2024 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos

[Stefan Mikes]

Fat Thursday 2024

The Fat Thursday, or the day preceding The Lent in Catholic Church is one big madness. Even if you do not eat cakes all year round, trying a Polish donut or Angel Wings on the day is deeply rooted in the tradition of Poland. As many million of Poles have the same desire, you can expect kilometre-long queues to reputable bakeries, inflated prices, lack of choice, or lack of the product!

A stock photo of deep-fried Polish donuts.

I'm not a person to follow trends myself (I love having a Polish donut anytime during a year) but my daughter Magda demanded I brought her Angel Wings, a deep-fried and a baked donut, so I had to follow her wish! Ordered the products by phone at Klimatyczna the day before and started my ride at 12:03 pm. I knew I needed to ride fast as my appointment with Magda in her Social Care Home was scheduled to 2 pm! Trust me, I pedalled very hard and got to the cafe several minutes before 13:00.

The first thing I did was to collect and pay my order. Then, I intentionally asked for a piece of cheesecake and coffee (not donuts, not Angel Wings, haha!) I could also notice two giant boxes of both types of donut available for free sale. Completed my cake/coffee and rushed out!

I was sprinting hard against light SSW wind, and was in the Social Care Home on time!

Magda very happy with the treats!

As we were merrily chatting with Magda, she asked me 'Are you sure Dad you wouldn't like to have a donut today?' Then @Brix wrote on Facebook: 'I'm sure you have already had one but would not admit that!' That was like teasing an alcoholic with a drink! I thought to myself 'Why not?' and sprinted back to Klimatyczna!

ALL DONUTS SOLD OUT.

Then I looked one of the saleswomen in the eye and said: 'I guess I forgot paying my tab before?...' Yes yes yes! I had been in such a hurry I did not pay my bill on exiting the cafe! Now, I was careful to order more tidbits and pay everything in advance!

Not a donut, see?

The wind had changed its direction, so I pedalled upwind again. 3.0 km from home, and the riding day had not finished yet...

Then I set off for another ride to make 95 km total for the day.

And yes, I eventually had a donut on Fat Thursday! I ate one at the BP petrol station on my night ride (they overordered the product!)

 

[Chargeride]

Poland on course to catch up Britain in the love handles department

 

[PatriciaK]

Fat Thursday 2024

The Fat Thursday, or the day preceding The Lent in Catholic Church is one big madness. Even if you do not eat cakes all year round, trying a Polish donut or Angel Wings on the day is deeply rooted in the tradition of Poland. As many million of Poles have the same desire, you can expect kilometre-long queues to reputable bakeries, inflated prices, lack of choice, or lack of the product!

View attachment 170944
A stock photo of deep-fried Polish donuts.

I'm not a person to follow trends myself (I love having a Polish donut anytime during a year) but my daughter Magda demanded I brought her Angel Wings, a deep-fried and a baked donut, so I had to follow her wish! Ordered the products by phone at Klimatyczna the day before and started my ride at 12:03 pm. I knew I needed to ride fast as my appointment with Magda in her Social Care Home was scheduled to 2 pm! Trust me, I pedalled very hard and got to the cafe several minutes before 13:00.

View attachment 170945
The first thing I did was to collect and pay my order. Then, I intentionally asked for a piece of cheesecake and coffee (not donuts, not Angel Wings, haha!) I could also notice two giant boxes of both types of donut available for free sale. Completed my cake/coffee and rushed out!

I was sprinting hard against light SSW wind, and was in the Social Care Home on time!

View attachment 170946
Magda very happy with the treats!

As we were merrily chatting with Magda, she asked me 'Are you sure Dad you wouldn't like to have a donut today?' Then @Brix wrote on Facebook: 'I'm sure you have already had one but would not admit that!' That was like teasing an alcoholic with a drink! I thought to myself 'Why not?' and sprinted back to Klimatyczna!

ALL DONUTS SOLD OUT.

Then I looked one of the saleswomen in the eye and said: 'I guess I forgot paying my tab before?...' Yes yes yes! I had been in such a hurry I did not pay my bill on exiting the cafe! Now, I was careful to order more tidbits and pay everything in advance!

