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

[Stefan Mikes]

Also the orange mtb in the middle of the road looks stupid/dangerous unless that line of traffic is completely stopped.

This is normal for Britain (ask me how I know)
OK, it is the only way to be able to ride in a road congestion. Had the same on London Tower Bridge and trust me, I was the most sensible of the cyclists there! You should see the acrobatics of roadies and food couriers in dense British traffic!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

All Bridges of Warsaw
Sunday 3 November 2024

This post will contain too many pictures As I could ride many (but not all) London bridges just a week ago, I thought I could do the same now for Warsaw My trip started late as I was waiting for clear skies and a little bit less cold weather. Cycled to the train station, and took an SKM (Fast Urban Commuter) to the City of Warsaw. Then, I changed to M1 Metro to reach its northern terminal station. There, my trip really began.

General information
Vistula bridges in Warsaw are pretty high. There is a big elevation difference between her left and right banks. (Rivers are feminine in Polish). Also, the Vistula is not regulated; the river can be almost dry during the drought, and it can flood in wet months. There's very little shipping on the river. When you watch the pictures, you'll notice Warsaw turns her back from the river. It was very different in the historic times, when the Vistula was a major waterway!

The Vistula north of Marie Curie (or, Northern) Bridge (#1). There is no bridge until Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki (near the Warsaw Modlin Airport), which is far away.

Cyclists love Marie Curie Bridge because of its wide smooth bike path with easy access. Only getting onto the bridge requires serious climbing!

As the Vistula is unregulated on her right (east) bank, there is a multi-kilometre embankment. There is a whole system of nice bike paths along the river, used mostly by cyclists but also runners, inline skaters, and pedestrian. The flood area between the embankment and the river often includes picturesque gravel trails, ridden every week by cycling clubs.

Żerań MUP Bridge near to the powerplant. It crosses the Royal Canal (which connects Zegrzyński Lake with the Vistula) and runs parallel to the river, so it does not count in my statistics.

Vistula River north of Gen. Grot Bridge (#2). You can see the Żerań Powerplant, which delivers power and district heating to a half of Warsaw.

The Olympic Centre on the left river bank.

The left-hand river bank forms the Boulevards. Warsaw is still a "green city" with plethora of parks and greenery.

'The Worm'

Gdański Bridge, and its famous 'Spiral Staircase' (1959), which is a free-standing structure. It played a role in many Polish movies.

Gdański Bridge (#3) is in my opinion the most beautiful of Warsaw bridges, and many wedding photographers will agree with me The lower part of the bridge is for trams, cyclists and pedestrians (separate paths!) The upper bridge is for road transport. The dual bridge is for railways.

The view on the Old and New Town from Śląsko-Dąbrowski Bridge (#4). (Old Warsawers such as myself call the crossing 'Kierbedź Bridge' to honour the constructor of the original bridge). The Royal Castle looks very big from this perspective. The brick building with a green roof is the Warsaw Cathedral. Far right, there is a small white-green dome: that's in New Town. This bridge is not cycling friendly. You can cross it riding with traffic or on a sidewalk.

Two Presidents of Great Warsaw. Stefan Starzyński (right) was the President from 1934, and he really pushed a lot of the city development forward. He was heroic during the German invasion of September 1939, and was killed by Gestapo later that year. Julian S. Kulski was the vice-President since 1935, and he led the city 1939-1944 (under the Nazi occupation), showing a patriotic attitude. He survived the war.

Śląsko-Dąbrowski (Kierbedź) Bridge. The tall twin towers is the St. Florian Neo-Gothic Cathedral in Praga, the right bank quarter of Warsaw.

Spinka (Bicycle Chain-Link) or Agrafka (Safety Pin) MUP bridge (#5) built by our current President of Warsaw Mr. Rafał Trzaskowski, and put in use this very year. It connects Mariensztat (Town of Mary) with Old Praga. There was a lot of critics around this bridge; for instance, cyclists were pointing out the bridge was too narrow and missing bike paths etc. However, Warsawers loved that bridge and it is crowded whenever the weather is fair. I cannot fail noticing Mr. Trzaskowski is copying the best ideas of London (Millenium Bridge in this case) I could give several examples: The Five Corners Square mimics London's Seven Dials. The Museum of Modern Art is taken from Tate Modern. Varso Tower tries to be as good as The Shard etc.

National Stadium and Holy Cross Bridge as seen from Chain-Link. (We are not fond of the form of the National Stadium a.k.a. The Basket but we use it)

A closer look at Old and New Town. Unfortunately, the white non-historical building obscures the view!

On the Chain-Link facing Old Praga. Notice the skid marks made by bicycles!

The skyline of the City of Warsaw as seen from Holy Cross Bridge (#6). Notice the skyscraper left to the Palace of Culture and Science (PKiN). It is Varso Tower, the second highest building in Europe (after The Shard), and the highest building in the European Union.

