DaveMatthews
Dave's not here. Cheating since 2018
- Region
- Canada
I'll keep an eye out!
Also, don't feed those "porpoises" or the cops will give you a cetacean...
Show us pictures of where you ride your ebikes!
Also, don't feed those "porpoises" or the cops will give you a cetacean...
stompandgo
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Bad Dad joke forgiven for Father's Day.
DaveMatthews
Dave's not here. Cheating since 2018
- Region
- Canada
Fair enough mate!
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
I've been on the telly
Varmia Gravel 2026.
Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
Last Saturday's ride started with 5 miles of flattish neighborhood laps with a neighbor getting back on his Aventon for the first time after spine surgery. He wanted some company just in case.
Then I split off for 8 more miles of hills with 800 ft of climbing. They say that climbing starts to get serious at 100 ft/mi, and it certainly felt serious to me.
A World Tour mountain stage can average ~150 ft/mi overall, but individual climbs — e.g., Mt. Ventoux in the French Alps — can easily exceed 400 ft/mi.
Stopped briefly at an entrance to the Batiquitos Lagoon Ecological Preserve. Zoom in to see the lagoon's upstream end at the top, just to the bike's right. A green-fringed white sand island takes up most of the channel here.
Appropriately, no bikes of any kind allowed on the trails, and no shortage of signage to that effect. But that doesn't stop local kids on their fat-tire ebikes and e-motos.
A large horse property occupies the floodplain to the east of this overlook.
View to the SE. In the center skyline, Denk Mountain — at 1,042 ft, the highest point within Carlsbad city limits. In the distance to its right, Woodson Mountain at nearly 3,000 ft. Lots of great mountain biking on these uplands, but not much for my hybrid road/gravel bike.
These odd "piles" of wood-like material almost look man-made, but they're actually dead palm trees that collapsed without falling over. This kind of low-slung palm dots the lagoon's noth shore. Beautiful when alive, but for some reason, about half are dead now.
Then I split off for 8 more miles of hills with 800 ft of climbing. They say that climbing starts to get serious at 100 ft/mi, and it certainly felt serious to me.
A World Tour mountain stage can average ~150 ft/mi overall, but individual climbs — e.g., Mt. Ventoux in the French Alps — can easily exceed 400 ft/mi.
Stopped briefly at an entrance to the Batiquitos Lagoon Ecological Preserve. Zoom in to see the lagoon's upstream end at the top, just to the bike's right. A green-fringed white sand island takes up most of the channel here.
Appropriately, no bikes of any kind allowed on the trails, and no shortage of signage to that effect. But that doesn't stop local kids on their fat-tire ebikes and e-motos.
A large horse property occupies the floodplain to the east of this overlook.
View to the SE. In the center skyline, Denk Mountain — at 1,042 ft, the highest point within Carlsbad city limits. In the distance to its right, Woodson Mountain at nearly 3,000 ft. Lots of great mountain biking on these uplands, but not much for my hybrid road/gravel bike.
These odd "piles" of wood-like material almost look man-made, but they're actually dead palm trees that collapsed without falling over. This kind of low-slung palm dots the lagoon's noth shore. Beautiful when alive, but for some reason, about half are dead now.
Last edited:
DaveMatthews
Dave's not here. Cheating since 2018
- Region
- Canada
Gorgeous mate!
Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
Had a nice 21 mi coast ride south to Cardiff and back with neighbor DW yesterday.
Several ocean-view stops — including a lunch of poke-like ahi tuna tacos at Moonlight Beach — but few photos. This shot south from the Carlsbad State Beach Campground shows a nearly all-cobble beach below. A recent big wave event moved most of the sand to offshore bars, but sooner or later it'll come back ashore.
DW's gray Trek and my Vado SL at Cardiff. I can't hear his Bosch motor at all when riding alongside, but he can certainly hear mine.
Several ocean-view stops — including a lunch of poke-like ahi tuna tacos at Moonlight Beach — but few photos. This shot south from the Carlsbad State Beach Campground shows a nearly all-cobble beach below. A recent big wave event moved most of the sand to offshore bars, but sooner or later it'll come back ashore.
