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

[Stefan Mikes]

50/150 psi are the F/R the suspension settings. Tires pressures today were at 18 psi.

Thank you! You ride your Levo at similar pressures as my 68 kg brother rides his Giant Trance E+

 

[PatriciaK]

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After almost a week of insane weather I finally managed to get out and it was a glorious day, this was my first Sunday ride for almost a month so that made me very happy! I was fully expecting floods but only came across one which really surprised me! I used the stairs, I was thinking about going for it until I saw a car go through it...it was over a foot deep! I was hoping to get a 75 mile ride done today to reach 5000 for the year but due to time constraints I only managed just under 65!

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Technically it wasn't actually a flood as its a ford but its normally much lower than this! Anyway back to the ride, it started with a frost so I brought out my heated gloves for the first time and I was glad I did as I can use my phone for photos without taking them off! I used the main A73 from home all the way down to Lanark, a road I normally only use on a Sunday as its a crazy road on a week day! Just before arriving in Lanark I grabbed my first photos, you can see how nice a day it was!

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I passed through Lanark and stopped at Lanark Loch for more photos and it was nice to see quite a few swans this time, they have been missing a lot of this year!

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I continued on the A73 down to Hyndford and stayed on it all the way to Symington, its such a great road to ride on a Sunday!

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I stopped here for a snack and the cows decided they wanted their share...they were at the fence within seconds!

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A few miles later I was passing the parking lot for the Tinto Hills hike, I'm sure the hikers enjoyed it today with the blue skies and light winds!

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Soon the Pentland Hills also came into view and they were looking incedible also!

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I passed through Symington and enjoyed the descent through the village, then passed over the River Clyde which was looking surpisingly low after the monsoon rain recently!

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I was now nearing Biggar where I would turn north to Elsrickle, the nice views just continued all the way!

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This is looking north just before Elsrickle!

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Lovely views to the south also!

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I really love this view of the Pentland Hills!

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After these photos I got to enjoy the huge descent into Elsrickle, well its a descent followed by a big climb and I hit 40.8mph on this one! I didn't actually go through the village though as I turned northwest towards Newbigging, enjoying one of my favourite roads which is the A721! Its very twisty, especially at this part which is a fast descent even though it looks almost flat here...this is also followed by a lovely long straight descent!

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After Newbigging I had the big climb up to Carnwath but I turned off the main road at Kaimend and joined the quiet back road to Auchengray, which is another amazing road with big climbs and fast descents and I don't think I stopped smiling all the way to Auchengray! At the bottom of the road I had a choice of directions and decided to turn north up through Braehead, another big climb followed by a cracking descent!

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From Braehead I enjoyed the big descent down to Wilsontown, which is quickly followed by a big climb but I turned off before the steep part and took the back road to Forth which is where I crossed the deep ford! The climb after the ford is also pretty steep and at the end of the road I went straight through the junction to take on another big climb up through Climpy! The good thing about this climb is the big descents back down to the A71, where I turned west towards Shotts and continued through the town to take the awesome descent down to Allanton! From there I stayed on the back roads to Hareshaw and joined the main road to Newhouse and finally on to the A73 again and it was a straight road back home from here!

It was so good to get out again and having such nice weather was a real bonus at this time of year, we actually have an ice warning for tomorrow morning but it looks like we might get milder weather for the rest of the week!

Congrats on reaching 10,000km Stefan, amazing effort! @Stefan Mikes I don't think I will reach that milestone this year unless the weather is good to me, that will be a no then! I have a good chance of beating last years 5807 miles though!

Happy to see you posting, Rab! Was a little worried, seeing the terrible weather and flooding happening in your neck of the world!

 

[PatriciaK]

It's a beautiful, crisp, autumn day here in the Piedmont Triad! Took "Alan" out for a spin to return some Amazon mistakes to our nearest drop off... The Kohl's "department store". Most of the ride was on the Bicentennial Greenway, with just a couple of dicey traffic crossings. The return ride was mostly on quieter neighborhood streets, so not bad.

Going to be taking a few weeks off to attend to PM, who is getting a brand spanking new left hip a week from today . Today was likely his last ride for a bit, also, as he can no longer take N-Said (?) Pain relievers due to surgical prep.

Anyway, here's the ride - no pictures today, we had a nice pace going and didn't want to stop :

 

[DiggyGun]

As the weather today was perfect for riding, we took a trip to the Millennium Country Park in the Marston Vale Forest and had a few laps round that.

As part of this we saw some signs for the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Park, part of which runs through the Park. We haven’t tried this trail yet, so one to do in the future.

Some fancy seats along the way.

DG…

 

[RabH]

Happy to see you posting, Rab! Was a little worried, seeing the terrible weather and flooding happening in your neck of the world!

