2023 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos

Mulezen said:
And we Americans learn how to swear from the English. I had a weightlifting coach (Joe Mills) who, at the age of 13 immigrated to the US (about 1920). In a few years he had saved enough of his factory wage to bring his mother and sister over from Liverpool. 50-60 years later I was in his house when his mother (90+) came in the living room raging about Joe coming home drunk the night before. This was the first time I heard the word c#nt used in conversation, and from an old lady yelling at her senior citizen son. I learned a lot from that man whose schooling ended at eleven. Because I was in college English he assumed I had read Proust. He was the coach of the great Bob Bednarski who won a world championship In Poland during the Cold War. The Russians tried to steal the victory but the Poles in the audience rioted at the shenanigans. And that is some of the baggage associated with learning a new word.
Click to expand...
i often worked at a building (here in united states) where the administrative assistant was a very attractive and friendly older woman who i often conversed with. due to my lack of worldly knowledge, my assumption is she was from england due to the heavy accent. i once mentioned a name of a dive bar in Ellicott city, md, and it made her blush...."the bloody bucket". i think it's got something to do with "bloody"?
 
Quite a long day, started at the beach, its a Friday bank holiday in the UK and the place was utterly rammed, we rode around gawping at the tourists, watched a jesus Easter thing and then I stuffed my face at Mecycle in Ainsdale.

annt3.jpg


We took the train to Aintree to see one of the wifes friends finish her 50 mile ultrathon from Manchester to Liverpool.
Heres us crossing the Leeds Liverpool canal, this canal carried 80% of Americas cotton exports to the mills of northern England and it is also were the anti slavery movement started.

annt4.jpg


Right next to this part of the canal is Aintree racecourse, home of the Grand National, which some say is the most famous horserace in the world.
Theyre preparing for the race and here is the gates that they pull back and cover the road in sand and grass to extend the course over it

annt5.jpg


Security is super tight, as theyve already foiled an attack by climate activists, so Im having to be quite discreet with my filming, guards everywhere.
annt6.jpg


Now to meet her friend who hasnt finished yet, so were going to cycle down this disused rail line path.
Ive always wanted to ride it, but it goes through the rather dodgy areas and you are hidden from public view, I felt safe enough with all the runners and marshalls
annt7.jpg


Rather urban and seedy, but I guess you have to expect that of a city railway track.
annt8.jpg


Unlit tunnels like this do not encourage me to use this path, you are riding through quite a deprived area with high crime rates and drug dealing
annt9.jpg


Im sure a few riders would be safe, it gets far more rural further down and quite picturesque, but even run down grimy has its charm I suppose.
annt11.jpg


We found her eventually, she had run 47 miles at this point, just unbelievable to me, 10 hours of jogging.
annt12.jpg



Big cheer from the crowd, and she paid 90 quid to enter, Id want them to pay me.
annt13.jpg
 
Last edited:
rbush said:
i often worked at a building (here in united states) where the administrative assistant was a very attractive and friendly older woman who i often conversed with. due to my lack of worldly knowledge, my assumption is she was from england due to the heavy accent. i once mentioned a name of a dive bar in Ellicott city, md, and it made her blush...."the bloody bucket". i think it's got something to do with "bloody"?
Click to expand...

rbush said:
I’ve been to the dive bars there many years ago when seeing a fellow student (U of M) from West Friendship. I thought the town washed away in a flood
Click to expand...
 
1680986370309.png


I decided to spend the Saturday on a ride to bring my old friend in need some Easter gifts. He is now located north of the Kampinos National Park. It was cold when I started the ride at 9:36 a.m. A little unwillingly, I took the outbound part of the trip via the KPN East (no fun to ride gravel roads full of potholes and puddles though!).

1680986702434.png

An off-road detour along the Long Marsh to avoid riding cobblestones in the Palmiry Road.

1680986773127.png

It became very warm at 11:15! I had to remove all warm clothes from me, only leaving the ventilated winter helmet on my head.

