RandallS
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Calgary
Regarding parking at Moraine and Lake Louise, when I go there, I am with my wife and therefore with handicap parking.
Never had a problem finding a space.
2023 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos
- Thread starter Saratoga Dave
- Start date
Never had a problem finding a space.
Prairie Dog
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Red Deer
Even with the road being closed to traffic, I believe that you can still access it if you possess a disabled parking tag. You just have to notify the staff at the junction turnoff. Much of the congestion occurred back in 2022 during the peak summer season.
kahn
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- northWET washington
Damn, I don't know how you continue to put up with that boring terrain and scenery! Splendid.
I am saving your two videos for the morning...
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kahn
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- northWET washington
I like the blue chains. They must provide great traction.
We had that heat here a few weeks back. But we drove to it in Eastern Washington last week where it was a tad hotter than that. I don't like heat!
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Prairie Dog
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Red Deer
It’s memorable rides like this that make you look forward to getting up the following morning in pursuit of the next adventure. Regrettably, the smoke that blew in overnight from the northern wildfires will limit even local rides to shorter excursions.
I hear ya. It's particularly bad when you can't escape the hot sun during road rides and the heat is even more oppressive riding over scorching pavement.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Greetings From Nasielsk!
Brothers Mikulski are greeting you from the last workout before the Mazovian Gravel 250 Race! We were roaming the Płońsk County, Mazovia and stopped "At Kaban's" restaurant bar in Nasielsk. The restaurant serves the top quality Polish cuisine! We wanted to give the "Kartoflisko" (The Potato Field), experts in potato specialties a try but that restaurant turned out to be bike unfriendly. Bye bye, Potato Field! Jacek and I gave that restaurant one try too many!
It looks it might be a 80 miler today!
Brothers Mikulski are greeting you from the last workout before the Mazovian Gravel 250 Race! We were roaming the Płońsk County, Mazovia and stopped "At Kaban's" restaurant bar in Nasielsk. The restaurant serves the top quality Polish cuisine! We wanted to give the "Kartoflisko" (The Potato Field), experts in potato specialties a try but that restaurant turned out to be bike unfriendly. Bye bye, Potato Field! Jacek and I gave that restaurant one try too many!
It looks it might be a 80 miler today!
Jeremy McCreary
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
Mission accomplished! Following up on this post from last week, my roadie riding buddy D came home with an Aventon Level.2 yesterday. That'll open up lots of great rides in our area, on- and off-road.
Hoping to get him out for a hilly ride soon to drive home the beauty of pedal assist.
Hoping to get him out for a hilly ride soon to drive home the beauty of pedal assist.
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Readytoride
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Virginia
The official count was 1,009 riders in the gravel road charity ride yesterday. No other way of saying it ...that is a whopping amount of bikes.
To prevent a massive crush start, each rider had been given a choice of time slots for their distance with the 213 80 mile riders heading out first in spaced groups of 15 beginning at 7:30am. The 317 60 mile division followed, and once all those riders were on the road, then the 479 40 miles then took their place at the start line. The orderly waves of riders collecting at the start during their assigned time slot waiting patiently to be moved forward, then being released to start their ride, continuing until 10:30am. It was all very well planned and executed. Minimal chaos, maximum anticipation.
Still, over a thousand cyclists on the wandering network of now protected centuries old gravel roads that were little changed from the 1800s and still bore hoofprints of horses, albeit those equines now being treasured and pampered pets rather than beasts of burden or necessary transportation, was still a lot of bikes.
And there I was, in the thick of it, heading off with the 8:50am group in the 60 mile division. Of those 1,009 riders only a quarter of that number were women, and only 2 in my age group. The oldest was a mere 2 years older than me, and the other was my age. We were definately the unicorns of that ride. The rest of the ladies were all younger, some by only a few years, most by decades.
I'd already had a nice warm-up to start, riding the 4.5 miles from home to the ride site. I'd decided to forgo transporting my bike to the ride knowing that, even in the spacious field set aside for parking, that space was going to be tight. Plus I liked having the freedom to be able to cut my ride short at any time since the first 40 miles were in two loops on the gravel roads with my farm as the epicentre. That fit right into my plans since I had decided with the forecast afternoon heat hitting 90°, and the extreme dust that would be kicked up on the roads thanks to a severe lack of rain for weeks, that 40 miles would be more agreeable that day.
