2020 : Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[Mr. Coffee]

Discovering leaving the battery key at home is only marginally better than a flat tire and it depends on where you are when you find it absent. In order not to repeat that mistake I have attached a very small top bar bag right in front of my nose, the sole purpose of which is to hold my key ring. Peeking in that bag is job one before takeoff.

I use one of these (Chums surfshorts wallet) which has a keyring that holds my bike keys. My house key is hidden at my home in two non-obvious spots (plus in reality I never lock my house when I am away). My car key is on a nylon cord that I carry around my neck when I am driving. My massive assortment of other keys is on a keychain that lives in my car. So if I always bring my wallet I always have my bike keys.

 

[RabH]

To be 100% clear: I'm out of cycling, not of business I've been working fully remotely since 2000, and partly remotely since 1996 (the fax/early e-mail times).

The executive order is crystal-clear: "Stay at home, unless..." If I were commuting to/from work, use of an e-bike would be welcomed and praised. I work at home. I may do some grocery shopping using the bike, that's it. I intend to spend spare time on upgrading my e-bikes.

Marathon e-Plus are a novelty. Made in Germany; and Germany is the direct neighbour of Poland. Still, my delivery was greatly delayed, perhaps because of the covid situation.

I have made a promise to myself and to my girlfriend: Once the pest is over, we're going to see Canada and the U.S. My heart longs to Vancouver and Seattle but Brix may have a different opinion. California? Texas? Virginia? Rocky Mountains? Who knows what the future holds...

Having more time, I will read the Forum more. @Mulezen, waiting for your report on the Allant!

Sorry you can't get out for a proper ride now Stefan We have been on lockdown since Monday night but we are allowed to go out once a day for exercise, thankfully bikes are included! I went out today and I have never seen our roads so quiet for many many years! It looks like the people of Scotland are taking this virus very seriously which I'm glad to report!

 

[Mulezen]

Same here in Central VA. On yesterday’s ride I saw but one person in the distance sitting on his trailer stoop having a smoke. Funny how I got a whiff whizzing by in the distance.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Sorry you can't get out for a proper ride now Stefan We have been on lockdown since Monday night but we are allowed to go out once a day for exercise, thankfully bikes are included! I went out today and I have never seen our roads so quiet for many many years! It looks like the people of Scotland are taking this virus very seriously which I'm glad to report!

Very similar here. I prefer staying at home though as it is very cold now. I only drove to the InPost parcel locker for the delivery of the new tyres and got the Ergotec stem from the courier. I told the guy to sign the paper in my name. More in a new thread on the Forum, look it up!

 

[Beardystarstuff]

Funny how our perspective of riding changes. Back in January, just three months ago, my first rides in 20 years, I thought my 10 mile rides were great and in those moments they were. But then I started riding 15, then 20 miles, then 25. With each week or two I would tend to add to my ride routes. Skip forward to today, and my usual ride is 35 to 40 miles. If I have to limit a ride to 20 or 25 miles I‘m not satisfied. I think the 35 to 40 mile range is likely the sweet spot in terms of a long ride that I will be able to handle five times a week. At this point I ride the 38 miles in about 3.5 to 4 hours with about 3 hours of actual pedaling.

I’ve got about 600 miles in March and 1600 for the year thus far. I’ve only been riding since December so it’s all been winter riding. Can’t wait for spring to really kick in and for everything to come back to life. On my ride a couple days ago I came across the first spring wildflowers, Dutchmen’s Breeches. And of course, just looking forward to more green and a bit more warmth. In July I will, no doubt, be complaining about the heat and humidity of Missouri.

 

[Oscar56]

I thought might share my ebike & CV-19 experience Here in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia.

winter 2019/2020: lots of internet shopping and YouTube watching. What kind of ebike do I want? What bells and whistles? LBS or internet purchase?

Feb 29: visited LBS 1 for my first ever ebike test ride. When I asked the sales guy if their supply chain was being affect he stated that most of their product came from Taiwan and they should be good.

March 2: visited 3 more LBS for test rides.

March 5: returned to LBS #1 Where I tested and purchased my hard tail Giant Phantom. Sales guy mentioned that Giant said they may not receive any more shipments until November due to CV-19.

