2024 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos
- Thread starter Saratoga Dave
- Start date
MTO
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
That is a short ride for you! Beautiful country!View attachment 184169
I know I said in my last post I would do a short ride but it was just too perfect so I kept going, I thought after 11 days off the bike I would struggle but I felt really strong! Of course my bike makes long rides a breeze, it just makes you want to keep riding and riding so I did!Early this morning we had a hard frost so I drove to Falkirk to have a walk round Callander Park, it was such a nice walk on a beautiful crisp morning! I headed back home and had lunch before setting off at 12.15pm with the frost now completely gone and the sun beating down! With just a light southerly wind it didn't feel cold at all despite temps in the single figures (celsius), as soon as I came to the shaded parts it was a whole different story though!
So I made the decision to go for a hilly ride to keep me warm, I headed out the back roads to Slamannan where I took the road to Avonbridge! After a big climb I had this awesome descent to enjoy!
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It's soon followed by another climb of course!
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At the end of the road I turned east where its a nice gradual downhill into Avonbridge, from there I took the back road to Standburn! Its a very narrow but fun road with little to no traffic, lots of climbing which kept me nice and toasty! Eventually it joins the main road into Standburn which is a bit of a rollercoaster and so much fun, once you reach the village its downhill pretty much all the way to Linlithgow! Its such a great cycling road as there is very little traffic and very fast! Just before arriving in Linlithgow I grabbed this photo of the railway viaduct!
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Linlithgow is always pretty busy and with the sun shining it was busier than usual, I was glad to get through the town and started up the climb towards Bridgend! I stopped for a snack at the top of the climb and snapped a couple of photos looking north with the Ochil Hills in the distance!
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I then turned off the main road to get some photos of the Union Canal near Philpstoun!
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I couldn't believe how warm it was here, with no shade it was really nice to enjoy a bit of warmth! I then headed back to the main road and turned east for Bridgend where I then headed south up the big climb towards Kingscavil! At the top of the climb I turned west towards Beecraigs Country Park, I stopped for this photo looking SE with the Pentland Hills way in the distance!
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I was now looking forward to the big descent into the valley but stopped for a few photos before starting the descent!
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I had this big climb up to the country park to tackle after the descent!
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I hurtled down the hill at just over 41mph, what a buzz that was!
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Part way up the climb I stopped for more photos!
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I had a nice clear view of the bridges over the Forth today!
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Another photo at the top of the climb, you can see the hill I descended at 41mph!
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I had a nice view of the Ochils up here also!
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The climbing wasn't finished yet but thankfully not as steep as the climb up to the park, soon I would have another awesome descent down into Torphicen and it was just amazing! At Torphicen the descent continues down towards Westfield and this part is just as exhilarating as the first part!
The Westfield Viaduct!
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After passing through Westfield I continued west towards Avonbridge, just before the village I turned south to tackle the climb up over Heights! Another big climb which is thankfully followed by a nice descent into Blackridge, from there I turned west towards Caldercruix! At Forestfield I decided to turn south again and take the back road past Forestburn Reservoir, it has been quite a while since I used this road and I was pleasantly surprised to see some nice new tarmac for the first half mile or so! Then it was pretty rough again which didn't surprise me, I was fully expecting it! Its a real rollercoaster road and full of twists and turns and big climbs and big descents, eventually I reached the reservoir!
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The road then joins the main road from Harthill to Salsburgh, I was only on it a short time when I turned south again to take my favourite local back road to Hareshaw! It starts with a big climb and then its pretty much downhill for 5 miles or so and it makes me smile everytime I ride it!At Hareshaw I took the road back to Salsburgh and doubled back to head over the climb at the Blackhill transmitters, its a bit rough in places but has some awesome fast descents!
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Roughrigg Reservoir!
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The next awesome descent, the Campsie Hills are in the background here!
