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

[Saratoga Dave]

So, the calendar rolls over yet again… what will it be this time? Will RabH decide to test the 7000 mile barrier? Will Stefan figure out a way to sneak into the Tour de France? Will Art outrun a bear? Will Dave Matthews get a Fender guitar?

This place is very much about the people, though of course it’s these bikes that bring us here. For me it is the beginning of my 10th year here (and my sixth ebike). Many have been here longer than that! The place ebbs and flows like a five set tennis match, but it keeps going.

There are many new things to discuss, arguments to be had, friends to be made, stories to be told, so let’s go!

 

[DaveMatthews]

Fender guitar?!!???
Blasphemy I say!!!

 

[Chargeride]

It just needs to stop raining.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

From Start To META (Mieczysław 2025)

We Poles party on Sylwester (Dec 31st) and then cure hangover on Mieczysław (Jan 1st) I admit I had a little too much rum on New Year's Eve and woke up with hangover on Mieczysław
A lovely Polish saying is: "Na kaca najlepsza jest praca!" The English "A workout is the best cure for hangover" is somewhat lost in the translation!
Several days ago, the owner of META Bar invited me to come on the first day of the new year. With strong SW wind being my ally, I set off for a ride at 12:31 (p.m. of course!)

I call this riding direction '1 No Trump' (a bridge card game bid). Strava tells me I rode that segment for 161 times in 2024. Nothing strange; it is the only practical opening to ride eastwards from my place!

A place I somehow like: Aeronautics Street.

A low traffic road I often take: Count's Road (like in an aristocratic title). It is located south of Warsaw Chopin Airport, and one can see many aeroplanes descending there. See new housing estate. It looks Poland is in a good economic shape, as new estates "grow like fungi after raining"!

Whenever I can, I ride in Kabacki Wood. It is a big natural reserve in Warsaw South, whole within the city limits. Warsawers love recreating there! The surface is hardpack, which is very easy to ride except after heavy raining, or with snow and ice.

"My" Specialized Warsaw LBS. Around 32 km (20 mi) from the place where I live. That's where I bought my Vado SL, and got my big Vado rebuilt on the warranty.

14:04. META Bar, or my favourite cycling friendly bar of Warsaw. Polish "Meta" exactly means "the finish line". The establishment owns a big garden, which is cut off for winter.

I was warmly welcomed by the host and patrons. The owner offered a drink: Hazelnut Vodka or clear vodka or Jägermeister or... moonshine!

The atmosphere was festive! (FYI: My liver could process the contents of this small glass of Hazelnut Vodka in 48 minutes I never ride under influence!)

I always take Countryside Pizza with Gorgonzola in META. It is baked in a wood fired oven.

Before I left, I sat in one of the benches and engaged in a conversation with a road cyclist who came there for post-ride beer. Despite cold weather, some Polish people still ride their bikes!

For some reason, I always had the wind on my side, even if it made the perceived temperature chilly. This time, I took the benefit from the excellent Warsaw bike infrastructure that allows you travelling from the very south to the very north of the city by bike paths. There are even indicators whether you can expect a green or a red light on the next junction! (Returned from Warsaw City Centre by train).

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Snow and Ice

All my riding plans have collapsed! We are getting a snowfall. A short walk outside proved the local road was under ice. Now, I need to winterize both my e-bikes:

• "Disarming" tubeless on Vado SL and replacing the tyres with Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus 35-622 (tubed). The good thing is now both SKS Speedrocker mudguards would fit.
• On any ice-free day riding my Vado to my brother for swapping tubed Pathfinder Pro 47-622 for Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus 50-622.

Meanwhile, @BlackHand took the lead in the Electric Bike Review Riders Club on Strava

 

[Chargeride]

Yup, we are expecting snow, its unlikely in our neck of the woods, but I can hope.

I posted a compilation short video, it was a bit loud, never edit when drunk..

Anyway had to take it down, you cant edit the thumbnail on shorts and of the entire three minutes the algorithm decided to auto pick me coming off the beach past a ten year old girl in beach wear, its like one frame as I bump up the ramp, it totally looked like Id chosen it like some perv.
Says it all of the algorithm coding.

Thank god I looked, have to cut that bit out ..and put a twenty year old instead

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Yup, we are expecting snow, its unlikely in our neck of the woods, but I can hope.