View attachment 170947
Not a donut, see?

View attachment 170948
The wind had changed its direction, so I pedalled upwind again. 3.0 km from home, and the riding day had not finished yet...

View attachment 170949
Then I set off for another ride to make 95 km total for the day.

And yes, I eventually had a donut on Fat Thursday! I ate one at the BP petrol station on my night ride (they overordered the product!)

I always love seeing Magda and her beautiful smile !

Nice riding day, Stefan!

 

[Chargeride]

I'm in Anglesey, which is an Island off the Welsh coast, not really an Island, its seperated by the Menai Strait and it's a treacherous sea channel at most a quarter of a mile wide.

Staying in Rhosneigr Village, be careful how you say it ..
Simply beautiful, super trendy posh surf area, the entire Snowdonia mountain range on the horizon, surfers everywhere, camper vans, people wearing wetsuits in the bars.
Lovin it

I'm on the free bike my friend gave me with the dodgy battery, so I've taped mine to it instead.
Huge dunes, forests and great nightlife, us it was an incredible 22C today.

I'm going to try a ride down the coast first thing tomorrow.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I'm in Anglesey, which is an Island off the Welsh coast,

I was there, although rather shortly

 

[Chargeride]

Wales are playing England at Rugby right now, I'm only going out if Wales wins

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The International Pizza Day at International Street (Warsaw)

I was creatively working this morning yet I felt I needed a good lunch. As if Fat Thursday was not enough, my FB friends were celebrating the International Pizza Day on Friday. I felt I should set off for a ride...

Pizza is the second most popular fast food in Poland (after Kebab -- which I despise). Yet, I had to ride all the way to the Międzynarodowa (International Street) in Warsaw!

I wanted to keep an eye on my Vado (as safe Warsaw is as some bike theft occurs from time to time). I was very quick with ordering my pizza in the innermost part of the pizzeria: 'Please get me a small thin-crust pizza, "English" topping; and black tea. I will be sitting in the outer room, thank you!' So while I could keep an eye on my e-bike, I did not expect my order would be taken literally, and I got the smallest pizza I have ever had!

Hungry, I moved to the neighbouring "Frigate' bar and completed my lunch with a bowl of Zhur.

Today (Saturday), the traffic in the City was too heavy! I had to make a "traffic escape maneuver" when the traffic got terribly congested near to Warsaw Central Station! At least it was as warm as +6 C!

 

[PatriciaK]

At last, I got out for a short ride on my La Free! First time since we arrived back on the West Coast right before Christmas! First, weather was bad, then, I had an emergency trip to Hawaii (really - a dear friend was very ill and had no one who could look after her for a couple of weeks. I saw Oahu out the car window from house to hospital to house to care facility...), and, my medial menisci were both acting up, and, the weather continued to be terrible.

And so, today was my first opportunity of 2024!

Took it slow and easy for my knees, which are still wonky. It was still cold, around 40F (which is quite nippy with the breeze). My electric socks, which hadn't been charged in a year, did a FABulous job keeping my feet warm! One of my electric gloves, which also hasn't been charged in a year, gave out about 3/4 through, but the residual heat was ok. My thin fleece ear band was just barely warm enough under the helmet - I need something a bit more substantial.

It was a short ride on the old seaplane base, but it was a ride . Hope I get at least another in before we head east again next month!

 

[Chargeride]

Got up a 7.30 to ride the beach, went well, got back knackered and missus wants to visit forest cycle trails, so did them on the fumes of an empty battery, beautiful coast, lots of peddling.

The weather reports for this holiday were 5 degrees and non stop rain, right up till Saturday morning.
It's been sunny and warm again today.
The weather forecasting over the last few years has just collapsed in accuracy

 

[Chargeride]

Revisited the forest and made it to the tidal Island.

Not strictly a bike path, but its a good wheelchair friendly route and did no damage riding it.

Drove to Beaumaris Castle, took the bikes, but the town is so compact, it wasn't worth using them.

This is a proper moat style castle and is almost completely retained, you could put the floor beams back in and a few top walls, good as new.
You can also walk anywhere you want, all the rooms and long scary corridors are intact.
From just the right angle with the Snowdonia mountain range behind, it feels like another world.