Even with the small packs of riders being spaced out at the start of the ride it didn't take long before the up and down terrain at the start sorted those riders out with a firm hand and no quarter. The stronger younger riders took off up the rolling and twisting gravel roads with amazing strength, a thin plumb of dust being kicked up by their spinning wheels. The rest followed suit, speeding on the downslopes in hopes of gaining enough momentum for the often steep upslopes. It was like morning rush hour traffic with bikes rather than cars. Thankfully the gravel roads are only lightly trafficked with motor vehicles even on a daily basis, and it seemed that most drivers, forewarned of the event, had wisely shied away from driving the roads that morning and opting for alternative routes rather than face an onslaught of endless bicycles.
A quiet, lazy herd taking advantage of the shade while they watched, in languid amusement, as the hordes of cyclists passed by.
Among the bikes on the dusty roads there was a lot of jockeying for position as the undulating terrain slowed or sped up the riders according to their strengths. I was glad not to be among the 80 mile riders. Those guys were beasts. Highly focused and not at all hesitate about leaving one another in the dust. The 60 mile riders were cut from the same cloth, but maybe a touch less intense. It had been stressed at the start that the ride was not a race, but that didn't lessen the competitive atmosphere of many of the cyclists heightened by the narrowness and unpolished wanderings of the gravel roads. Be out front and ride at the speed you like, or be stuck behind and ride only as fast as the slowpoke pack ahead of you, and choke on the dust. Wasn't hard to figure out where most riders wanted to be.
I opted to take advantage of my bike's ability to tackle the uphills with speed, race the downslopes, and then relax on the levels. Still, I was moving a lot faster than I ever ride when I'm alone, just being swept along by those around me. I no longer "apologize" for passing anymore. I used to, in the past, when ebikes were less well known and a lady powering up a hilI zooming past more capable riders on less helpful bikes was met with wide eyes and sometime a suprised muttered comment or two. Now, ebikes have come into their own, and are viewed more with curiosity than distain. I did have one rider, that I had passed on a hill but who regained his place on the following flat, compliment my bike. "That's a very fast bike", he said when he caught back up to me. I smiled back at him, and agreed. "Quiet, too" he added, the admiration apparent in his voice. I pointed out the carbon belt drive and told him I was "a local" who rode these gravel roads close to every day, and that I hated cleaning chains. He laughed, agreed, and then snuggled in to draft behind me (I think I was doing about 20mph at the time) and we exchanged pleasantries until we came to another hill where I promptly left him behind.
At about 15 miles all three routes pass by my driveway. I took a quick detour up my driveway for a quick break, then back on the road again. I knew a 1 mile shortcut that cut off 6 miles, and reasoning that I'd already tacked on an extra 9 miles riding to and from the start, I didn't feel at all bad about shortchanging the route. By then the rising heat, the dust, and a vaguely complaining right knee unaccustomed to the fast speed for the first 15 miles had firmed my decision to simply do the 40 miles and forgo the 60. I didn't want to compromise my knee on those rough, hard roads. Besides, this was home turf for me, so the views were all familiar friends. Nothing new to see.
All three distances were treated to the infamous grade level creek crossing at the 35 miles. The extreme drought of the past month had reduced the creek to a manageable several inches in depth if you walked on the high swales spanning the width of the creek. The ride photographer always planted himself at the crossing to take phenomenal shots of cyclists navigating the creek, some bravely, some foolishly, riding through the water, others carefully walking, many portaging their bikes on their shoulders. I had driven down to the creek the day before, ruler in hand, to walk across and measure the depth. Keeping to the swales the average depth was 6", the maximum depth 10". I could walk my bike across and keep the motor completely dry, just having to lift and carry the front end a few feet to bypass the deeper pockets of water. I could pack my shoes in my panniers and wear beach sandals to walk through the cold water, swapping out on the other side.