@Brix tells me there was frost in London this morning!

Just back from a 42 km ride in shallow snow on my winterized Vado SL.

 

[Chargeride]

Yup it was freezing last night, its that bad the nhs has told people to wear warm clothes and turn the heating on.

Our entire interaction with our authorities is becoming surreal.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Snowy January 2025

Friday Jan 3rd: First Snowy Ride (Vado SL)

The "tubeless disarming" on my Vado SL wheels was cleaner than I thought (all done in a shower cabin) and replacing the Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus 35-622 studded tyres was easier than I expected!

These tyres -- despite being pretty narrow (35 mm compared to my warm season 42s) -- handled very well in shallow snow.

The outward leg of the journey felt as if I were a fly in the ointment! It must be the combined adverse wind, increased rolling assistance, and winter clothing (which restricts body movements to some extent). The good thing was I could eventually install the rear SKS Speedrocker mudguard.

A lovely bike path through wasteland.

After 20 km of hard pedalling, I reached "U Dziewczyn" (At The Girls) restaurant & cafe in Rozalin. It is yet another cycling friendly establishment around Warsaw.

The issue of this restaurant is they tend to be "trendy" and "healthy", which results in you being hungry after you left a lot of money there (Not showing the food I had: I left hungry!)

Temperature was between 1 and -2 C. I was met by snowfall for several times; fortunately none of them being a blizzard! (Here's how our BP service stations look like).

The average speed of 18.1 km/h was very low!


Saturday Jan 4th: FROST! Winter Tyres Swap (Vado 6.0)

Saturday was a sunny, frosty day. I had to ride to see my brother Jacek who had kept my Vado 6.0 winter tyres in the storage.

16.6 km into the ride at 11:46. While the roads were perfectly maintained, the shape of bike paths was spotty: some of them were cleared but other were not. I had to exercise extreme care to ride safely! (-3 C).

My brother has become a wheel-builder! He said: 'I could never get how those things were done. However, I thought to myself if other people could do that then I could certainly learn!' (He was actually very upset when he got his gravel bike wheels replaced by the LBS on the warranty but those wheels had been built the wrong way!)

After I had my tyres swapped for Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus 50-622, I could ride back home with full confidence!

The Epiphany Controversy

I asked Jacek: 'How come the delivery I had ordered for you reached Warsaw on Friday but you will get the shipment on Tuesday 7th only?' He thought a little and then brightened: 'Because there is the holiday of the Epiphany on Monday the 6th!' Now, he got me scared! My fridge was almost empty! Guys, I do hate all these Polish holidays! We have too many of them! Now you can understand I was riding against headwind as hard as I could! Just before the sunset, temperature started dropping very quickly! I realized I started freezing!

As soon as I reached home, I warmed myself up and went for a fast grocery shopping ride!

In Wahoo terms, it means -6 C! (Note: I used the second battery for the grocery shopping ride).

The time to start wearing a snowboarding suit and possibly electrically heated socks!

 

[Chargeride]

Back to Hoth it is then.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Back to Hoth it is then.

A mental shortcut inaccessible to me
P.S. I got it. Have Wikipedia

I have watched a French action movie by title "Cold Blooded Legacy" (featuring Jean Reno, Netflix). The action is set in PNW near to the Canadian border, and it is the winter.
You would have never guessed the film was shot in Ukraine! (Before the war).

 

[Chargeride]

Finally got out on the bike in the snow.
First I had to clear the van

Everything was going fine but cold and then the drone threw a wobbler

It crashed, I de snowed it , but it wasnt locking on properly, maybe the snow, poor gps, grey sky or all three.
I noticed the sound was rising up, wasn't too concerned, it isn't a bank breaker to lose it.

But then it just kept going up, no idea why, it was still looking at me, but had lost all awareness of its height, which wasn't good as an RAF base is nearby.
You can see me at the middle bottom, it eventually stopped around 300ft and just sat there.
I had to wait seven minutes for the battery to empty and it simply dropped with no power, I actually filmed its descent

Hardly entered the snow, no damage whatsoever.

TBH it was bleedin freezin and I used it as an excuse to go home, will post on dji forum, I'm guessing down cameras maybe
misted up or just snow blinded coupled with poor gps.
Works fine, but I'll give snow flying a miss until I can get some answers.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Finally got out on the bike in the snow.

