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

[Stefan Mikes]

Thats a lot of Mikes, but there is a seperate swingers forum section

You and your banter!

 

[Chargeride]

This the 8th August in Wales, its that wet I forgot where I was.

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streamable.com

 

[Prairie Dog]

Yesterday morning our trio rode a full complement of local singles totaling 31km starting out at the Gnome and finishing up at Heritage Ranch. We even crossed paths with some equestrian enthusiasts. Trails were in awesome condition making for fun, expeditious runs.

Beaver logjam.

Proper trail etiquette.

A new rider to the group showing off his GX tranny equipped do-it-all Transition Repeater powered by an EP8. Giddyup.

 

[Chargeride]

Ha beavers!

 

[Chargeride]

Had a good day after the rain dropped for a bit.
Tenby just down the coast, quite busy but rhe beaches were empty.

Its a walled town mostly in good nick, built in 1245 and repaired in 1400, the castle is a ruin but looks good.

Let the missus on the bike.

Now regret her knowing how much it assists.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Changes, changes...

Meanwhile, I got a new laptop, new photography software (Adobe Lightroom and ON1 Effects), and a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphone (with good RAW DNG capabilities). As the latter has new cameras (the ones on my old S21 got somewhat damaged), now I'll be able to show a way better photos from my rides!

Saturday means a ride with a small private group in the area of Rivers Liwiec and Bug (NE of Warsaw). A friend is inviting us to his holiday hideout, barbecue etc We still experience warm and dry weather, with some raining mid last week!

S24U together with photographic software look to be good things!

 

[Chargeride]

Very nice, thats not exactly a quick glance watch, er..its, 122 past 14.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Today’s 41km ride would involve the missus and I taking a different route as a section of road that we normally ride was undergoing major repairs. It now appears that we may not have access to that road until sometime next month.

We decided instead on a route that would take us a bit further east, would involve more climbing but also leave us open to stretches of busy traffic along two highway corridors, 11 and 808. The ride was quite gusty with a stern SE wind blowing against us most of the way.

Exiting Hwy 11 and heading up the hill along 808.

Sai tames the climb as she approaches the crest.

This section of 808 is a short but also affords excellent views of the river valley, striking fields of wheat as well as the highway in the distance that ultimately leads to the tiny hamlet of Joffre.

Further along, more vistas of the prairie landscape. Harvest time has come early for some as many plants have already matured.

A convenient stopover along 808 for anyone overcome with hunger pangs. Shack-eh-licious has become a favourite hangout for those who crave great burgers, shakes, and yummy crepes.

Or if you prefer to just have a go at mini golf and hangout with one of the locals.

Just what the cardiologist ordered. Cinnamon sugar and butter crepes with a side of whipped cream. Pretty decent value at $6 if I do say so myself.

With tummies full, we head west along the Delburne Hwy towards homebase and another climb ahead of us but this time with a decent wind at our backs.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Today’s 41km ride would involve the missus and I taking a different route as a section of road that we normally ride was undergoing major repairs. It now appears that we may not have access to that road until sometime next month.

We decided instead on a route that would take us a bit further east, would involve more climbing but also leave us open to stretches of busy traffic along two highway corridors, 11 and 808. The ride was quite gusty with a stern SE wind blowing against us most of the way.

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Exiting Hwy 11 and heading up the hill along 808.

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Sai tames the climb as she approaches the crest.

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This section of 808 is a short but also affords excellent views of the river valley, striking fields of wheat as well as the highway in the distance that ultimately leads to the tiny hamlet of Joffre.

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Further along, more vistas of the prairie landscape. Harvest time has come early for some as many plants have already matured.

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A convenient stopover along 808 for anyone overcome with hunger pangs. Shack-eh-licious has become a favourite hangout for those who crave great burgers, shakes, and yummy crepes.

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Or if you prefer to just have a go at mini golf and hangout with one of the locals.

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Just what the cardiologist ordered. Cinnamon sugar and butter crepes with a side of whipped cream. Pretty decent value at $6 if I do say so myself.

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With tummies full, we head west along the Delburne Hwy towards homebase and another climb ahead of us but this time with a decent wind at our backs.

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Three things:

1. If you painted your undulating prairie terrain lush green wall to wall, it'd look something like the rolling Scottish terrain we've all come to love through @RabH . (Speaking just of the lay of the land, not the human footprint.)

2. Mouth's still watering from reading that Shack-eh-licious menu and lusting over your crepe.

3. One of the beauties of cycling: Doesn't take much of a ride to fully justify eating AMA (against medical advice).

 

[Prairie Dog]

Three things:

1. If you painted your undulating prairie terrain lush green wall to wall, it'd look something like the rolling Scottish terrain we've all come to love through @RabH . (Speaking just of the lay of the land, not the human footprint.)

2. Mouth's still watering from reading that Shack-eh-licious menu and lusting over your crepe.

3. One of the beauties of cycling: Doesn't take much of a ride to fully justify eating AMA (against medical advice).

I plead no contest as Rab has set the bar high when it comes to epic landscapes not to mention what he achieves in terms of distance and elevation.