It was a good plan, easily accomplished, had it not been for a sudden influx of 10 or more riders racing in and up to the creek bank just as I was getting ready to cross. I was surrounded by multiple people splashing through the water making it impossible to see where the underwater swales were located. I gave it my best guess, judging blind but correctly, only lifting my bike when I felt the water deepening around my legs. I don't know if the photographer was there (I didn't see him) but once on the other side I stopped to take photos of the cyclists behind me crossing the creek. The crush of riders exiting the creek and starting up the road didn't leave me a place to swap out of my sandals into my shoes, so I just climbed on my bike and set off with the rest.
The climb up to the main roads was a prodigious one, not for the faint of heart. This road is rarely used anymore except by horse riders, and rarely touched by the county department of transportation. It was still passable, but challenging. I had changed my battery at home, knowing this climb was in front of me and wanting a full battery for the turbo function alone. I kept one ear on the very soft whine of my motor as we turboed up that road, my worry that the motor may have taken on water diminishing as we climbed. The motor was fine, and we now were on the way to the finish.
At about that point my knee decided it was fine and stopped nagging me just as I became aware that my right shoulder had taken up the aching chorus. Not sure (but I do think) it was from the stress of the start and the first couple of miles in that crush of cycles that I was riding with a lot of shoulder and neck tension, made only worse by the jarring conditions of the road. Several times I had to rise out of the seat and let the bike take the brunt of a less-then-ideal road surface that was teeth rattling, the vibrations radiating up my poor arms as I held onto the handlebar grips, my bike jumping and bounding under me over the ruts and washboards. Once the bike traffic eased and I could sit up, relax, and smile, did I release my muscles.
But the damage was already done, it appeared, and beyond 40 miles there was no way my shoulders would endure much more. The end of the 40 mile route swept back to the start where a table filled with completion awards was set up for the returning riders to collect their swag before making their way to the parking lot to load their bikes for the journey home.
For me, it was another 4.5 miles riding my bike back home, passing incoming riders and exchanging waves and smiles. I pulled into driveway and hopped off the bike, drenched in sweat from head to toe. The heat had risen by then into the high 80s (Fahrenheit) and the humidity was ramping up as well. I had a choice at that point - jump into a nice cold shower, or take a dip in the pool. I'll let you guess which one I chose. (BTW - the pool water temp was a very refreshing, rather chilly 72°(f))
The Gazelle performed flawlessly the entire ride. I was super pleased with it, as well as myself for benefiting from all the leg strength training the prior months. The bike and I both made a great team.
Back to the pleasure rides from home now, my gravel roads back to being quiet and peaceful...until the next big gravel road ride this fall on our local roads. Then we enjoy the entertaining madness and crush of cyclists all over again.
As I write this, the rain, much anticipated and desperately needed, is moving in.
To prevent a massive crush start, each rider had been given a choice of time slots for their distance with the 213 80 mile riders heading out first in spaced groups of 15 beginning at 7:30am. The 317 60 mile division followed, and once all those riders were on the road, then the 479 40 miles then took their place at the start line. The orderly waves of riders collecting at the start during their assigned time slot waiting patiently to be moved forward, then being released to start their ride, continuing until 10:30am. It was all very well planned and executed. Minimal chaos, maximum anticipation.
The check-in line when I arrived. There was an equal number of riders waiting behind me.
Still, over a thousand cyclists on the wandering network of now protected centuries old gravel roads that were little changed from the 1800s and still bore hoofprints of horses, albeit those equines now being treasured and pampered pets rather than beasts of burden or necessary transportation, was still a lot of bikes.
And there I was, in the thick of it, heading off with the 8:50am group in the 60 mile division. Of those 1,009 riders only a quarter of that number were women, and only 2 in my age group. The oldest was a mere 2 years older than me, and the other was my age. We were definately the unicorns of that ride. The rest of the ladies were all younger, some by only a few years, most by decades.
I'd already had a nice warm-up to start, riding the 4.5 miles from home to the ride site. I'd decided to forgo transporting my bike to the ride knowing that, even in the spacious field set aside for parking, that space was going to be tight. Plus I liked having the freedom to be able to cut my ride short at any time since the first 40 miles were in two loops on the gravel roads with my farm as the epicentre. That fit right into my plans since I had decided with the forecast afternoon heat hitting 90°, and the extreme dust that would be kicked up on the roads thanks to a severe lack of rain for weeks, that 40 miles would be more agreeable that day.