Construction was started in 1295, but was never fully finished.
Built to last though.
Incredible to see every chisel mark in the stones.

 

[Catalyzt]

Revisited the forest and made it to the tidal Island.
View attachment 171097
Not strictly a bike path, but its a good wheelchair friendly route and did no damage riding it.
View attachment 171100


Drove to Beaumaris Castle, took the bikes, but the town is so compact, it wasn't worth using them.

This is a proper moat style castle and is almost completely retained, you could put the floor beams back in and a few top walls, good as new.
You can also walk anywhere you want, all the rooms and long scary corridors are intact.
From just the right angle with the Snowdonia mountain range behind, it feels like another world.

View attachment 171099

View attachment 171098
Construction was started in 1295, but was never fully finishes
Built to last though.
Incredible to see every chisel mark in the stones.

I love this!

you could put the floor beams back in and a few top walls, good as new.

That is the Chargeride way! And I completely agree. Just get a bunch of guys from the neighborhood pub when the building inspector isn't around, throw down some beams, flip up a few sheet rock walls, little solar power system on a corrugated tin roof for some television, hot plate, a few camp chairs and a little fridge for a few pints, and you're good to go. When the inspector comes around, just say you have no idea how it all got there, as far as you know, it's always been that way. Let me know when it's done, I'll hope on a plane, stop by to watch some football or something!

 

[Chargeride]

I love this!


That is the Chargeride way! And I completely agree. Just get a bunch of guys from the neighborhood pub when the building inspector isn't around, throw down some beams, flip up a few sheet rock walls, little solar power system on a corrugated tin roof for some television, hot plate, a few camp chairs and a little fridge for a few pints, and you're good to go. When the inspector comes around, just say you have no idea how it all got there, as far as you know, it's always been that way. Let me know when it's done, I'll hope on a plane, stop by to watch some football or something!

stop by to watch some football or something!

Rugby my friend, its a religion here.

 

[RabH]

I decided to check the weather further afield in the hope of finding some decent conditions for a longer ride, I plumped for St Andrews and put the bike in the back of the car and left home at 6.15am and arrived at the harbour in St Andrews just after 8am.

Not a bad view to start my ride

There was a SW wind blowing at around 25mph so not a day for a century ride, I wasn't far off at the end up though! I plumped for the coast road to start off and stopped part way up the big climb to capture the town shrouded in the morning sun.

A couple of miles up the coast I turned into the grounds of the Fairmont Hotel to grab more photos, this is looking across the local golf course with St Andrews in the distance now.

The sun made a timely appearance

I had a cross/tailwind for the first 10 miles or so and arrived in Crail where it was time head directly into the 25mph wind, the sky was looking a little angry out in the North Sea...if you set sail from here the next stop would be Denmark!

The real beauty of riding the coast road is having the sea on one side and views like this on the other.

The road itself isn't too shabby for the most part also...

I was going to pass through Elie but there were road closure signs so I opted to go inland for a bit, I wasn't disappointed with the views though..,

It wasn't long before I had the sea in view again...

I then arrived in Leven and grabbed a photo down at the beach.

I then decided to head back inland as it would have been a struggle to continue down the coast and cut inland from there, so I used the main road through Glenrothes and Leslie and stopped at the bridge over the River Leven for a break and some snacks.

I thought about tackling this hill but it would have been right into that brutal headwind so I opted for an equally steep climb up towards Scotlandwell which was much more sheltered!

At Scotlandwell Loch Leven comes into view, the water was looking very choppy today...

I was just about to set off after taking this photo and glanced to my right to see this view, the sky was very different to the sky over the loch!

I actually almost missed the view as I was watching a band of rain passing over the hills near Milnathort which was about 5 miles away, I probably should have used the shortcut that bypasses Milnathort but I thought I could beat the rain...I was wrong Thankfully the strong wind blew it through quickly so it wasn't so bad. Once I reached Milnathort it was time to turn NE which meant I finally had a proper tailwind, the difference in temperature was very noticeable instantly! I was now heading towards Gateside and had the Lomond Hills off my right shoulder, it was hard to get a decent photo due to the bright sun but I think these 2 turned out ok and you can see some snow on the peaks!

