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

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I wanted to get another 100 miler done before the clocks change this weekend and yesterday was looking good weather wise, I was a little worried when I woke to fog though! Thankfully just a few miles in it cleared up and I even saw some blue sky!

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The mist was hanging around but it added to the scenery!

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I made my way down to Falkirk via the awesome descent down into Glenn Village, with a stunning view of the Ochil Hills!

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From Falkirk I headed to KIncardine and crossed the Clackmannanshire bridge, stopping for a few photos of the River Forth and the Ochil Hills!

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A mile or so further and I had another stunning view of the Ochils!

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I arrived in Forestmill to find the back road to Saline open again so I got off the main road and enjoyed this amazing quiet back road, just before Saline I stopped for this photo!

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I battled the big climb up through the village and then Steelend before stopping at the top for this photo looking back down the hill!

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I was now heading East for Kelty and enjoyed some cracking descents, at Kelty I turned south for Crossgates and then east again towards Mossmorran! Another awesome road to enjoy!

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When I set off there was very little wind, hence the fog but the wind was set to increase as the day progressed and it was a rare NW wind! At Mossmorran I turned SE for Burntisland and had the wind at my back down the big descent! Then I had this climb before the final huge descent down into Burntisland!

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I passed Stenhouse Reservoir on the way up the climb!

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Then came the descent, 42.2mph hurtling down it with the River Forth in full view and dark clouds across the estuary! :D

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The wind was really picking up now but nothing crazy, around 25mph! Burntisland was my turning point so it was time to head west into the wind, with a huge climb to start things off! The views more than made up for that though!

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I was getting close to Aberdour and stopped for a snack and a break and more photos!

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I had a stunning clear view of the bridges over the Forth!

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I arrived in Inverkeithing and turned south for the bridges!

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South Queensferry with the stunning Pentland Hills in the background!

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I was now heading for Winchburgh and stopped for this photo as I approached the town!

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From there I was heading for Threemiletown where I turned south towards Ecclesmachan, turning west before the village towards Beecraigs Country Park! I decided to miss the country park and turn south to enjoy the big descent down into Dechmont at Burnhouse Road!

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From Dechmont I used the excellent cycle path to Whitburn and turned north to join the path up the climb into Armadale! I continued north through Armadale and enjoyed the desccent down to Bridgehouse, it was time to start climbing again up to Heights although I had a change of mind part way up the climb and took the rollercoaster back road to Slamannan instead! The final climb to the village was right into the 25mph wind but I had lots of battery power left so cranked the assist up to level 3! The view at the top of the climb looking back down!

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At Slamannan I took my usual back roads to home and the 100 miles appeared as I was passing through the village of Plains with only a couple of miles to go, what a brilliant day it was after encountering the fog at the start of the day! This was imperial century no 22 which beats my 21 from last year and I only need another 344 miles to beat my record from last year with almost 2 full months left!
 

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If the derailleur is in good shape, replace the jockey wheels. They are about $25 for the set. If it's getting sloppy, replace the derailleur.
 
I rode 14 miles today, still getting over a bad cold but good enough to ride for the first time in a couple of weeks. I rode through Tennessee Illinois today, a very small town and my wife grew up just a few miles from it. This picture is in front of the cafe there, my wife worked here about 45 years ago. It’s still open, it did and still qualifies as a greasy spoon.
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A Single Photo from Korboloza MPK (Mazovian Landscape Park)

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The MPK is a way more exciting than the Bolimów Landscape Park! It is wild, hilly, diversified, slower and harder to ride, and teeming with wildlife ❤️

I'll come up with a full report after I have taken some decent rest!
 
A fine cool morning (50f) with little wind, and with a determination to fix or wreck my knee before my next Ortho appointment, I rode 20 miles with decent elevation (for me) of 1000'. October is a good weather month in my neck of the woods, and I've pushed my mileage before November's uncertain weather and the inevitable medicos. My consistent light stretching, ice, elevation is beginning to bear fruit so there's that.
The halloween decor is at the beginning of a woodsy, curvy descent.

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Korboloza MPK (A Group Gravel Ride in Mazovian Landscape Park)
Saturday 25th of October 2025 at 9:50, Celestynów

It was just an epic ride! I could not attract more riders to the event than my mates Marek and Grzesiek. One of the reason was I haven't built my reputation as a group ride organiser yet. The other reason was a massive rainfall on the preceding Friday, making many potential participants scared off. How wrong were they! We were blessed with a fantastic weather, and the soil had been able to absorb most rainwater!

We found Mazovian Landscape Park a way more fascinating than the Bolimovian one. True, more difficult to ride and "slower" but giving us all flavours of surfaces you could expect from the "Mazovian gravel". Including muddy roads with wide puddles and a long stretch of deep sand (fortunately heavily packed by the rain). We could even see animals such as deer! (Bear in mind, the forest is relatively close to Warsaw).