Even with the small packs of riders being spaced out at the start of the ride it didn't take long before the up and down terrain at the start sorted those riders out with a firm hand and no quarter. The stronger younger riders took off up the rolling and twisting gravel roads with amazing strength, a thin plumb of dust being kicked up by their spinning wheels. The rest followed suit, speeding on the downslopes in hopes of gaining enough momentum for the often steep upslopes. It was like morning rush hour traffic with bikes rather than cars. Thankfully the gravel roads are only lightly trafficked with motor vehicles even on a daily basis, and it seemed that most drivers, forewarned of the event, had wisely shied away from driving the roads that morning and opting for alternative routes rather than face an onslaught of endless bicycles.
A quiet, lazy herd taking advantage of the shade while they watched, in languid amusement, as the hordes of cyclists passed by.
Among the bikes on the dusty roads there was a lot of jockeying for position as the undulating terrain slowed or sped up the riders according to their strengths. I was glad not to be among the 80 mile riders. Those guys were beasts. Highly focused and not at all hesitate about leaving one another in the dust. The 60 mile riders were cut from the same cloth, but maybe a touch less intense. It had been stressed at the start that the ride was not a race, but that didn't lessen the competitive atmosphere of many of the cyclists heightened by the narrowness and unpolished wanderings of the gravel roads. Be out front and ride at the speed you like, or be stuck behind and ride only as fast as the slowpoke pack ahead of you, and choke on the dust. Wasn't hard to figure out where most riders wanted to be.
I opted to take advantage of my bike's ability to tackle the uphills with speed, race the downslopes, and then relax on the levels. Still, I was moving a lot faster than I ever ride when I'm alone, just being swept along by those around me. I no longer "apologize" for passing anymore. I used to, in the past, when ebikes were less well known and a lady powering up a hilI zooming past more capable riders on less helpful bikes was met with wide eyes and sometime a suprised muttered comment or two. Now, ebikes have come into their own, and are viewed more with curiosity than distain. I did have one rider, that I had passed on a hill but who regained his place on the following flat, compliment my bike. "That's a very fast bike", he said when he caught back up to me. I smiled back at him, and agreed. "Quiet, too" he added, the admiration apparent in his voice. I pointed out the carbon belt drive and told him I was "a local" who rode these gravel roads close to every day, and that I hated cleaning chains. He laughed, agreed, and then snuggled in to draft behind me (I think I was doing about 20mph at the time) and we exchanged pleasantries until we came to another hill where I promptly left him behind.
At about 15 miles all three routes pass by my driveway. I took a quick detour up my driveway for a quick break, then back on the road again. I knew a 1 mile shortcut that cut off 6 miles, and reasoning that I'd already tacked on an extra 9 miles riding to and from the start, I didn't feel at all bad about shortchanging the route. By then the rising heat, the dust, and a vaguely complaining right knee unaccustomed to the fast speed for the first 15 miles had firmed my decision to simply do the 40 miles and forgo the 60. I didn't want to compromise my knee on those rough, hard roads. Besides, this was home turf for me, so the views were all familiar friends. Nothing new to see.
All three distances were treated to the infamous grade level creek crossing at the 35 miles. The extreme drought of the past month had reduced the creek to a manageable several inches in depth if you walked on the high swales spanning the width of the creek. The ride photographer always planted himself at the crossing to take phenomenal shots of cyclists navigating the creek, some bravely, some foolishly, riding through the water, others carefully walking, many portaging their bikes on their shoulders. I had driven down to the creek the day before, ruler in hand, to walk across and measure the depth. Keeping to the swales the average depth was 6", the maximum depth 10". I could walk my bike across and keep the motor completely dry, just having to lift and carry the front end a few feet to bypass the deeper pockets of water. I could pack my shoes in my panniers and wear beach sandals to walk through the cold water, swapping out on the other side.
