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

I recently skimmed through Jaws on a whim when it came up on the Netflix or Prime feed. Define "masterpiece".
For its day, it was.

Last year was the 50th anniversary of the making of the film. There was a huge celebration on the Vineyard all season long. We avoided the chaos and went after it was over. There were some fantastic exhibits and speakers.

Great White Sharks are summer visitors here, every year. Many of them have geotrackers. There is a Sharktivity app for beachgoers so that they know when to stay away.
 
I had to reconnect with my analog bike...
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Back to the scene of my first ever ride on my Giant on April 1st 2018 with a ride out to Kirknewton near Edinburgh! We have been stuck with easterly winds lately but they have been light and very welcome, today they were around 15mph so it was a fairly easy ride out to Kirknewton into the headwind! I was looking forward to having a tailwind on the way home for a nice change! I made my way out to Armadale and used the cycle path down to Whitburn, I stopped for this photo on the path with the Pentland Hills in the background! The Pentlands featured heavily today as the road from Kirknewton to Carnwath runs alongside them!

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From Whitburn I used the excellent cycle paths to Bathgate and Dechmont and then SE through Pumpherston and East Calder, I enjoyed a few flights passing overhead into Edinburgh Airport on my way to East Calder! From there I continued east to Kirknewton and joined the amazing A70 towards Carnwath!

I stopped for a few photos of the Pentlands at Kirknewton!

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Now on the A70 where I stopped for more photos!

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Its such a great road with lots of ups and downs and twists and turns!

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I got a very pleasant surprise to see they had laid some nice new tarmac up the climb to Harperrig Reservoir!

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I stopped for more photos before heading up the climb!

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At the top of the climb looking back down!

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Harperrig Reservoir!

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Now at the western end of the reservoir!

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Now it was time to enjoy the A70 with a nice tailwind all the way to Carnwath, I stopped for many photos along the way!

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From Carnwath I headed east towards Carluke on the awesome A721, lots of climbing followed by some excellent descents!

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Another view of the Pentlands part way up the climb!

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Tinto Hill from the A721 near Kilncadzow!

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The final climb into Kilncadzow, the descent from here to Carluke is amazing!

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That was the last photo as I had to get home around 1pm to help my sister, she had a nasty fall recently and is nursing some very painful ribs! After helping her into bed I had some free time so headed back out and did a 20 mile loop out to Slamannan and back! What a fantastic day that was, it started very gloomy and I wasn't going to bother taking any photos but things cleared up a little! I need another 53 miles for 49000 on my amazing Giant Road E+1 Pro, I would almost certainly have taken it past 50000 miles this year if not for the motor failure! The 50000 will have to wait for 2027, I think 1053 miles in less than 2 months would be pushing it... 😂 Especially with the Dolan primed for action if the weather plays ball! ;) My total for this year is now 6,271 miles which equates to 10,092km for those that use metric!

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Back to the scene of my first ever ride on my Giant on April 1st 2018 with a ride out to Kirknewton near Edinburgh! We have been stuck with easterly winds lately but they have been light and very welcome, today they were around 15mph so it was a fairly easy ride out to Kirknewton into the headwind! I was looking forward to having a tailwind on the way home for a nice change! I made my way out to Armadale and used the cycle path down to Whitburn, I stopped for this photo on the path with the Pentland Hills in the background! The Pentlands featured heavily today as the road from Kirknewton to Carnwath runs alongside them!

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From Whitburn I used the excellent cycle paths to Bathgate and Dechmont and then SE through Pumpherston and East Calder, I enjoyed a few flights passing overhead into Edinburgh Airport on my way to East Calder! From there I continued east to Kirknewton and joined the amazing A70 towards Carnwath!

I stopped for a few photos of the Pentlands at Kirknewton!

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Now on the A70 where I stopped for more photos!

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Its such a great road with lots of ups and downs and twists and turns!

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I got a very pleasant surprise to see they had laid some nice new tarmac up the climb to Harperrig Reservoir!

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I stopped for more photos before heading up the climb!

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At the top of the climb looking back down!

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Harperrig Reservoir!

