to my goals of riding bare pavement or dirt trails which I’ll set my sights on in the spring. By the time I left the house it was -14C wind chill. Okay, I’m the first to admit that this isn’t the typical paradise that likely enters your mind but when conditions are optimal, fat biking can be a sure cure for the winter blues.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Today’s ride involved a quick 20km outing along the singletrack at Heritage Ranch. I would have preferred it to be a bit colder than -2C as the resulting 5km ride out there got a bit messy. @DaveMatthews - no need for heated gloves liners today either. Overcast skies combined with sheltered wind break from the surrounding trees resulted in pretty decent ground conditions. I could definitely feel a slight dip in temperature the further into the woods that I rode.

It’s always nice whenever I get a chance to meet the locals but I’m afraid that socializing is not their most endearing trait as they always seem to be off in a rush somewhere.

The recent snowfall made for wonderful stretches along the single especially inside the forest canopy and along the outer perimeter.

As I exited the single, I contemplated riding another loop but the thought of a hot lunch seemed more inviting.

A quick stop at Piper Creek and only a few blocks from home. Temps are expected to soar to +5C over the next two days so perhaps an evening ride might be in order when the mercury is bound to drop a few degrees below freezing.

 

[fooferdoggie]

 

[fooferdoggie]

 

[fooferdoggie]

a cool wind sculpture wish I saw it in action.

 

[PatriciaK]

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Well, at least there's not a bike crushed under there!

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

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Wonderful! When life gives you puddles, might as well have a sense of humor about it.

Maybe this will give @DaveMatthews some ideas for his Nemesis Puddle.

 

[fooferdoggie]

Well, at least there's not a bike crushed under there!

I have seen so many trucks hitting parked cars like that.

 

[Readytoride]

Unlike the rest of this stalwart gang of adventurers hitting the snowy trails and/or long stretches of roads through pristine landscapes, I have encamped my extra bike and the trainer in my barn's heated Tack Room where I can pedal away in peace and quiet with a rolling landscape on a YouTube channel to keep me enouraged, excercising, and entertained while the world outside is encased in frost, and the below freezing temps solidify the water in the pasture troughs.

I ain't going outside to cycle in this cold abysmal weather for love or money. The tack room has turned out to be a nice locale for a bit of cycling excercise... if you don't mind dressing in a heavy parka for the trudge from the house to the barn and back again.

Lousy pics but you get the idea of my new setup. The saddles on the wall and bags of feed on the floor are on the opposite side of the room. The TV picks up the house internet to provide the streaming videos. In prior years I had the bike and trainer in the house but never liked how it cluttered the room, was noisy, ugly, and how it had to taken down every spring. I can leave this setup year round in the Tack Room and not think twice about the space.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Greetings from London!

Been on two rides Wed & Thu using share e-bikes on the first day and a hired pedal bicycle on the next. I didn't like the e-bikes but loved the trad bike even on inclines!

Probably in Ludgate Hill facing St Paul's Cathedral.

Riding in London is easy, especially when you have got used to the left hand traffic. There are many bike lanes, and the drivers are respectful. Yes I was riding slowly and paid a lot of attention. I didn't need the GPS navigation! @Brix taught me Central London and Southwark, and I only needed to remember the bridges' order!

More after my return to Poland

 

[Art Deco]

A

Unlike the rest of this stalwart gang of adventurers hitting the snowy trails and/or long stretches of roads through pristine landscapes, I have encamped my extra bike and the trainer in my barn's heated Tack Room where I can pedal away in peace and quiet with a rolling landscape on a YouTube channel to keep me enouraged, excercising, and entertained while the world outside is encased in frost, and the below freezing temps solidify the water in the pasture troughs.

I ain't going outside to cycle in this cold abysmal weather for love or money. The tack room has turned out to be a nice locale for a bit of cycling excercise... if you don't mind dressing in a heavy parka for the trudge from the house to the barn and back again.

