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

[Stefan Mikes]

There is no way to connect them and I wouldn't want to anyway if there was, I'm happy to have them work independently!

Newer Giant e-bikes can. Just saying!

Stefan my menu looks identical except there is no adjust elevation choice.

Perhaps because yours is an iPhone app. Did you try it on a computer?

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Glorious!
I haven't been coal rolled... yet... But I've had numerous asshats come WAAAAYYYY too close to me for absolutely no reason. What are these idiots missing in their lives that makes them think that it's "fun" or something?

First, what does "coal rolled" mean?

Second, I've never been run off the road, but cars and especially pickup trucks coming too close for comfort are all too common. They enter my bike lane or the painted buffer to its left not far behind me and veer out again just past me.

This isn't just random weaving. I usually don't see it happen again once they're past. But are they consciously trying to buzz me? Some, maybe.

But some drivers just tend to go where they look — especially when not fully engaged at the wheel. And when they're looking at me, they drift in my direction. Distracted drivers are everywhere now.

 

[dodgeman]

Rolling coal is from a diesel truck. They often tune them or even put a switch in to over fuel them and make a big cloud of smoke.

Im lucky I guess, once in a while I feel someone doesn’t give me enough space but it’s never been a close call. A lot of my rides are on rural roads and very low traffic.

 

[DaveMatthews]

First, what does "coal rolled" mean?

Second, I've never been run off the road, but cars and especially pickup trucks coming too close for comfort are all too common. They enter my bike lane or the painted buffer to its left not far behind me and veer out again just past me.

This isn't just random weaving. I usually don't see it happen again once they're past. But are they consciously trying to buzz me? Some, maybe.

But some drivers just tend to go where they look — especially when not full engaged at the wheel. And when they're looking at me, they drift in my direction. Distracted drivers are everywhere now.

I think what @dodgeman said nails it. I'm sure if you look up rolling coal on youtube the visual will be all ya need. I think it was last year some dumbass kid did it to a group of riders. It didn't end well...

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I think what @dodgeman said nails it. I'm sure if you look up rolling coal on youtube the visual will be all ya need. I think it was last year some dumbass kid did it to a group of riders. It didn't end well...

The concept's familiar — just didn't know the name. Witnessed maybe a dozen instances in Denver and the Rockies to the west, but none in recent years, and none in coastal SoCal in our year here so far.

The perps were usually in big dually diesel pickups, and Colorado was crawling with them at the time. Since I seldom saw these trucks actually hauling or towing things, I gather that most were just status symbols in certain circles.

Folks here are more inclined to use Bentleys and Lamborghinis and totally tricked-out badass camper vans for that. But there is a common thread: Rock-bottom fuel efficiency.

 

[DaveMatthews]

The concept's familiar — just didn't know the name. Witnessed maybe a dozen instances in Denver and the Rockies to the west, but none in recent years, and none in coastal SoCal in our year here so far.

The perps were usually in big dually diesel pickups, and Colorado was crawling with them at the time. Since I seldom saw these trucks actually hauling or towing things, I gather that most were just status symbols in certain circles.

Folks here are more inclined to use Bentleys and Lamborghinis and totally tricked-out badass camper vans for that. But there is a common thread: Rock-bottom fuel efficiency.

Yeah, I think Cali is more well known for rolling joints, not coal...

 

[Prairie Dog]

Second, I've never been run off the road, but cars and especially pickup trucks coming too close for comfort are all too common. They enter my bike lane or the painted buffer to its left not far behind me and veer out again just past me.

This isn't just random weaving. I usually don't see it happen again once they're past. But are they consciously trying to buzz me? Some, maybe.

But some drivers just tend to go where they look — especially when not full engaged at the wheel. And when they're looking at me, they drift in my direction. Distracted drivers are everywhere now.

I’m sure that’s what is also occurring here. Drivers simply not paying attention, are distracted or too focused on the road directly in front of them the majority of which don’t intentionally go out of their way in an attempt to mow you down. It’s the one or two that have a chip on their shoulders and need to vent that you worry about.

On a more positive note, today’s outing had us accidentally crossing paths with another cyclist who we spotted from yesterday’s ride. Talk about a small world, we all ride Cannondales, purchased our bikes from the same dealer, ride comparable routes and have even known friends/acquaintances from similar social circles.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Yeah, I think Cali is more well known for rolling joints, not coal...

Rather clever of us, don't you think?

 

[DaveMatthews]

Rather clever of us, don't you think?

Hey man... I was born there...
San Mateo/Redwood city...

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I am on a relatively short ride at 33°C and no wind now. The air is dry and that helps.

The nice young pharmacist in Brwinów has bought an e-bike! It is a Cannondale hardtail with a Bosch motor bought from our most local LBS, Jakoobcycles The pharmacist can understand the value of the support and service, and the LBS is just a couple hundred of metres from the pharmacy!

We had a chat about e-bikes and we have both agreed once you've bought an e-bike, you want to ride it under any pretext!