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Now at the western end of the reservoir!

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Now it was time to enjoy the A70 with a nice tailwind all the way to Carnwath, I stopped for many photos along the way!

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From Carnwath I headed east towards Carluke on the awesome A721, lots of climbing followed by some excellent descents!

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Another view of the Pentlands part way up the climb!

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Tinto Hill from the A721 near Kilncadzow!

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The final climb into Kilncadzow, the descent from here to Carluke is amazing!

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That was the last photo as I had to get home around 1pm to help my sister, she had a nasty fall recently and is nursing some very painful ribs! After helping her into bed I had some free time so headed back out and did a 20 mile loop out to Slamannan and back! What a fantastic day that was, it started very gloomy and I wasn't going to bother taking any photos but things cleared up a little! I need another 53 miles for 49000 on my amazing Giant Road E+1 Pro, I would almost certainly have taken it past 50000 miles this year if not for the motor failure! The 50000 will have to wait for 2027, I think 1053 miles in less than 2 months would be pushing it... 😂 Especially with the Dolan primed for action if the weather plays ball! ;) My total for this year is now 6,271 miles which equates to 10,092km for those that use metric!

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Here's a nice problem to have: How will you split your time between the Giant and the Dolan? Guessing the Giant will get the longest rides, as you already have the extra Giant batteries for it.
 
Here's a nice problem to have: How will you split your time between the Giant and the Dolan? Guessing the Giant will get the longest rides, as you already have the extra Giant batteries for it.
I expect the coming winter months to be almost exclusively the Giant, any good days without grit on the roads will see the Dolan get an outing for sure! I can't wait for next summer to really test the Dolan's range in warmer weather, it was just unfortunate I got it so late in the year! I feel blessed to have 2 great bikes at my disposal now and look forward to adding many miles to both! There is no doubt the Giant will have more range given the 3 batteries and will be used for the much longer rides!
 
I expect the coming winter months to be almost exclusively the Giant, any good days without grit on the roads will see the Dolan get an outing for sure! I can't wait for next summer to really test the Dolan's range in warmer weather, it was just unfortunate I got it so late in the year! I feel blessed to have 2 great bikes at my disposal now and look forward to adding many miles to both! There is no doubt the Giant will have more range given the 3 batteries and will be used for the much longer rides!
Winter bike & Summer bike, perfect!

What size and make tyres are you running Rab? Do you have similar on both bikes or trying something new on the Dolan?
 
Winter bike & Summer bike, perfect!

What size and make tyres are you running Rab? Do you have similar on both bikes or trying something new on the Dolan?
I have always run 700x35 Schwalbe Marathons on the Giant but I didn't have the option with the Dolan so went with 700x32 Vittoria Randonneur Techs and I like them, only 5 rides so far though but they roll well and have decent grip!
 
I have always run 700x35 Schwalbe Marathons on the Giant but I didn't have the option with the Dolan so went with 700x32 Vittoria Randonneur Techs and I like them, only 5 rides so far though but they roll well and have decent grip!
and both are ok on the often less then perfect tarmac of UK roads? I mean the fact you have rolled those Marathons over so many thousands of miles of Scottish roads answers that!
 
Battery Range Test, Big Vado, A Cold But Calm Day

My body is not what it was a few years ago. As I have recently been finding, I need more e-bike assistance to keep up with a group of fit riders, which affects the battery range. Only a live test could determine what I can expect on a longer, faster ride!

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A photo from early evening grocery shopping. The actual temperature was -1 C (30 F).

Winter is coming. The nights, mornings, and evenings are frosty, and the highest daytime temperature is around 7°C. All of this makes choosing what to wear difficult. This made me start the ride only past noon.

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In Młochów Forest on VeloMazovia M2 trail.

Battery Range Test Planning
You need to ride a realistic terrain on a very narrow loop starting into the wind. Keep the same assistance level all the time. When the battery charge drops to 60%, start looking for a shortcut to the return leg of the trip. As soon as the battery charge has dropped to 55% (on the e-bikes I ride) just double the distance already ridden, and it will give you a good estimate for the battery range. (At this point, I would just reduce the assistance and return but that was not the objective for my ride). Now, if your return ride leg is downwind (and the area is flat), you are guaranteed to reach home on a single battery. In case of any hills en route, you just need to retrace your outward leg of the trip (which is boring).