Thank you Patricia, it was pretty crazy but we got off lightly here! The NE of the country was hit hard and people have lost everything, my heart goes out to everyone affected!

I hope all goes to plan with the hip replacement!

 

[dodgeman]

I did 14 miles yesterday. I haven’t been riding as much, I’ve been “working” for exercise by splitting some of my firewood.

 

[Prairie Dog]

And so it begins. Woke up early this morning to light flurries with little snow accumulation. That all changed in a few hours and snow will continue to fall overnight. Tomorrow should prove to be an interesting first snowy ride of the season.

 

[dodgeman]

That what you get for living north of the arctic circle. It got up to 75 here in Western Illinois today.

 

[Prairie Dog]

That what you get for living north of the arctic circle. It got up to 75 here in Western Illinois today.

The conditions were certainly different around this time last year for sure. I’m actually looking forward to riding as snow doesn’t have to mean it’s the end of the bike season.

 

[RabH]

It was a pretty murky day today and we had a 15-20mph easterly wind blowing but what a ride it was, I picked the perfect route to take advantage of the easterly wind! I set off in a NE direction down into Falkirk and took the awesome back road to Bonnybridge and then on to Denny where the climbing started in earnest with a 2.8 mile ascent up through Stoneywood and along the Carron Valley with the wind now at my back! Sadly there was a car in the ditch on this road and all the emergency services were present, hopefully the passengers were ok! I passed the Carron Valley reservoir and not surpisingly the water level was the highest I have seen it for a long time, not dangerously high thankfully!

It wasn't a day for photos and I didn't feel like stopping to take them anyway as I was having too much fun riding these incredible roads on an equally incredible bike! I was flying down a big descent in the valley and I knew a tight corner was coming so I got on the brakes to scrub some speed and just as I reached the bend a massive truck appeared and it was taking up the whole road which is very narrow, thankfully I had a little verge to get to safety! I have met cars here before but its the first time I have seen a truck of this size on a road that's totally unsuitable for such a vehicle, it was actually transporting horses!

After enjoying the awesome ride along the valley it was time for the 3.5 mile climb up over the Campsie Hills and I had the road pretty much all to myself, I just love cycling on week days!I reached the top of the climb and started the exhilirating descent with the wind at my back and hit 45.5mph, that was such a buzz! The road then turns 180 degrees and I was back into the wind again but still on a steep descent so I wasn't hanging about! I arrived in Lennoxtown and joined the main road to Milton of Campsie for a couple of miles before turning off the main road and taking the back road to Kirkintilloch!

From there I enjoyed yet another lovely back road through Twechar and on to Kilsyth, where I had to use the main road for a bit up to Croy! I passed through the village which was very quiet as the schools were all out by now and I joined the busy main road at Cumbernauld but it was just before rush hour so not too bad! I was soon on a back road again and heading for Lenziemill before taking the big climb up to Wattston and then it was quiet back roads all the way home, the town was busy by now but I know all the shortcuts and avoided the worst of the traffic!

What a fantastic day on the bike and I finally passed 5000 miles for the year, I'm now at 5055! The latest Wahoo gps update seems to have fixed the discrepancy with Ridewithgps regarding elevation gain, it was getting rather annoying so I'm glad its sorted! It was good to get out twice in 3 days for a change, 130 miles and almost 9000ft of climbing so I'm a little tired now!

 

[Chargeride]

I'm off to the Cotswolds for a week, Stow on the Wold to be exact.
One of the off-road trails nearby I spotted is called the diddly squat ride.
Had a quick look and yes, Jeremy Clarksons farm is just down the road.
I'll have a look, he does live near it in good old, superposh Chipping Norton.

That area is England's absolute chocolate box scenery.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I'm off to the Cotswolds for a week

Been there!

 

[DiggyGun]

I'm off to the Cotswolds for a week, Stow on the Wold to be exact.
One of the off-road trails nearby I spotted is called the diddly squat ride.
Had a quick look and yes, Jeremy Clarksons farm is just down the road.
I'll have a look, he does live near it in good old, superposh Chipping Norton.

That area is England's absolute chocolate box scenery.

Enjoy your rides, but watch out for the local Council.

DG…

 

[Prairie Dog]

There was no way I was going to miss out on the first epic snowfall of the season so I hopped on the fatbike and made a beeline to the closest trail which happened to be Heritage Ranch only a few kms from my home.

Along the way I came across a trio of youngsters who were honing their techniques on a home-made jump as they anxiously waited for the official opening day of the local ski hill. I must say that I was impressed with these Mark McMorris wannabes.

The snow was quite deep along sections of the Heritage single but for the most part the 4.5” Wrathchilds were unmistakably the tires tasked for the job. It was slow going and a bit squirrely at first as I attempted to reacquaint myself with the snowy terrain after a summer of dirt riding.