Lousy pics but you get the idea of my new setup. The saddles on the wall and bags of feed on the floor are on the opposite side of the room. The TV picks up the house internet to provide the streaming videos. In prior years I had the bike and trainer in the house but never liked how it cluttered the room, was noisy, ugly, and how it had to taken down every spring. I can leave this setup year round in the Tack Room and not think twice about the space.
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And the big blue chair is a good place to read the EBR forums.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Unlike the rest of this stalwart gang of adventurers hitting the snowy trails and/or long stretches of roads through pristine landscapes, I have encamped my extra bike and the trainer in my barn's heated Tack Room where I can pedal away in peace and quiet with a rolling landscape on a YouTube channel to keep me enouraged, excercising, and entertained while the world outside is encased in frost, and the below freezing temps solidify the water in the pasture troughs.

I ain't going outside to cycle in this cold abysmal weather for love or money. The tack room has turned out to be a nice locale for a bit of cycling excercise... if you don't mind dressing in a heavy parka for the trudge from the house to the barn and back again.

Lousy pics but you get the idea of my new setup. The saddles on the wall and bags of feed on the floor are on the opposite side of the room. The TV picks up the house internet to provide the streaming videos. In prior years I had the bike and trainer in the house but never liked how it cluttered the room, was noisy, ugly, and how it had to taken down every spring. I can leave this setup year round in the Tack Room and not think twice about the space.
View attachment 168321

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It looks like you’ve converted that tack room into a space that you can truly call your own. My wife feels the same as our wintry conditions here don’t sit well with her. She retreats to the basement with its two small windows and pedals away on the roller trainer while watching videos of our previous rides. In a perfect world, she would still be cycling in her home country but one luxury that she does appreciate is the obvious benefit of central heating.

As for me, as long as the mild conditions persist I’ll continue to ride outdoors if the trail conditions continue to hold firm.

 

[fooferdoggie]

Not something you see everyday

 

[DaveMatthews]

Not something you see everyday
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Blundra?

 

[BlackHand]

I don't usually get much riding in during December between the weather and long workdays, but this year has turned out to be an exception after the atmospheric rivers passed early in the month and I've been able to bike commute a fair bit the last 2 weeks.

Sunday night I rode by the Nutcracker House on my way home from work. These were props used in the PNW Ballet annual production of the Nutcracker Suite for about 30 years until they were retired in 2014. Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are, designed the sets and costumes for the production which is fondly remembered around here.

The Wild Thing peering over the roof is a nice touch.

We've had a lot of foggy weather lately too. Wednesday was interesting as we had a sunny day and then dense fog rolled in just before sunset. I'm used to it in the morning, but riding home in the foggy dark was... different.

This picture from Wed evening by a photographer from the Seattle Times is too good not to share. Things weren't quite so dramatic down at ground level

It wasn't nearly as foggy up near my house where I rode through our downtown and waterfront to see the decorated boats in the marina.

Another foggy ride home last night - no pics but I passed 3500 miles for the year, so a pretty good year so far! Hopefully I'll get in 1 last non-commute ride next weekend.

 

[Chargeride]

I Almost Missed My Next COVID Vaccination

A lot is happening in Poland recently. I am so happy with the new political coalition (that I am supporting) taking the power in the Parliament, and -- after a struggle -- the Government. As many of you might know, an extreme Right MP (a Russian agent by the way) spoiled the joy with his disgraceful anti-Semitic attack in our Sejm... Anyway, as I was watching the proceedings of the Sejm on YouTube (as so many of my compatriots do nowadays -- some even attend a theater/cinema to do so!), I suddenly realised I didn't hear about any COVID vaccinations this Autumn?!

Every Polish citizen (with a health insurance or not) has their health account on the Government website. After I logged onto the site, I found I should have been vaccinated back in October! It is not that easy to make a fast appointment in your neighbourhood nowadays! Eventually, I made an appointment for this Thursday in a remote Warsaw quarter (you do that online, too)...