Unusual weather as for England, innit.
A very interesting story and pictures, Chris!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Around The Chimney (literally!)

The Polish idiom "dookoła/wokół komina" or '(to sell or ride) around the chimney' means 'doing something in the nearest neighbourhood' with the reference to a nearest factory smokestack (I think) However, my case of 'riding around the chimney' can be taken literally!

The construction of the Pruszków II Heat Plant in Moszna was completed in some 1990, on the verge of the transformation from Communism to the market economy. It turned out the heat plant was economically unjustified, so it was never started (it was later demolished and replaced with numerous logistics bases). The 250 m (820 ft) smokestack remained, and now it is a huge antenna for telecommunication. (WNW view).

I needed just 20 km to meet my weekly goal of 200 km ridden. See the left hand of the picture: the service road is covered with ice! I could see a car "dancing" on the corner before I took the photo. After I took this photo, the next was a gravel cyclist emerging from the corner. He rode very slowly, cautiously, and I could see a death sentence written in his eyes!

A rare gravel segment of my near neighbourhood. Riding on studded tires was greatly recommended there! Besides, I could find many segments of roads covered with ice. No worries for me!

We certainly do not complain about the lack of bike paths in our borough of Brwinów! (See also a radar speed indicator for cars far away).

A bike station. The pedestal holds numerous bike tools (protected against the theft by strong cables), and a bike pump. (I had to use such a public pump one time in my life).

Our borough town of Brwinów has never been particularly beautiful

Fire Station (Volunteer) on the left, and the mural for a popular actor Wacław Kowalski on the right. (Kowalski spent his last years of life in Brwinów). The ugly building in the background is the former Post Office (it will probably be demolished).

On a long nice bike path along a big morass (at the right).

Some riders do not care about the ice on bike paths!

A railway crossing in Parzniew, which is notorious of holding the traffic for a long time. Pedestrians or cyclist can use the lift and the tunnel, fortunately!

The A2 motorway (Warsaw - Poznań -> Berlin) at the dusk. The Chimney can be seen from ENE now.

It was -4 C, and I returned chilled! X denotes the smokestack.

 

[MartsEbike]

Finally got out on the bike in the snow.
First I had to clear the van

View attachment 188094


Everything was going fine but cold and then the drone threw a wobbler
View attachment 188095

It crashed, I de snowed it , but it wasnt locking on properly, maybe the snow, poor gps, grey sky or all three.
I noticed the sound was rising up, wasn't too concerned, it isn't a bank breaker to lose it.
View attachment 188096


But then it just kept going up, no idea why, it was still looking at me, but had lost all awareness of its height, which wasn't good as an RAF base is nearby.
You can see me at the middle bottom, it eventually stopped around 300ft and just sat there.
I had to wait seven minutes for the battery to empty and it simply dropped with no power, I actually filmed its descent
View attachment 188097


Hardly entered the snow, no damage whatsoever.
View attachment 188098


TBH it was bleedin freezin and I used it as an excuse to go home, will post on dji forum, I'm guessing down cameras maybe
misted up or just snow blinded coupled with poor gps.
Works fine, but I'll give snow flying a miss until I can get some answers.
View attachment 188099

I just watched your video of this on Youtube! Great ride, and funny watching the drone just shoot up into the air! Glad to see it's still working after that fall!

 

[Chargeride]

Tough little cookie, it seems the sensors dont like white out snow, it does mention it in the manual.
Im also on old firmware, so need to update.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

A Pork Chop In Spool Building Restaurant
Epiphany or Three Kings, January 6th, 2025

I had a dream of having a good pork chop since Xmas last year but the constant holidays we had in Poland combined with difficult weather were delaying my plans. I gave the restaurant in Żyrardów a phone call, and to my surprise I learned it would be open on the Epiphany! Yes, but... We had a huge snowfall at night, so my plan could be undermined again! Yet, the weather turned! The morning temperature quickly rose to 5 or even 6 C, and the snow started melting very soon! I set off for a ride at 11:33 on the holiday.

I was following the A2 or Motorway of Freedom (Warsaw -> Berlin) by service and regular roads. The landscape was changing quickly (and that was the reason I took that route despite it was 10 km longer than the alternative). There, hidden from the wind, I posted on my FB: "What's up, friends?" They were negative: "A dreary day!" or "Terrible slush outside!" to which I responded: "What? Sunny, +6 C! Ride outside the city!"