I chose the Blue battery (490 Wh actual), which is more degraded than my best Black #2 one. The assistance was 60/60% (Specialized full power e-bike).

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"Cycling gloves lost in Przypki"

In 2013, following a doctor's advice, I bought a traditional bicycle after a long hiatus. It was the time I started exploring my neighbourhood on rather rare and relatively short rides. On my first ride towards Tarczyn, I removed then lost my pride: the first cycling gloves in my life! Of course Mr. Mikulski of those times would not just return and reclaim the gloves, haha :) My friends found that story pretty amusing :D

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A 2014 drawing by a friend to summarise my adventures of that era: "The gloves had not been found" :D (The lost gloves can be seen near bottom right).

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Well, the 55% estimate was 62 km battery range. My ride was around 60 km with 14% battery charge left. I would assume the 60 km range as a safe value.

On a typical weekend ride, I need to account for 8 km extra for the train station commutes as well (I heavily reduce the assistance for that part).

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66 km for the day.
 
Pulled up at the misty reservoir just as the church bells rang out the rememberance chimes
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Its Novemeber for forks sake
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It really wasnt that cold, I was just wearing a thin fleece.
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Its possible with a throttle, but pedal strikes rule it out.
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C'mon Bri, its just a bit of gravel
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I cannot believe we were getting traction on damp, muddy grass,ths was insanely steep
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The mist gave it an unwordly feeling
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Back down at speed and walkers appeared out of the fog
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All very friendly
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Horse riders on our bridleway!
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The autumn/fall colours/colors are beautiful.
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Challenge accepted
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Throw a castle in for good measure
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Perfect timing
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That was an 80ft drop, we were confident at this point
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The trail was beyond magical, but kept going right up to unfenced vertical dropoffs
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It just got better and better, a great find.
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Heading to a jump circuit, great to see young kids with dads.
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Whats that old man doing dad?
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Bri didnt let me down, he wobbled for 40ft then hit that stump.
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Gravel Off-Road + MOSTy
A gravel group ride

Weather
"There is no bad weather only wrong clothes". The morning was frosty, the mid-day reached +7C and the late afternoon was dark and cold again. Each of us was perfectly aware what to wear. For instance, I rode the mid-day in my sailor's jacket completely open! Worth noting, the sun was shining all day long!

Actors
Marek, the brain and author of that ride. Gujos, the mastermind for his family cycling equipment. His wife Agata, a petite, riding a titanium bike. All three being experienced gravel riders who had already participated in long distance gravel races.

Ride Plan
Marek took a ready plan for "Gravel Off-Road" (a 50-mile gravel race) and combined it with MOSTy, the Warsaw Vistula trail. He hadn't ridden either before! We started from Warsaw-Stadium at 9:47, instantly heading the Vistula shore.

My Gear
It was the first so well planned ride of mine in months. I took two batteries for my big Vado, started the main ride with 96% charge of the weaker of the two, and kept 60/60% assistance off-road and 50/50% on rare asphalt roads. Now, I could confidently ride with the group, and I was in the lead for most of the ride!

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As we were riding with a few short stops, there was no time for taking pictures. Here, a "Cyclist Resting Place" with wooden carvings of animals living in nearby forests: the deer, wild boar, elk.

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Still very cold. Gujos is a fan of the music of my youth, so we had something to talk about :)

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The married couple in love ❤️


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So we rode deeper in the woods. There was a little lake there, still covered with thin ice!

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Gujos waiting for us on a singletrack.


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My Vado is slow on singletracks but the high motor power let me climb on tree roots and sand!

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On the River Narew embankment.

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A view towards Zegrzyńskie Lake.

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We rode a long singletrack atop a River Rządza embankment then switched to a beautiful brand new bike path along the Lake in Rynia.


The predicted 1st battery range of 60.5 km was dead on the spot! (It was 65 km total including the commute). I had to replace the battery just 3 km before the first destination!