The original author of the route, one Mati K of the former Graveloza was a genius as a creator of such routes. There was a perfect balance between paved and unpaved roads, giving us a perfect "flow" on the ride!

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What had happened to all that rainwater? :) The hardpacked gravel here was dry!

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An excellent stretch of asphalt in the stunning Autumn colours. We could ride faster there while having some rest while pedalling!

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At the "Gateway To The Gravel Heaven". I can remember that place very well from the March 2022 ride on the same route: I took a group photo of the riders there.

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Admiring a forest clearing.

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While the Bolimów Landscape Park is very easy to ride, "fast" and almost flat, the MPK is full of post-glacial dunes with gravel roads. It makes the area picturesque!

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Occasional stretches of high quality asphalt were a desired distraction from the more difficult segments.

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Marek (being a good sprinter) was sometimes riding fast to set a photo trap :) (I was doing the same but in TURBO mode) :)

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I feel sorry for the cowards who didn't join the ride. Where's all that rainwater, please?! :D

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On one of the most beautiful climb-descend-climb stretches of the trip.

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As anyone of you know, it is difficult to illustrate the climb grade in a picture. See the puddle as well!


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After struggling a 4 km segment of deep but packed white sand :) Can you see the sun was shining? :)

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Pea soup at "Under Pine Trees" hotel in Osieck.


That was a wonderful place! As we approached the owner, she said something like 'I'm sure gentlemen will be happy to try our nourishing Pea Soup or the one made from white vegetables? Also have coffee or tea!' She exactly knew what cyclists would crave for on a long ride! :) She also explained many attractions around we should see on our next trip. What a lovely person she was!

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The last part of the ride was hard, with high resistance surfaces and quite a lot of climbing (but also with fast descents). As we arrived back in Celestynów, we visited a pizzeria there. Well... Hunger is the best cook, and I had better pizzas in my life :)

Issues with Wahoo Cloud
While Wahoo ELEMNT GPS version 1 or 2 devices do not depend on Wahoo Cloud, the version 3 ones (such as Wahoo ELEMNT Ace) must work with operable brand's Cloud. I could not get the recordings of my two last rides for a long time. Those only appeared this night. Well, what can I say... I could not accept a Garmin but at least I haven't heard of any Garmin Connect cloud hiccups...

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A perfect ride. I made some 86 km total on the day.

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Strava has informed me I had already made the same trip over 3 years ago. Can you see the difference in the speed? It was because the surfaces on last Saturday were more difficult to ride! My buddies are strong riders, and I rode my Vado 6.0 at high 50/100% assistance on Saturday! The first battery was good for just 55 km.
 
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Korboloza MPK (A Group Gravel Ride in Mazovian Landscape Park)
Saturday 25th of October 2025 at 9:50, Celestynów
Wonderful ride, beautifully photographed and reported! Really missing Colorado's fall color now.

We found Mazovian Landscape Park a way more fascinating than the Bolimovian one. True, more difficult to ride and "slower" but giving us all flavours of surfaces you could expect from the "Mazovian gravel".... While the Bolimów Landscape Park is very easy to ride, "fast" and almost flat, the MPK is full of post-glacial dunes with gravel roads. It makes the area picturesque!
These enviroments bear some resemblance to the post glacial deposits found on the High Plains east of the Colorado Rockies. Your dunes may be analogous to the wind-deposited dunes making up the Sand Hills of Nebraska. Only the dunes there are mostly loess (windblown silt), not sand.

Hunger is the best cook...
Will have to remember that one!
 
Really missing Colorado's fall color now.
The colours were stunning! Sometimes, I could see a "baby" pine tree as bright green as if painted with fluorescent spray! Or, vividly bright green grass.

These enviroments bear some resemblance to the post glacial deposits found on the High Plains east of the Colorado Rockies. Your dunes may be analogous to the wind-deposited dunes making up the Sand Hills of Nebraska. Only the dunes there are mostly loess (windblown silt), not sand.
There also is a big difference between the Mazovian Landscape and Kampinos National. The latter is just a series of sand dunes and marshes. As it is a National Park, many official bike trails lead not through proper gravel roads across the dunes but through deep white sand and tree-roots. Kampinos Park is basically rideable only during the wet season and frosty winter; that's why the advanced MTB club called The Bike Stable only does their rides in the wintertime!
Only the dunes there are mostly loess (windblown silt), not sand.
Interesting you mentioned loess. The two areas of Poland with the fertile loess are the Land of Lublin and Masuria, making both powerful farming territories (Lublin grows tobacco and hops).
 
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