March 19: LBS #1 is open by appointment only. Doors are locked, gloves are on, only 1 or 2 clients in the shop at a time. Not sure if you can test ride.

March 25: local parks are closed for organized sports. A few people out and walking/cycling but well spaced apart. Not yet in full lockdown but...

we are fortunate to live in a rural setting, lots of places to go outside of the house without breaking the 2m rule.

short of it is that I am pleased I made my purchase when I did.

 

[Oscar56]

sunday’s ride was out the front door and west. After about 10 km and 200m elevation change the pavement changes to a well maintained gravel road. lots of snow in the hills but now snow free in the valley.

 

[Oscar56]

A very senior moment …

And so it was after I left Lowood… I'd take the scenic route to a delightful giftware shop in Marburg – that just happens to serve the best decadent treats and coffee in town (actually the only) – then head over another range to Rosewood (coffee shop yet to be discovered) and home.

But, first, the really hilly bit between Lowood and Glamorgan Vale; not the easy route along the rail trail through Fernvale (purple line) that I'd followed on the way out…

View attachment 48161

Turbo mode! Why pass it up when the stricken Homage's PowerPack was weighing the pannier down, waiting to take over. The road went straight up the ridge line as if the surveyors had been keen to see where they were going and where they'd come from! The Purion's range prediction dropped into single digits, enough to get me up the second sharp ascent after the dip just ahead…

View attachment 48162

Looking east from hills between Lowood and Glamorgan Vale.​

View attachment 48164

Looking northwest back towards Lowood & Coominya.​

And then I realised that I had forgotten something: the key. The embarrassment of it! An exhausted battery and a spare at the ready but no way of swapping them over!

Forget Marburg's little café; forget the hills separating Marburg and Rosewood and the scenic route home from there!

I had no option but to hurtle down into the dip – the speed need not be mentioned – and power over the second ridge before figuring out how to limp home with the lowest assist or, sometimes, none at all. Just made it!

A very senior moment …

And so it was after I left Lowood… I'd take the scenic route to a delightful giftware shop in Marburg – that just happens to serve the best decadent treats and coffee in town (actually the only) – then head over another range to Rosewood (coffee shop yet to be discovered) and home.

But, first, the really hilly bit between Lowood and Glamorgan Vale; not the easy route along the rail trail through Fernvale (purple line) that I'd followed on the way out…

View attachment 48161

Turbo mode! Why pass it up when the stricken Homage's PowerPack was weighing the pannier down, waiting to take over. The road went straight up the ridge line as if the surveyors had been keen to see where they were going and where they'd come from! The Purion's range prediction dropped into single digits, enough to get me up the second sharp ascent after the dip just ahead…

Looking east from hills between Lowood and Glamorgan Vale.


Looking northwest back towards Lowood & Coominya.​

And then I realised that I had forgotten something: the key. The embarrassment of it! An exhausted battery and a spare at the ready but no way of swapping them over!

Forget Marburg's little café; forget the hills separating Marburg and Rosewood and the scenic route home from there!

I had no option but to hurtle down into the dip – the speed need not be mentioned – and power over the second ridge before figuring out how to limp home with the lowest assist or, sometimes, none at all. Just made it!

Dave:

I like your overlay of your route on the topographic map. What is your process or apps that you use?

Grant

 

[christob]

Dear lord, I nearly choked as I spit out my tea seeing this post!!

I grew up in Bluemont -- my earliest of all childhood memories are from my family's time here -- 1973-1976 -- AND WE OWNED THAT WHITE HOUSE shown in distance, in the picture, with the two chimneys! Only it was red when we bought it -- we named it "The Snow House". (The building in the foreground left, that says "Rice Bros", was the "Snickersville {or probably, Snicker's} Gap General Store" when I was a kid.)
We had no internal plumbing when we bought the house -- an outhouse was in the back yard, and a cistern well pump in the indoor kitchen area. No electricity in the house either -- but 8 fireplaces. My family (and another family with whom my parents jointly bought the place, and lived in it alongside, thinking "Won't it be fun to buy a fixer-upper together!?") gutted, wired, plumbed and rebuilt that house from the inside out over 2 years. I remember part of the money-raising came from selling off a few very large black walnut trees on the property...) Until the house project "broke" the two married couples, everyone divorced and we sold and all moved out... me into Falls Church to grow up with my dad and sister and step-mom.
My dad (who worked in Crystal City the whole time we lived here, and commuted in his '67 Mustang 289 convertible all that time, dozed off one night on a late return home, and drove off the road exactly at that hairpin turn you mention! (Fortunately, not hurt, nor was the car badly damaged.)
Thanks for sharing!
--Chris

