2020 : Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[Stefan Mikes]

Jagger Testing the Trance E+

 

[Deleted member 18083]

The corn around here is high as a female Indian elephant’s eye.

That's not necessarily very high…

South Bank, Brisbane​

The World Turns by NZ sculptor Michael Parekowhai

 

[RabH]

@Stefan Mikes Great write up and photos Stefan, combine harvester is correct!

Today was my 200th ride on my amazing Giant Road E+1 Pro so I made sure it was an epic one, I set off at 7am as I wanted to use the main roads on my outward journey to avoid all the big climbs which would have zapped my battery power! It really paid off as the roads were pretty quiet, only 1 truck passed me in 30 miles! My intention was to reach my destination with around 70% battery as I would be into a strong headwind on the return journey with a lot of climbing also, I made it with 71% remaining!

I was now on mainly quiet back roads with amazing views all around, it was like the perfect dream! I don't think I stopped smiling for the whole 5 hours, the bike just performed flawlessly, I was doing ok also! My battery was starting to take a hit with the 15mph headwind (gusting at 25mph) and all the climbing (I used eco for the complete ride) so I dropped into a pretty low gear and just kept spinning!

The last 12 miles were directly into the headwind and my battery was now showing only 30% so at every opportunity I turned the assist off to save power for the final climbs! A few miles from home it dropped to 22% so I switched the assist off until I reached my home town and turned it on for the final 10% climb and made it up comfortably before the display showed only 9% remaining! So tomorrow I will rest my legs and attempt a 100 miler on Tuesday, if my legs are still tired I have the option to cut it short and maybe try again on Friday... I was quite shocked that I managed 70 miles without even getting wet, in Scotland that is no mean feat! I think I took about 50 photos today, here is a small sample!

If any of you know of World Rally Champion Colin McRae, this photo was taken in his home town of Lanark! He and his young son and 2 family friends were tragically killed in a helicopter crash only 10 miles from home in 2007! His helicopter actually flew over my home on that fateful day!

 

[RandallS]

I have seen ball caps attached to fence posts sometimes accumulating a quarter of section of posts but this was a first - at least 40 rocking horses attached to successive posts, must be a story there somewhere, today I had the old giant trance regular mtn bike out for its first ride since moving on to the e-bike world and it was a good ride - however, I hope the e-bike gets its electrical problem sorted out at the local bike hospital soonView attachment 59398

Where was this? I'd like to have a look at it. You are based out of Okotoks, correct?

 

[PDXzap]

The Como 4.0 still works like a champ.

 

[PatriciaK]

Exploring Lublin and Beyond (feat. Dick Jagger)

That's gonna be a totally photo-overloaded post, sorry!

I met a guy nicknamed Dick Jagger (36 now) as a drummer for the original Polish punk-rock band ZWŁOKI 8 years ago. Our friendship has been building slowly; meanwhile Piotr left his hometown of Wrocław (Breslau) for Lublin in East Poland for personal reasons. Jagger got very interested in my e-bike escapades (which I report on FB), and he expressed great eagerness to ride together. The day has come: I have been preparing for the trip to Lublin (that included taking the Trance and the Vado with my station-wagon and considering the weather conditions) for a week. At 10:00 on Saturday, I met Jagger in the Old Town of Lublin, where he lives in a beautiful loft in an ancient town-house.

View attachment 59417
Meet Jagger. Mr. Dick Jagger.

Lublin! The city that is never mentioned as a major tourist attraction of Poland. How wrongly! In the 15th-16th c. the Renaissance city was at the top of its importance and power. Here, King Casimir IV Jagiellon issued an edict giving freedom to Jews. Here, Poland and Lithuania created their Commonwealth in 1569, forming a European superpower state. Here, Prussia paid the Second Homage to the Kingdom of Poland in the same year. The city was saved from destruction in 1944 by a rapid action of the Soviet Army, preserving the city's beauty. Here, Soviet Union created the Communist Poland in 1944, too. The city that was in decline even 20 years ago is gorgeous now.

Many of you might have heard the name of "Lublin" because it was very important Jewish city before WWII. The author Isaac Bashevis Singer published his "The Magician of Lublin" novel in 1960, and that won him the Nobel Prize. A movie based on the novel (with the title song performed by Kate Bush) was released in 1979.

View attachment 59421
However, we rode down the Lubartowska St. to see the Lublin Land at our journey start. A friend has told me the same place was a grim, dirty and dangerous location just 20 years ago. Now, there are flowers everywhere.

