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

Magda's Name-day & My Birthday Ride

July 22nd is an interesting date :) It used to be celebrated as the greatest holiday during the Communist era in Poland as the anniversary of the day when the Communist rule was introduced to the country in 1944. There was an established confectionery company by name of E. Wedel (Emil) before WW2. It was nationalised and renamed to "22nd of July, formerly E. Wedel" (now E-Wedel is owned by an Asian consortium after being owned by PepsiCo and then Cadbury). The saint patron of 22nd of July is Mary Magdalene. And... I was born on July 22nd, 1961 :)

Magda wanted me to celebrate her name-day with her. As the carer at her Social Care Home now often makes ice-cream, Magdalena asked me to bring a lot of sour cherry and raspberry for her. (Raspberries are delicate, and it was not easy to bring them in the pannier intact!) I rode my Vado 6.0 for 20 km upwind on last Saturday, selecting smooth asphalt roads and bike-paths!

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I started with updating the date at the Social Care Home display :)

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We spent a fabulous time together with Magda! Now she wants me to come early to also bring her crisps and dark chocolate! :)

A good friend from West Poland, Łukasz, has arrived in Warsaw to meet his family there. He invited me for a get-together in North Warsaw. With the 25 km/h westerly wind, it was a little bit dangerous to ride northwards (a cross-wind!) but the tailwind allowed me to get to my destination in a very short time! As soon as I arrived (and Paulina, the Łukasz sister learned of my birthday), I was welcomed with a little birthday party!

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Łukasz offered wine, and I refused drinking alcohol, of course! He winked at me and said: "What about alcohol-free wine?" I thought he was joking!

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He was not joking at all! It really was Italian alcohol-free wine! Delicious! I even had not know such things existed!

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I'm fond of pets!

The party took a little bit to long, and as soon as I got myself onto the return ride, there was sunset. I hate riding in the dark! However, that Supernova M99 Pro headlight is a miracle! The wind relented, and I felt I rode bike paths too fast even with the 30% assistance! The headlight ensured perfect visibility until I reached a road construction site in my neighbourhood... I could see another cyclist in front of me. As all I could see was his back, I used the high-beam of the Supernova to provide lighting to the place. As I approached the cyclist, I asked him if I could use the high-beam to find a way for us.

'What is that improbable headlight of yours?' he asked.
'Well, that's an e-bike headlight of automotive class. The name is Supernova M99 Pro' I replied.
'Let me memorise... Supernova M99 Pro... How much does it cost?'
'It's some two thousand...' (zloty)
The guy looked crestfallen :)
'Oh, I just got the light as the part of the e-bike...'
That made him happier! :)


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It was cold at night! There is a saying here: "After the St. Anne's day, the mornings and evenings are cold!" Well, the St. Anne's day is only on July 26th!
 
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Yesterday I went to a very nice trail system on lower central Pa called the Allegripis trails. They are a very nice set of trails created by IMBA and the army corp of engineers (ACOE). They say the old town of Raystown is at the bottom but I am not sure where. I got a late start and did not get on the trails untill 11am.
The first thing I noticed was the incredible amount of people on the trail, including families with toddlers on tiny little bikes. The second thing I noticed was the absolute disregard of trail etiquette from every rider I crossed paths with, young or old. No yielding to the individual who is on the uphill!
A nice shot of the scenery looking eastward although the lake is not too visible on this pic.
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I thought the trail was getting a little worn and not maintained as well as several years ago. I had to carry over about 6 logs and there were at least 6 more that you could ride over with smaller sticks to help with rollover. The rocky areas seemed rockier and the rooty areas seemed rootier. The overgrowth on the sides in some places....wild berries, cat briar, nettles, vines.... DEMANDED that I donate blood!
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views of trail and lake. the water looks soooo refreshing from up here.
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there were a few places where one could escape the sound of powerboats, and big pickup trucks in the woods but not many. Here is one such area called Dark Hollow.
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I did the north loop that was very crowded at the top, not so bad once I had gotten further in. I put my bike in the truck and drove about 2 mi to the other loop which was like nobody there.
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Stefan Mikes said:
Magda's Name-day & My Birthday Ride

July 22nd is an interesting date :) It used to be celebrated as the greatest holiday during the Communist era in Poland as the anniversary of the day when the Communist rule was introduced to the country in 1944. There was an established confectionery company by name of E. Wedel (Emil) before WW2. It was nationalised and renamed to "22nd of July, formerly E. Wedel" (now E-Wedel is owned by an Asian consortium after being owned by PepsiCo and then Cadbury). The saint patron of 22nd of July is Mary Magdalene. And... I was born on July 22nd, 1961 :)

Magda wanted me to celebrate her name-day with her. As the carer at her Social Care Home now often makes ice-cream, Magdalena asked me to bring a lot of sour cherry and raspberry for her. (Raspberries are delicate, and it was not easy to bring them in the pannier intact!) I rode my Vado 6.0 for 20 km upwind on last Saturday, selecting smooth asphalt roads and bike-paths!

