2025 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos

Some Varmia Gravel Stories

The Unruly Rider DSQ
The main Varmia Gravel organizer Paweł is a lovely person but he is strict when it comes to some rules. I talked with him, and he said with a smile: "Check if you have taken your bike, helmet, and proper shoes with you!" :)
  • Wearing a helmet is mandatory. Get caught without the helmet on the race and you are out!
  • No littering! If anyone proves that a rider had thrown rubbish on the road then that rider is disqualified. That rule worked on the last race!
  • Observe the traffic rules.
There were two Varmia Gravel Ultramarathon riders competing for the 3rd place. The rider B was really good! He had amassed the advantage of 6 minutes against the rider A. At some place on the race, the rider B met a closed railway crossing barriers and the flashing red light. He walked around the lineman's booth, ran across the rail tracks and dived below the other barrier. Arrived at the finish line with the 3rd time.

All good but someone (I think the lineman) caught the offender on the camera and sent the video to the race organizer. Rider B was immediately disqualified. If he just waited for 3 minutes, he would still come third with a 3-minute advantage!

Almost Crashed Into A Mercedes-Benz!
My Vado SL has Tektro HD-290 hydraulic brakes with 160 mm rotors; I replaced the front rotor with a Shimano Ice Tech sometime in the past. Was considering the brake pad replacement before the race but the brake pads looked sound! Why to fix something that works?

We were descending on a very steep gravel road; my riding mate in the right track, I in the left one. Suddenly, a Mercedes-Benz appeared from behind a bend, right in front of me! I applied the Tektro brakes and my e-bike quickly stopped despite me being a heavy person and the high speed I was at! Then I instantly escaped into the right track to give the car way.

@2wheelsgood: And you complained on your Tektros? :D

The Hardest Climb
I have been able to identify the hardest climb en route. It had the max grade of over 10%. At times, I had to pedal at cadence of 124 in the granny gear, and my speed was just 8 km/h (5 mph) there.

VG 25 eSprint Żelazno climb

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I thought my competitor Bartek would be faster there. Not. He rode off course for a good kilometre and had to ride back to get on course. He didn't make the segment! I produced the average leg power of 142 W there, which was a big achievement as for my bad legs! (@Jeremy McCreary can you remember that magical number of 144 W Pr? It looks I could saturate the SL 1.1 motor in Turbo, haha).

Cobblestones

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These pictures do not give justice to the real world...

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"Love cobblestones? :)" The race organizer's joke :D
 
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Quintessential Sausage Party... I wonder if they brought any to eat? 🤔 🙃
 
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I rode 14 miles this morning, very nice, less humidity and about 80 degrees. First few pictures are a wind turbine tower section that went by right after I crossed the 4 lane.
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This last picture is an old roller skating rink that is falling in. My wife grew up just a few mikes from this old rink, it’s located in the small town of Tennessee Illinois. I had been in it years ago when they sold antiques, the old wooden roller skating floor was still in place then.
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Okay, so I finally got the chance to run up to Lake Placid and ride some of the new Adirondack Rail Trail. My wife and I came up for two nights… today she went off to get a massage and I headed out into the bushes. I rode the section from Lake Placid to Saranac Lake and back, about 11 miles each way, then spent some time riding around Mirror Lake and other regular spots in LP.

Very nice! You are into the forest immediately and stay there for the entire way right into downtown Saranac Lake. The next section, from Saranac out to Floodwood Pond, is even more remote; I intend to get back here quick and get that part covered too. By the end of this year it should be complete all the way into Tupper Lake, which means maybe 30 or so miles through some really gorgeous Adirondack High Peaks country.

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All that said, it’s an actual converted rail line, so although there’s mountains all over the place, the ride itself is flat. I was seriously overbiked on my Giant Stance E+… really any decent bike with at least 38mm tires would be adequate, and a mainstream gravel bike with maybe some 40s or 42s would be about perfect, electric or not.

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Surface is crushed stone and even though it rained hard overnight and early this morning, by 11am it was well drained and a pleasure to ride on. Section actually in Saranac is new pavement.

I encountered a group of maybe 20 very nice kids from an adventure school in New Hampshire who were out on a multi day ride across the whole thing, heading for Lake Placid. All on proper mountain bikes, full camping gear, having a great time. I passed them on my way out and they all waved, and on my way back, all of a sudden, there they were, bikes laying all over the place and one poor guy trying like hell to get a tire to seat on the bead with a hand pump where one of the girls had caught a flat on the rear tire. They’d booted the tire but could NOT get it to seat so it would inflate.

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And it happens that I now have my week old Fanttik battery powered tire inflator with me, and I’ll be damned if it didn’t work like a charm! First time I’ve had to use it and it passed with flying colors. The kids were happy as hell, and we all went on our way.

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Just a terrific day and a big Thumbs Up to that inflator. $42 bucks from Amazon and it does exactly what it is supposed to. Not super small, certainly not super light, but worth every penny and then some.

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It ain’t the Rockies or the Alps, but it’s what we’ve got on this end of the country, and it’s pretty good. I think RabH has still got us all on those beautiful long views, though!
 
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Jazza Funeral and Memorial

I rode to the Evangelic Augsburg Cemetery of Warsaw to give the last farewell to my best friend ever, Katarzyna nicknamed Kathi Jazza. She passed away on June 3rd at age of 61 due to unexpected haemorrhage (please spare me giving the details). The case was on an investigation for almost a month to confirm or exclude a criminal reason (it was excluded). After the solemn ceremony, I rode my Vado 6.0 to the Pirate's Nest (the sea shanty music club, Jazza's favourite) where we kept a memorial gathering in a good mood, according to Kathi wishes. The best Jazza's friends, Jola Wild and I gave speeches.

I sang "John Dameray" in English.

Jazza had been my best female friend since January 15th, 2003 or her 39th birthday. Rest in peace, Katarzyna! (So many friends die nowadays I become more and more alone...)

It was a 50 km e-bike ride. I wore cycling clothes, only removed the helmet and gloves for the funeral. She would certainly appreciate it (knowing her great sense of humour), as I was visiting her for coffee and chat frequently for the last 6 years, always appearing as a cyclist...

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Jazza's grave.


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Jola Wild (the best female Kathi's friend) giving a memorial speech.


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Jazza always wanted to have her memorial merry...
 
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Stefan Mikes said:
Jazza Funeral and Memorial

I rode to the Evangelic Augsburg Cemetery of Warsaw to give the last farewell to my best friend ever, Katarzyna nicknamed Kathi Jazza. She passed away on June 3rd at age of 61 due to unexpected haemorrhage (please spare me giving the details). The case was on an investigation for almost a month to confirm or exclude a criminal reason (it was excluded). After the solemn ceremony, I rode my Vado 6.0 to the Pirate's Nest (the sea shanty music club, Jazza's favourite) where we kept a memorial gathering in a good mood, according to Kathi wishes. The best Jazza's friends, Jola Wild and I gave speeches.

I sang "John Dameray" in English.

Jazza had been my best female friend since January 15th, 2003 or her 39th birthday. Rest in peace, Katarzyna! (So many friends die nowadays I become more and more alone...)

It was a 50 km e-bike ride. I wore cycling clothes, only removed the helmet and gloves for the funeral. She would certainly appreciate it (knowing her great sense of humour), as I was visiting her for coffee and chat frequently for the last 6 years, always appearing as a cyclist...

View attachment 196215
Jazza's grave.


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Jola Wild (the best female Kathi's friend) giving a memorial speech.


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Jazza always wanted to have her memorial merry...
Click to expand...
That’s a wonderful community you are a part of
 
Chargeride said:
You dont seem alone to us Stefan, but we are not with you between your rides.
Click to expand...
Not a long time ago, I had at least three trusted friends I could visit for coffee and chat in Warsaw. Or, ride with one of them. Now, all three are gone... and several more. Only one of the friends lived up a decent age of 77...
----------------
Guys, some e-bike related news on a lighter note!

A City Commuter
As we left the cemetery, I knew it was only five kilometres to Pirate's Nest. I rode there immediately over the system of bike paths. Other people used cars or a motorcycle to get there. Guess who was the first in the club? :) Jola Wild said: "We could see you Stefan zooming from our car!" (Other people were stuck in traffic jam including the motorcycle rider).

"Is My Vado Broken? Or, Is It Anything Wrong With Me?"
My Vado 6.0 is a speed e-bike if I need it to be. As I was riding bike paths from my place to Warsaw with tailwind, my Vado felt like a piece of heavy junk. I could hardly hit 25 km/h! Flat tyres? Not. A broken motor? Ouch. Or, perhaps I was the weakest link? But I raced on a Vado SL the Saturday before! ECO was weak, SPORT was weak, only TURBO worked as expected! When I was about to leave the music club, I checked the actual assistance...
ECO: 20%
SPORT: 40%
I left the settings from the last ride together with Tomek! :D Yes, I had a very good 25 km workout... :D Needless to say resetting the assistance to my preferred levels made my ride back home nicely fast :)

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A 50 km ride.
 
I saw a notice of a Specialized warehouse sale…IDK how the prices can be real…Vado 4 $900 as well as many others similarly priced. I don’t need a new bike but should I send this to friends who have admired mine? Prices seem to be too low. I might get a helmet

Specialized Bikes: Elevate Your Ride with World-Class Performance

Specialized is dedicated to providing innovative and high-quality bicycles and accessories. Whether you are a professional rider or a casual cyclist, our products will help you perform at your best and fully enjoy the joy of cycling.
www.specializedstore-us.com www.specializedstore-us.com
 
Chargeride said:
Has to be a scam, specializedstore-us.com
Click to expand...
I was just checking the same.
I believe this official.
www.specialized.com

Made for riders, by riders. | Specialized.com

From seasoned pros and weekend warriors to kids and commuters, if you ride, we’re here for you. We believe that bikes have the power to change lives, and this simple truth drives us to be and do better.
www.specialized.com www.specialized.com

The sale has a counter timing out and then resets to another 10 minute.
Ok @Mulezen... What's your cut!?!? 🙃

Even the Yamaha sale wasn't 90% off
 
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