View attachment 59423
At the border of Lublin and Łęczna counties. Jagger, as an early Millenial is in love with the modern technology so he caught on the idea of e-bike instantly. As a relatively young drummer, he is strong. He rode (on the average) half of the whole distance in the Off mode with the Eco mode for ascents, against headwind, and to ride faster.

View attachment 59422
Jagger and me in the park of Zawieprzyce, 22 km from the trip start. "Zawieprzyce" means "a place beyond the River Wieprz". The name of the river Wieprz means "Hog"

View attachment 59425
Our Eastern province (voivodship) of Lublin borders with Belarus and Ukraine. The Land of Lublin is mostly a farming country, although the chemical and aerospace industry can also be found there.

View attachment 59427
Polish farmland is only rarely fenced, so we could eat delicious redcurrant straight from the plant at road-side.

View attachment 59428
Jagger was an excellent ride companion, and he is a humorous person! Here, attempting to do the wheelie next to the redcurrant plantation

View attachment 59430
The Land of Lublin is rich with cereals (there's even famous "Lublin Flour"!)....

View attachment 59431
...hops, and tobacco. The soil is fertile there. A hops plantation can be seen in the picture. The "Lubelski", "Marynka", "Sybilla" etc. hops varieties contribute to the taste of Polish lager beers (nine hops varieties are grown in the Land of Lublin).

View attachment 59432
A family of storks was very interested with us (Any prosperous Polish village has to sport a stork nest).

View attachment 59433
We were able to find an excellent Polish restaurant "Oleńka" in the county-town of Łęczna. The soup called "chłodnik" or the "cold soup" was just delicious! I could describe the food served at Oleńka as "true Eastern Polish home-made countryside meals served with a city elegance". Oh my! That was really good!

View attachment 59434
A horse on the Hog (meadow).

View attachment 59435
-- "Your Trance is a lot of a bike!" -- mentioned Jagger upon first seeing the e-bike. It doesn't look as big in the picture here, does it. Here, we felt powerful after the lunch. Jagger put the POWER mode on and disappeared at the distance. He hit 51.5 km/h on the flat and also hit the speed limiter Oh no! I switched to the Turbo mode on my Vado, applied the cadence of 110 rpm and went into the hot pursuit. I hit the limiter at 47.4 km/h

View attachment 59436
The harvest has just begun. (Do you call the machine "a combine harvester" in English? If so, the Polish name for it is "kombajn").

View attachment 59438
The youngest airport in Europe: The Lublin Airport (LUZ) in Świdnik. I didn't know it existed before I saw it!

View attachment 59439
I was stunned with the beauty of Lublin...

View attachment 59440
Just remove the cars, road-signs and the antenna, and you are back in the Jewish Lublin...

View attachment 59441
Lublin! The city unknown to the tourist crowds!

View attachment 59442
The European Centre for Meetings and Culture. You can even find an excellent craft-beer pub there, Browar Zakładowy. And the vista point at the roof.

View attachment 59443
Jagger was testing climbing and handling capabilities of Trance E+ there. For your information, the Vado 5.0 could climb to the half of the incline there only.

View attachment 59444
Jagger was also testing the full-suspension in Ogród Saski (The Saxon Garden). It is not the Saxon Garden of Warsaw!

View attachment 59445
Krakowskie Przedmieście (The Cracow Suburb) in Lublin. It is not the Cracow Suburb of Warsaw!
Lublin is a university city. There is the Marie Curie University and the Catholic University of Lublin as well as several smaller private universities in the city. That makes the city young and fashionable.

View attachment 59446
Brama Krakowska (The Cracow Gate) of Lublin. It is not the Cracow Gate of Ojców, Lesser Poland!

View attachment 59447
The (Renaissance) Main Square of Lublin. You actually needed a 15 mm ultra-wide-angle lens there to cover the square in it's entirety. My lens wide-end was at 24 mm, unluckily.

View attachment 59448
The Magician of Lublin.

View attachment 59449
"Święty Spokój" (Peace of Mind), a bookstore and vinyl record store combined with a cafe. Just like in America.

View attachment 59450
The Lublin Castle.

View attachment 59451
45 miles in Lublin and beyond. The stats have been updated from the Vado's display.