It was a good plan, easily accomplished, had it not been for a sudden influx of 10 or more riders racing in and up to the creek bank just as I was getting ready to cross. I was surrounded by multiple people splashing through the water making it impossible to see where the underwater swales were located. I gave it my best guess, judging blind but correctly, only lifting my bike when I felt the water deepening around my legs. I don't know if the photographer was there (I didn't see him) but once on the other side I stopped to take photos of the cyclists behind me crossing the creek. The crush of riders exiting the creek and starting up the road didn't leave me a place to swap out of my sandals into my shoes, so I just climbed on my bike and set off with the rest.
The climb up to the main roads was a prodigious one, not for the faint of heart. This road is rarely used anymore except by horse riders, and rarely touched by the county department of transportation. It was still passable, but challenging. I had changed my battery at home, knowing this climb was in front of me and wanting a full battery for the turbo function alone. I kept one ear on the very soft whine of my motor as we turboed up that road, my worry that the motor may have taken on water diminishing as we climbed. The motor was fine, and we now were on the way to the finish.
At about that point my knee decided it was fine and stopped nagging me just as I became aware that my right shoulder had taken up the aching chorus. Not sure (but I do think) it was from the stress of the start and the first couple of miles in that crush of cycles that I was riding with a lot of shoulder and neck tension, made only worse by the jarring conditions of the road. Several times I had to rise out of the seat and let the bike take the brunt of a less-then-ideal road surface that was teeth rattling, the vibrations radiating up my poor arms as I held onto the handlebar grips, my bike jumping and bounding under me over the ruts and washboards. Once the bike traffic eased and I could sit up, relax, and smile, did I release my muscles.
But the damage was already done, it appeared, and beyond 40 miles there was no way my shoulders would endure much more. The end of the 40 mile route swept back to the start where a table filled with completion awards was set up for the returning riders to collect their swag before making their way to the parking lot to load their bikes for the journey home.
For me, it was another 4.5 miles riding my bike back home, passing incoming riders and exchanging waves and smiles. I pulled into driveway and hopped off the bike, drenched in sweat from head to toe. The heat had risen by then into the high 80s (Fahrenheit) and the humidity was ramping up as well. I had a choice at that point - jump into a nice cold shower, or take a dip in the pool. I'll let you guess which one I chose. (BTW - the pool water temp was a very refreshing, rather chilly 72°(f))
The Gazelle performed flawlessly the entire ride. I was super pleased with it, as well as myself for benefiting from all the leg strength training the prior months. The bike and I both made a great team.
Back to the pleasure rides from home now, my gravel roads back to being quiet and peaceful...until the next big gravel road ride this fall on our local roads. Then we enjoy the entertaining madness and crush of cyclists all over again.
As I write this, the rain, much anticipated and desperately needed, is moving in.
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Chargeride
Well-Known Member
A thousand riders!!
Cyclings sure popular in Poland.
Cyclings sure popular in Poland.
Saratoga Dave
Well-Known Member
Virginia, too! 
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Our race this Saturday is limited to 600 riders, each of them paying the participation feeVirginia, too!
RabH
Well-Known Member
It was time for a recovery ride after Thursdays beast, 53 miles felt like a trip round the block in comparison! I set off at 7am when it was a lovely 15C (59F), its now 27C (84F) and we Scots can't take heat!
I picked a route to avoid the Monday traffic and it worked out perfectly, I was never further than 20 miles from home during the ride! The sky had a thundery look about it but thankfully it didn't come to anything, this was just a few miles from home on nice smooth tarmac yet again!After the awesome descent down into the valley its straight into a big climb up to the main road from Newhouse to Salsburgh, a road I was only crossing today to join my awesome back roads again!
I know these roads like the back of my hand and after riding them for over 50 years I still love them and probably always will, I'm so lucky to have quiet roads like this a matter of minutes from my doorstep! I continued on with not even a single car in sight for miles, I was passing this field and this youngster wanted to say hello!
Eventually I had to join one of the main roads but it was past 9am now and the traffic wasn't too bad! I stopped at the Leavenseat recycling centre for a short break and a snack after the climb up to just over 1000ft!
Thankfully its just a gradual climb and the road is also in really good condition here!
Just after this its the big descent down towards Breich where the road isn't in the best condition but still pretty awesome, it undulates all the way down!
This is looking back up the road to the south!