I would give it another week before the trails become more established with a bit more hardpack underneath the tires. On the issue of speed, it’s not as fast as dirt but far from sluggish and it definitely has a lot to do with the snow conditions which can widely vary. When it’s perfectly packed, take it from me, snow trails can be just as fun as dirt. Plus, crashing is a lot more forgiving.

A stopover at Fisherman’s Island Bridge to take in the view before moving on.

The reflection of the snow-covered spruce trees along either side of the creek were something to behold. It’s hard to believe the transformation overnight of the surroundings compared to what it was like just two days ago.

A view from above of what appears to be the remains of a beaver dam.

The snow that fell overnight was enough to take this dead tree down but left just enough space for me to squeak by.

Most of the log berms were completely covered by this time but it still took a bit of effort traversing over them.

The only fatbiker that I came across yesterday and who also happened to be riding a Norco.

There comes a point when strapping on the planks might be the only logical way to get around in deep snow. That or a fatbike.

Even though we consider the local ruminants at the top of the list when it comes to garden pests, I will always find time to stop and watch them as they move through the woods with effortless grace.

It was a spectacular day out on the trails and I couldn’t have asked for better conditions even though it would have been nice to eke out a final week like we experienced last October when we were still focused very much on road rides. I’ve come to the realization that not everyone here is a fan of wintry weather but it’s days like this that makes it hard for me to imagine being anywhere else.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

A proper e-bike for the conditions! Jealous!

 

[Prairie Dog]

A proper e-bike for the conditions! Jealous!

This is the first time ever that I’ve been out riding the singles this early in the season. There’s no way I would even attempt this on the Levo with the amount of snow that we received. I would literally be waiting for days on end so others before me could pack down the trails. That’s no longer the case. Preparing for colder days to come might become a challenge dare I say.

 

[Chargeride]

Sat on The Porch house, England's oldest pub.
945AD.

Is that the original exterior., inside looks genuine.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Sat on The Porch house, England's oldest pub.
945AD.

Is that the original exterior., inside looks genuine.

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Love the ivy crawling up the corner of the walls. That certainly adds charm to the exterior facade.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

There was no way I was going to miss out on the first epic snowfall of the season so I hopped on the fatbike and made a beeline to the closest trail which happened to be Heritage Ranch only a few kms from my home.

Along the way I came across a trio of youngsters who were honing their techniques on a home-made jump as they anxiously waited for the official opening day of the local ski hill. I must say that I was impressed with these Mark McMorris wannabes.

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The snow was quite deep along sections of the Heritage single but for the most part the 4.5” Wrathchilds were unmistakably the tires tasked for the job. It was slow going and a bit squirrely at first as I attempted to reacquaint myself with the snowy terrain after a summer of dirt riding.

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I would give it another week before the trails become more established with a bit more hardpack underneath the tires. On the issue of speed, it’s not as fast as dirt but far from sluggish and it definitely has a lot to do with the snow conditions which can widely vary. When it’s perfectly packed, take it from me, snow trails can be just as fun as dirt. Plus, crashing is a lot more forgiving.

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A stopover at Fisherman’s Island Bridge to take in the view before moving on.

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The reflection of the snow-covered spruce trees along either side of the creek were something to behold. It’s hard to believe the transformation overnight of the surroundings compared to what it was like just two days ago.

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A view from above of what appears to be the remains of a beaver dam.

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The snow that fell overnight was enough to take this dead tree down but left just enough space for me to squeak by.

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Most of the log berms were completely covered by this time but it still took a bit of effort traversing over them.

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The only fatbiker that I came across yesterday and who also happened to be riding a Norco.

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There comes a point when strapping on the planks might be the only logical way to get around in deep snow. That or a fatbike.

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Even though we consider the local ruminants at the top of the list when it comes to garden pests, I will always find time to stop and watch them as they move through the woods with effortless grace.

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It was a spectacular day out on the trails and I couldn’t have asked for better conditions even though it would have been nice to eke out a final week like we experienced last October when we were still focused very much on road rides. I’ve come to the realization that not everyone here is a fan of wintry weather but it’s days like this that makes it hard for me to imagine being anywhere else.

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Gorgeous! The weather's changing here, too. Yesterday I had wear a long-sleeved shirt with my shorts and sandals.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Gorgeous! The weather's changing here, too. Yesterday I had wear a long-sleeved shirt with my shorts and sandals.

Nice! Hard to believe I was wearing a short-sleeved jersey a week ago. It reached -8 C (17F) midway into yesterday’s ride but I got away wearing just a poly/fleece layer with a wind/waterproof shell over top. Due to the deep snow, I did rely heavily on my boots and gaiters. Mercury plunged to -16C (3F) today which is where it currently sits now.