View attachment 59452
Within Poland. It takes 2 hours drive from my place to Lublin over the excellent S17 freeway. It will be 1.5 h when the new Southern Warsaw Beltway has been finished.

You make me want to visit Poland, Stefan!

Some day, post-Covid!

Exploring Lublin and Beyond (feat. Dick Jagger)

That's gonna be a totally photo-overloaded post, sorry!

I met a guy nicknamed Dick Jagger (36 now) as a drummer for the original Polish punk-rock band ZWŁOKI 8 years ago. Our friendship has been building slowly; meanwhile Piotr left his hometown of Wrocław (Breslau) for Lublin in East Poland for personal reasons. Jagger got very interested in my e-bike escapades (which I report on FB), and he expressed great eagerness to ride together. The day has come: I have been preparing for the trip to Lublin (that included taking the Trance and the Vado with my station-wagon and considering the weather conditions) for a week. At 10:00 on Saturday, I met Jagger in the Old Town of Lublin, where he lives in a beautiful loft in an ancient town-house.

View attachment 59417
Meet Jagger. Mr. Dick Jagger.

Lublin! The city that is never mentioned as a major tourist attraction of Poland. How wrongly! In the 15th-16th c. the Renaissance city was at the top of its importance and power. Here, King Casimir IV Jagiellon issued an edict giving freedom to Jews. Here, Poland and Lithuania created their Commonwealth in 1569, forming a European superpower state. Here, Prussia paid the Second Homage to the Kingdom of Poland in the same year. The city was saved from destruction in 1944 by a rapid action of the Soviet Army, preserving the city's beauty. Here, Soviet Union created the Communist Poland in 1944, too. The city that was in decline even 20 years ago is gorgeous now.

Many of you might have heard the name of "Lublin" because it was very important Jewish city before WWII. The author Isaac Bashevis Singer published his "The Magician of Lublin" novel in 1960, and that won him the Nobel Prize. A movie based on the novel (with the title song performed by Kate Bush) was released in 1979.

View attachment 59421
However, we rode down the Lubartowska St. to see the Lublin Land at our journey start. A friend has told me the same place was a grim, dirty and dangerous location just 20 years ago. Now, there are flowers everywhere.

View attachment 59423
At the border of Lublin and Łęczna counties. Jagger, as an early Millenial is in love with the modern technology so he caught on the idea of e-bike instantly. As a relatively young drummer, he is strong. He rode (on the average) half of the whole distance in the Off mode with the Eco mode for ascents, against headwind, and to ride faster.

View attachment 59422
Jagger and me in the park of Zawieprzyce, 22 km from the trip start. "Zawieprzyce" means "a place beyond the River Wieprz". The name of the river Wieprz means "Hog"

View attachment 59425
Our Eastern province (voivodship) of Lublin borders with Belarus and Ukraine. The Land of Lublin is mostly a farming country, although the chemical and aerospace industry can also be found there.

View attachment 59427
Polish farmland is only rarely fenced, so we could eat delicious redcurrant straight from the plant at road-side.

View attachment 59428
Jagger was an excellent ride companion, and he is a humorous person! Here, attempting to do the wheelie next to the redcurrant plantation

View attachment 59430
The Land of Lublin is rich with cereals (there's even famous "Lublin Flour"!)....

View attachment 59431
...hops, and tobacco. The soil is fertile there. A hops plantation can be seen in the picture. The "Lubelski", "Marynka", "Sybilla" etc. hops varieties contribute to the taste of Polish lager beers (nine hops varieties are grown in the Land of Lublin).

View attachment 59432
A family of storks was very interested with us (Any prosperous Polish village has to sport a stork nest).

View attachment 59433
We were able to find an excellent Polish restaurant "Oleńka" in the county-town of Łęczna. The soup called "chłodnik" or the "cold soup" was just delicious! I could describe the food served at Oleńka as "true Eastern Polish home-made countryside meals served with a city elegance". Oh my! That was really good!

View attachment 59434
A horse on the Hog (meadow).

View attachment 59435
-- "Your Trance is a lot of a bike!" -- mentioned Jagger upon first seeing the e-bike. It doesn't look as big in the picture here, does it. Here, we felt powerful after the lunch. Jagger put the POWER mode on and disappeared at the distance. He hit 51.5 km/h on the flat and also hit the speed limiter Oh no! I switched to the Turbo mode on my Vado, applied the cadence of 110 rpm and went into the hot pursuit. I hit the limiter at 47.4 km/h

View attachment 59436
The harvest has just begun. (Do you call the machine "a combine harvester" in English? If so, the Polish name for it is "kombajn").

