2026 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos

[Jeremy McCreary]

I never thought much about those Islands offshore. I do remember years ago reading about John Ford and his yacht and spending time out at Catalina Island playing endless poker games, a young John Wayne (Marion) deck hand making drinks for Ford and his drinking buddies! Do many people live out there nowadays? Or are they National Parks? Can people build houses on them? Be a fun daily commute, sailing to and from an Island to LA! Hadn't realised there were that many Islands.

San Clemente Island is a naval base. The east end of Santa Catalina is developed private land with houses, condos, and businesses. The islands are otherwise protected within the Channel Islands National Park.

I've taken ferries from Ventura Harbor to Santa Cruz Island and from Long Beach Harbor to Santa Catalina Island. The Santa Cruz crossing happened to be very rough both ways — not a ride I'd want to face on a regular basis. I believe people do commute to Santa Catalina.

The highly folded and faulted ocean floor within the Southern California Bight is much like a submerged version of Nevada, with the tallest peaks sticking out of the water to form the Channel Islands. Massive submarine landslides triggered by earthquakes on the bigger faults pose a serious tsunami risk to the entire SoCal coast.

We live only 1 km from the water but are high enough (almost 50 m ASL) to be safe from any credible run-up. The zillion-dollar beach homes will likely be swept away. The natural beauty and wonderful climate here come at a price.

 

[Rás Cnoic]

San Clemente Island is a naval base. The east end of Santa Catalina is developed private land with houses, condos, and businesses. The islands are otherwise protected within the Channel Islands National Park.

I've taken ferries from Ventura Harbor to Santa Cruz Island and from Long Beach Harbor to Santa Catalina Island. The Santa Cruz crossing happened to be very rough both ways — not a ride I'd want to face on a regular basis. I believe people do commute to Santa Catalina.

The highly folded and faulted ocean floor within the Southern California Bight is much like a submerged version of Nevada, with the tallest peaks sticking out of the water to form the Channel Islands. Massive submarine landslides triggered by earthquakes on the bigger faults pose a serious tsunami risk to the entire SoCal coast.

Fascinating!

 

[stompandgo]

At least @Jeremy McCreary lives on rock. I live on a sandbar, about 3km from the water. Our underwater topography is also interesting, and equally fragile.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Fascinating!

Because the Cascadia Subduction Zone pretty much starts in B.C. and connects to the San Andreas, I maintain it's all Canada's fault...

Shut up Dave...

 

[Chargeride]

Its St Georges day.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Its St Georges day.

Hopefully not in Wales?

 

[RabH]

I have been waiting for the right day to do one of my favourite rides between Peebles and Moffat, today was looking perfect for the trip and it really was an epic day! I put the bike in the car and drove the 50 miles down to Moffat, the drive alone was just amazing! I decided to take all 3 batteries as another 100 miler was a posibility but I ended up taking well over 300 photos so I didn't have time... I'm amazed I actually managed over 82 miles, I got back to the car with 70 miles in the bag and decided to offload 2 of my batteries and head up the awesome 6 mile Devils Beeftub climb in Moffat! I had just descended it and wanted to go back up for some photos, so I got to descend it twice!

Last year my ride started in Peebles and I did the clockwise route so I wanted to do the anticlockwise route from Moffat this time, I started the ride with 4 layers and winter gloves and ended with 2 layers and fingerless gloves! It was 3C when I set off from Moffat just after 8am, that made for some nice photos at the start of my ride!

The good thing was I had lots of climbing to warm me up and with roads like this I was in cycling heaven!

10 miles in I had my first big climb up to 1100ft and a lovely descent followed, then 7 miles of flattish terrain before the next big climb up to 1200ft at 21 miles! Then it was a cracking 5 mile descent down into the valley at the Loch of the Lowes, with light winds the water was like glass!

Right after the Loch of the Lowes is the much bigger St Marys Loch which is just over 3 miles long, it looked incredible today!

This is my favourite photo of the day!

I arrived in Peebles and took this photo from the pedestrian bridge!

I had lunch there and struggled for a while, my legs had turned to jelly! It took me a while to get going again and with a 14 mile climb coming, (luckily just a gradual climb) I was hoping my strength would return! A banana did the trick and I made it to the 1400ft summit at the Devils Beeftub and was looking forward to the 6 mile descent!

I did get some nice photos along the way!

I took this photo at the summit!