Cannondale Trail Neo 4.

Now, enjoying alcohol-free ale in the city park

 

[DiggyGun]

Todays ride. Out with a mate today, so a bit faster than usual.

DG…

 

[Saratoga Dave]

What could go wrong?

OK, this is better:

 

[Chargeride]

My favourite map app, Viewranger has closed, you get access to another app called outdoormaps or something like that.
Its awful to use, so I ditched it

Found an app that looks like it was written by a coder in their bedroom, but its simply superb, the full UK ad free for twenty quid a year.

Just does what it says on the tin, no annoying quick links on the front page, full screen display, no chance of ending up in some obscure part or setting in the rain.
Either stream or download maps.

Everything is adjustable in the settings, but will never leave you with a non working map.
Called OMN3
Yeah, straight to the point.
Perfect for steamed glasses, fat fingers and four beers

 

[Prairie Dog]

It was another gorgeous day and was much improved with the arrival of cooler temperatures. We hooked up with a friend who we recently met on one of our previous rides. Dave is a fit senior who was competing in ultra marathons until ankle surgery sidelined his running days for good. He now cycles pretty much full time and we hope to see more of him on our daily rides. This section of the MacKenzie Road has been closed for months which has prevented us from venturing out any further along some key routes/loops. It was still closed to traffic today but the crews gave us the thumbs up for us and our bikes to pass through.

Nothing like coasting along on fresh blacktop to start the day.

The geese on this slough seemed content and were oblivious to the road construction that was occurring.

Heading south out on Range Road 273 against a backdrop of a clear blue sky and beside lush green fields.

Further up the road, we stopped briefly to pay our respects to a memorial dedicated to a 45-year-old Red Deer woman who was tragically killed by a passing motorist while riding her bike over a year ago. To this day, her death remains unsolved and police continue to seek witnesses to the collision. Unfortunately, rural roads often lack adequate shoulders and there doesn’t appear to be much action on behalf of the County to make improvements. What a shame because it is such gorgeous countryside.

Dave makes his way along this stretch of rural road. Our pace was pretty casual as our trio was more inclined to enjoy each other’s company as well as the tranquil country setting.

A golden field of wheat that looks ready to be harvested. It won’t be long before swathers and combines become a common sight in the fields and on the roads.

Wetlands and ponds such as this one form an integral component of the rural landscape particularly during periods of drought.

Closer to town and near the end of our 50 km ride, we were slightly delayed by this asphalt miner as it crawled it’s way up MacKenzie Road. Much to our chagrin, the road will be closed once again as impending construction on the east portion of the road will likely have us desperately looking for alternative routes.

 

[Prairie Dog]

I returned home for a quick bite and then hit the local trails once again but this time with a friend who I hadn’t ridden with since last fall and so it was a great time to reconnect. Good thing we were riding emtbs as we had our work cut out for us which included stints along the Bench trail, the local mtb park and on this particular single at the Pines.

We came across this young chap who pushing his bike up this root infested climb and we immediately felt empathy for him…..but only for a second or two then we hit trail mode and blew by him without a second thought.

It didn’t end there as our Levos made short work of the rooty terrain at the Pines but after completing four consecutive trails, we had enough and decided to pack it in.

We do our best to avoid riding the MUPs on our push towards home and instead take the shortest routes we can find which might mean cutting through parking lots, back alleys and in this case a gravel double track behind a large mall on the north end of the city.

I logged roughly a total of 80 km today on the road (50km) as well as my time on the trails (30km). Overall, it was a special day spent on the saddle riding with both old and new friends.

 

[RandallS]

They seem to grow on trees out here but I have to admit that’s the first time I’ve been a victimized while on a bike. A blatantly crude and obnoxious act and these knuckle dragging morons have absolutely no concern or respect for others who share the road, in particular cyclists. Like you, we’ve also had a few close calls with drivers who don’t allow for sufficient side margins even when there is clearly an open stretch of road ahead of them.

I am of the opinion that it's time for 100% "bike dashcam" when riding, and sending in licence plates each and every time. It's nice to dream...

 

[DiggyGun]

Todays ride.

Since Monday (four days), I’ve done about 120 miles.

Started a diet on Monday and want to improve my levels of fitness, hence a bit more cycling than usual.

Going to have a rest tomorrow, plus it’s supposed to be raining all day.

DG…

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Leaving you for the vacation with @Brix for 10 days, starting this Friday. No cycling! Walking!

 

[Prairie Dog]

I am of the opinion that it's time for 100% "bike dashcam" when riding, and sending in licence plates each and every time. It's nice to dream...

A bike cam like a Cycliq would have been ideal. I always have an action cam attached to a QR on the underside of an outfront mount on my road bike but realize that it won’t replace a unit specifically equipped for the task. At the time, I never thought to turn it on as being spewed with black diesel exhaust was the last thing I would ever have expected. I suppose it comes down to what one wants to accomplish and for me the GoPro is used specifically to document footage for travel purposes.