View attachment 59438
The youngest airport in Europe: The Lublin Airport (LUZ) in Świdnik. I didn't know it existed before I saw it!

View attachment 59439
I was stunned with the beauty of Lublin...

View attachment 59440
Just remove the cars, road-signs and the antenna, and you are back in the Jewish Lublin...

View attachment 59441
Lublin! The city unknown to the tourist crowds!

View attachment 59442
The European Centre for Meetings and Culture. You can even find an excellent craft-beer pub there, Browar Zakładowy. And the vista point at the roof.

View attachment 59443
Jagger was testing climbing and handling capabilities of Trance E+ there. For your information, the Vado 5.0 could climb to the half of the incline there only.

View attachment 59444
Jagger was also testing the full-suspension in Ogród Saski (The Saxon Garden). It is not the Saxon Garden of Warsaw!

View attachment 59445
Krakowskie Przedmieście (The Cracow Suburb) in Lublin. It is not the Cracow Suburb of Warsaw!
Lublin is a university city. There is the Marie Curie University and the Catholic University of Lublin as well as several smaller private universities in the city. That makes the city young and fashionable.

View attachment 59446
Brama Krakowska (The Cracow Gate) of Lublin. It is not the Cracow Gate of Ojców, Lesser Poland!

View attachment 59447
The (Renaissance) Main Square of Lublin. You actually needed a 15 mm ultra-wide-angle lens there to cover the square in it's entirety. My lens wide-end was at 24 mm, unluckily.

View attachment 59448
The Magician of Lublin.

View attachment 59449
"Święty Spokój" (Peace of Mind), a bookstore and vinyl record store combined with a cafe. Just like in America.

View attachment 59450
The Lublin Castle.

View attachment 59451
45 miles in Lublin and beyond. The stats have been updated from the Vado's display.

View attachment 59452
Within Poland. It takes 2 hours drive from my place to Lublin over the excellent S17 freeway. It will be 1.5 h when the new Southern Warsaw Beltway has been finished.

You make me want to visit Poland, Stefan!

Some day, post-Covid, I hope!

 

[FlatSix911]

@Stefan Mikes Great write up and photos Stefan, combine harvester is correct!

View attachment 59459

Today was my 200th ride on my amazing Giant Road E+1 Pro so I made sure it was an epic one, I set off at 7am as I wanted to use the main roads on my outward journey to avoid all the big climbs which would have zapped my battery power! It really paid off as the roads were pretty quiet, only 1 truck passed me in 30 miles! My intention was to reach my destination with around 70% battery as I would be into a strong headwind on the return journey with a lot of climbing also, I made it with 71% remaining!

I was now on mainly quiet back roads with amazing views all around, it was like the perfect dream! I don't think I stopped smiling for the whole 5 hours, the bike just performed flawlessly, I was doing ok also! My battery was starting to take a hit with the 15mph headwind (gusting at 25mph) and all the climbing (I used eco for the complete ride) so I dropped into a pretty low gear and just kept spinning!

The last 12 miles were directly into the headwind and my battery was now showing only 30% so at every opportunity I turned the assist off to save power for the final climbs! A few miles from home it dropped to 22% so I switched the assist off until I reached my home town and turned it on for the final 10% climb and made it up comfortably before the display showed only 9% remaining! So tomorrow I will rest my legs and attempt a 100 miler on Tuesday, if my legs are still tired I have the option to cut it short and maybe try again on Friday... I was quite shocked that I managed 70 miles without even getting wet, in Scotland that is no mean feat! I think I took about 50 photos today, here is a small sample!

If any of you know of World Rally Champion Colin McRae, this photo was taken in his home town of Lanark! He and his young son and 2 family friends were tragically killed in a helicopter crash only 10 miles from home in 2007! His helicopter actually flew over my home on that fateful day!

View attachment 59489

Congrats on your 70-mile ride... with a nice elevation gain and 42.8 mph maximum speed!

 

[FlatSix911]

Exploring Lublin and Beyond (feat. Dick Jagger)

That's gonna be a totally photo-overloaded post, sorry!