View attachment 158795
I started with updating the date at the Social Care Home display :)

View attachment 158796
We spent a fabulous time together with Magda! Now she wants me to come early to also bring her crisps and dark chocolate! :)

A good friend from West Poland, Łukasz, has arrived in Warsaw to meet his family there. He invited me for a get-together in North Warsaw. With the 25 km/h westerly wind, it was a little bit dangerous to ride northwards (a cross-wind!) but the tailwind allowed me to get to my destination in a very short time! As soon as I arrived (and Paulina, the Łukasz sister learned of my birthday), I was welcomed with a little birthday party!

View attachment 158797
Łukasz offered wine, and I refused drinking alcohol, of course! He winked at me and said: "What about alcohol-free wine?" I thought he was joking!

View attachment 158798
He was not joking at all! It really was Italian alcohol-free wine! Delicious! I even had not know such things existed!

View attachment 158802
I'm fond of pets!

The party took a little bit to long, and as soon as I got myself onto the return ride, there was sunset. I hate riding in the dark! However, that Supernova M99 Pro headlight is a miracle! The wind relented, and I felt I rode bike paths too fast even with the 30% assistance! The headlight ensured perfect visibility until I reached a road construction site in my neighbourhood... I could see another cyclist in front of me. As all I could see was his back, I used the high-beam of the Supernova to provide lighting to the place. As I approached the cyclist, I asked him if I could use the high-beam to find a way for us.

'What is that improbable headlight of yours?' he asked.
'Well, that's an e-bike headlight of automotive class. The name is Supernova M99 Pro' I replied.
'Let me memorise... Supernova M99 Pro... How much does it cost?'
'It's some two thousand...' (zloty)
The guy looked crestfallen :)
'Oh, I just got the light as the part of the e-bike...'
That made him happier! :)


View attachment 158799It was cold at night! There is a saying here: "After the St. Anne's day, the mornings and evenings are cold!" Well, the St. Anne's day is only on July 26th!
Click to expand...
Happy Birthday to you, and Happy Name Day to Miss Magda!
 
I did 16 miles this morning. A picture of an Amish farm with sheep and a horse grazing. I suspect it’s a working horse, most of the Amish horses are. Also a barn that had escaped my camera. I’m had to zoom on with this one as it sits off the road some.
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It Is Doable To Make 100 km On A Single Battery!
Or, "The Jars All Went For A Holiday" :)

The Jar (Polish: Słoik) is a humorous description of a non-Warsawer living and working in the capital city of Poland only during the working week but leaving the city for weekends. The moniker comes from the fact many of the work-immigrants try to survive the week on the food in jars brought together with them from their families outside Warsaw! On my yesterday ride, I could not quite understand why many dangerous and busy streets of Warsaw seemed to be totally vacated! Then I realised: "It is it not only the weekend, it is also the vacation time! All the Jars must have left!" :)

My friend Makenzen has her knee ruined by a recumbent bike accident. She asked me to come for the chat if I could do it. Well, first I took the "boredom route", or the recommended bike route from my neighbourhood to the Vistula river in central Warsaw (mostly leading via bike paths).

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P7P Street. In 1893, three engineers and four entrepreneurs uses dowries of their daughters to establish a mechanical company in Warsaw. "Posag Siedmiu Panien, P7P" (Dowry of Seven Maidens) was the first company name, and the trademark. The company later expanded into a huge tractor manufacturer by the name of "Ursus". Now, the former factory has been turned into a housing estate with the main street named P7P (pictured).

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E-bikes become noticeable in Warsaw. Here, two guys on domestic Kross hub-drive motor e-bikes. (Of course I could overtake them with ease on my Vado 6.0). The picture was taken in the multi-kilometre bike path leading to the heart of the City.