 

[RabH]

Its been 2 months since I visited the wonderful Isle of Arran and today was looking good weather wise so I booked the 7am ferry and arrived on the island at 8am! It started a bit cloudy but the cloud soon burned off and the sun made a welcome visit, this was the scene as I departed the ferry!

There were around 20 bikes on the ferry this time, its still holiday time of course so I was expecting it! In June I did the clockwise loop of the island so I was determined to do the anticlockwise route today despite the wind favouring the clockwise direction! I saw a peleton heading in the same direction as me, a mixture of guys and gals and all in club colours! I was catching them up quickly but I stopped for this photo and they disappeared, I knew there was a massive climb coming though!

This is looking back at Brodick which is where the ferry docked, they were still loading it for the journey back to Ardrossan!

I continued round the coast road towards Lochranza and the big climb soon came into view, my summit software said it was just under 2 miles at 5.5% average! At this point I couldn't see the peleton but I was pretty sure they would be on the climb!

Sure enough I spotted them half way up the climb and was shooting past them in no time at all, the group had split on the climb unsurprisingly! There was an older guy right at the back but he was doing well, just in front of him there was a lady rider and I told her as I was passing she had less than a mile to go and could enjoy the big descent down into Lochranza soon! She said she was ready for it... I stopped a bit further up the climb to grab this photo of the mountains shrouded in cloud with the sun starting to break through!

It was now time for the exhilirating descent down into Lochranza, 42.3mph today and I got a lovely surprise further down where they had laid some lovely fresh tarmac! I stopped at the pier in Lochranza for a snack and looked to see how far the ferry was out but it had quite a way to go so I decided not to wait as I got lots of photos of it the last time!

I loved this reflection in the bay, the photo doesn't do it justice though but it was truly stunning!

Lochranza is on the northern tip of the island so it was time to start heading south and it was now into a strengthening headwind, as i continued around the coast road the Lochranza ferry was coming into view!

This part of the road is in excellent condition as it was re-laid last year, it rises and falls quite a bit but no big climbs for around 7 miles! The water is crystal clear all the way around the coast!

The Guillemots were perched on their rock as usual, with a lone one on another rock close by so I guess they had a falling out!

Back in June the tide was in so I missed out on the seals but my luck was in today, one was enjoying the sun perched on a rock!

The road was starting to get rougher now but it was easy to miss the holes due to the lack of car traffic, hopefully they will get round to fixing the rougher parts soon! It was time to start climbing again, nothing massive but short sharp climbs into a pretty strong headwind now! I arrived in Blackwaterfoot and had a short break and grabbed a couple of photos from the tiny pier!

A tiny waterfall but you wouldn't believe how noisy it was!

Leaving Blackwaterfoot its straight into climb after climb as I continued around the coast road, part way up one of the climbs you get an amazing view of Blackwaterfoot and the mountains in the distance!

Then it was time for some descending again and Ailsa Craig can be seen in the distance, shame about the haze!

Pladda Lighthouse on the southern tip of the island!

This was the hardest part of the ride as the wind was brutal here and some of the climbs were around 20% despite Ridewithgps saying the maximum gradient was 13.8%! I was nearing Whiting Bay now and I knew I was in for one of the best descents of the day, it twists and turns all the way down and the road is in great condition! I had to stop part way down to grab this photo of the Holy Isle bathed in sunshine!

I arrived in Whiting Bay and Goat Fell came into view, the highest mountain on the island at 2870ft!

Another climb ensued followed by a nice descent into Lamlash where I enjoyed lunch in the park with the Holy Isle as a beautiful backdrop, I had covered 52 miles now and it was only 4 miles back to Brodick where I would catch the ferry back over to Ardrossan! As you leave Lamlash its straight into a 17% climb followed by a big descent down into Brodick but I couldn't enjoy the descent due to the council laying that awful bitumen surface dressing....

The check in time for the ferry at Brodick was 13.25 but I had 30 minutes to spare so continued straight through Brodick and decided to do the big climb up the String road with the intention of stopping at the summit and plumetting back down into Brodick!

Last year I came down this descent at 50.2mph but today I was straight into a 20mph headwind but still managed 47.2mph, I'm sure I could have hit 60mph with a tailwind here if I had the bottle.... The road is in excellent condition so that gives you confidence to go for it! This is the view from the top of the String road and I could actually see my ferry heading into the bay, I knew it would be less than 5 minutes to reach the pier as it was downhill almost all the way so wasn't worried about missing the ferry! I arrived with 10 minutes to spare actually...

While I was waiting to board a cyclist enquired about my bike, it turned out he was 77 years old and he looked younger than me! He is actually in the process of ordering a nice Bianchi e bike but he has been told it will take a couple of months, I'm sure it will be worth the wait though! The last photos of the day before boarding the ferry!

If you are into climbs and descents Arran is just cycling heaven, its like it was made for me and I wish I lived closer! The bonus is the natural beauty of the island, its a real Scottish gem! If you look at the profile view, this sums up Arran in a nutshell...