I met a guy nicknamed Dick Jagger (36 now) as a drummer for the original Polish punk-rock band ZWŁOKI 8 years ago. Our friendship has been building slowly; meanwhile Piotr left his hometown of Wrocław (Breslau) for Lublin in East Poland for personal reasons. Jagger got very interested in my e-bike escapades (which I report on FB), and he expressed great eagerness to ride together. The day has come: I have been preparing for the trip to Lublin (that included taking the Trance and the Vado with my station-wagon and considering the weather conditions) for a week. At 10:00 on Saturday, I met Jagger in the Old Town of Lublin, where he lives in a beautiful loft in an ancient town-house.

View attachment 59417
Meet Jagger. Mr. Dick Jagger.

Lublin! The city that is never mentioned as a major tourist attraction of Poland. How wrongly! In the 15th-16th c. the Renaissance city was at the top of its importance and power. Here, King Casimir IV Jagiellon issued an edict giving freedom to Jews. Here, Poland and Lithuania created their Commonwealth in 1569, forming a European superpower state. Here, Prussia paid the Second Homage to the Kingdom of Poland in the same year. The city was saved from destruction in 1944 by a rapid action of the Soviet Army, preserving the city's beauty. Here, Soviet Union created the Communist Poland in 1944, too. The city that was in decline even 20 years ago is gorgeous now.

Many of you might have heard the name of "Lublin" because it was very important Jewish city before WWII. The author Isaac Bashevis Singer published his "The Magician of Lublin" novel in 1960, and that won him the Nobel Prize. A movie based on the novel (with the title song performed by Kate Bush) was released in 1979.

View attachment 59421
However, we rode down the Lubartowska St. to see the Lublin Land at our journey start. A friend has told me the same place was a grim, dirty and dangerous location just 20 years ago. Now, there are flowers everywhere.

View attachment 59423
At the border of Lublin and Łęczna counties. Jagger, as an early Millenial is in love with the modern technology so he caught on the idea of e-bike instantly. As a relatively young drummer, he is strong. He rode (on the average) half of the whole distance in the Off mode with the Eco mode for ascents, against headwind, and to ride faster.

View attachment 59422
Jagger and me in the park of Zawieprzyce, 22 km from the trip start. "Zawieprzyce" means "a place beyond the River Wieprz". The name of the river Wieprz means "Hog"

View attachment 59425
Our Eastern province (voivodship) of Lublin borders with Belarus and Ukraine. The Land of Lublin is mostly a farming country, although the chemical and aerospace industry can also be found there.

View attachment 59427
Polish farmland is only rarely fenced, so we could eat delicious redcurrant straight from the plant at road-side.

View attachment 59428
Jagger was an excellent ride companion, and he is a humorous person! Here, attempting to do the wheelie next to the redcurrant plantation

View attachment 59430
The Land of Lublin is rich with cereals (there's even famous "Lublin Flour"!)....

View attachment 59431
...hops, and tobacco. The soil is fertile there. A hops plantation can be seen in the picture. The "Lubelski", "Marynka", "Sybilla" etc. hops varieties contribute to the taste of Polish lager beers (nine hops varieties are grown in the Land of Lublin).

View attachment 59432
A family of storks was very interested with us (Any prosperous Polish village has to sport a stork nest).

View attachment 59433
We were able to find an excellent Polish restaurant "Oleńka" in the county-town of Łęczna. The soup called "chłodnik" or the "cold soup" was just delicious! I could describe the food served at Oleńka as "true Eastern Polish home-made countryside meals served with a city elegance". Oh my! That was really good!

View attachment 59434
A horse on the Hog (meadow).

View attachment 59435
-- "Your Trance is a lot of a bike!" -- mentioned Jagger upon first seeing the e-bike. It doesn't look as big in the picture here, does it. Here, we felt powerful after the lunch. Jagger put the POWER mode on and disappeared at the distance. He hit 51.5 km/h on the flat and also hit the speed limiter Oh no! I switched to the Turbo mode on my Vado, applied the cadence of 110 rpm and went into the hot pursuit. I hit the limiter at 47.4 km/h

View attachment 59436
The harvest has just begun. (Do you call the machine "a combine harvester" in English? If so, the Polish name for it is "kombajn").

View attachment 59438
The youngest airport in Europe: The Lublin Airport (LUZ) in Świdnik. I didn't know it existed before I saw it!

View attachment 59439
I was stunned with the beauty of Lublin...

View attachment 59440
Just remove the cars, road-signs and the antenna, and you are back in the Jewish Lublin...

View attachment 59441
Lublin! The city unknown to the tourist crowds!