A few miles later I jumped on a familiar, and much liked, road heading west, content to enjoy the few miles peddaling along on the smooth byway, admiring the scenery as the mountains crept closer and closer. It wasn't until I came up to my old familiar turnoff to head back, that I decided to continue heading towards the mountains, right up to the historic little village of Bluemont, a quaint enclave that snuggled its eclectic mixture of colorfully painted Victorian houses and old time buildings right up and into the foot of the mountain.

View attachment 48160
Photo c.1901

Built originally as a stage coach stop, the village later found fame as a summer escape destination for the 1800's era Washington DC population, anxious to flee as far as possible from the squalid heat and humidity of summertime. The W&OD train line, starting in Alexandria near Washington DC, had its final stop in this delightful village well known for its "salibriquious mountain air". Hotels and boarding houses sprang up to accommodate the hordes of summer visitors in those heady days before cars took over the world. The village also included a rare "hollar" - an old hillbilly term for a "hollow" -this being a sharp crease in a steep mountain side often carved just wide enough by a stream to afford space for a log house or a shanty shack as the case may be.

Bluemont's "hollar" was bounded on one side by the steep ascent of a very narrow paved road that went straight up the mountain side, making a pin hook near the top just before emptying out onto a 4 lane divided highway.
I looked up as I reached the bottom of that ascent, and smiled. A challenge! It was too inviting to resist. I drive it in my car all the time because it's such fun, plus the views at the top are breathtaking. But I've never tried climbing it on a bike.

 

[Twin Valley]

I thought might share my ebike & CV-19 experience Here in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia.

winter 2019/2020: lots of internet shopping and YouTube watching. What kind of ebike do I want? What bells and whistles? LBS or internet purchase?

Feb 29: visited LBS 1 for my first ever ebike test ride. When I asked the sales guy if their supply chain was being affect he stated that most of their product came from Taiwan and they should be good.

March 2: visited 3 more LBS for test rides.

March 5: returned to LBS #1 Where I tested and purchased my hard tail Giant Phantom. Sales guy mentioned that Giant said they may not receive any more shipments until November due to CV-19.

March 19: LBS #1 is open by appointment only. Doors are locked, gloves are on, only 1 or 2 clients in the shop at a time. Not sure if you can test ride.

March 25: local parks are closed for organized sports. A few people out and walking/cycling but well spaced apart. Not yet in full lockdown but...

we are fortunate to live in a rural setting, lots of places to go outside of the house without breaking the 2m rule.

short of it is that I am pleased I made my purchase when I did.

View attachment 48217

we enjoy spending a month camping and riding the trails in the Okanagon , CVR trails across trestles and such a lot of fun particularly during the quieter Fall months, stay safe and enjoy that Giant Phantom

 

[Mr. Coffee]

End of the road: Lost River, WA:

 

[Deleted member 18083]

• It's great to see where others are riding around the world.
• It has taken me about 4 days of casual browsing to make it to the end.

Grant …
There's more: 2019 : Our Rides in Words, Photos & Maps

Remember: Always wear a camera (a smartphone counts as one) and share your adventures.
… David

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Remember: Always wear a camera (a smartphone counts as one) and share your adventures.

David,

Now I seem to have found my way around. I use the Pentax K-1 camera and several lens for it. It has been very hard for me to carry the gear on the bike until recently. Now I use the Ortlieb Commuter Inserts in one of my large Ortlieb panniers and the Ortlieb Ultimate Camera Insert in the other one.

Technically speaking, I intend to carry the spare battery, water bottles as well as the tripod and the lenses in one pannier and the camera in the other. Since the coming Saturday should be rather warm and calm, I consider a ride over Warsaw to document the deserted city.