A short stop in Holendry Baranowskie.

There was a plan to build the Central Communication Port (CPK) initiated by the former ruling party. It would involve a huge airport and a railway hub (in the times when point-to-point transport has replaced the hub-and-spoke model!) There were big protests about the idea, especially related to expropriation. The new government thinks the railway hub would be OK, while central Poland indeed needs an airport between Warsaw and Łódź. We will see. Anyway, the area I was riding would be taken by the CPK if it comes true!

The former yarn factory in Żyrardów. (It was a hard 40 km ride against the wind to get there!)

The first flax spinning mill was built in Żyrardów in 1833 by Philippe de Girard, a French engineer and entrepreneur. Actually, the city was newly built around the yarn industry, and the city name is a Polonised name of Girard (The City of Girard). Once, Żyrardów was big in yarn manufacture. Not anymore, as you may guess.

The Szpularnia Restaurant is located in the former Spool Building. The statue reminds us of cruel years of early capitalism. A female worker who has to breast-feed her baby, is pregnant again, and yet has to work!

Szpularnia is a dream restaurant! You get big portions of nourishing traditional food. You get your order within minutes (the cooks work in the open, so you can watch them working). The prices do not break the bank! The restaurant (which was open on a holiday!) is popular among families with babies and kids. As the turnaround is fast, there's no need to make a reservation (unless you come in a big group). My Pork Chop with mashed potato and caramelised cabbage as well as tea with a tiny shot of quince liquor was ready in 10 minutes and it all cost 56 PLN (USD13.60 or GBP10.90), which was inexpensive in our times of inflation! (At least as for Europe and the UK).

I took the shortest way on bike paths along Highway 719 to get back home. It was only 30 km, and I was assisted by the wind that time! Here, season decorations in my town of Brwinów.

Not sure how much space the CPK would take but I guess it would be a way more than shown!

 

[Chargeride]

Whats the score with the cup and the lemon?

 

[Chargeride]

It snowed again last night, Britain is lost to the ice, sing a song for us in the night.
We shall be remembered as the light that shone before the cruel promise of global warming revealed itself as a demons trick.

I'll keep fan heater going for as long as I can, but the white crystals are under the door

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Whats the score with the cup and the lemon?

The saucer was there to keep the water in the cup hot as it was delivered from the kitchen (you were to infuse the teabag yourself). The lemon slice was put on the top to make everything elegant. Not a usual thing here but I liked it. The tea was properly brewed that way and it was still very warm when I finished my meal I rarely make tea at home (am a coffee man), so black tea is my preference on winter rides. Besides, I actually love English Tea (with milk), which is never offered in Poland.

It snowed again last night, Britain is lost to the ice, sing a song for us in the night.
We shall be remembered as the light that shone before the cruel promise of global warming revealed itself as a demons trick.

I do not make the weather political myself Poland used to be a real winter country.

People of my age still can remember the "Winter of the Century" back in 1978/79, when you could cross the Vistula by foot (I could tell you many related stories).

I also can remember the turn of the centuries when my wife wrote me an SMS about how hard she worked to clear our yard from snow, and I, eating figs in an Israeli hotel replied "What snow?" Or, 2012/2013 when a mechanic trying to tow my car out of snow dropped with his 4WD into into a snowdrift and broke all my six snow-shovels to drive out

View from my old home. March 31st, 2013.

Poland used to be a winter country but it is not anymore. Here is the kilometrage of my e-bike rides in December each year:

• 2020: 34 hours, 762 kilometres
• 2021: 25 hours, 461 km
• 2022: 14 hours, 227 km (snowy and cold winter!)
• 2023: 28 hours, 580 km
• 2024: 52 hours, 1,136 km.

My observation is the recent winters have become mild. It is rarely colder than 0 C, snow and ice have become rare. (In the past, frost of -25 C or even -30 C was the expected thing!) So I would not draw global conclusions based on a few days of bad local weather

I'll keep fan heater going for as long as I can, but the white crystals are under the door

Most of households in Poland had the product called "farelka" (from the manufacturer name FAREL) in the past. Now, hardly anyone keeps a fan heater at home!

London UK, January 4th, 2025 (photo by @Brix) Not the thing we would ever have in Poland in winter!