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The descents just keep coming before a short sharp climb and then a long descent into the village of Plains! Normally when I reach Plains I turn west for home but I knew the traffic would be really busy in town so I took the back road towards Greengairs and turned for home on the quieter roads and arrived home with 65 miles in the bag! I'm a bit annoyed that Ridewithgps showed 64.9 when my Wahoo clearly showed 65 when I turned it off!What a cracking return to the saddle that was, I couldn't have asked for a nicer day at this time of year! I'm off to bed now, I'm sure I will have no problem falling asleep after that ride and writing this report...
DaveMatthews
Well-Known Member
Nicely done mate!View attachment 184169
I know I said in my last post I would do a short ride but it was just too perfect so I kept going, I thought after 11 days off the bike I would struggle but I felt really strong! Of course my bike makes long rides a breeze, it just makes you want to keep riding and riding so I did!
So I made the decision to go for a hilly ride to keep me warm, I headed out the back roads to Slamannan where I took the road to Avonbridge! After a big climb I had this awesome descent to enjoy!
View attachment 184170
It's soon followed by another climb of course!
View attachment 184171
At the end of the road I turned east where its a nice gradual downhill into Avonbridge, from there I took the back road to Standburn! Its a very narrow but fun road with little to no traffic, lots of climbing which kept me nice and toasty! Eventually it joins the main road into Standburn which is a bit of a rollercoaster and so much fun, once you reach the village its downhill pretty much all the way to Linlithgow! Its such a great cycling road as there is very little traffic and very fast! Just before arriving in Linlithgow I grabbed this photo of the railway viaduct!
View attachment 184173
Linlithgow is always pretty busy and with the sun shining it was busier than usual, I was glad to get through the town and started up the climb towards Bridgend! I stopped for a snack at the top of the climb and snapped a couple of photos looking north with the Ochil Hills in the distance!
View attachment 184174
View attachment 184175
I then turned off the main road to get some photos of the Union Canal near Philpstoun!
View attachment 184176
View attachment 184177
View attachment 184178
I couldn't believe how warm it was here, with no shade it was really nice to enjoy a bit of warmth! I then headed back to the main road and turned east for Bridgend where I then headed south up the big climb towards Kingscavil! At the top of the climb I turned west towards Beecraigs Country Park, I stopped for this photo looking SE with the Pentland Hills way in the distance!
View attachment 184179
I was now looking forward to the big descent into the valley but stopped for a few photos before starting the descent!
View attachment 184180
View attachment 184181
View attachment 184182
I had this big climb up to the country park to tackle after the descent!
View attachment 184183
I hurtled down the hill at just over 41mph, what a buzz that was!
View attachment 184184
Part way up the climb I stopped for more photos!
View attachment 184185
View attachment 184186
View attachment 184187
I had a nice clear view of the bridges over the Forth today!
View attachment 184188
Another photo at the top of the climb, you can see the hill I descended at 41mph!
View attachment 184189
I had a nice view of the Ochils up here also!
View attachment 184190
The climbing wasn't finished yet but thankfully not as steep as the climb up to the park, soon I would have another awesome descent down into Torphicen and it was just amazing! At Torphicen the descent continues down towards Westfield and this part is just as exhilarating as the first part!
The Westfield Viaduct!
View attachment 184191
After passing through Westfield I continued west towards Avonbridge, just before the village I turned south to tackle the climb up over Heights! Another big climb which is thankfully followed by a nice descent into Blackridge, from there I turned west towards Caldercruix! At Forestfield I decided to turn south again and take the back road past Forestburn Reservoir, it has been quite a while since I used this road and I was pleasantly surprised to see some nice new tarmac for the first half mile or so! Then it was pretty rough again which didn't surprise me, I was fully expecting it! Its a real rollercoaster road and full of twists and turns and big climbs and big descents, eventually I reached the reservoir!
View attachment 184193
View attachment 184194
View attachment 184195
The road then joins the main road from Harthill to Salsburgh, I was only on it a short time when I turned south again to take my favourite local back road to Hareshaw! It starts with a big climb and then its pretty much downhill for 5 miles or so and it makes me smile everytime I ride it!
View attachment 184196
Roughrigg Reservoir!
View attachment 184197
The next awesome descent, the Campsie Hills are in the background here!