The road condition here is execellent but it can be busy...

As I was passing through Gateside I remembered about a road I used back in 2022, the day I did my longest ever ride of 162 miles and it was a brutal climb but in the opposite direction, so I knew it would be a big descent after the initial climb so it was a no brainer to get off the main road and although it would add quite a few miles to my ride it was mostly wind assisted! The only downside was the lack of scenery though but you can't have everything After the initial cimb which was pretty tough I started down the descent and looked back to see a huge truck following me, he had no chance of passing me though and I arrived at the bottom of the hill and he was quite a way back...my top speed was 38.2mph and it was twisty in parts!

Eventually the scenery did improve and a big climb came into view, at least it was wind assisted so pretty easy! The second photo is looking back down the road I just climbed with the steepest part hidden...

The road brings you out in the middle of Cupar which is 10 miles from St Andrews, passing through Dairsie and Guardbridge and at Guardbridge I opted for the cycle path that runs alongside the famous Old Course at St Andrews where I saw a man with his young son enjoying a round of golf This is the start of the path which is a godsend as the road into the town can be a real nightmare with traffic!

Across the bay is Leuchars airfield which used to be an RAF base but was taken over by the army many years ago...

I arrived in St Andrews and grabbed a couple of photos of the Cathedral ruins which dates back to 1158 before heading back down to the harbour where my car was parked.

One last photo of the harbour before heading home very content with a truly awesome day of cycling, it was sure worth getting up at 5.45am

So I covered just under 83 miles, it blows my mind to think I cycled almost double this distance in 2022 but the wind was much lighter that day and it does make quite a difference! My elevation gain was just slightly less than my 53 mile ride 6 days ago, if I did 83 miles close to home my elevation gain would be astronomical... I have to say I was worn out by the time I got back to the car, 36 miles into a direct 25 mph headwind does take a lot of effort and I stuck with level 2 assist to make sure I had enough juice in the tank at the finish. Amazingly my bike didn't even need a wash, thats a first at this time of year and I'm not complaining...

 

[Catalyzt]

Just checking in with my usual composite of multiple short rides-- too cold and rainy for longer ones, but I've been going a bit harder with the shorter ones. These are, as usual, between about 4 miles with 400 feet of vertical and 8 miles with 1000 feet of vertical. These are in no particular order.

First is my New Year's Eve(ish) ride up towards the Hollywood sign on Seeker. The first photos were all taken with the Frustrating Fuji X-A5. It's a lot like the Marin-- temperamental!

Then I got the Marin build back on the road -- new tubeless tires -- and put her through her paces. Very capable, but still pretty unpredictable, and still problems with 1st and 2nd gear that I don't think will be solved quickly. More sure-footed in heavy sierra sand, definitely, but can't really handle grades greater than 15%, and shifting is erratic in the lower gears, so I'm pretty sure that a new drivetrain is in my future. I find the Deore 1 x 12 finicky in general-- it may be that the chainring on on the Tongshen is actually moving side-to-side a bit (though I can't see that, or move the chainring with my hands, it seems stable) but I think the main issue is it's just a delicate setup-- the cogs in the cassette are too thin, it's not the 10-52 range that is the problem, it's the number of gears, just doesn't feel that solid. Some days, second is totally usable, other days, I might get chain drop. I still haven't tried the smaller narrow-wide chainring, but I don't have high hopes, the chainline is just too bent. The bike also has a completely different personality during the first half of battery capacity, where it is significantly faster than the moto under most riding conditions, vs. the last half, where it's noticeably slower.

But the light weight and outstanding traction are really appreciated on little-known shorter neighborhood trails like these in the hills. This trail is certainly wide enough, there's no real danger, but there are so many steep dropoffs like this where I ride that I just don't want to be riding a heavy bike-- if I make a mistake, both the Moto and Marin are really responsive, and I can correct very quickly even at low speed. The Marin is a good five pounds lighter, and I can feel that-- less on hill climbing, but more on tight cornering, and the 29-inch wheels are not harder to get through tight, twisty spots over little rock gardens.