Warsaw Mermaid (1937) -- the symbol of the city relentlessness -- and Holy Cross Bridge. (Everybody is taking exactly the same photo shot!)

Prince Józef Poniatowski Bridge (#7) is the most cycling unfriendly Vistula crossing of Warsaw. No issue if you ride directly from or to the City. However, it is hardly possible to get onto that bridge with your bike if you are riding along the Vistula! See the situation: I carried my Vado SL by several obscure staircases to get blocked on a tram stop! I even don't want to describe how I got onto the road but it was extremely dangerous! (If I got to a bus stop instead, it would be a way easier...)

Rowers as seen from Łazienkowski Bridge (#8).

A view from Łazienkowski Bridge. National Stadium and Poniatowski Bridge are clearly seen. You also can see the pylon of Holy Cross Bridge in the background.

A replica of a historical Vistula boat (galar). I think I had a trip on that very boat several years ago, and her skipper appeared to know me from the times I listened to folk music!

Łazienkowski Bridge has bike paths on each side! The 1974 bridge already burned in 1976 during political unrest, and it also burned in 2015.

Siekierkowski Bridge (#9). It is very difficult to approach the bridge for its photo, so everybody is taking shots of the bridge pylons instead (A bike path on each side!)

The best view of the City of Warsaw. Only this view shows how tall Varso Tower actually is! The distance between the camera and the City is 6 kilometres!

A view from Ann the Jagiellon, or Southern Bridge of Warsaw (#10). You can still spot the City, which is 13.7 km away! (The view is obscured by Siekierki Powerplant). As you can see, the Vistula carries a lot of sand, which is not bad as the high quality sand is needed by the construction industry. See the stupid driver who rode onto the 'dune' and had to back off on the reverse

A Historical Note
Poland only had Kings, even if the King was female (A Queen was the wife to King). Ann the Jagiellon was the second female King of Poland until she married Stefan Batory. Post Batory's death, Ann could have regained the throne but she preferred to support her Swedish nephew Sigismund Vasa. As Sigismund III became the King, he moved the capital city of Poland from Cracow to Warsaw, and Ann spent the last years of her life in our city. Now, Ann the Jagiellon is honoured in the 10th bridge name.

The sunset over Ann the Jagiellon Bridge.

All cycling capable bridges of Warsaw:

1. Marie Curie (Northern)
2. Gen. Stefan 'Grot' Rowecki
3. Gdański
4. Śląsko-Dąbrowski
5. Spinka (Chain-Link)
6. Świętokrzyski (Holy Cross)
7. Prince Józef Poniatowski
8. Łazienkowski
9. Siekierkowski
10. Ann The Jagiellon (Southern)

I returned by M1 Metro to the City. My trip covered almost all Warsaw north to south, and my Metro trip involved almost the whole line length (Warsaw extends more to NE, and to the South).

 

[Rás Cnoic]

Yep I was a bike courier for a stint back in the day, late 80s when a student, then had a night shift job in a warehouse which meant cycling across London every night at 3am. It was a great buzz! ten years living & often commuting in London traffic and the safest way is often outside the line of traffic. Inside gets hemmed in and very vulnerable to car doors suddenly opening -black cabs the worst for that. Or cars turning left without signalling. Had plenty of crashes caused by both of these luckily nothing really bad, just bruising. Key to cycling in London traffic is to be clearly seen, to make eye contact and occasionally be aggressive so the vehicles are aware of you. But actually in a lot of ways it’s safer then the country roads I ride now because in London the speeds are mostly well below 30mph or even usually barely crawling because of jams. I always tried to avoid the massive roundabouts south of the river or underpasses like at Euston where the traffic is fast and chaotic. That was asking for trouble. Plus today with so many more people cycling & all the bike super highways it’s much easier to link up good routes. Spent a week with my boy cycling around London last summer when he had a week work experience. So much better than the tube & so much cheaper using the Boris bikes. Coming up from Dartmoor the boy couldn’t get over how flat it was and after a nervous day or two absolutely loved cycling the streets. On the 2 lane country roads with the speed limit 50 or even just 40mph people can drive stupidly fast in the twisty roads. That’s where getting hit by a car or truck will kill you outright.

 

[BlackHand]

Got out on a brisk 50k ride yesterday, keeping the Falcon mostly in Eco with a few stretches of no assist when I remembered to turn it off. Got home 2 minutes before sunset. Guess I might need a decent light if I want to keep riding the Falcon in the dark season.

 

[Chargeride]

All Bridges of Warsaw
Sunday 3 November 2024

This post will contain too many pictures As I could ride many (but not all) London bridges just a week ago, I thought I could do the same now for Warsaw My trip started late as I was waiting for clear skies and a little bit less cold weather. Cycled to the train station, and took an SKM (Fast Urban Commuter) to the City of Warsaw. Then, I changed to M1 Metro to reach its northern terminal station. There, my trip really began.

