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

[dodgeman]

I rode to a nearby state park called Argyle. It has a lake and a road around the lake that is very curvy and has some steep hills. I ended up with about 18 miles and just under 1100 feet of elevation gain, most of that in the 5 miles around the lake. A few pictures of the lake and the road across the dam.

 

[Chargeride]

Still here.
Rode the bike around the corner from my dads nursing home to find this incredibly atmospheric viaduct, still in use, the towers on the right are the leftovers of the
original structure built by good old Isambard Kingdom Brunel, finished in 1848,

The construction of the South Devon Railway was granted by an Act of Parliament in 1844. The last 21¼ mile stretch linking Totnes with Plymouth required the building of five substantial viaducts designed by the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806 – 1859). A newspaper article from 10 May 1848 reporting the official opening of the line, describes the spectacle marvelled by the first travelling passengers.

find

Its over 100ft high, I have no idea why they left the original pillars, maybe ground compression or something, the little wood and river is incredibly serene and
beautiful, I really felt like I'd discovered some ancient remains in the Amazon

Quite imposing arching over you alongside the free standing remains of the Brunel structure

You access it down this gorgeous riverside path

Then on to the bridle path to the Dartmoor way, the British love a good sign......which we ignore.

The eyes on the black sheep

Pretty well straight up for five minutes of full power, bottom gear.

The bike can make it, but the constant rocks and tyre grabbing holes puts you your stride, I'm just too old to wrestle with it for long c,imbs.

There are wild ponies and horses on Dartmoor, all the mares were white and the foals black, a hiker joked with me that there must be a black stallion somewhere
and dont wear white

Ive never seen panda cows before

I climbed a Tor, they are granite outcrops on featureless land, the word means tower in Celtic.

Cute calf procession

Ivybridge itself is mostly very ordinary, a generic any town.

Probably its best feature is the river through the centre.

oh and the women
Holy smokes it is full of stunning women, you cant go into any supermarket without falling in love before you leave.

I might stay.

 

[JGcycle]

If I get one nice day out of 6 I'm lucky...

You sure do make up for it when you do get out though.

 

[Mulezen]

Panda =Banded Galoway

 

[BitHigh]

its rained non stop except for a couple of two hour slots where we walked the Panoramic trail and did a bit of the Traws Eryri trail.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Then on to the bridle path to the Dartmoor way, the British love a good sign......which we ignore.

I could see so many gates on your way in so many of your videos. Will all of them open? How does entering a private property is looked upon in Britain?

I'm asking it out of curiosity. For instance, you are free to enter any private property (but not the home!) or a public area in Sweden as long as you behave there and are respectful. In Poland, all public areas have a free access but you are not allowed to enter the private property (the latter is as clear to the Poles as even most of fields are not fenced!)

 

[JGcycle]

A few pics from this morning's 26km ride:

 

[Chargeride]

I could see so many gates on your way in so many of your videos. Will all of them open? How does entering a private property is looked upon in Britain?

I'm asking it out of curiosity. For instance, you are free to enter any private property (but not the home!) or a public area in Sweden as long as you behave there and are respectful. In Poland, all public areas have a free access but you are not allowed to enter the private property (the latter is as clear to the Poles as even most of fields are not fenced!)

They are simply livestock gates on a public way, stop sheep and cattle taking a wander into town.

No, you wouldnt enter a private path unless it also contains a public way.

Its no big deal though, simply 'sorry Im lost' and turn around.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

They are simply livestock gates on a public way, stop sheep and cattle taking a wander into town.

Find out why Poland looks so differently to the United Kingdom

(I also read your two other sentences, thank you!)

 

[RabH]

You sure do make up for it when you do get out though.

Yes I do, any opportunity for a big ride is taken with gusto and today was the case in point!

I noticed I hadn't ridden out to the beautiful Trossachs since June so with a decent forecast today I put that right! The wind was from the NE and around 20mph which is unusual for around here and it didn't really help me until late in my ride and I sure needed it! I set off just before 7am in a northerly direction down the back roads towards Cumbernauld, it was a little chilly but just nice for riding the hills!