View attachment 184198
The descents just keep coming before a short sharp climb and then a long descent into the village of Plains! Normally when I reach Plains I turn west for home but I knew the traffic would be really busy in town so I took the back road towards Greengairs and turned for home on the quieter roads and arrived home with 65 miles in the bag! I'm a bit annoyed that Ridewithgps showed 64.9 when my Wahoo clearly showed 65 when I turned it off!
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
No Specialized for me in London!
One can say these terms are reasonable. Well, it is a way easier to rent a Specialized e-bike in Warsaw but again Warsaw is a pretty safe city Nothing beats the ease of e-bike rental I experienced in Carrick F94 VY84, Co. Donegal, Ireland though
In case you feel an urge to rent a Specialized bike in London, make sure you hold a passport of one of these countries:
Or, a wealthy Norwegian No Canucks either!
Well, renting a Lime or a Santander is easy and nobody would steal the bike from you
One can say these terms are reasonable. Well, it is a way easier to rent a Specialized e-bike in Warsaw but again Warsaw is a pretty safe city
Nothing beats the ease of e-bike rental I experienced in Carrick F94 VY84, Co. Donegal, Ireland though In case you feel an urge to rent a Specialized bike in London, make sure you hold a passport of one of these countries:
- The United Kingdom
- Ireland
- The United States
- Australia or
- Germany.
Or, a wealthy Norwegian No Canucks either!Well, renting a Lime or a Santander is easy and nobody would steal the bike from you
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Prairie Dog
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Red Deer
Thought that I would share footage of our last out and back trip from Minobu to Narada, Yamanashi. Hope that you enjoy watching it as much as we loved riding it.
MTO
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
That’s Japan? It’s crazy how little traffic there is! Love the cable bridge across the river.
Prairie Dog
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Red Deer
People’s depiction of Japan tends to be taken from images and videos primarily of the big cities. However, if you drive or even ride further out in the countryside, it’s much different, more relaxed and laid back in comparison and depending on where, there's likely far less traffic to deal with even on weekends. I was tempted to ride my bike across the bridge but there was little room if any for anyone else to pass by.
From an Astronomy Club member last night. Great bino view, visible with naked eye.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
From a Geography Professor in Toruń yesterday. A telephoto for sure.
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
Thabks for that, I would never have known whar rural japan looks like, I need to research it more.
I have to go one day because they drive on the right-left side of the road.
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
So the 38 quid suspension seatpost is splendid, its a spring version, but uses the parroterreragram linkage to stretch the spring...random, so theres no stiction
Heavier, but adjustable on the go.
Down side is thats as low as it goes.
It comes with a rubber insert to stop dirt and fingers, but I think it suits the bike without it.
Heavier, but adjustable on the go.
Down side is thats as low as it goes.
It comes with a rubber insert to stop dirt and fingers, but I think it suits the bike without it.
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
MTO
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
I’m guessing gps guidance and precision computer technology. Consider the guiding and stabilizing technology that our little drones have, then times that by a zillion.
The blue angels pilots consist of 17 qualified pilots that they choose from for any given show, and a few of them are actually women.
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
Your reply sparked my interest, when was gps turned on?
Its a bit complicated, there was a system called Transit before it and gps itself was given open to the public in 1995.
But the story of why it was released from military only is very sad, a Korean airliner wandered into Russia and was shot down in 1983, Reagan responded by making gps open for civilian use once it was fully operational.
At least thats the official story.
Everytime I use my phone out in the wild for directions, Im always reminded that the US is providing it unencrypted for free.
Tbh this is hard to track down, but we used a handheld gps in 1997 up in the Northern territories, so it was unencrypted then.
Id be bugrd without it on most of my rides, though Im sure my phone uses the Ruskies as well.
Its a bit complicated, there was a system called Transit before it and gps itself was given open to the public in 1995.
But the story of why it was released from military only is very sad, a Korean airliner wandered into Russia and was shot down in 1983, Reagan responded by making gps open for civilian use once it was fully operational.
At least thats the official story.