General information
Vistula bridges in Warsaw are pretty high. There is a big elevation difference between her left and right banks. (Rivers are feminine in Polish). Also, the Vistula is not regulated; the river can be almost dry during the drought, and it can flood in wet months. There's very little shipping on the river. When you watch the pictures, you'll notice Warsaw turns her back from the river. It was very different in the historic times, when the Vistula was a major waterway!

View attachment 185291
The Vistula north of Marie Curie (or, Northern) Bridge (#1). There is no bridge until Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki (near the Warsaw Modlin Airport), which is far away.

View attachment 185292
Cyclists love Marie Curie Bridge because of its wide smooth bike path with easy access. Only getting onto the bridge requires serious climbing!

View attachment 185293
As the Vistula is unregulated on her right (east) bank, there is a multi-kilometre embankment. There is a whole system of nice bike paths along the river, used mostly by cyclists but also runners, inline skaters, and pedestrian. The flood area between the embankment and the river often includes picturesque gravel trails, ridden every week by cycling clubs.


View attachment 185295
Żerań MUP Bridge near to the powerplant. It crosses the Royal Canal (which connects Zegrzyński Lake with the Vistula) and runs parallel to the river, so it does not count in my statistics.

View attachment 185296
Vistula River north of Gen. Grot Bridge (#2). You can see the Żerań Powerplant, which delivers power and district heating to a half of Warsaw.

View attachment 185297
The Olympic Centre on the left river bank.

View attachment 185298
The left-hand river bank forms the Boulevards. Warsaw is still a "green city" with plethora of parks and greenery.

View attachment 185299
'The Worm'

View attachment 185300
Gdański Bridge, and its famous 'Spiral Staircase' (1959), which is a free-standing construction. It played a role in many Polish movies.

View attachment 185301
Gdański Bridge (#3) is in my opinion the most beautiful of Warsaw bridges, and many wedding photographers will agree with me The lower part of the bridge is for trams, cyclists and pedestrians (separate paths!) The upper bridge is for road transport. The dual bridge is for railways.

View attachment 185302
The view on the Old and New Town from Śląsko-Dąbrowski Bridge (#4). (Old Warsawers such as myself call the crossing 'Kierbedź Bridge' to honour the constructor of the original bridge). The Royal Castle looks very big from this perspective. The brick building with a green roof is the Warsaw Cathedral. Far right, there is a small white-green dome: that's in New Town. This bridge is not cycling friendly. You can cross it riding with traffic or on a sidewalk.

View attachment 185303
Two Presidents of Great Warsaw. Stefan Starzyński (right) was the President from 1934, and he really pushed a lot of the city development forward. He was heroic during the German invasion of September 1939, and was killed by Gestapo later that year. Julian S. Skulski was the vice-President since 1935, and he led the city 1939-1944 (under the Nazi occupation), showing a patriotic attitude. He survived the war.

View attachment 185304
Śląsko-Dąbrowski (Kierbedź) Bridge. The tall twin towers is the St. Florian Neo-Gothic Cathedral in Praga, the right bank quarter of Warsaw.

View attachment 185305
Spinka (Bicycle Chain-Link) or Agrafka (Safety Pin) MUP bridge (#5) built by our current President of Warsaw Mr. Rafał Trzaskowski, and put in use this very year. It connects Mariensztat (Town of Mary) with Old Praga. There was a lot of critics around this bridge; for instance, cyclists were pointing out the bridge was too narrow and missing bike paths etc. However, Warsawers loved that bridge and it is crowded whenever the weather is fair. I cannot fail noticing Mr. Trzaskowski is copying the best ideas of London (Millenium Bridge in this case) I could give several examples: The Five Corners Square mimics London's Seven Dials. The Museum of Modern Art is taken from Tate Modern. Varso Tower tries to be as good as The Shard etc.

View attachment 185306
National Stadium and Holy Cross Bridge as seen from Chain-Link. (We are not fond of the form of the National Stadium a.k.a. The Basket but we use it)

View attachment 185307
A closer look at Old and New Town. Unfortunately, the white non-historical building obscures the view!

View attachment 185308
On the Chain-Link facing Old Praga. Notice the skid marks made by bicycles!

View attachment 185309
The skyline of the City of Warsaw as seen from Holy Cross Bridge (#6). Notice the skyscraper left to the Palace of Culture and Science (PKiN). It is Varso Tower, the second highest building in Europe (after The Shard), and the highest building in the European Union.

View attachment 185310
Warsaw Mermaid (1937) -- the symbol of the city relentlessness -- and Holy Cross Bridge. (Everybody is taking exactly the same photo shot!)