Early morning view of the Campsie Hills, I was just skirting round them today until late in my ride!

From Cumbernauld I took the back road through Twechar and on through Kirkintilloch where I truned north for Lennoxtown and had another view of the Campsies down this awesome descent!

I stopped at the Whitefield Pond in Lennoxtown for a snack and a photo!

From there I was heading west towards Strathblane and heard a truck approaching and I knew I had a climb coming just round the bend, I spotted a tiny road off to the left and decided to pull in to let the truck pass and I got a little beep of his horn to say thanks! I noticed there was a line of cars behind the truck, I was holding him up and he was holding them up!While I was waiting for them to pass I noticed a little bridge just around 100 yards up the tiny road and walked up to investigate and came across this lovely view!

A little later I reached Strathblane where I turned north on to the main A81 which runs all the way to Aberfoyle, thankfully the road wasn't busy so I got lucky! I was nearing the village of Dumgoyne and stopped for this photo of the A81 at the Glengoyne Distillery! I didn't stop for any samples as I hate whisky...I guess I'm not a true Scot! I continued along the A81 and reached this long straight with a nice descent and a very nice view of the mountains surrounding the Trossachs National Park!

I stopped again at the bottom of the descent for these photos!

Most of the A81 is in very good condition, I just love riding this road!

I reached the turnoff for Aberfoyle but decided to give it a miss this time and turn east towards Thornhill instead, the reward for going this way is the stunning Lake of Menteith!

One of the reasons I chose this route was the road from Thornhill to Callander which starts with a huge climb and culminates in a truly awesome descent! This is the first climb and it just keeps going up for almost 3 miles!

The descent makes the climb worth the effort and the stunning views just keep coming!

I arrived in Callander and stopped on the bridge in the centre of town for some photos, what a beautiful day it was!

Callander was my turning point so it was time to turn SE on the main A84, a very busy road at times but I timed it nicely today and really enjoyed riding it for many miles which are mostly downhill until I reached Doune! At Doune I decided to take the road to Bridge of Allan which starts with some big climbs and is followed by some brilliant descents!

The scenery isn't too shabby either!

The road is in great condition for the most part!

I passed through a busy Bridge of Allan and turned south for Stirling, the only city I choose to ride my bike through! I know it well and can avoid the congested parts! Now came the huge 4 mile climb from Stirling up over the Campsies, only this time the wind was in my favour and it made the climb so much easier than it usually is!

It really ramps up just after this part!

Then comes the steepest part up past Loch Coulter!

At the top I had an amazing view of the Ochils!

Loch Coulter!

Now I had some big descents to look forward to, at first the road rises and falls like a rollercoaster in parts before arriving in the Carron Valley where I turned east towards Denny and had a 4 mile descent to bask in! That sure was fun despite the 20mph headwind, it didn't slow me down much! From Denny I took the road to Bonnybridge with the intention of taking the back roads up to Falkirk, only to be stifled by a road closure! I thought about chancing it but came up with a nice alternative instead, taking the road to Abronhill where I made a wrong turn which turned out to be a blessing as I enjoyed a very narrow back road with no traffic anywhere!

The road eventually brought me out on the road I was intending to take, I really wasn't sure where it would go...

I then tackled the climb up through Upperton to Longriggend, at the top of the climb I had ascended for just over 14 miles and was feeling it! I enjoyed the descent down Telegraph road into Caldercruix where the 100 miles appeared on my gps, then it was a straight road home and as I arrived in my home town I thought I would head out to the big fast descent at Gartness as the wind was in my favour today! 45.3mph down the booze brae as its known, Inverhouse whisky distillery is close by hence the name!

I arrived home knackered but absolutely buzzing after a brilliant day on the bike! That was imperial century #17 for the year, 3 more than I did in my best year in 2012 way before my e bike days!

 

[Kayakguy]

They are simply livestock gates on a public way, stop sheep and cattle taking a wander into town.

No, you wouldnt enter a private path unless it also contains a public way.

Its no big deal though, simply 'sorry Im lost' and turn around.