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I dragged the pack to the "Cicha Woda" (Stillwater) inn in Nieporęt at 63rd kilometre. I knew my friends would love the place and food!

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I was hungry as a wolf! The portions my friends got were as big as they also shared some food with me because 'food cannot go to waste' :) I was full and became strong again!


There were 37 km left. We rode fast at the sunset. Said good-byes to Gujoses at the Northern Bridge of Warsaw. Now, we were to immerse into a technical trail in Bielański Woods at dark. Now, I became the guide for Marek! My Supernova headlight gave us perfect lighting of the scene! As we arrived in Warsaw-Stadium, I had 100.00 km on my Wahoo but Marek said his Garmin reported 800 m to little. So we made two victory loops and you know what?

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My Wahoo had been dead on the distance :D

Bri didnt let me down, he wobbled for 40ft then hit that stump.
@Chargeride: There is a similar but shorter descent on MOSTy, a lot of stone and one clear path by a tree. Any younger "immortal" has no issue to ride it down. Marek is 55. He looked down at the descent and snapped 'I'll rather walk the bike down!' Yes! He's not immortal anymore, same as myself!
 
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This may well be my last ride on the Dolan this year with a cold snap moving in, it was good to get such a nice day for my final ride! Of course if we get another mild spell it will make a return but it will almost exclusively be the Giant from today! Once again we had light easterly winds which is perfect for heading east so I made my way out to Hillend Reservoir and stopped for a couple of photos! Its great to see calm waters around these parts!

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I then continued east and stopped at the Black Loch for a couple of photos!

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I then enjoyed the descent down into Avonbridge and made my way up the big climb to Standburn, some nice fast descents also on this very undulating and fun road! From Standburn its a lovely long fast descent on the road to Linlithgow, unfortunately the awesome road to town has been closed for many weeks and there is no completion date as yet! So I had to head south here down the Avon Gorge and make my way down to Linlithgow from there, passing over the canal on the way and I had to stop for a photo!

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I also stopped for this photo of the Ochil Hills!

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I made my way through busy Linlithgow without incident and continued east towards Bridgend and Threemiletown where I turned south and started up the climb on the road to Ecclesmachan before turning west towards Beecraigs Country Park! This road was such fun today with a lovely tailwind, albeit only 10-15mph but it sure helps! I stopped at the top of the valley for some photos before flying down the descent at over 40mph! It was a shame the Ochils were shrouded in cloud as I saw them in the morning and they looked incredible!

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After the big descent it was straight into a huge climb up to the country park and I stopped on the way up for a couple of photos!

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I stopped again at the top of the climb for more photos looking east with the big descent I enjoyed earlier in the background!

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The Forth Valley!

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I then decided to use the back road through the country park which is full of big climbs and big descents, this climb was a real beast and this is at the top looking back down! Of course the photo makes it look almost flat... 😂

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I had a view of the Pentland Hills at the top!

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The next climb was even harder than the last one but I had a cracking descent before it, the Dolan had no problems up these climbs in level 4 assist! I then joined the back road to Cairnpapple which is another massive climb up the corkscrew, the big descent before it helps you gain momentum for the climb!

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The views at the top are sure worth the effort!

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I then enjoyed the fastest descent of the day at almost 42mph, it would have been even faster but the sun made me go a little slower than I would have liked...;) At the end of the road I turned south on the back road to Dechmont, another fantastic road with a couple of steep climbs but an incredible long descent down into Dechmont! From there I used the excellent cycle path to Bathgate and Whitburn and joined the equally great path up into Armadale where I took the quiet back road to Blackridge! From there I turned west for home and decided to use the cycle path alongside Hillend Loch and stopped for some late afternoon photos!

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The Dolan performed flawlessly once again and it made for a very good days cycling, I do hope I will get another chance to ride it soon but the Giant is every bit as capable and just as much fun!

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This may well be my last ride on the Dolan this year with a cold snap moving in, it was good to get such a nice day for my final ride! Of course if we get another mild spell it will make a return but it will almost exclusively be the Giant from today! Once again we had light easterly winds which is perfect for heading east so I made my way out to Hillend Reservoir and stopped for a couple of photos! Its great to see calm waters around these parts!