Here's a nice spot on a mixed-use trail near the reservoir. This one trail is fairly well known, though not a lot of bikes. I fully expect it to be closed today due to erosion and landslides, but we'll see-- if I can get up there before lunch! The Marin is pretty stealth, as you can see, looks pretty acoustic.

This is a spot near where I live, right after the storm. Very fuzzy, mobile phone camera at low shutter speed, but check out the damage. I wouldn't be suprrised if we lose this section of road entirely. BTW, that tree has always looked like that, I don't think it's moved much in 25 years. But check out that cube of concrete-- that is the foundation for one of the pillars for the deck of a house immediately of this spot, to the left. And you can also see that they lost the post as well as the foundation. I do not believe the house was red-tagged, but those people are idiots if they go out on their balcony!

I came back a few days later to get some shots of the same place, give you a better look at the fallen foundations and post. This last one is taken with my Kodak Bridge camera, which is an odd beast. It's easier to use than the Fuji, but nowhere near as capable, but it's better than my other crappy point-and shoots. I think my new Samsung A14 can actually do better in many situations, but I can't really ride with it strapped around around my neck! So the Kodak will get some use as a riding camera, I think.

 

[Chargeride]

View attachment 171103

I decided to check the weather further afield in the hope of finding some decent conditions for a longer ride, I plumped for St Andrews and put the bike in the back of the car and left home at 6.15am and arrived at the harbour in St Andrews just after 8am.

View attachment 171105
Not a bad view to start my ride

View attachment 171104
There was a SW wind blowing at around 25mph so not a day for a century ride, I wasn't far off at the end up though! I plumped for the coast road to start off and stopped part way up the big climb to capture the town shrouded in the morning sun.

View attachment 171107
View attachment 171108
A couple of miles up the coast I turned into the grounds of the Fairmont Hotel to grab more photos, this is looking across the local golf course with St Andrews in the distance now.

View attachment 171109
The sun made a timely appearance

View attachment 171110
I had a cross/tailwind for the first 10 miles or so and arrived in Crail where it was time head directly into the 25mph wind, the sky was looking a little angry out in the North Sea...if you set sail from here the next stop would be Denmark!

View attachment 171111
The real beauty of riding the coast road is having the sea on one side and views like this on the other.

View attachment 171112
The road itself isn't too shabby for the most part also...

View attachment 171114
I was going to pass through Elie but there were road closure signs so I opted to go inland for a bit, I wasn't disappointed with the views though..,

View attachment 171115
It wasn't long before I had the sea in view again...

View attachment 171116
View attachment 171117
I then arrived in Leven and grabbed a photo down at the beach.

View attachment 171118
I then decided to head back inland as it would have been a struggle to continue down the coast and cut inland from there, so I used the main road through Glenrothes and Leslie and stopped at the bridge over the River Leven for a break and some snacks.

View attachment 171119
View attachment 171120
I thought about tackling this hill but it would have been right into that brutal headwind so I opted for an equally steep climb up towards Scotlandwell which was much more sheltered!

View attachment 171121
At Scotlandwell Loch Leven comes into view, the water was looking very choppy today...

View attachment 171122
I was just about to set off after taking this photo and glanced to my right to see this view, the sky was very different to the sky over the loch!

View attachment 171123
View attachment 171124
I actually almost missed the view as I was watching a band of rain passing over the hills near Milnathort which was about 5 miles away, I probably should have used the shortcut that bypasses Milnathort but I thought I could beat the rain...I was wrong Thankfully the strong wind blew it through quickly so it wasn't so bad. Once I reached Milnathort it was time to turn NE which meant I finally had a proper tailwind, the difference in temperature was very noticeable instantly! I was now heading towards Gateside and had the Lomond Hills off my right shoulder, it was hard to get a decent photo due to the bright sun but I think these 2 turned out ok and you can see some snow on the peaks!

View attachment 171126
View attachment 171130
The road condition here is execellent but it can be busy...