In rural areas here (Washington State, and especially east of the Cascades) gates often have an open grid of steel bars to discourage livestock from moving through. When a local politician learned that the state was responsible for "cattle guards," he was offended that the state was hiring people to guard cattle. He lost the next election, as I recall.

 

[MTO]

It was warm yesterday, around 95*F, so we went on a ride out by the coast, where it was foggy and cool. A little too foggy maybe.

Ghostly fog floating by

 

[JGcycle]

A few pics from this morning's 28km ride:

 

[dodgeman]

The bikes are loaded up and we are headed to Springfield Illinois for a trail tomorrow.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Black & White

I was wondering whether putting the screen of my Samsung S24 U smartphone into the Greyscale mode would result in any power saving. The short answer is: it would if you had the screen open all the time and your phone were on the bars However, I use my phone only during the stops, so the gain (if any) was minimal. On the other hand, watching the screen in the shades of gray was a hilarious experience! Bear in mind, the phone "thinks" colour all the time (for instance, any screenshot or a photo is still a colour one, only you see it in black & white). Anyway, I was converting rare photos from my ride to B&W just to give my FB friends an idea what I was seeing on my smartphone myself!

The ride plan was: Vado SL at 60/100%. Ride upwind for a 30 km segment, make a loop through Warsaw, return home (possibly with tailwind or cross-wind all the time). I was running Strava Beacon so my mate Tomek could intercept me in Warsaw (he knew where I was and how fast I was riding all the time).

My ride was a workout to prepare for the Great Lakes Gravel race. I was testing the assistance vs. range, and tried doing minimal stops, especially as it was pleasantly cold at that time!

My upwind segment lead me to the village of Łoś (Elk). I tried to do a shortcut (by Komoot) but I could not believe my eyes! The whole dirt road got damaged by boars (which used to feed in the area). Cursing, I had to return to the main road and found a pretty long detour! Meanwhile, the day became hot.

A longer stop in Zalesie Górne. It was full sunshine already.

"All Roads Lead To Kierszek" Whenever you approach Kabacki Forest from the south (or have missed your way in the Forest), it is easier to find yourself in Kierszek than elsewhere! As I hate riding through Kierszek, I tried to give the photo some post-apocalyptic looks

Tomek intercepted me at Specialized Warsaw (it was nothing interesting there on the day. Even my Creo 2 had disappeared!) We rode to the META Bar as planned for lunch. (The beer here is some crappy big brewery non-alcoholic ale).

I stopped "racing" and just enjoyed my ride with several stops. Here, two men playing ping-pong in a huge housing quarter of Ursynów.

Average Street? Really?

As I reached my local BP service station for traditional Iced Coffee, I realised I might make a Metric Century if I only wanted. Found a very well hidden car-wash (where I washed my Fearless), did shopping etc. When I arrived home with 100.01 km for the day, I only put any electronic device on charging and fell in a deep sleep

Now, an old friend invited me for a visit on Sunday. I can see another Metric Century coming perhaps. Or, not

 

[Mulezen]

My neighbors’ ostentatious display…some people. I first met them after my cows got out and I found them in what passed for their backyard. The woman helped me for an hour getting them back in.
I’ve been riding more, still local, enjoying this cool September weather, unusual this time of year for central Virginia.

 

[dodgeman]

We rode 24 miles on the Sangamon Valley Trail today in Springfield. Nice trail, all paved and still pretty smooth. It runs along the west side of Springfield Illinois. It has a bridge over the Sangamon River. The last picture is where it ends and will be extended some day maybe.

 

[dodgeman]

I briefly rode my brother in law’s Lectric and I think the model is XPress 750. It’s a hub drive, has a throttle, lots of power and torque sensing. He had it set for level 3 and I never touched the throttle. One rotation of the crank and it felt like I was going 15 mph. I turned it down to level 2, still lots of surge with each stroke of the pedal, on level 1 it was pretty decent. I have to admit the power would be nice at times but it would be too tempting to use and not get the workout I want. For the money I can see the attraction, roughly $1300 US.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Yesterday’s ride would take place less than an hour’s drive east of our city limits starting out from the little town of Mirror. From there, we would circumnavigate Buffalo Lake along Hwys 21, 53, 56 and 601.