Everytime I use my phone out in the wild for directions, Im always reminded that the US is providing it unencrypted for free.
Tbh this is hard to track down, but we used a handheld gps in 1997 up in the Northern territories, so it was unencrypted then.
Id be bugrd without it on most of my rides, though Im sure my phone uses the Ruskies as well.
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Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
The colours of Autumn and the weather are gorgeous where you live!
RabH
Well-Known Member
I had a choice to go out today and risk getting wet or wait until tomorrow and risk my life with 40mph+ winds, I chose today and I did get wet!
After the freezing temps recently it was all change yesterday with a high of 16C but it was very wet and very windy so cycling was the last thing on my mind...today it was 14C when I set off before midday and we had a SW wind around 20-25mph so I wasn't too bothered about getting wet becuase it was so mild!I opted to head out to Strathaven as I haven't been there for a while, its SSW of me so I was into the wind for the first 28 miles! I headed out to the Clyde Valley at Overtown where I had an awesome descent down the Horsley Brae into Garrion Bridge, I managed 43.2mph down it! Its way more fun going down and you get views like this to enjoy!
I stopped on the bridge for a photo of the River Clyde, looking west!
I then had a short sharp climb out of the valley and joined the valley road again out to Ferniegair, then on to the busy town of Hamilton! From there I had a big climb up the Low Waters Road and near the top I turned on to the back road towards Quarter! This is such a fun road and very quiet, it rises and falls for miles and is very twisty so my favourite kind of road! I was nearing Glassford and came across wet roads for the first time!
The scene ahead of me was pretty dismal now, I was certain it was going to be wet at Strathaven and I wasn't wrong! Just as I arrived in town with 27 miles covered the heavens opened, thankfully after passing through it looked a bit more promising ahead!
As I headed down the hill things really changed and I was greeted with this scene!
I saw a lady approaching with a dog and warned her of the conditions just up the hill in Strathaven, I looked up and timed it perfect for this rainbow shot!
I then climbed the hill into Sandford and started along the rollercoaster road towards Kirkmuirhill, all the time the sky out to the SW was looking very gloomy but it was dry for now as I was heading east! At Kirkmuirhill I turned at the church and headed down into the valley below, a lovely big fast descent with some blue sky ahead!
As soon as you reach the valley floor the road ramps up again, I stopped part way up for this photo with the church in the distance!
I continued up the climb through Auchenheath and was soon at the top with the Clyde Valley down below me!
Then I had the awesome descent down into the valley!
I grabbed a couple of photos on the way down!
I arrived in the valley at Hazelbank and continued east for Kirkfieldbank where I stopped at the bridge over the River Clyde for a couple of photos before tackling the toughest climb of the day up to Lanark!
I stopped near the top for this photo before arriving in Lanark, oh to be rich and own a property like this...
As soon as I arrived in the busy town of Lanark I turned NE for Cleghorn and things started to get a bit murky again and I could feel rain in the air again, this was the scene looking back towards Lanark! Its hard to tell from the photo but it was very dark and the wind was blowing it my way!
I had no chance of outrunning it with the wind speed and a little further up the climb things really closed in!
It was pretty much all around me and soon the rain got really heavy, I was going to continue north into Forth but decided to turn off and take the back road to Yieldshields instead as its a much quieter road and I could see a clearing in the sky in the distance! At the moment though the rain was still coming down and I then got my second rainbow of the day!
A few minutes later my change of route paid off and I was greeted with this scene, I was amazed to see dry roads!
Looking south towards the Pentland Hills, it looked dismal out that way!
A short time later I arrived in Yieldshields and took the back road to Carluke, a great road these days after being fully resurfaced earlier this year! From Carluke I took my usual awesome back roads to Allanton and up the big climb to Hareshaw and over the back roads to home! By the time I got home I had dried out and just had enough time to wash the bike before the rain arrived! I'm so glad I decided to go out today despite getting soaked twice, riding in winds over 40mph isn't my idea of fun so tomorrow I will have a nice lazy day! My next ride should see me passing 35000 miles on my amazing bike, I only need 61 to reach that milestone!
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