The start of the Devils Beeftub!

I flew down the descent and as I said earlier I offloaded 2 of my batteries at the car, one was spent and the other unused! My 2nd battery had 47% remaining which I was confident was enough to carry me up the 6 mile climb, as I reached the summit I was down to 23%! I grabbed a few photos on the way up!

Then it was back down the descent and into the car with the aircon blasting lovely cold air! 3C at the start and 21C at the end! What a day that was, amazing roads and stunningly beautiful scenery! I will sleep well tonight...

 

[JGcycle]

View attachment 209044

I have been waiting for the right day to do one of my favourite rides between Peebles and Moffat, today was looking perfect for the trip and it really was an epic day! I put the bike in the car and drove the 50 miles down to Moffat, the drive alone was just amazing! I decided to take all 3 batteries as another 100 miler was a posibility but I ended up taking well over 300 photos so I didn't have time... I'm amazed I actually managed over 82 miles, I got back to the car with 70 miles in the bag and decided to offload 2 of my batteries and head up the awesome 6 mile Devils Beeftub climb in Moffat! I had just descended it and wanted to go back up for some photos, so I got to descend it twice!

Last year my ride started in Peebles and I did the clockwise route so I wanted to do the anticlockwise route from Moffat this time, I started the ride with 4 layers and winter gloves and ended with 2 layers and fingerless gloves! It was 3C when I set off from Moffat just after 8am, that made for some nice photos at the start of my ride!

View attachment 209045
View attachment 209046
The good thing was I had lots of climbing to warm me up and with roads like this I was in cycling heaven!

View attachment 209047
View attachment 209048
View attachment 209049
View attachment 209050
View attachment 209051
10 miles in I had my first big climb up to 1100ft and a lovely descent followed, then 7 miles of flattish terrain before the next big climb up to 1200ft at 21 miles! Then it was a cracking 5 mile descent down into the valley at the Loch of the Lowes, with light winds the water was like glass!

View attachment 209052
View attachment 209053
Right after the Loch of the Lowes is the much bigger St Marys Loch which is just over 3 miles long, it looked incredible today!

View attachment 209054
View attachment 209055
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This is my favourite photo of the day!

View attachment 209058
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I arrived in Peebles and took this photo from the pedestrian bridge!

View attachment 209061
I had lunch there and struggled for a while, my legs had turned to jelly! It took me a while to get going again and with a 14 mile climb coming, (luckily just a gradual climb) I was hoping my strength would return! A banana did the trick and I made it to the 1400ft summit at the Devils Beeftub and was looking forward to the 6 mile descent!

I did get some nice photos along the way!

View attachment 209063
View attachment 209064
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I took this photo at the summit!

View attachment 209067
The start of the Devils Beeftub!

View attachment 209068
View attachment 209069
I flew down the descent and as I said earlier I offloaded 2 of my batteries at the car, one was spent and the other unused! My 2nd battery had 47% remaining which I was confident was enough to carry me up the 6 mile climb, as I reached the summit I was down to 23%! I grabbed a few photos on the way up!

View attachment 209070
View attachment 209071
View attachment 209072
Then it was back down the descent and into the car with the aircon blasting lovely cold air! 3C at the start and 21C at the end! What a day that was, amazing roads and stunningly beautiful scenery! I will sleep well tonight...

View attachment 209073
View attachment 209074

Those reflection shots are outstanding.

 

[Chargeride]

I forgot to request white bread, instead you get the obligatory brown carpet with seeds in it.

It was such a lovely day I was in excited mode and kept riding up and down the sea defences

I can imagine the car drivers looking and mumbling..retired have ya

Off to have a look at some Kawasaki X2s, Ive been interested in getting one for some time.

I entered the lake area to be met with a 60mph supercharged ski being run flat out

This one is good for 80mph, I can imagine sitting with your lunch and suddenly the table gets temporarily replaced by a jetski and the rider reappears on the lake holding
your plate and pint.

Im not interested in these ludicrous death boats, the X2 is a vintage ski with a 40mph top end.

Whippet racing complete with 6 inch high fencing.

This marshland is one of the UKs premierTwitchers paradise, there were hundreds of them out today.

There wasnt a great deal of enthusiasm for the show, people are a bit nervous around England flags in England thesedays

Bit dodgy riding against the traffic , but the cycle path just disappears at this point and everyones still doing 60mph from the carriageway

 

[RunForTheHills]

Don't they have sourdough bread in the UK?