Rarely do we stop and eat but, on this occasion, the menu was too tantalizing to resist indulging over a decadent snack. We spotted a couple returning to their seats with a couple of shack burgers and they were definitely over the top. I just might have to schedule a ride by on Taco Thursdays. Good news is that in 2025 the Shack will be moving to a new location along our normal ride route so bib shorts may become a standard dress code.

FOOD — Shackehlicious Food Truck

www.shackehlicious.ca

 

[Chargeride]

Took a beautiful ride down the coastal trails, but its all on the gopro, so heres some pics of an epic walk we took from Saundersfoot to Tenby.

Probably one of the gnarliest trails on the Welsh coastal path and pretty brutal for a man of my age who had already done a 3hr battery emptying 7am ride.

Magical though, but the entire walk I'm speculating the feasibility of a cheeky bike ride on it, soon realised that was out of the question.

I must have climbed and descended five thousand feet ranging from smooth trail to terrifying descents over muddy rocks.

Had a much needed pastie on arrival which turned into two rum and cokes and a box of chocolate brownies.

Got the bus back and thats an event in itself, everyone in Wales knows everyone else and theyve all only just met them on the bus after years of seperation, we ended up in the middle of an complete bus reunion in which we discovered the entire personal history of the area.

Of course I got the taste and we ended up drunk listening to an 80s tribute band at the local sad old people bar till 1am.

Perfect

Travelling to Aberystwyth today for a quieter few days in a sleepy coastal town.

 

[JGcycle]

A few pics from this morning's 22km ride:

 

[fooferdoggie]

Providence bridge pedal. not sure how many people attended the rides today. there is a real early rise start at 6:30 then the miain ride from 6:30 to 8 and a family ride rolled into one.
last year I think it was 15,000 there is also a bridge stride alongside it. its about 18 miles on the main ride we went on. but getting there and back made it a 40-mile round trip. lots of free bananas and cookies and water. then at the end ice cream and such. (I cant eat any of it) not as man traffic jams as last time. there are bottle necks were people get jammed up.
but its cool to be able to ride on freeways going the wrong direction and bridges that you cant have bikes or walk on) one bridge that is a metal grate you go over twice they usually cover in cardboard they used plywood that was rough and really noisy.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Providence bridge pedal. not sure how many people attended the rides today. there is a real early rise start at 6:30 then the miain ride from 6:30 to 8 and a family ride rolled into one.
last year I think it was 15,000 there is also a bridge stride alongside it. its about 18 miles on the main ride we went on. but getting there and back made it a 40-mile round trip. lots of free bananas and cookies and water. then at the end ice cream and such. (I cant eat any of it) not as man traffic jams as last time. there are bottle necks were people get jammed up.
but its cool to be able to ride on freeways going the wrong direction and bridges that you cant have bikes or walk on) one bridge that is a metal grate you go over twice they usually cover in cardboard they used plywood that was rough and really noisy.

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Between the Columbia and the Willamette, Portland has some pretty cool bridges. Must've been fun!

 

[fooferdoggie]

Between the Columbia and the Willamette, Portland has some pretty cool bridges. Must've been fun!

Yes we rode 6 bridges two of them were cars only all in the wrong direction no less. the Freemont Bridge is the tallest with cool views and cars only.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Two Metric Centuries

A Barbecue Ride
Saturday 10th August 2024

Tomek (a big guy riding a Marin bike) had already enjoyed the three group rides I had organised, so at the first convenient opportunity he suggested a 'visit to his area'. Following his description, I planned a route that he accepted. The recently met e-biker Anna gladly agreed to join (as she could not find any follow e-bikers to ride with).

A single train was necessary to collect us from different stations and bring us to Tłuszcz (literally: Fat) I quickly centered the brake calipers on Tomek's bike, and we were ready to ride at 10:25 am.

I was playing with new features of my Samsung S24 Ultra smartphone. Now, you can quickly press the main button twice in a rapid succession to activate the camera, which enabled me to do a single-hand photo shooting. As I was focused on taking photos, I missed the first turn on our ride!

Necessary to mention early: The area of Rivers Liwiec and Bug is extremely popular among Warsawers, who have their summer cabins, huts and cottages there.

Jadów is one of such locations. There has been a fad of "craft ice-cream" for several last years in Poland. The ice-cream of Jadów was once famous. Now, given the serious competition, the local ice-cream feels overhyped and expensive!

I asked Tomek to take us to the bank of Liwiec. We took some photos there: both I and Ania were trying to look taller than Tomek!

Kayaking is the most popular activity in the area of both rivers. Liwiec is extremely shallow, making the activity very safe

There is the Sanctuary of the Holy House in Loreto, Italy. Poles are good at copying things, and they are apt to overdo them Hence, the sanctuary we met en route is located in Loretto (double "t"), making the place name more Italian than the original

I bought a kilogramme of good sausage in nearby Kamieńczyk-upon-Bug, and then we stopped on an old wobbly bridge over the Liwiec.

Even in this photo, it is visible the river water is clear, and you can see the sandy bottom there!