After I met my friend (no pictures), I decided to take a longer return route via paved roads, still inside the beautiful nature park. (It was not that warm as I initially thought, so I replaced the jacket).

1680987006262.png

A place called Strawberry :) See the pigeon above the place-name sign. Many old people breed pigeons in Polish villages.


1680987175586.png

"HERE BE SNAKEZ" :) Not dangerous ones. The sign warns the drivers not to kill the reptiles with the wheels of their cars. This specific road is extremely popular among road cyclists as the pavement is good enough, the trees around dampen the wind, the traffic is minimal (if necessary, the roadie can switch to the bike lane instantly), and the road is winding and picturesque.

1680987491783.png

A beautiful, winding gravel bike path between Julinek and Leszno. You can practice "counter-steering" for quick cornering there! :) (The bends have been made to preserve the trees).

1680987593659.png

At Klimatyczna Cafe. I had a very small cake. And ice-cream :)

1680987666063.png

The "Laughing Smokestack" as seen from 8 km in the straight line.

1680987728201.png

New rotors for Roadrunner's hydraulic disk brakes. The SM-RT86 (right) is made with Ice Technology and I have used it for the front brake. The SM-RT66 (left) will be for the rear. (The Tektro magnet holder for the rear wheel requires a flat mounting surface!)

1680987800766.png

The new rotor as well as new TRP Q20.11 brake pads installed. The callipers centred. I gave the new brake a good testing, speeding up my Vado to almost 40 km/h (25 mph) and abruptly stopping with both brakes. It works as a dream! (I'm waiting for the new rear wheel to install the other rotor).

1680988663710.png

80+ km (50 miles).
 
Last edited:
Stefan Mikes said:
At Klimatyczna Cafe. I had a very small cake. And ice-cream :)
Click to expand...
Beautiful ride! That cake looks kinda like what we call a brownie — a piece of fairly dense, chewy chocolate cake with or without chocolate icing and nuts (usually walnuts). A typical serving is about what you had, and ice cream is a common accompaniment.

If I were king of the world, all brownies would have icing and walnuts, and plenty of both, but my evil scheme to make that happen is still on the drawing board.
 
Last edited:
Jeremy McCreary said:
Beautiful ride! That cake looks kinda like what we call a brownie — a piece of fairly dense, chewy chocolate cake with or without chocolate icing and nuts (usually walnuts). A typical serving is about what you had, and ice cream is a common accompaniment.

If I were king of the world, all brownies would have icing and walnuts, but my evil scheme to make that happen is still on the drawing board.
Click to expand...
Perhaps a surprise to you but it was a chocolate cheesecake!
 
It does wash away every few years, but it is such a shopping mecca for "affluent, touristy, shoppers", that it always get rebuilt by insurance payouts as well as tax dollars.😉
 
1681041440862.png


I decided to get out early today to avoid the winds so I set off just after 7am with a light breeze, what a difference from the last ride! The winds were forecast to pick up as the morning progressed and they were pretty spot on for a change! ;) I was heading east towards the cycle path which runs alongside the Hillend Loch, the good thing about getting out early is grabbing photos like these with the sun still low in the sky, the loch looked amazing in the early morning sunshine!

1681042081863.png

1681042135582.png

A mile or so further along the cycle path!

1681042363078.png

1681042427468.png

Now I was at the far end of the loch looking west!

1681042518186.png

There were lots of fishermen out enjoying the nice morning, I would much rather go cycling!;) I continued east and soon reached the Black Loch which was way calmer than the last time I passed it!

1681042746813.png

1681042818549.png

The only downside of leaving so early was the morning chill, there was a little frost around but it didn't feel cold in the light wind! I was travelling towards Avonbridge and spotted the mist lying low in the fields but by the time I stopped and got my phone out it had pretty much lifted..I just caught the tail end of it!

1681043215450.png

1681043268805.png

Just before Avonbridge I decided to turn north towards Shieldhill which meant I could enjoy the fast descent down into Falkirk, 41.8mph today and not a single car in sight!:D I then took the road through Lionthorn to head for the quiet back road to Bonnybridge, this is looking west from the top of the climb at Lionthorn! The frost can be seen in the shade of the trees, thankfully it got warmer as the morning progressed!