View attachment 171131
As I was passing through Gateside I remembered about a road I used back in 2022, the day I did my longest ever ride of 162 miles and it was a brutal climb but in the opposite direction, so I knew it would be a big descent after the initial climb so it was a no brainer to get off the main road and although it would add quite a few miles to my ride it was mostly wind assisted! The only downside was the lack of scenery though but you can't have everything After the initial cimb which was pretty tough I started down the descent and looked back to see a huge truck following me, he had no chance of passing me though and I arrived at the bottom of the hill and he was quite a way back...my top speed was 38.2mph and it was twisty in parts!

Eventually the scenery did improve and a big climb came into view, at least it was wind assisted so pretty easy! The second photo is looking back down the road I just climbed with the steepest part hidden...

View attachment 171133
View attachment 171135
The road brings you out in the middle of Cupar which is 10 miles from St Andrews, passing through Dairsie and Guardbridge and at Guardbridge I opted for the cycle path that runs alongside the famous Old Course at St Andrews where I saw a man with his young son enjoying a round of golf This is the start of the path which is a godsend as the road into the town can be a real nightmare with traffic!

View attachment 171136
Across the bay is Leuchars airfield which used to be an RAF base but was taken over by the army many years ago...


View attachment 171137
I arrived in St Andrews and grabbed a couple of photos of the Cathedral ruins which dates back to 1158 before heading back down to the harbour where my car was parked.

View attachment 171138
View attachment 171139
One last photo of the harbour before heading home very content with a truly awesome day of cycling, it was sure worth getting up at 5.45am

View attachment 171140
So I covered just under 83 miles, it blows my mind to think I cycled almost double this distance in 2022 but the wind was much lighter that day and it does make quite a difference! My elevation gain was just slightly less than my 53 mile ride 6 days ago, if I did 83 miles close to home my elevation gain would be astronomical... I have to say I was worn out by the time I got back to the car, 36 miles into a direct 25 mph headwind does take a lot of effort and I stuck with level 2 assist to make sure I had enough juice in the tank at the finish. Amazingly my bike didn't even need a wash, thats a first at this time of year and I'm not complaining...

162 miles

 

[Chargeride]

Just checking in with my usual composite of multiple short rides-- too cold and rainy for longer ones, but I've been going a bit harder with the shorter ones. These are, as usual, between about 4 miles with 400 feet of vertical and 8 miles with 1000 feet of vertical. These are in no particular order.

First is my New Year's Eve(ish) ride up towards the Hollywood sign on Seeker. The first photos were all taken with the Frustrating Fuji X-A5. It's a lot like the Marin-- temperamental!

View attachment 171125
Then I got the Marin build back on the road -- new tubeless tires -- and put her through her paces. Very capable, but still pretty unpredictable, and still problems with 1st and 2nd gear that I don't think will be solved quickly. More sure-footed in heavy sierra sand, definitely, but can't really handle grades greater than 15%, and shifting is erratic in the lower gears, so I'm pretty sure that a new drivetrain is in my future. I find the Deore 1 x 12 finicky in general-- it may be that the chainring on on the Tongshen is actually moving side-to-side a bit (though I can't see that, or move the chainring with my hands, it seems stable) but I think the main issue is it's just a delicate setup-- the cogs in the cassette are too thin, it's not the 10-52 range that is the problem, it's the number of gears, just doesn't feel that solid. Some days, second is totally usable, other days, I might get chain drop. I still haven't tried the smaller narrow-wide chainring, but I don't have high hopes, the chainline is just too bent. The bike also has a completely different personality during the first half of battery capacity, where it is significantly faster than the moto under most riding conditions, vs. the last half, where it's noticeably slower.

But the light weight and outstanding traction are really appreciated on little-known shorter neighborhood trails like these in the hills. This trail is certainly wide enough, there's no real danger, but there are so many steep dropoffs like this where I ride that I just don't want to be riding a heavy bike-- if I make a mistake, both the Moto and Marin are really responsive, and I can correct very quickly even at low speed. The Marin is a good five pounds lighter, and I can feel that-- less on hill climbing, but more on tight cornering, and the 29-inch wheels are not harder to get through tight, twisty spots over little rock gardens.