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I then continued east and stopped at the Black Loch for a couple of photos!

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I then enjoyed the descent down into Avonbridge and made my way up the big climb to Standburn, some nice fast descents also on this very undulating and fun road! From Standburn its a lovely long fast descent on the road to Linlithgow, unfortunately the awesome road to town has been closed for many weeks and there is no completion date as yet! So I had to head south here down the Avon Gorge and make my way down to Linlithgow from there, passing over the canal on the way and I had to stop for a photo!

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I also stopped for this photo of the Ochil Hills!

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I made my way through busy Linlithgow without incident and continued east towards Bridgend and Threemiletown where I turned south and started up the climb on the road to Ecclesmachan before turning west towards Beecraigs Country Park! This road was such fun today with a lovely tailwind, albeit only 10-15mph but it sure helps! I stopped at the top of the valley for some photos before flying down the descent at over 40mph! It was a shame the Ochils were shrouded in cloud as I saw them in the morning and they looked incredible!

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After the big descent it was straight into a huge climb up to the country park and I stopped on the way up for a couple of photos!

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I stopped again at the top of the climb for more photos looking east with the big descent I enjoyed earlier in the background!

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The Forth Valley!

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I then decided to use the back road through the country park which is full of big climbs and big descents, this climb was a real beast and this is at the top looking back down! Of course the photo makes it look almost flat... 😂

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I had a view of the Pentland Hills at the top!

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The next climb was even harder than the last one but I had a cracking descent before it, the Dolan had no problems up these climbs in level 4 assist! I then joined the back road to Cairnpapple which is another massive climb up the corkscrew, the big descent before it helps you gain momentum for the climb!

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The views at the top are sure worth the effort!

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I then enjoyed the fastest descent of the day at almost 42mph, it would have been even faster but the sun made me go a little slower than I would have liked...;) At the end of the road I turned south on the back road to Dechmont, another fantastic road with a couple of steep climbs but an incredible long descent down into Dechmont! From there I used the excellent cycle path to Bathgate and Whitburn and joined the equally great path up into Armadale where I took the quiet back road to Blackridge! From there I turned west for home and decided to use the cycle path alongside Hillend Loch and stopped for some late afternoon photos!

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The Dolan performed flawlessly once again and it made for a very good days cycling, I do hope I will get another chance to ride it soon but the Giant is every bit as capable and just as much fun!

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In love with that landscape! I tlooks so paceful
 
11:11 on 11/11: Poland's National Independence Day

In 1914, Józef Piłsudski set out to reclaim independence for Poland that no longer existed on the map. After being imprisoned in 1917 for refusing to pledge allegiance to foreign powers, he was released on November 8, 1918, and returned to Warsaw two days later to take charge of the nation. On November 11 -- as WWI ended -- Poland regained its freedom from Russia, Germany, and Austria-Hungary. Today, Poland celebrated National Independence Day.

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As we got off the train at 11:10, I looked at my watch and as soon the second hand passed to the next minute, I and Tommy pushed the Start buttons on our Wahoos; we set off to draw a simplified outline of today's Poland on the map! (Note: The temperature shown was the one on the train. It was a steady 3 C outside).

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We got in the representation of Sudety Mountains about 9 km into the ride.

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It was a long and treacherous MTB technical singletrack. Wet tree roots were the worst!

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There were places where we had to walk our bikes uphill. A short stop to recover.

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Honour guard at the Piłsudski Stone. Before his imprisonment, the future Marshal of Poland established the Polish Military Organisation (POW) and was providing training to his volunteer soldiers in the area.

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Both I and Tommy wore proper clothes, and we were pedalling. 3 C in the absence of the wind felt alright to us!

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River Długa still hasn't recovered from the drought! (The reinforced concrete slabs seemed to be giving up, and those were perhaps only 2 years old!)

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Deep sand in the representation of Suwalki Gap. It was tough! A long walk was necessary!

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Yes, we managed to draw the map! :)
 
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