1681043601161.png

I reached Bonnybridge and stopped at the bridge over the canal for a snack and some photos of course!

1681043786693.png

1681043858869.png

It was time to turn west towards Kilsyth and the wind was starting to pick up now, it was from the SE so I had a slight tailwind here which I enjoyed as my legs were still feeling Thursdays ride! I was soon passing through Kilsyth and heading south towards Cumbernauld, I was passing the quarry at Auchenstarry and stopped for a short break! The ducks were enjoying the sun and the shelter from the strengthening wind!

1681044255908.png

1681044319608.png

As I was leaving the quarry I spotted these 2 nutters, I mean climbers! 😂 You couldn't pay me to climb that shear face!;) I arrived in Cumbernauld and headed east again towards Abronhill where I would turn south again and climb up towards Upperton, this is looking north with the Campsie Hills in the distance!

1681044690534.png

The wind was really picking up now and I was pretty much riding into a strong headwind! I reached the top of the climb and grabbed my last photo before taking the back roads to home! It alsmost looks flat here but looks can be deceiving!;)

1681044940372.png

I was so glad I left early as the wind later in the ride was hard going, anyway it was another brilliant day on the bike and I arrived home a bit tired but very contented and ready for a nice hot shower! Once again the bike was spotless thanks to the dry roads, rain is returning tomorrow though and its not looking great after that but I'm not complaining as I know many of you aren't so lucky!
 

Attachments

  • elevation_profile155.jpg
    elevation_profile155.jpg
    21.4 KB · Views: 94
  • trip-117448167-map-full155.png
    trip-117448167-map-full155.png
    426.1 KB · Views: 95
  • 20230409_075804.jpg
    20230409_075804.jpg
    278.3 KB · Views: 96
  • 20230409_093310.jpg
    20230409_093310.jpg
    774.5 KB · Views: 95
  • 20230409_100819.jpg
    20230409_100819.jpg
    647.6 KB · Views: 91
Last edited:
RabH said:
View attachment 151411

I decided to get out early today to avoid the winds so I set off just after 7am with a light breeze, what a difference from the last ride! The winds were forecast to pick up as the morning progressed and they were pretty spot on for a change! ;) I was heading east towards the cycle path which runs alongside the Hillend Loch, the good thing about getting out early is grabbing photos like these with the sun still low in the sky, the loch looked amazing in the early morning sunshine!

View attachment 151412
View attachment 151413
A mile or so further along the cycle path!

View attachment 151414
View attachment 151415
Now I was at the far end of the loch looking west!

View attachment 151416
There were lots of fishermen out enjoying the nice morning, I would much rather go cycling!;) I continued east and soon reached the Black Loch which was way calmer than the last time I passed it!

View attachment 151417
View attachment 151418
The only downside of leaving so early was the morning chill, there was a little frost around but it didn't feel cold in the light wind! I was travelling towards Avonbridge and spotted the mist lying low in the fields but by the time I stopped and got my phone out it had pretty much lifted..I just caught the tail end of it!

View attachment 151419
View attachment 151420
Just before Avonbridge I decided to turn north towards Shieldhill which meant I could enjoy the fast descent down into Falkirk, 41.8mph today and not a single car in sight!:D I then took the road through Lionthorn to head for the quiet back road to Bonnybridge, this is looking west from the top of the climb at Lionthorn! The frost can be seen in the shade of the trees, thankfully it got warmer as the morning progressed!

View attachment 151421
I reached Bonnybridge and stopped at the bridge over the canal for a snack and some photos of course!

View attachment 151423
View attachment 151424
It was time to turn west towards Kilsyth and the wind was starting to pick up now, it was from the SE so I had a slight tailwind here which I enjoyed as my legs were still feeling Thursdays ride! I was soon passing through Kilsyth and heading south towards Cumbernauld, I was passing the quarry at Auchenstarry and stopped for a short break! The ducks were enjoying the sun and the shelter from the strengthening wind!