Looking north now at all of the undulations, I used to love this part on my motorbike where you really get to enjoy these ups and downs at high speed! I remember my older brother telling me about the time he took his then 11 year old daughter on the back of his bike and he looked back to see her with her arms out like wings pretending to fly!
At the bottom of the road there are traffic signals which is a real shame as the road plunges down into the valley before yet another steep climb up to Longridge and then its downhill all the way to Whitburn where I took the new cycle path to Armadale!
From there I joined the back roads again towards Westfield, taking the big climb at Bridgehouse to enjoy the brilliant fast descents back down to Armadale at the far side of the town! Then its a straight road home passing the Hillend Loch which was pretty calm today due to the light winds!
I actually joined the cycle path round the loch here but decided to turn back as there was some kind of school outing going on with kids walking along the path, I let them enjoy their walk! One final photo of the loch from the road!
It was getting rather warm now so I was glad I was close to home, I had a lovely cool shower as soon as I got there! Another lovely ride on my local roads, I will have a break for a couple of days now and might be taking the bike in the car on Thursday for a change of scenery! I have a couple of places in mind and will decide on the day which one to choose...
@Readytoride I don't blame you for cutting your ride short in that heat, what a turnout you guys had!
I'm sure the charity will be very happy with all of your efforts!Attachments
Jeremy McCreary
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
Riding alone there must give you a lot of time to think about important things like world peace or throttles. Any breakthroughs?
;^}
Readytoride
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Virginia
Yeah, the revenue from this ride alone is amazing, and a substantial portion goes towards the gravel roads preservation efforts. A very good cause to support. The organizations and sponsors hosting the ride are top notch and the professional setup - including a massive start and finish arch - is designed to make all the riders feel really special. The venue is a private school with stunning grounds, and they even have a DJ to keep the atmosphere upbeat and lively. The aid stations are well stocked and each has a bike repair station set up, just in case. I have noticed those guys are always busy! Several photographers are stationed enroute as well.@Readytoride I don't blame you for cutting your ride short in that heat, what a turnout you guys had!
Not surprising the number of riders, quite a lot coming from several states away, are happy to enter this event.
I will admit to feeling a touch out of place in that swelled ocean of testosterone, but once we were out on the roads my bike more than made up for any shortcomings I felt personally. I did spot one other ebike with it's lady rider, but that was it. Had my shoulder ceased complaining, I might have continued on for the next 20 mile loop as I don't often ride on the gravel roads chosen for that loop. I had swapped out to a fully charged battery, too, in anticipation. But even with an Advil taken just before I set off for the ride, precautionary self medication, the shoulder wasn't about to cry Uncle. Ah, well. Maybe next year I'll complete the 60!
I am going to look into possibly volunteering next year to help with the day-before setup since I live so close.
Readytoride
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Virginia
Still very beautiful in a simple, gentle way. Just look at that flawless sky! I love horizons!
dodgeman
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Macomb, Illinois
Yep, I’m at peace with the world and I don’t have a throttle.
Prairie Dog
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Red Deer
That’s similar to what my neck of the
Sorry to hear that you had to cut your ride short but admire you for giving it your best in that heat and muggy humidity. There’s always next year. Also, glad to see at least the smoke cleared for the sake of all participants involved.Not surprising the number of riders, quite a lot coming from several states away, are happy to enter this event.
I will admit to feeling a touch out of place in that swelled ocean of testosterone, but once we were out on the roads my bike more than made up for any shortcomings I felt personally. I did spot one other ebike with it's lady rider, but that was it. Had my shoulder ceased complaining, I might have continued on for the next 20 mile loop as I don't often ride on the gravel roads chosen for that loop. I had swapped out to a fully charged battery, too, in anticipation. But even with an Advil taken just before I set off for the ride, precautionary self medication, the shoulder wasn't about to cry Uncle. Ah, well. Maybe next year I'll complete the 60!
I am going to look into possibly volunteering next year to help with the day-before setup since I live so close.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
"They Descended Into Not-Hell", or The Last Workout Before the Mazovian Gravel 2023 Race
Sunday, June 11th, 2023, Modlin
I'm totally buried in my work, and restless about the upcoming MG 2023 gravel race (thank you Flora for your ride report!) I simply had to meet my SAG person Jacek (brother) on the only day I was free from work to discuss how we would do the 257 km (160 mile) 2-day race together! We met at the Modlin railway station around 10 am. Jacek rode from home, and I...