View attachment 59442
The European Centre for Meetings and Culture. You can even find an excellent craft-beer pub there, Browar Zakładowy. And the vista point at the roof.

View attachment 59443
Jagger was testing climbing and handling capabilities of Trance E+ there. For your information, the Vado 5.0 could climb to the half of the incline there only.

View attachment 59444
Jagger was also testing the full-suspension in Ogród Saski (The Saxon Garden). It is not the Saxon Garden of Warsaw!

View attachment 59445
Krakowskie Przedmieście (The Cracow Suburb) in Lublin. It is not the Cracow Suburb of Warsaw!
Lublin is a university city. There is the Marie Curie University and the Catholic University of Lublin as well as several smaller private universities in the city. That makes the city young and fashionable.

View attachment 59446
Brama Krakowska (The Cracow Gate) of Lublin. It is not the Cracow Gate of Ojców, Lesser Poland!

View attachment 59447
The (Renaissance) Main Square of Lublin. You actually needed a 15 mm ultra-wide-angle lens there to cover the square in it's entirety. My lens wide-end was at 24 mm, unluckily.

View attachment 59448
The Magician of Lublin.

View attachment 59449
"Święty Spokój" (Peace of Mind), a bookstore and vinyl record store combined with a cafe. Just like in America.

View attachment 59450
The Lublin Castle.

View attachment 59451
45 miles in Lublin and beyond. The stats have been updated from the Vado's display.

View attachment 59452
Within Poland. It takes 2 hours drive from my place to Lublin over the excellent S17 freeway. It will be 1.5 h when the new Southern Warsaw Beltway has been finished.

Stefan, beautiful photos and commentary... you could write travel guides to increase tourism in Poland!

 

[Anna]

Stefan, beautiful photos and commentary... you could write travel guides to increase tourism in Poland!

All these wonderful photos! Just a few meager images from this morning...

 

[FlatSix911]

All these wonderful photos! Just a few meager images from this morning...View attachment 59502View attachment 59503

Anna, well done... where are your photographs taken?

 

[Chargeride]

@Stefan Mikes Great write up and photos Stefan, combine harvester is correct!

View attachment 59459

Today was my 200th ride on my amazing Giant Road E+1 Pro so I made sure it was an epic one, I set off at 7am as I wanted to use the main roads on my outward journey to avoid all the big climbs which would have zapped my battery power! It really paid off as the roads were pretty quiet, only 1 truck passed me in 30 miles! My intention was to reach my destination with around 70% battery as I would be into a strong headwind on the return journey with a lot of climbing also, I made it with 71% remaining!

I was now on mainly quiet back roads with amazing views all around, it was like the perfect dream! I don't think I stopped smiling for the whole 5 hours, the bike just performed flawlessly, I was doing ok also! My battery was starting to take a hit with the 15mph headwind (gusting at 25mph) and all the climbing (I used eco for the complete ride) so I dropped into a pretty low gear and just kept spinning!

The last 12 miles were directly into the headwind and my battery was now showing only 30% so at every opportunity I turned the assist off to save power for the final climbs! A few miles from home it dropped to 22% so I switched the assist off until I reached my home town and turned it on for the final 10% climb and made it up comfortably before the display showed only 9% remaining! So tomorrow I will rest my legs and attempt a 100 miler on Tuesday, if my legs are still tired I have the option to cut it short and maybe try again on Friday... I was quite shocked that I managed 70 miles without even getting wet, in Scotland that is no mean feat! I think I took about 50 photos today, here is a small sample!

If any of you know of World Rally Champion Colin McRae, this photo was taken in his home town of Lanark! He and his young son and 2 family friends were tragically killed in a helicopter crash only 10 miles from home in 2007! His helicopter actually flew over my home on that fateful day!

View attachment 59489

Colin my hero and his dad Jimmy, my friend had a MCrae Imprezza.

 

[Chargeride]

All these wonderful photos! Just a few meager images from this morning...View attachment 59502View attachment 59503

Thats a lovely looking bike

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@PatriciaK , @RabH, @FlatSix911, @Anna: Thank you for your kind words; I do my best. Often, people living most of their lives in a single country are incapable to notice how beautiful their own country is. I'm fortunate to see many countries and I see Poland afresh. There are so many things changing for better now! Today, I found out the Southern Warsaw Beltway was under intensive construction; nothing has been happening for years! (So I believe a car trip to Lublin in one and half hours would be possible soon).