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I could not take a good picture there. The City of Warsaw is located on a high escarpment. Soon after, there is a very steep descent (with a bike lane) towards the Vistula. The area hosts the Chopin Society, and is famous of the legend of the Golden Duck. (A story of a duck that offered a poor passer-by a fortune on the condition the man spent everything on a single day for own purposes. As he was unable to do it, he gave the rest of the money to a beggar thus breaking the Duck's condition and he became poor again).

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Meeting My Man :) I usually share Strava Beacon for my long rides so my friends would know where I am. My friend Jerzy was just sipping beer in the housing estate on the right bank of the Vistula and he could notice I was nearby. The meeting was inevitable! :)

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Danny MacAskill would be glad to ride along that pipe! :D (Even if it does not look so, the pipe is located high!)

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At a clandestine place (Miedzeszyński Embankment 444). Jerzy knows so much about the area! The owner of the place was a farmer first. Then he tried his luck with a car dealership. Not successful, he opened a bordello there :D As we hear, the site is a private gay club nowadays :)

While I was having coffee at Makenzen's, she asked me: 'You would certainly make a Metric Century today?' to which I replied 'Well, that's only been 34 kilometres so far. I'll have to think how to make the missing distance up!' So I rode southwards.

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Hungry, I stopped at a Shell petrol station for a hot dog. The sales assistant asked me if I wanted a drink (I said no thank you). When asked for the sauce, I naively chose "Carolina Chili Sauce". Oh! The sauce was as hot as the tears were flowing from my eyes! I rushed back to the station and said to the man: "You were right! Coffee please!" :D

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My last name is not the most common in Poland but it is not that rare, either :) (A BMW service here).

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Then I took the Karczew - Gassy ferry to the left bank of the Vistula. The fare is 7 zloties. I usually do not carry cash on me. When I looked into my wallet, it turned out I exactly had seven zloty in coins! How lucky I was!

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Road #721 is one of the busiest and dangerous roads of the area. Since "all the Jars went for a holiday", I had a unique chance to own the road on last Sunday! Here, in Magdalenka. The location was the scene of the bloodiest battle of gangsters against the Police in 2003. Two top criminals of the Mutant Gang barricaded themselves in a Magdalenka house (using land-mines and heavy weapons) and struggled with the police. Both gangsters were killed but they also killed two and injured as many as seventeen policemen! (Fortunately, those times are over).

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Yes it is doable to ride for 100 km on a single e-bike battery. The secret is to keep the assistance at 30/30% and consistently pedal hard! :)

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We had a week in April in the New Forest. Weather was a bit variable with heavy rain overnight, but at least it stayed dry for cycling during the day.

A lot of the routes are off-road tracks through Forestry Commission woodlands.

Into the Forest from Burley
Our first ride into Burley Forest, taking in the Canadian War Memorial. We had had quite of bit of rain and the area was well flooded, but at least the tracks were dry.
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The Old Railway
Our second ride on a disused railway line from Burley to Brockenhurst
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The Butterfly Ride
The third ride was circular route taking in the right hand side of Brockenhurst and Lyndhurst. My brother (Red jacket) joined us that day as he doesn’t live too far away
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Godshill, Frogham and Linwood
A hilly ride, mainly on the road.
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Beaulieu, Exbury and Lepe
The forth ride was a circular road based ride going from Beaulieu, taking in Calshot and then running along the coast.
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Tall Trees Ride
The fifth ride was a circular ride taking in the left hand side of Brockenhurst and Lyndhurst.
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DG…
 
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I was hoping to ride over the Campsie Hills today but luckily I decided to check for roadworks with the Cycling World Championships coming in early August and discovered the road is closed for 10 days for resurfacing works! I can't wait to ride it after the championships are over and it won't be on a weekend as everybody will be having the same idea! ;) So instead of heading north I picked the Clyde Valley route to the south, heading straight for the quiet back roads and avoiding the main roads as much as possible!

The first 6 miles were all uphill but then I had the awesome downhill to Allanton which I climbed recently, I can tell you its much more fun going down! :D I continued on the back roads to Carluke where I had to join the main road for a mile or so before turning for the Clyde Valley on quiet roads once again! I picked a road I usually climb from Crossford in the valley so I was in for a lovely big descent, this is the start of the big drop! Its very narrow but I had the road all to myself all the way down!

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I was going to just fly down the descent without stopping but I just had to stop for photos for you lot!😛

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As you can see it was very cloudy but no threat of rain thankfully and the temp was just perfect for cycling, the sheep were being very inquisitive while I was taking this photo! They were making quite a racket, letting me know it was their territory...😂

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One of the garden centres in the valley, very quiet today compared to the weekend!