DW's gray Trek and my Vado SL at Cardiff. I can't hear his Bosch motor at all when riding alongside, but he can certainly hear mine.
Rás Cnoic
Hillrider a.k.a. The Apostle
- Region
- United Kingdom
- City
- Dartmoor
"They call him Jeremy (Wailin' Banshee) McCreary"
Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
Among other things.
Rás Cnoic
Hillrider a.k.a. The Apostle
- Region
- United Kingdom
- City
- Dartmoor
If your life had taken a different turn it could have been
"... as the riders enter the famous old velodrome here in Roubaix and it's the American, the one they call Banshee McCreary in the lead!"
Banshee McCreary actually has a great ring to it. I sense a new podcast/vlogging career coming up!
DaveMatthews
Dave's not here. Cheating since 2018
- Region
- Canada
BM for short has my approval...
Rás Cnoic
Hillrider a.k.a. The Apostle
- Region
- United Kingdom
- City
- Dartmoor
This one you need to get a high quality print and frame - to look at on those miserable winter days with the lights on all day, to remind you why you ride. To me that road, that sweep and view is what cycling is all about. the lure of exploring & whats around the next bend. Great photo Rab.
Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
We're lucky to have lots of inspiring scenery and bike infrastructure near home. Bike rides are the best way to connect with it on a recurring basis. It's a spiritual experience every time I ride here.
Last edited:
RabH
Well-Known Member
This was actually a beast of an uphill, way more fun going the other way...
I'm glad you liked the photo, it pretty much sums up Arran!
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
beach fun. manzanita and a few others.
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
They made a special spot for seagull parking.
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
love windswept trees.
Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
The highlight of yesterday's 12 mi ride was a large bluff-top open space overlooking South Ponto Beach and Batiquitos Lagoon.
Love riding the sand-coated hardpack up here as I take in the fantastic views.
Coast Highway bridge over the mouth of Batiquitos Lagoon with South Ponto Beach beyond.
Never saw this vessel move. Looks like a military workboat, but could be a research vessel out the Scripps Oceanographic Institution in La Jolla, some 20 mi south of here.
Outer Batiquitos Lagoon with Coast Highway bridge off to the right and half-replaced rail bridge at left. Guessing they'll soon be laying track for the planned 2nd line.
Once completed, the new bridge will also allow better tidal flushing of this much larger inner lagoon. Between the inner and outer lagoons, there must be 10 different shades of blue here in the water alone. I like blue.
Nearly all offroad in this area is hardpack — all of it with at least a thin veneer of loose sand.
Here, the sand's not always so thin — and it gets much deeper than this in places.
That new 40 mm gravel tire (Specialized Tracer tubeless) barely fit under the front fender. But it makes my bike vastly more sure-footed on this kind of surface than the 38 mm Pathfinder it replaced.
Word on the street is that this open space will soon be a resort. What a waste! Gotta enjoy it while I can.
Love riding the sand-coated hardpack up here as I take in the fantastic views.
Coast Highway bridge over the mouth of Batiquitos Lagoon with South Ponto Beach beyond.
Never saw this vessel move. Looks like a military workboat, but could be a research vessel out the Scripps Oceanographic Institution in La Jolla, some 20 mi south of here.
Outer Batiquitos Lagoon with Coast Highway bridge off to the right and half-replaced rail bridge at left. Guessing they'll soon be laying track for the planned 2nd line.
Once completed, the new bridge will also allow better tidal flushing of this much larger inner lagoon. Between the inner and outer lagoons, there must be 10 different shades of blue here in the water alone. I like blue.
Nearly all offroad in this area is hardpack — all of it with at least a thin veneer of loose sand.
Here, the sand's not always so thin — and it gets much deeper than this in places.
That new 40 mm gravel tire (Specialized Tracer tubeless) barely fit under the front fender. But it makes my bike vastly more sure-footed on this kind of surface than the 38 mm Pathfinder it replaced.
Word on the street is that this open space will soon be a resort. What a waste! Gotta enjoy it while I can.
Last edited:
Similar threads