Should any of you visit Poland post-covid, I'll try my best to be your guide, and with three e-bikes I own I can imagine some interesting trips. (I only cannot have you at my home for various reasons). Now...

My Personal Best (76.5 Miles In & Around Warsaw)
Hardly any pictures made. I had no time for photography. Just riding, riding, riding, having had a crisis midway, helped myself with a meal and ice-cream I was so focused on riding I confused the General Grot Bridge with Marie Curie Bridge, haha! It was 29 C (84F), full sunshine and noisy wind for most of the trip, only it got a little bit colder towards the sunset.

My dream is to be capable to make the Imperial Century on two batteries some day... Not yet.

Special thing about that trip was crossing River Vistula (from left to right bank) by a ferry in Gassy (I think Gassy is yet another Hollander place-name). The ticket for the person + the bike is PLN 5 (US$1.25). As long as the river is not too low or too high, the Gassy Ferry is very popular among cyclists as it extends their rides enormously. (Simply there is no bridge nearby southwards of the Siekierkowski Bridge until the Southern Warsaw Beltway has been completed).

Nearly 50 miles completed! (You can see how tired I was). It was one of my favourite Warsaw places, the Żerań Cycle Bridge (over the Royal Canal), with a nice round square for taking a rest comfortably.

Very tired Grizzle exactly at the Metric Century distance. The first battery discharged in my custom 40/50 Steroid Eco mode was good for 50 miles sharp. I used the spare battery in 70/70 Super Sport mode first, then covered last miles in full Turbo mode.

Ride map & stats.

 

[PatriciaK]

@PatriciaK , @RabH, @FlatSix911 Anna: Thank you for your kind words; I do my best. Often, people living most of their lives in a single country are incapable to notice how beautiful their own country is. I', fortunate to see many countries and I see Poland afresh. There are so many things changing for better now! Today, I found out the Southern Warsaw Beltway was under intensive construction; nothing has been happening for years! (So I believe a car trip to Lublin in one and half hours would be possible soon).

Should any of you visit Poland post-covid, I'll try my best to be your guide, and with three e-bikes I own I can imagine some interesting trips. (I only cannot have you at my home for various reasons). Now...

My Personal Best (76.5 Miles In & Around Warsaw)
Hardly any pictures made. I had no time for photography. Just riding, riding, riding, having had a crisis midway, helped myself with a meal and ice-cream I was so focused on riding I confused the General Grot Bridge with Marie Curie Bridge, haha! It was 29 C (84F), full sunshine and noisy wind for most of the trip, only it got a little bit colder towards the sunset.

My dream is to be capable to make the Imperial Century on two batteries some day... Not yet.

View attachment 59506
Special thing about that trip was crossing River Vistula (from left to right bank) by a ferry in Gassy (I think Gassy is yet another Hollander place-name). The ticket for the person + the bike is PLN 5 (US$1.25). As long as the river is not too low or too high, the Gassy Ferry is very popular among cyclists as it extends their rides enormously. (Simply there is no bridge nearby southwards of the Siekierkowski Bridge until the Southern Warsaw Beltway has been completed).

View attachment 59507
Nearly 50 miles completed! (You can see how tired I was). It was one of my favourite Warsaw places, the Żerań Cycle Bridge (over the Royal Canal), with a nice round square for taking a rest comfortably.

View attachment 59508
Very tired Grizzle exactly at the Metric Century distance. The first battery discharged in my custom 40/50 Steroid Eco mode was good for 50 miles sharp. I used the spare battery in 70/70 Super Sport mode first, then covered last miles in full Turbo mode.

View attachment 59509
Ride map & stats.

I would LOVE that, Stefan!

Actually, I've wanted to visit Krakow since I was a young Catholic School girl (a long, LONG time ago!) and we learned the legend of the Trumpeter of Krakow .

 

[Twin Valley]

Where was this? I'd like to have a look at it. You are based out of Okotoks, correct?

hi Randall - actually we are southeast of Nanton (beside Twin Valley Reservoir) - the rocking horses would be going south of Nanton on Highway 2 about 17km turn east on 529 for another 20km past twin valley campground and up and around the corner staying on 529, the old barn in background is worth a look as well - Bill

 

[Stefan Mikes]

So tomorrow I will rest my legs and attempt a 100 miler on Tuesday, if my legs are still tired I have the option to cut it short and maybe try again on Friday...