View attachment 151425
View attachment 151426
As I was leaving the quarry I spotted these 2 nutters, I mean climbers! 😂 You couldn't pay me to climb that shear face!;) I arrived in Cumbernauld and headed east again towards Abronhill where I would turn south again and climb up towards Upperton, this is looking north with the Campsie Hills in the distance!

View attachment 151427
The wind was really picking up now and I was pretty much riding into a strong headwind! I reached the top of the climb and grabbed my last photo before taking the back roads to home! It alsmost looks flat here but looks can be deceiving!;)

View attachment 151428
I was so glad I left early as the wind later in the ride was hard going, anyway it was another brilliant day on the bike and I arrived home a bit tired but very contented and ready for a nice hot shower! Once again the bike was spotless thanks to the dry roads, rain is returning tomorrow though and its not looking great after that but I'm not complaining as I know many of you aren't so lucky!
Click to expand...
Really love that 4th photo of the sun on the loch. Do you ever get windless rides?
 
I had a pleasant Easter ride of 17miles. 'RockCreek' farm is always trim and proper as is the old man when I run into the barbershop. To finish the ride I went towards the rear of my farm for this shot. It's the first time I've ridden the pasture...and the last...my Allant is no mountain goat...and I've the bones of an old man.
IMG_1295.JPG
IMG_1303.JPG
 
Stefan Mikes said:
View attachment 151363

I decided to spend the Saturday on a ride to bring my old friend in need some Easter gifts. He is now located north of the Kampinos National Park. It was cold when I started the ride at 9:36 a.m. A little unwillingly, I took the outbound part of the trip via the KPN East (no fun to ride gravel roads full of potholes and puddles though!).

View attachment 151364
An off-road detour along the Long Marsh to avoid riding cobblestones in the Palmiry Road.

View attachment 151365
It became very warm at 11:15! I had to remove all warm clothes from me, only leaving the ventilated winter helmet on my head.

After I met my friend (no pictures), I decided to take a longer return route via paved roads, still inside the beautiful nature park. (It was not that warm as I initially thought, so I replaced the jacket).

View attachment 151366
A place called Strawberry :) See the pigeon above the place-name sign. Many old people breed pigeons in Polish villages.


View attachment 151367
"HERE BE SNAKEZ" :) Not dangerous ones. The sign warns the drivers not to kill the reptiles with the wheels of their cars. This specific road is extremely popular among road cyclists as the pavement is good enough, the trees around dampen the wind, the traffic is minimal (if necessary, the roadie can switch to the bike lane instantly), and the road is winding and picturesque.

View attachment 151368
A beautiful, winding gravel bike path between Julinek and Leszno. You can practice "counter-steering" for quick cornering there! :) (The bends have been made to preserve the trees).

View attachment 151369
At Klimatyczna Cafe. I had a very small cake. And ice-cream :)

View attachment 151370
The "Laughing Smokestack" as seen from 8 km in the straight line.

View attachment 151371
New rotors for Roadrunner's hydraulic disk brakes. The SM-RT86 (right) is made with Ice Technology and I have used it for the front brake. The SM-RT66 (left) will be for the rear. (The Tektro magnet holder for the rear wheel requires a flat mounting surface!)

View attachment 151372
The new rotor as well as new TRP Q20.11 brake pads installed. The callipers centred. I gave the new brake a good testing, speeding up my Vado to almost 40 km/h (25 mph) and abruptly stopping with both brakes. It works as a dream! (I'm waiting for the new rear wheel to install the other rotor).

View attachment 151374
80+ km (50 miles).
Click to expand...
fully floating discs?
 
So after reading of that poor Italian hiker who was killed by a bear, and the whole of Europe finding out there are bears in Italy.
It turns out they are all over Europe in numbers ranging from 6000 in Romania down to a handful in other Alpine countries, even Poland has bears.
Theres a round 20 thousand overall.

I was relieved to find that the UKs largest predator is the badger, which means in reality our largest predator is that pitbull cross the dodgy guy in the park owns
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back