 

[Chargeride]

Yes, but thats usually just as bad.
Im not a sophisticated diner

 

[Chargeride]

View attachment 209044

I have been waiting for the right day to do one of my favourite rides between Peebles and Moffat, today was looking perfect for the trip and it really was an epic day! I put the bike in the car and drove the 50 miles down to Moffat, the drive alone was just amazing! I decided to take all 3 batteries as another 100 miler was a posibility but I ended up taking well over 300 photos so I didn't have time... I'm amazed I actually managed over 82 miles, I got back to the car with 70 miles in the bag and decided to offload 2 of my batteries and head up the awesome 6 mile Devils Beeftub climb in Moffat! I had just descended it and wanted to go back up for some photos, so I got to descend it twice!

Last year my ride started in Peebles and I did the clockwise route so I wanted to do the anticlockwise route from Moffat this time, I started the ride with 4 layers and winter gloves and ended with 2 layers and fingerless gloves! It was 3C when I set off from Moffat just after 8am, that made for some nice photos at the start of my ride!

View attachment 209045
View attachment 209046
The good thing was I had lots of climbing to warm me up and with roads like this I was in cycling heaven!

View attachment 209047
View attachment 209048
View attachment 209049
View attachment 209050
View attachment 209051
10 miles in I had my first big climb up to 1100ft and a lovely descent followed, then 7 miles of flattish terrain before the next big climb up to 1200ft at 21 miles! Then it was a cracking 5 mile descent down into the valley at the Loch of the Lowes, with light winds the water was like glass!

View attachment 209052
View attachment 209053
Right after the Loch of the Lowes is the much bigger St Marys Loch which is just over 3 miles long, it looked incredible today!

View attachment 209054
View attachment 209055
View attachment 209056
View attachment 209057
This is my favourite photo of the day!

View attachment 209058
View attachment 209059
View attachment 209060
I arrived in Peebles and took this photo from the pedestrian bridge!

View attachment 209061
I had lunch there and struggled for a while, my legs had turned to jelly! It took me a while to get going again and with a 14 mile climb coming, (luckily just a gradual climb) I was hoping my strength would return! A banana did the trick and I made it to the 1400ft summit at the Devils Beeftub and was looking forward to the 6 mile descent!

I did get some nice photos along the way!

View attachment 209063
View attachment 209064
View attachment 209065
View attachment 209066
I took this photo at the summit!

View attachment 209067
The start of the Devils Beeftub!

View attachment 209068
View attachment 209069
I flew down the descent and as I said earlier I offloaded 2 of my batteries at the car, one was spent and the other unused! My 2nd battery had 47% remaining which I was confident was enough to carry me up the 6 mile climb, as I reached the summit I was down to 23%! I grabbed a few photos on the way up!

View attachment 209070
View attachment 209071
View attachment 209072
Then it was back down the descent and into the car with the aircon blasting lovely cold air! 3C at the start and 21C at the end! What a day that was, amazing roads and stunningly beautiful scenery! I will sleep well tonight...

View attachment 209073
View attachment 209074

Every shot is a banger

 

[Chargeride]

So the latest saga update with Garys battery, they wont honour the warranty, even though the two weeks over was in one of their dealers shops.
So they are asking for 420 quid for a new battery, oh and if they had given him a new one it would be without any warranty.

So we were going out tomorrow, but it wouldnt start again, so he unplugged the TCD and one of the cable pins stayed inside the female plug, pulling free from the male.

That happened to his motor plug as well requiring fishing out and a new battery cable, we are starting to consider fumble fingers at the dealers.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@Chargeride: I wrote that on your YT but want to write it here, too. Your "St. George's Day" vid is a masterpiece! Short -- so the viewer can focus on watching entirely. No commentary but a good music instead. A wonderful montage! You told the story by showing the pictures only! I'm not saying it is the direction you should go but that was one of your best productions I've ever seen!

Cheers!

 

[Chargeride]

I can make vids like that, but as you can see nobody wants to watch them, but they are so easy to make that I do them now and again

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The Windy River Boog Ride!

I'm so glad no-one joined my ride along River Bug (read: boog. Interestingly, Bug (River) and Bóg (God) pronounce identically...) There was a very strong westerly wind on Saturday... but read on!