That's how Warsawers spend their holiday in the area. Tomek's Mom and Dad welcomed us with barbecue. Grilled sausage, black pudding, fermented cucumber, and even mint flavoured honey! We got full soon!

Anna pedalling her Flyer e-bike hard! I determined her Bosch E-Bike must have had a wrong wheel circumference figure set in the system, as Anna's speedometer was 3 km/h off compared to mine on Vado SL, making the motor cut-off occur a way too low! (I recommended Anna paying a visit at a Bosch E-Bike rep). Anyway, we had to catch the return train, so she was pedalling above the cut-off on her own leg power, and refrained to using Turbo mode upwind! (Tomek was more than surprised to find out a part of my route led through the forest, gravel, and some sand! He was expecting asphalt only!)

We caught the train well before the time!

The group ride.

Now, the issue with the trains on the line past Tłuszcz was they were not only scheduled every full hour but also all of them were to arrive to Warszawa Wileńska station, which was the most inconvenient for me! What to do... I simply pedalled from Warsaw Vilnius Station home "on the wheels" Making a Metric Century. Because of the relatively slow ride speed, and only a single battery set, I had to ride in the SL 30/60% assistance all the way, making me very tired on returning home!

A Pasta Ride
Sunday 11th August 2024

I had no idea where to ride on Sunday. I thought I had not been to Góra Kalwaria (Mt. Calvary) for a while, so I took my Vado 6.0 (and two batteries) for a quick ride!

-- What's going on, Officer?
-- What, now?
-- Yes, sir. Asking out of curiosity.
-- Ah. The cyclists on their pilgrimage ride -- the policeman said.
I too often forget I'm living in a Catholic country!

Warsaw cyclists usually stop at Mt. Cafe in Mt. Calvary. Overpriced, good coffee, good cake but bad food. Meanwhile, just behind the corner, there is a nice restaurant no cyclist seems to notice! (The best non-alcoholic IPA of Poland here!)

A big portion of delicious pasta. The place name is Delizza.

While I used 40/40% assistance for my Vado 6.0 on the outward leg of the trip, I had to counter a massive headwind with the 70/70% for the first 26 km of the return ride...

Then, I went full Turbo for the remaining distance, such strong the headwind became! Here: I know a single manual car wash in the neighbourhood that can wash a bike at low pressure, and there is an option to clean the wheel rims, too

Another Metric Century, faster this time. Still tiresome!

 

[dodgeman]

We rode 21 miles today. A near perfect day, no wind and about 68 degrees, it would normally be more like 88 this time of year. Because of the light winds we averaged 14.3 miles per hour which is fast for us. A picture at a rural cemetery we took a break at.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

We rode 21 miles today. A near perfect day, no wind and about 68 degrees, it would normally be more like 88 this time of year. Because of the light winds we averaged 14.3 miles per hour which is fast for us. A picture at a rural cemetery we took a break at.
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Weren't you concerned that the zombies who escaped through that fence might still be around?
;^}

 

[dodgeman]

Weren't you concerned that the zombies who escaped through that fence might still be around?
;^}

Of course, that’s why my wife is closest to it. When they jump her I make my getaway.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Today’s 52km ride started out along the C & E Trail which used to be part of the main corridor where people would travel between Forts Edmonton and Calgary dating back to more than a century ago.

The surrounding area is likely a far cry from those bygone days when horse driven carriages once plied this road. Red Deer was the mid stopping point where travelers and stagecoach crews could receive food and shelter. It’s now home to hectares of lush farmland and acreages where monster houses now supplant settler homesteads. I can’t imagine the upkeep required to maintain the massive front lawn of this property.

A friendly wave from a couple of fellow roadies. This is road made for cyclists as traffic is less hectic considering that it’s largely used by the local residents.

Sai recruits some additional power and gets a jump start on this hill. Wind was gusting SE at the time judging by the flags in the distance up at the top.

I’m not sure what the proper protocol is for flying flags of different nations but I think the owner of this property has done so correctly.

More fields of prairie gold.

A relic from the past. I wonder if the lightening rods helped spare this barn over the years from an otherwise potential demise?

We head towards home along Hwy 592 with Pennington Lake in sight. The lake is actually a shallow wetland surround by cultivated fields but is home to notable bird species such as grebes, ospreys, stilts, and other shorebirds.

The shoulders along the roads near the town of Penhold are not the best to ride on at times especially with skinny tires. With a prominent rumble strip to the left and poorly maintained tarmac strewn with gravel everywhere else.

We cross over the modern-day C & E Trail aka the QE2 which is the longest and busiest highway in the province.

We decided to take the opportunity and ride our normal rural route back towards home base along MacKenzie Road and RR 270 knowing in advance that the road would be closed for major repairs that were taking place. Since it was a weekend, there was a good chance we could find our way across the heavily machined work zone.

Sure enough, a small gap between a fence and the excavator provided more than enough space to get our bikes through to the other side. Unfortunately, this method will only merit success on weekends when the crews are idle. The road is not expected to reopen until Sept 3.