With +2 C and no snow, it gave me a wonderful opportunity for a 60 km ride I intend to make today! I have already passed the 10,500 km mark this year so any ride would not contribute very much, especially with my London stay next week. Anyway, e-bike riding gives so much pleasure and fun even during this cold season, especially with my reliable e-bikes!

When I was buying medicines on Wednesday, I had a long and friendly chat with our local pharmacist. The man bought a very good XC e-bike this Autumn, and he was eager to share his experiences. As it turns out, Mr. Pharmacist has totally got attracted to e-biking! He bought proper winter cycling clothing and rides his e-bike everyday when there is no snow on the roads! The only thing he is missing are the cycling glasses (does it ring a bell @OnEdge?)

Somewhere in our borough town I inadvertently clicked something on my Wahoo, converting the ride to "INDOOR CYCLING" It produced correct ride statistics but has deprived me of a part of the ride map!

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If anyone has read it as far, could you give me some names of good dessert wines? I know of Malaga, Madeira and Muscatel, anything else?

No politics, but yes it's all going on in Poland and I feel our press isn't addressing the back story.
Poland was getting a lot of negative press, but its all about Tusk now because we like to make everything about the EU.
Poland will be one of Europe's great powers over the next decade, unless Stefan gets everyone to join his ebikes and cake party.

Ok..no more politics

 

[Chargeride]

Finally it out on the, bike, still a bit rough from a full on viral infection, it went from cough to aches to sneezing to headaches and finally full vomiting.
Everyone had it.
Mutant covid if you ask me and they are reporting it turning into gastro flu.
I haven't had the boosters, actually not eligible for free shots unless I kicked up a fuss.

Storm Pia, missed the strongest winds, but even at 35mph and laden with sand it's pretty hard to ride in.

Computer mouse just packed in, so here's a short vid ..it doesn't look that bad, but trust me, I thought I was Lawrence of Arabia in a sandstorm.
Ignore the thumbnail, I was messing with clickbait AI pictures.

 

[JGcycle]

Finally it out on the, bike, still a bit rough from a full on viral infection, it went from cough to aches to sneezing to headaches and finally full vomiting.
Everyone had it.
Mutant covid if you ask me and they are reporting it turning into gastro flu.
I haven't had the boosters, actually not eligible for free shots unless I kicked up a fuss.

Storm Pia, missed the strongest winds, but even at 35mph and laden with sand it's pretty hard to ride in.

Computer mouse just packed in, so here's a short vid ..it doesn't look that bad, but trust me, I thought I was Lawrence of Arabia in a sandstorm.
Ignore the thumbnail, I was messing with clickbait AI pictures.

Wow, that was a pretty wild ride.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Finally it out on the, bike, still a bit rough from a full on viral infection, it went from cough to aches to sneezing to headaches and finally full vomiting.
Everyone had it.
Mutant covid if you ask me and they are reporting it turning into gastro flu.
I haven't had the boosters, actually not eligible for free shots unless I kicked up a fuss.

Storm Pia, missed the strongest winds, but even at 35mph and laden with sand it's pretty hard to ride in.

Computer mouse just packed in, so here's a short vid ..it doesn't look that bad, but trust me, I thought I was Lawrence of Arabia in a sandstorm.
Ignore the thumbnail, I was messing with clickbait AI pictures.

Spectacular!

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Finally it out on the, bike, still a bit rough from a full on viral infection, it went from cough to aches to sneezing to headaches and finally full vomiting.
Everyone had it.
Mutant covid if you ask me and they are reporting it turning into gastro flu.
I haven't had the boosters, actually not eligible for free shots unless I kicked up a fuss.

Storm Pia, missed the strongest winds, but even at 35mph and laden with sand it's pretty hard to ride in.

Computer mouse just packed in, so here's a short vid ..it doesn't look that bad, but trust me, I thought I was Lawrence of Arabia in a sandstorm.
Ignore the thumbnail, I was messing with clickbait AI pictures.

Keep those dune vids coming. What a beautiful place!

Riding in blowing sand is no fun. But it was fun to see how the wind navigates the dunes, thanks to those pesky little tracers.