View attachment 171134
Here's a nice spot on a mixed-use trail near the reservoir. This one trail is fairly well known, though not a lot of bikes. I fully expect it to be closed today due to erosion and landslides, but we'll see-- if I can get up there before lunch! The Marin is pretty stealth, as you can see, looks pretty acoustic.
View attachment 171129
This is a spot near where I live, right after the storm. Very fuzzy, mobile phone camera at low shutter speed, but check out the damage. I wouldn't be suprrised if we lose this section of road entirely. BTW, that tree has always looked like that, I don't think it's moved much in 25 years. But check out that cube of concrete-- that is the foundation for one of the pillars for the deck of a house immediately of this spot, to the left. And you can also see that they lost the post as well as the foundation. I do not believe the house was red-tagged, but those people are idiots if they go out on their balcony!

View attachment 171127

I came back a few days later to get some shots of the same place, give you a better look at the fallen foundations and post. This last one is taken with my Kodak Bridge camera, which is an odd beast. It's easier to use than the Fuji, but nowhere near as capable, but it's better than my other crappy point-and shoots. I think my new Samsung A14 can actually do better in many situations, but I can't really ride with it strapped around around my neck! So the Kodak will get some use as a riding camera, I think.
View attachment 171132

I always feel California is just waiting to slide into the sea

 

[Catalyzt]

I always feel California is just waiting to slide into the sea

Well, it's ready to slide, that's for sure-- I'm just not sure about where it will go. Into the sea, the canyon, the desert, etc.

And while I didn't get to the reservoir, I did try some steeper trails today-- and I think there was a short stretch that was probably a bit more than 15%. She was in a better mood today-- would get into second, didn't sound very, er, soothing, but didn't slip under heavy load, either.

Last Thursday, she dropped the chain twice in second, and on hills not nearly this steep. WTF?! How can this be different on different days?!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The City of Warsaw Has Expanded!
Sunday 11th of February 2024

As the Sunday weather was fairly good as for February, the traffic was light, and I wanted to forget the "International Pizza Day" disaster of Saturday, I jumped onto my Vado and pedalled fast to "Frigate" restaurant bar again via The Aleje (Jerusalem Avenues). Given 50% assistance and the fact there is a delicate descent in the Aleje towards the Vistula, I had a lot of fun zooming at 43.8 km/h max along the National Museum There were two speed radars on my way, and I can only hope the speed limit was 50!

A decent Polish lunch at last! Pork roast with groats and red-beet, delicious! The portion was decently big!

After having had the lunch, I decided to make the return ride slightly different, so crossed Holy Cross Bridge, passed the very centre of the City and rode into a less known quarter of Wola.

The WW2 Destruction of Warsaw
The first blow that Warsaw suffered during World War II was the German invasion in September 1939, when part of the city was destroyed. Warsaw's Jews were made crowded into a relatively small area covering part of the City and the Wola district. Because the Jews understood that they would be exterminated anyway, they rose up to fight in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943. In Nazi retaliation, this area of Warsaw was severely damaged and destroyed. (A few damaged but standing buildings still remained). The third blow came after the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. When German troops left Warsaw in January 1945, all that remained was a sea of rubble, as Warsaw was completely destroyed in retaliation.

The post-war reconstruction of the area of Ghetto resulted in ugly, uninspiring, utilitarian architecture. Especially the part of Wola involved in the Ghetto was bad, bad, bad! Nowadays, that area gave the investors their unique chance to expand the City of Warsaw there, and made it look impressive.

The former Norblin Factory (just outside the former Ghetto) has gentrified, playing the role similar to London's Borough Market.

The Palace of Culture and Science (1955) marks the very centre of Warsaw. It was built exactly on the border between the Ghetto and the "Aryan" part of the city, replacing a huge neighbourhood of densely packed pre-war houses. That "gift of the Soviet nation to the Polish nation" is now the second highest building of Warsaw* (237 m including the spire). Controversial, it remains there because: a) it is a part of our history; b) it is the biggest of all "Moscow skyscrapers" ever built; c) it is not really ugly; d) it is as huge as dismantling it is impractical. Following the rapid development on the city, the Palace is being gradually obscured by new high buildings.

*) Just recently, the Varso Tower (310 m with the spire, 230 m to the roof) has become the highest building in Warsaw and Poland. Warsaw Spire is the third, and Sky Tower in Wrocław is the fourth one.