Interestingly, Warsaw becomes deserted not only in the times of the epidemic. There are several "long weekends" in a year as we call them, for example the May holidays (1st to 3rd of May) when it happens people are taking the whole week free from work. As the major population of our capital city are "internal immigrants" (people coming to work from outside and leaving the city for holidays), the city becomes deserted quite often.

We will see.

P.S. Due to the lockdown, I cannot even take the train to Warsaw and will have to do everything riding. It is 25 km from my place to the City.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Brightening up a gray bay day …

Moreton Bay Cycleway, Clontarf, QLD​

Forty-four seconds later our fluoro friend was fleeing across the Ted Smout Bridge; and I pedalled around Bramble Bay (part of Moreton Bay) to Woody Point (35 km), all into a blustery breeze.

At Pelican Point (33 km) is the AquaSplash inflatable water park. On today's ride it was definitely a deflated fun-free zone…

AquaSplash, Pelican Park.​

Linking the photo & the map:

• 32 km : Fluoro roadie at Clontarf Beach.
• 33 km : AquaSplash (sulking in deflated mode).
• 35 km : Woody Point Jetty & apartment blocks ('above' my Powerfly).
• 89–92 km : Ted Smout Bridge linking Brisbane (south) & Redcliffe Peninsula.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

I like your overlay of your route on the topographic map. What is your process or apps that you use?

Grant …
I record rides using Ride with GPS on my iPhone which is kept on the handlebar using the Quad Lock system.

Both the smartphone app and the web-based service allow one to choose from various maps. My choice is usually OSM Cycle as it highlights bike paths and on-road routes in purple.
… David

 

[PDXzap]

32 km : Fluoro roadie at Clontarf Beach.

Considering current events... he looks happy enough.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

We enjoy spending a month camping and riding the trails in the Okanagon and CVR trails across trestles.

Trestle bridges are among my favourites, too.

Here is a properly restored trestle bridge across the Lockyer Creek which is about 30 km up the rail trail from where we live…

Lockyer Creek Trestle Bridge, Brisbane Valley RT​

Although the inner safety balustrades are modern, the outer steel girders atop the three main pylons are more than a century old. The reconstructed bridge follows the original's design as faithfully possible. Good for another century? Let's wait and see.

Location (click for map)

Anyone else have favourite trestle bridge photos?

 

[Mulezen]

Trestle bridges are among my favourites, too.

Here is a properly restored trestle bridge across the Lockyer Creek which is about 30 km up the rail trail from where we live…

View attachment 48375

Lockyer Creek Trestle Bridge, Brisbane Valley RT​

Although the inner safety balustrades are modern, the outer steel girders atop the three main pylons are more than a century old. The reconstructed bridge follows the original's design as faithfully possible. Good for another century? Let's wait and see.

Location (click for map) : Between the seventh gate and the long, straight road to Coominya. (I neglected to include the photo there.)

Anyone else have favourite trestle bridge photos?

I think we have sufficient reason to excuse strict adherence to our 2020 theme and recall rides past or planned!

“Let’s wait and see” Sounds good to me

 

[Twin Valley]

Trestle bridges are among my favourites, too.

Here is a properly restored trestle bridge across the Lockyer Creek which is about 30 km up the rail trail from where we live…

View attachment 48375

Lockyer Creek Trestle Bridge, Brisbane Valley RT​

Although the inner safety balustrades are modern, the outer steel girders atop the three main pylons are more than a century old. The reconstructed bridge follows the original's design as faithfully possible. Good for another century? Let's wait and see.

Location (click for map) : Between the seventh gate and the long, straight road to Coominya. (I neglected to include the photo there.)

Anyone else have favourite trestle bridge photos?

I think we have sufficient reason to excuse strict adherence to our 2020 theme and recall rides past or planned!

 

[Twin Valley]

5 days into isolation from our return from Cook Islands to Canada, our biggest concerns were the Los Angeles and Vancouver airports contrary to what we expected little screening of passengers so time will tell on this one, logged lots of miles in Rarotonga, feel I know every corner and dog on the island, wished I had Stefan's mirror to screen traffic coming up from behind me, nevertheless loved our trip there