...arrived in Modlin by train (Vado 6.0). (See my fingerless Specialized cycling gloves!)
Our cycling friend Ania was on an interesting road bike trip on Corpus Christi on last Thursday. She rode from South Warsaw to Płońsk County to visit many villages with funny names. She made a big mistake for her 150 km trip: she had swapped her gravel tyres with road ones before setting off for a trip in an area unknown to her... I and Jacek followed Ania's route with some modifications. It all started with riding a sandy road that almost made me crash, and left our e-bikes and shoes totally soiled with fine sand!
In Błogosławie, or "I-Bless-You"
The international S7 highway is undergoing a heavy reconstruction, making almost all service roads along damaged. Ania was walking her bike on her trip there. I and Jacek could find a long detour instead.
The most important place to visit was Niepiekła ("Not-Hells"), a village totally surrounded by the S7 construction works! It was not easy to descend into Not-Hells!
After visiting Not-Hells, we rode through Wojny ("Wars"), Falbogi ("False Gods"), bypassed Zajączki ("Little Hares"), crossed Stara and Nowa Wrona (Old and New Crow), etc. There was a very strong wind from ENE, making our ride harder.
The fields of Mazovia are now dominated by poppies, cornflowers, and people picking strawberries (it is the strawberry season now!)
In Pieścirogi ("Caress Horns") We started to be very hungry, and the 14 km segment upwind to Nasielsk was really tiresome!
As we got in Nasielsk, I navigated to the Kartoflisko ("Potato Field") restaurant, famous of their potato based meals. We were not admitted in Kartoflisko in March 2022 as the restaurant was preparing to a banquet. I hoped we could give them another try. Forget it! No chance to put our e-bikes in a spot visible from the restaurant, and the personnel was negative to help us storing our e-bikes! Now, I am on a full scale social media war with the owner, who has turned out to be a cycling hater! So we rode to the "At Kaban's" restaurant-bar that we had already visited, and it turned out to be a dream for us brothers!
"Kaban" must be the nickname of the owner (the word is the folk version for a boar). Jacek took Tripe Soup and a pizza. I chose the Cold Soup and the best Ruthenian Pierogi I had in years! The food tasted as if it were your Grandma or Mum cooking it! I got stuffed and totally happy not only because of the food but also with the warm reception we got from the personnel. And yes, we could store our e-bikes there! (Necessary to mention: Kaban is serving big portions!)
As we continued our ride, we had to get onto the Hwy #632 towards the Dębe Dam over the Narew, which was taken by a continuous stream of cars returning to Warsaw from the Masurian Lakes. What a fun! We were sharing the road with the cars by riding the road centre (what is the English name for that?) I guess we could easily overtake some 200 cars on a 4 kilometre segment! Upon arriving in Warsaw's Northern Bridge, we said good-byes with Jacek. I asked him for the predicted ride distance, and he mentioned some 130 km.
I stopped at my favourite place in Warsaw's Chomiczówka: A combo of McDonald's and Circle-K (Statoil) petrol station, where I had Ice Coffee. I started thinking I should match my brother for a better workout...
The return ride was boring. At some place, I could spot a roadie riding an aero Pinarello Dogma bike. I caught up with him and said 'Hi, I'm on a long trip and have no motivation to ride anymore. A little race perhaps to make the ride more lively?', to which he laughed but said nothing. So I went in 50% SPORT mode and sprinted. To my surprise, he went on sprint too! When he caught up with me, he said 'It looks fun to get a little bit of workout with you! Shall we ride together at, say, 30 km an hour? I need to ask some questions about your e-bike. What is the speed limit in the first place?' And we had a nice fast ride together for several kilometres! He said he wanted to buy an e-bike to his wife... You know well how it goes!
To my own surprise, I achieved yet another Gran Fondo (130 km) on the day. Jacek made 80 miles but was 1 km short of the Grand Fondo! (He made 129 km).