The City of Warsaw has shifted into Wola. The 2nd metro line helped the development.

This corner of Ignacy Daszyński Rondabout has an interesting history. In 1864, following the lost January 1863 Uprising against Russia, the surviving participants of the fighting were exiled to Siberia. The railway station that was starting their journey was located where the new skyscraper is now. Later, the part of Wola west of that place was heavily industrialized, hosting the Warsaw Gas Works as well the Railroad Factory empire of Messrs. Lilpop, Rau & Lowenstein. Post WWII, the place hosted POLAM, the factory for electronic tubes and fluorescent lights.

The development is as rapid as any visit to Warsaw makes me stunned! New and new skyscrapers are completed every several months!

The details for that part of the ride. The borders of the Ghetto are drawn imperfectly here but will give some idea.

The Race
There is a long sequence of bike paths in Wola. The stretches of these bike paths are occasionally broken by junctions with traffic lights. I stopped just behind a gravel cyclist on one of such junctions. When the lights changed to green, the man started riding at high speed! Interesting... I increased the assistance of my Vado. However, I had intentionally limited the max assistance to just 50% (for more workout and longer battery range). As I was riding at 36 km/h, he ride faster (I later determined his max speed to be over 41 km/h!) However, he was stopped by the red light often, so I could catch up with him several times. Then... There was an overpass with a steep climb. The guy was as strong he started disappearing at distance!

Thanks to next red lights, I was able to catch up with him and panted: "Your legs are very strong, mate! Kudos to you!' -- he smiled and said 'I'm pretty new to this sport!' -- and I asked for his Strava The guy made me pretty motivated and gave me a good workout!

Black Grouse Ponds in "Old Italy"
Talking about Strava, we should appreciate its social role. One of my Strava buddies often goes for a walk to so-called "Black Grouse Ponds" when not riding. I have never been there, so took the opportunity to see that place in the neighbourhood called Włochy (literally: Italy). Perhaps some historians know the origin of that name but... Whenever a Warsawer says 'I've been to Włochy on my vacation', they always add 'I mean, to Italia'

My first time to the Black Grouse Ponds. Make no mistake: there are no black grouses there It is just the name of a neighbouring street, haha!

That part of the ride.

A 60 kilometre ride.

I just need to mention I had to kill time for some reasons on Monday and made another 75 km I am just 1.3 km short of 1,000 km ridden this year! My Vado 6.0 that I got reconstructed on Jan 16th, 2023 has over 7,000 km on the odometer now!

 

[jason.flood]

This is the start of the path which is a godsend as the road into the town can be a real nightmare with traffic!

Soo close to bumping into you Rab. I rode through that exact spot, riding from Leuchars Station to Crail, after arriving from Edinburgh on the train about 10.30am on Sunday 11th Feb. I’m guessing if I’d arrived at the station about 28 hours later, I’d have had you whooshing past me from behind - with you having already covered about 78miles !!!!

I completely lost track of time in Crail and was at risk of missing the return train that id reserved the bike on. I absolutely hoofed it as fast as I could on 100% assist all the way back to the station. I made the train with plenty to spare as it was about 10min late.

However, I didn’t know the train was delayed, so ended up taking that road section beside the cycle path as it’s soo much smoother than the cycle way (which is starting to fall to bits in places due to tree roots poking through )
You said of the road, Rab:

can be a real nightmare with traffic

I say:
You are absolutely right. It was 6.20pm with heavy traffic . Most gave me plenty of space but one guy came up right beside me while I was full tilt and screamed at me to use the cycle path The shock caused me to speed wobble for a second but nothing bad came from it apart from fleeting thought involving that driver and his wheel wrench.

I was riding 100% assist and only averaged 16.7mph over about 16miles.

How you average 16.4mph over 83miles with strong winds is incredible!!

 

[jason.flood]

I got home from work yesterday , a bit fed up after 12 hours at my desk but this put a bit of a smile on my face just as I walked the bike into the stairwell

Perhaps a “kmstone” rather than a milestone

It amazing how those things rack up when you have an Odo to keep track of all the bits and pieces. I’ve had the bike just over 8 weeks.

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