Not much to say about this quiet tiny hamlet other than it appears to be a peaceful living environment for its residents. It became the hub for pioneer homesteaders between 1870-1930. Back then there were no roads only primitive trails where one would either walk or ride a horse driven cart/wagon. Admission to the Mirror District Museum is based solely on donation but it would have to wait another day as time was pressing and we still had a long ride ahead of us.

This antique market also doubles as the curling rink during winter months.

Today, those same well worn cart trails are now known as highway 21. From here, Sai pushes on north towards the Town of Bashaw 18 km away. Being that it was a weekend, traffic was hectic at times along this stretch of road but nice wide shoulders made it tolerable.

A kilometer up the road is the Mirror cemetery. There are at least 30 others like it within 48km from outside the townsite. These historical burial grounds were built to remember lives and help us to connect to the past.

Bashaw’s town center. Pretty well everything a small community might need is right here including two locally owned grocery stores. Our arrival was a bit of an eye opener. One might ponder how Bashaw’s 850 residents eke out a living but judging by the modest size of its center’s amenities make it out to be a much larger community than we initially thought.

The mural on this remodeled Quonset at the edge of the main street was made to look like the original Texaco station that once occupied the empty lot next to it. The sign though is the original from the old station.

What looked like a church with a resplendent bell tower was, in fact, a café. We wanted to drop by but it just wasn’t meant to be as it was closed for renovations.

We stopped to replenish our water and briefly took shelter from the hot sun before pushing on. Temperature would exceed 30 C later in the day.

At first what I thought might appear to be a bakery turned out to be the town’s cannabis dispensary. Getting baked, I get it.

The local sporting goods…er gunshop/ammo shop.

As we made our way out of the townsite and rode east along #53, it became apparent just how dire the drought conditions have been impacting many of the surrounding wetlands and marshes. Salt and minerals left behind indicate just how dry it’s been recently.

A few kms up the road was the road to Pelican Point Estates. Located 10 km south of Hwy 53, it provides access to the north shores of Buffalo Lake. We started riding along the well manicured road hoping to dip our feet in the cool waters but gave up once we discovered that the out and back would take too much of our time. The searing heat was clearly becoming a concern.

In contrast to the parched roadside ponds, this oasis in the middle of a patchwork of farmland along the Pelican Point road seemed to be fairing much better as indicated by the abundance of wildfowl.

As we completed the east leg along #53 and turned south onto #56, it became apparent that the shoulders were not built with cyclists in mind. With that said, I should point out that many rural roads in the central regions of the province are not. With only inches on either side of the rumble strips, we were forced to ride on the left-most edge of the shoulder much of the time relying religiously on our Varias to monitor traffic approaching from behind us.

I admire the workmanship that goes into the ironwork on some farm entrances. Arches seem to rule the day here while putting pride and purpose on display.

Seems like JT our PM has been working overtime trying to make inroads here.

A typical ranch scene along #601 that featured a cute red barn and well cared for steeds.

Hmmm…I wonder if Ellen would be there to rescue me if I was suddenly attacked by extra-terrestrial xenomorphs.

The final approach to Hwy 21 and only a few more kms to go.

A welcome relief to back in Mirror and it couldn’t have come sooner as we were out of water. The moment we returned to the car, we filled up on electrolytes and hit the road back towards homebase. Today’s recovery ride should be much cooler in comparison. We were scheduled to ride the four hills of Banff on Monday but me thinks that will have to wait until later until next week. 1000 + meters of gain will take all that we can muster if we plan to tackle that ride.

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Not a hell of a lot of winding country roads out that way, Art? You certainly seem to find some balance with the forays over towards Banff and that region!

I got a very nice ride in the other day on a rented Trek Verve over in Niagara On The Lake in Ontario, about fifteen minutes north of Niagara Falls. Absolutely beautiful town, lovely ride along the Niagara River Parkway, scenery all over the place and I never got around to taking a single photo. Massive fail

Edit/additional: I do have a pic of one of the bike paths from an earlier trip, though: