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

September’s been an outstanding month to be riding around here in central MA. The weather has been unbelievable. This has been my most-traveled month this year at over 310 miles and over 24 hours of seat time. I’m a happy camper, and so is my tush with my recent Selle SMP TRK saddle!

More pix later from after today’s ride. Happy end of September!
 
Lov
RabH said:
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A chilly start to a beautiful day, I was going to set off at first light around 7am but it was a bit frosty so I waited until 8.15am when the temp was around 5C! The wind was from the SE and only around 10mph so just perfect for cycling, I had planned a route just over 100 miles out to Kinross to circumnavigate the beautiful Loch Leven! From start to finish it was just incredible, I pretty much picked the perfect route on amazing roads! I made my way down to Grangemouth where I stopped for a photo of the Kelpies!

I love the reflection of one of the Kelpies in this one!

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From there I made my way out to the Clackmannanshire Bridge where I stopped for photos of the River Forth and the stunning Ochil Hills!

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I got an even better view of the hills after crossing the bridge!

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I then made my way to Forestmill and stayed on the main road this time, my plan was to turn off and take the back road into Dollar! I forgot how amazing this road is as I haven't used it for 10 years or more! The village of Dollar is situated in the foothills of the Ochils!

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From Dollar I used the main A91 towards Milnathort, thankfully it was pretty quiet and is such a great road and mostly smooth! The first 4 miles are all uphill, nothing steep though and the road passes through some lovely villages with proper Scottish names! ;) Pool of Muckhart and Yetts O' Muckhart where the climbing ends and then I had a nice 5 mile descent, passing through the village of Carnbo! Just after the village I turned off the main road to take the back road to Kinross! I had my first views of Loch Leven now as I departed Kinross on a cracking road which passes through many little villages!

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The hills to the east of the loch look were looking amazing also!

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I arrived in the village of Scotlandwell at the 50 mile mark and had a short sharp climb before a cracking big descent down into Auchmuirbridge which was my turning point! From there I had a big climb out of the valley on this amazing twisty road!

This was near the top of the climb looking back down!

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I had this lovely view of Loch Leven and the Ochills at the summit!

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After the climb comes an amazing twisty descent and I was soon right alongside the loch!

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It really was a glorious day, it wasn't that warm but just nice for cycling and I was absolutely loving it!:D After passing the loch I joined the back road to Cleish, another amazing road with awesome views of the Ochils pretty much all the way!

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Its a very narrow road but mostly in good condition and I met just one car in 6 miles! :D

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At the end of the road I turned towards Knockhill Racing Circuit but turned off part way up to take the awesome back road down to Saline, mostly downhill and lovely new tarmac for the first mile!

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I stopped for a break and a snack on my way down and grabbed a couple of photos!

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From Saline I took the back road to Forestmill and near the village I took the back road that joins the main road near Kincardine, its mostly downhill and a lot of fun! The main road is great fun also and once again mostly downhill and the stunning views of the Ochils made it even more enjoyable!

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A short time later I arrived in Kincardine and crossed the Kincardine Bridge before joining the cycle path towards Grangemouth! I then took the main road to Carronshore and arrived in Falkirk, from here I decided to head for the Falkirk Wheel which joins Forth and Clyde and Union Canals! I was hoping of see the wheel in action but I was out of luck, I grabbed a few photos of course!

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I have only seen it action once, its just your luck if you don't have hours to spare!;) I then took the canal path to Bonnybridge which was thankfully quiet!

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I arrived at Bonnybridge and was having a snack when these 2 appeared, not sure they would like a Mars Bar...😂

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From Bonnybridge I used my usual back roads to home, arriving with just over 107 miles in the bag! What a fantastic day it was, I loved every minute! 😁I have managed to squeeze in 3 imperial centuries this month, I made the most of the nice days!
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Lovely ride, Rab. Can you tell us about the "Kelpies"? I've never seen the term before...
 
Short testride today to check new spec. 25 km

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Chazmo said:
September’s been an outstanding month to be riding around here in central MA. The weather has been unbelievable. This has been my most-traveled month this year at over 310 miles and over 24 hours of seat time. I’m a happy camper, and so is my tush with my recent Selle SMP TRK saddle!

More pix later from after today’s ride. Happy end of September!
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Great work buddy, new saddle working well then!
Art Deco said:
Lovely ride, Rab. Can you tell us about the "Kelpies"? I've never seen the term before...
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In Scottish folklore, a kelpie is a dangerous shape-shifting water creature that can appear on land as a horse. The kelpie appears to their human victims as a grey or white horse, entices them to ride on their back, then carries them down to a watery grave. I'm guessing thats why they are placed next to the canal!
 
Stefan Mikes said:
So, as a genuine Zargonian, I rode to two stores and returned with a giga shopping load :)

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While looking for English Mustard, I met the incredible Alfer :) The story of our improbable encounters deserves a Sci-Fi novel :D Ironically, the background is for cured meat while Alfer is a vegan :D

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After 7 years, Nestle could eventually understand introducing Nescafe Gold Blend with added finely ground coffee was a mistake. The decision to introduce the Blend was already made in 2015 but the instant coffee no-one wanted found its way to the shelves in Poland in 2018. As I had been a Nescafe Gold drinker for at least 20 years, the change spoiled my quality of life. Now, the original Gold can be bought, it is (I think) the first batch, as the Blend was on the shelves yet on September 14th this year! (The German version of Gold has the clear word "ORIGINAL" on the label). The Blend was replaced by Barista, and the share of finely ground coffee was increased from 3 to 5% there to make the coffee even more disgusting...

The shopping ride was 11 km.


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For your distraction: a pack of wild boars in Warsaw suburbs :D The leader is nicknamed Marble :)
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Wild boars have names? Must be pretty well adapted to suburban life ... over here they have a reputation as more dangerous than bears or cougars!
 
Art Deco said:
Wild boars have names? Must be pretty well adapted to suburban life ... over here they have a reputation as more dangerous than bears or cougars!
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I feel beasts such as grizzly bear would be a way more dangerous. While boars damage lawns, we hear of no attacks on people. Anyway, wild boars are a real urban plague right now. The foresters try to shoot the animals with the sleeping rounds and transport them deep into the forest but the boars do return. Bear in mind the next huge forest, that is, National Kampinos Park just borders with Warsaw and we also have many other forests and wild green areas (such as "Amazon" along the right bank Vistula) surrounding the city.

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Warsaw (A) is almost completely surrounded by green areas. There is wildlife even in the farming fields west of the city (where I live, see the Home icon).

Now we pay the price for the majority of people in Poland who are against the hunting. Controlled hunting is not a bad thing, it seems...
 
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A night ride for fags and alcohol (8 km) :) The actual temperature was 9 deg C but it dropped to 8 on the return. I'll wait until it gets colder then it is the time to start wearing MTB goggles!

I could notice bushes by the main road were cut during the latest reconstruction. Good! I can remember my fright when a boar once emerged from the bushes there on a similar night ride! :D
 
Chazmo said:
yeah, nights around here in New England have been similar. It’s been all over the place in September. I suspect October will be colder.
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I cannot fail noticing the wind was blowing from Russia in the recent days. Hard to believe it but London was at 20 C/68 F yesterday. A different climate!
 
Jeremy McCreary said:
Do boars show any dog-like interest in chasing cyclists just for sport?
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There is a nursery song in Poland, with this motto:
"Whoever meets a boar in the woods
They escape onto a tree very fast!"
:D

Boars simply don't want to be bothered. There was a case just three days ago when a cycling peleton crashed into a pack of boars just crossing the road!

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An educational poster by the Kampinos National Park. "A Boar Is a Wild Beast. Bear in mind meeting a boar could be dangerous. Point 5: "Do not run".

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Even if the sign by the bike path shows a deer, the plate reads: "Caution! Boars!"

Not a long time ago, I rode an important bike path along Siekierkowski Bridge. Bike traffic was dense. Suddenly, the cyclists started warning one another: "STOP! STOP!" A family of boars emerged onto the bike path. We all were patiently waiting...

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May 11th, 2025. Czerniaków, Warsaw.

All photos are mine.
 
They are a real problem in the US,,,southern states in particular. They have long been a problem (since Spanish explorers 500 years ago spreading diseases that wiped out the Mound builders in the Mississippi valley decades before Europeans.
dwr.virginia.gov

Feral Hogs

Feral hogs (feral pigs, wild pigs, wild boar, etc.) in Virginia are defined as “any swine that are wild or for which no proof of ownership can be made”
dwr.virginia.gov
 
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