Rab! Oh, no! You set the bar too high!
Congratulations for your 70-miler!

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Venus Rising …

The Cliffs, Brisbane​

Quite my chance, I came across this stainless steel artwork not far from where I often ride along the river through the city; today I rode along the clifftop rather than the river's edge.

Venus Rising is a 23-metre polished stainless steel fibonacci spiral that radiates silver or gold depending on the position of the sun. I think, I was there just before the sun's zenith, which seemed about the right.

 

[RabH]

@PatriciaK , @RabH, @FlatSix911, @Anna: Thank you for your kind words; I do my best. Often, people living most of their lives in a single country are incapable to notice how beautiful their own country is. I'm fortunate to see many countries and I see Poland afresh. There are so many things changing for better now! Today, I found out the Southern Warsaw Beltway was under intensive construction; nothing has been happening for years! (So I believe a car trip to Lublin in one and half hours would be possible soon).

Should any of you visit Poland post-covid, I'll try my best to be your guide, and with three e-bikes I own I can imagine some interesting trips. (I only cannot have you at my home for various reasons). Now...

My Personal Best (76.5 Miles In & Around Warsaw)
Hardly any pictures made. I had no time for photography. Just riding, riding, riding, having had a crisis midway, helped myself with a meal and ice-cream I was so focused on riding I confused the General Grot Bridge with Marie Curie Bridge, haha! It was 29 C (84F), full sunshine and noisy wind for most of the trip, only it got a little bit colder towards the sunset.

My dream is to be capable to make the Imperial Century on two batteries some day... Not yet.

View attachment 59506
Special thing about that trip was crossing River Vistula (from left to right bank) by a ferry in Gassy (I think Gassy is yet another Hollander place-name). The ticket for the person + the bike is PLN 5 (US$1.25). As long as the river is not too low or too high, the Gassy Ferry is very popular among cyclists as it extends their rides enormously. (Simply there is no bridge nearby southwards of the Siekierkowski Bridge until the Southern Warsaw Beltway has been completed).

View attachment 59507
Nearly 50 miles completed! (You can see how tired I was). It was one of my favourite Warsaw places, the Żerań Cycle Bridge (over the Royal Canal), with a nice round square for taking a rest comfortably.

View attachment 59508
Very tired Grizzle exactly at the Metric Century distance. The first battery discharged in my custom 40/50 Steroid Eco mode was good for 50 miles sharp. I used the spare battery in 70/70 Super Sport mode first, then covered last miles in full Turbo mode.

View attachment 59509
Ride map & stats.

76.5 miles in that heat is as good as any 100 miler, amazing effort Stefan! You should be very proud of what you have achieved and I'm not setting you any challenges btw!

 

[ChezCheese:)]

Another section of the Olympic Discovery Trail, this time from Port Angeles to the Lower Elwha. The dam on the Lower Elwha was recently removed and restoration is ongoing. This is a pic on a very cool bridge that goes over it:


We went off the trail to visit the Lower Elwha valley, which belongs to the Lower Elwha tribe. It was quiet and bucolic, a hidden, protected valley. Those are the Olympic mountains in the way back there. It was long down, down, down to get there, and I thought, boy this'll be a slog coming back up. But the magic of the Brose motors just quietly took us up the hill. Ebikes are amazing, they really are.


Oh, and on the way down, a deer darted out of the woods and bounded across the road not 10 feet in front of my husband on his Vado. Happened so fast we didn't even brake. That would've been a helluva crash...

 

[Chargeride]

Decided to start on my canal video and rode into the city this morning, but it was such a lovely day I ended up having a few drinks and it turned into a slightly merry ride around the city mostly, there is so much work going on...road improvements, building work.
Certainly that sector is in full flush and it is great to see the amazing city getting rebuilt.
I visited a few of the usual tourist haunts and eventually made it to the canal.
Though a few miles down in a very isolated part there was a big gang of lads all dressed in black so I abandoned the filming and returned to the docks which are working but just look very run down ...but where theres muck theres brass and all that.
I tried to film the Confederacy HQ but it was blocked off, just got the memorial plaques.
I'll be back.
This is mostly the mainstream parts and only a small part of the city, no quirky bits.
All set to the beatles of course but it got a bit scrappy at the end because it wasnt really the plan.
Still warm days...a few beers and an ebike....beautiful.
Its quite mesmerising with the stabilisation...which helped after a few.