Sunday, June 11th, 2023, Modlin
I'm totally buried in my work, and restless about the upcoming MG 2023 gravel race (thank you Flora for your ride report!) I simply had to meet my SAG person Jacek (brother) on the only day I was free from work to discuss how we would do the 257 km (160 mile) 2-day race together! We met at the Modlin railway station around 10 am. Jacek rode from home, and I...
...arrived in Modlin by train (Vado 6.0). (See my fingerless Specialized cycling gloves!)
Our cycling friend Ania was on an interesting road bike trip on Corpus Christi on last Thursday. She rode from South Warsaw to Płońsk County to visit many villages with funny names. She made a big mistake for her 150 km trip: she had swapped her gravel tyres with road ones before setting off for a trip in an area unknown to her... I and Jacek followed Ania's route with some modifications. It all started with riding a sandy road that almost made me crash, and left our e-bikes and shoes totally soiled with fine sand!
In Błogosławie, or "I-Bless-You"
The international S7 highway is undergoing a heavy reconstruction, making almost all service roads along damaged. Ania was walking her bike on her trip there. I and Jacek could find a long detour instead.
The most important place to visit was Niepiekła ("Not-Hells"), a village totally surrounded by the S7 construction works! It was not easy to descend into Not-Hells!
After visiting Not-Hells, we rode through Wojny ("Wars"), Falbogi ("False Gods"), bypassed Zajączki ("Little Hares"), crossed Stara and Nowa Wrona (Old and New Crow), etc.
There was a very strong wind from ENE, making our ride harder.The fields of Mazovia are now dominated by poppies, cornflowers, and people picking strawberries (it is the strawberry season now!)
In Pieścirogi ("Caress Horns")
We started to be very hungry, and the 14 km segment upwind to Nasielsk was really tiresome!As we got in Nasielsk, I navigated to the Kartoflisko ("Potato Field") restaurant, famous of their potato based meals. We were not admitted in Kartoflisko in March 2022 as the restaurant was preparing to a banquet. I hoped we could give them another try. Forget it! No chance to put our e-bikes in a spot visible from the restaurant, and the personnel was negative to help us storing our e-bikes! Now, I am on a full scale social media war with the owner, who has turned out to be a cycling hater! So we rode to the "At Kaban's" restaurant-bar that we had already visited, and it turned out to be a dream for us brothers!
"Kaban" must be the nickname of the owner (the word is the folk version for a boar). Jacek took Tripe Soup and a pizza. I chose the Cold Soup and the best Ruthenian Pierogi I had in years! The food tasted as if it were your Grandma or Mum cooking it! I got stuffed and totally happy not only because of the food but also with the warm reception we got from the personnel. And yes, we could store our e-bikes there! (Necessary to mention: Kaban is serving big portions!)
As we continued our ride, we had to get onto the Hwy #632 towards the Dębe Dam over the Narew, which was taken by a continuous stream of cars returning to Warsaw from the Masurian Lakes. What a fun! We were sharing the road with the cars by riding the road centre (what is the English name for that?) I guess we could easily overtake some 200 cars on a 4 kilometre segment! Upon arriving in Warsaw's Northern Bridge, we said good-byes with Jacek. I asked him for the predicted ride distance, and he mentioned some 130 km.
I stopped at my favourite place in Warsaw's Chomiczówka: A combo of McDonald's and Circle-K (Statoil) petrol station, where I had Ice Coffee. I started thinking I should match my brother for a better workout...
The return ride was boring. At some place, I could spot a roadie riding an aero Pinarello Dogma bike. I caught up with him and said 'Hi, I'm on a long trip and have no motivation to ride anymore. A little race perhaps to make the ride more lively?', to which he laughed but said nothing. So I went in 50% SPORT mode and sprinted. To my surprise, he went on sprint too! When he caught up with me, he said 'It looks fun to get a little bit of workout with you! Shall we ride together at, say, 30 km an hour? I need to ask some questions about your e-bike. What is the speed limit in the first place?' And we had a nice fast ride together for several kilometres! He said he wanted to buy an e-bike to his wife... You know well how it goes!
To my own surprise, I achieved yet another Gran Fondo (130 km) on the day. Jacek made 80 miles but was 1 km short of the Grand Fondo! (He made 129 km).
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