Artificial Zegrzyńskie Lake (Zegrze Reservoir) was created behind the confluence of Rivers Narew and Bug in 1963. This makes the outflowing River Narew really wide. (Soon, the Narew will join the Vistula in Modlin, our second Warsaw airport town).

I rode in Serock then sharply descended to see the Lake. A TURBO climb, and I stopped to take a photo of the townhall. Thanks to tourism, Serock does extremely well!

River Bug is big and important: It forms our eastern border with Ukraine and part of Belarus. (It is the fourth largest river of Poland).

There were excellent bike paths and perfect asphalt. Next, I entered fantastic gravel. (See the anti-flood embankment at the right).

Willows were brought to Mazovia by Hauländers, Dutch Mennonites who settled, i.a., in Mazovia since 16th c. The immigrants were planting willows as an anti-flood/anti-ice floe measure. Since, the tree has become the icon of Mazovia (like, "Chopin composing Mazurkas under a willow tree"). See also one of many coves formed by the river.

Willows, a bonfire smoke and the river in the background.

Entering the off-road portion of the trip. The footbridge was near to collapsing!

There was a singletrack...

...forest roads...

...and sand, as it is the proper thing in the post-glacial Mazovia As you can see, the sand dunes in this very area tend to collapse. Sandy road? Well, it was a nightmare for me in the past! Now? I learned riding them!

Restaurants being closed for the season!
Spring is a difficult time for a cyclist to get decent food en route in Poland. Restaurants are now closed because they have booked weddings. Later, there will be the season for the First Holy Communion parties, a new fashion. I couldn't count on a restaurant when I arrived in Wyszków, so...

...visited a fast food place instead. Bastards! They organized all the menus the way it read: "Chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken and chicken again. Not fond of poultry? Order a zapiekanka!"

So I did. Zapiekanka is the most known of Polish fast food. Why did I say "bastards!"? Because they had pizzas on the other side of the menu but apparently were not happy about making them!

Then I crossed the Bug.

The Headwind Saga
As I reached the crossroads in Deskurów, I had to consider the return ride strategy:

• No trains between Wyszków and Warsaw (railroad reconstruction works)
• There was a very strong wind from WSW
• I had 40 km of headwind and terrain to Nieporęt Train Station. The trains to Warsaw departing every three hours, with the next one at 17:11. Would I make it? Doubtful.
• I had 50 km with a strong headwind component to the convenient Warsaw Stadium station.

The choice was obvious. I ditched the original ride plan and asked Komoot to make "a road cycling route" to Warsaw. Let me only tell you the return ride was tough, cold, and I had to increase my Vado 6.0 assistance to 80% to make it! (Of course, I had a spare battery with me).

I'm sure you are used to extremely long straight roads in North America. Such a road is an abomination in Europe, though Here, on Radzymińska Street, a long and boring straight road from Radzymin via Marki to Northeast Warsaw. Bike paths and riding with traffic alternately. I was getting cold and tired!

Still, I had to smile under a Sakura tree early in Warsaw!

I only had to wait for 7 minutes in the Stadium Station for my return train! 70 miles total for the day.

 

[Chargeride]

Windy ride, the lads were manualling, with a tailwind they were losing me, coming back they were slipstreaming me all the way.
Bri got a flat, his spare tube was schrader and it wouldnt go through the rim.
Gary brought a tube, he left early ,just got in the house and we called him back.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Windy ride

It looks it was everywhere between Britain and Poland. Sunday wind was even worse! It blew my heavy Vado to the side on a stop even if I placed the bike along the wind!

I found this unmarked, well hidden and inexpensive diner less than 6 km from home. You pay cash or "BLIK to Phone" (an instant system where you instruct your bank to pay to a smartphone, one of the nice inventions of Poland).

Delicious home-made food.

One of so few "trade Sundays" in Poland when big stores are open. (Didn't take a pannier from home as I didn't expect the Trade Sunday, so rare these are!)

An Egg-O-Mat

 

[Chargeride]

uPDATE 7-3D
Gary rang the shop Brian gets his motor serviced and they will replace the motor plug for 40 quid!
Which brings me to conclude its a lot easier than we thought.
They will also recase his lug snapped off motor for 100.
Were chipping in to keep it as a spare, though they do need programming, maybe we will buy a TCU and get it paired up and keep both as a fast repair

 

[Chargeride]

The brakes on the Haibike were sounding terminal, dont ask me to replace the rotors, theyve just been freshly skimmed