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Down in the valley now at Crossford and the River Clyde was pretty high and running fast, no surprise considering all the rain we've had recently!

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I turned left at the end of the road to take the road through the Clyde Valley to Kirkfieldbank where the climbing would start in earnest again, this is the start of the beast of a climb up to Lanark!

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Near the top of the climb I stopped for more photos, I love this house near the top just before Lanark and they had the Scottish flag flying high today! As you can see the flag wasn't limp, the wind was starting to pick up from the NW now and I would be heading north most of the way now...

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One last picture of the valley before heading into Lanark!

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Once again I had to use the main road for a bit but I was soon heading north again towards Cleghorn where the railway crossing was beckoning, would I have to stop up the big climb for any trains?

This is the flat part just before the climb started at Cleghorn!

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The road drops down for a bit though before the climb up over the railway line, as I started the climb I could see a queue of cars so I knew the crossing was closed for trains! At least it meant no cars would be coming down so I could go past all the cars and trucks up the hill and hope the crossing would open before I had to stop...no luck as there were 2 trains passing so I had to stop on the incline! Luckily I only had 3 cars in front now and as soon as the barrier opened I was off up the hill with a load of cars and a few trucks probably cursing at me!🤣

I decided to be a good guy and stopped at the first opportunity to let them all past, I couldn't have picked a better place to stop! What a beautiful home these people have and no doubt the Lamborghini was parked in the garage!;)

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I reached the roundabout at the top of the hill and could have gone straight through towards Forth but I needed a break from the headwind so turned east towards Carstairs and had a nice downhill for a bit! The farmers are in the busy season as you can see!

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This is the downhill which looks flat here but its a very fast descent!

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As soon as I could I turned off this road just before Carstairs to get back on the quiet roads, yet more climbing was coming and once again it was right into the headwind! I took another big climb and reached a crossroads where I would usually turn right or left but I thought I would give a new road a try so went straight through not knowing where the road would take me! I did have an idea where it would go but couldn't be sure, it turned out to be a great road with no traffic to be seen anywhere! Eventually I could see a road in the distance which looked familiar and discovered it was the road to Forth that I use all the time, the side road is almost totally hidden from the bigger road!

I continued north into Forth and stayed on this road all the way to Whitburn where I turned west towards Harthill before turning north again to Blackridge, all into the headwind but I had lots of battery power left! At Blackridge it was time to head west for home, pretty much a straight flattish road all the way home from here! Another fantastic day on the bike, I really enjoyed this one and although I had almost 33 miles into a headwind with almost 4000ft of climbing I felt really strong today!
 

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This is not a stream. The rocks are from hurricane Irene, (12 years ago). The stream is normally behind the trees to the right. This is just a flooded field.
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This is normally a trickle in the summer.
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The Lamoille Valley Rail Trail remains closed for assessment and repairs. I had planned to ride the 93 mile long trail, but it’s not looking good for this year. We have had record rains along with flooding.
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LVRT users- we want to hear from you! The Vermont Rail Trails Program is conducting a survey of trail users. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete. Results will help us to plan for a better experience, from improved amenities like parking along the trail to better connections with...
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Edrummer said:
I ride alot. I’m not into metrics or documenting my ride with photos, but last week I turned Strava on. I rode 6 out of 7 days last week. Judging by what Strava is telling me, I’ve climbed several million feet in elevation during the last 21,000 miles. No wonder I’m tired.View attachment 158930
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I know these wild figures from GPS trackers are just laughable artifacts, but it still felt good when RideWithGPS reported that I hit Mach 12 on a beach ride.

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Jeremy McCreary said:
I know these wild figures from GPS trackers are just laughable artifacts, but it still felt good when RideWithGPS reported that I hit Mach 12 on a beach ride.
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I hate when there is a motor error in my Vado SL, and then Wahoo reports the true max speed but Strava thinks differently!

Recently, Strava has published a newsletter reporting the share of e-bikers in the community (it was pretty high!) and the breakdown by age (no wonder it was mostly senior people riding e-bikes). Hopefully, Strava would add more e-bike related features in near future!

When I see the figure of 12.7 or 25.4 km ridden on my Wahoo, I instantly start wondering how many inches it might be. I took the effort and can tell you now! 25.4 km is one million inches! :D

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1,000,000 inches to go! :D
 
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