View attachment 185312
Prince Józef Poniatowski Bridge (#7) is the most cycling unfriendly Vistula crossing of Warsaw. No issue if you ride directly from or to the City. However, it is hardly possible to get onto that bridge with your bike if you are riding along the Vistula! See the situation: I carried my Vado SL by several obscure staircases to get blocked on a tram stop! I even don't want to describe how I got onto the road but it was extremely dangerous! (If I got to a bus stop instead, it would be a way easier...)


View attachment 185314
Rowers as seen from Łazienkowski Bridge (#8).

View attachment 185315
A view from Łazienkowski Bridge. National Stadium and Poniatowski Bridge are clearly seen. You also can see the pylon of Holy Cross Bridge in the background.

View attachment 185316
A replica of a historical Vistula boat (galar). I think I had a trip on that very boat several years ago, and her skipper appeared to know me from the times I listened to folk music!

View attachment 185317
Łazienkowski Bridge has bike paths on each side! The 1974 bridge already burned in 1976 during political unrest, and it also burned in 2015.

View attachment 185319
Siekierkowski Bridge (#9). It is very difficult to approach the bridge for its photo, so everybody is taking shots of the bridge pylons instead (A bike path on each side!)

View attachment 185320
The best view of the City of Warsaw. Only this view shows how tall Varso Tower actually is! The distance between the camera and the City is 6 kilometres!


View attachment 185321
A view from Ann the Jagiellon, or Southern Bridge of Warsaw (#10). You can still spot the City, which is 13.7 km away! (The view is obscured by Siekierki Powerplant). As you can see, the Vistula carries a lot of sand, which is not bad as the high quality sand is needed by the construction industry. See the stupid driver who rode onto the 'dune' and had to back off on the reverse

A Historical Note
Poland only had Kings, even if the King was female (A Queen was the wife to King). Ann the Jagiellon was the second female King of Poland until she married Stefan Batory. Post Batory's death, Ann could have regained the throne but she preferred to support her Swedish nephew Sigismund Vasa. As Sigismund III became the King, he moved the capital city of Poland from Cracow to Warsaw, and Ann spent the last years of her life in our city. Now, Ann the Jagiellon is honoured in the 10th bridge name.

View attachment 185322
The sunset over Ann the Jagiellon Bridge.

View attachment 185323
All cycling capable bridges of Warsaw:

1. Marie Curie (Northern)
2. Gen. Stefan 'Grot' Rowecki
3. Gdański
4. Śląsko-Dąbrowski
5. Spinka (Chain-Link)
6. Świętokrzyski (Holy Cross)
7. Prince Józef Poniatowski
8. Łazienkowski
9. Siekierkowski
10. Ann The Jagiellon (Southern)

I returned by M1 Metro to the City. My trip covered almost all Warsaw north to south, and my Metro trip involved almost the whole line length (Warsaw extends more to NE, and to the South).

Lovely, but whats with this bridge obsession, is it a new achievement in Strava

 

[Chargeride]

Caught hike biking, but the path is 99% rideable, tbh it is doable, but sliding into the sea put us off.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

In The Warsaw City Centre
Which is the very centre of the City

Under progressive local governments, a lot has been done to promote cycling in Poland. Here, inside an SKM train. SKM belongs to ZTM (Transport for Warsaw), and the tickets are shared with KM (Mazovian Railways), and WKD (Warsaw Commuter Train). (Yes @Chargeride I know there is a British vodka brand by the name of WKD!) Important: you do not pay for transporting your bike in Warsaw or in the whole Mazovia. You only need to reserve space and pay for your bike on long distance trains.

The City Centre. Palace of Culture and Science PKiN (read: Peking) on the right and Varso Tower (left) are the highest buildings in Poland. (Wrocław's Sky Tower is very high but not that high). FYI: PKiN is the highest of all Soviet constructed 'palaces', and it is higher than any similar 'palace' of Moscow!

There is a well known anecdote. When the architect Lev Rudnev was standing with both Soviet and Polish Communist officials in Praga (right bank Warsaw) in early 1950s, there was an aeroplane with a large balloon attached hovering above the post-war ruins of Warsaw, as the experiment was to set the future PKiN height. 'Higher, higher comrade!' the Polish officials cheered When the height of PKiN was eventually determined, Rudnev was reportedly pale out of fear He had never designed anything that high!

Inside Warsaw Metro.

A cycling friendly city.

PKiN and Golden 44 at night.

Lovely, but whats with this bridge obsession, is it a new achievement in Strava

You didn't read before It is the Leonhard Euler "Seven Bridges of Konigsberg" mathematical problem of 1736.

 

[MartsEbike]

In The Warsaw City Centre
Which is the very centre of the City

View attachment 185335
Under progressive local governments, a lot has been done to promote cycling in Poland. Here, inside an SKM train. SKM belongs to "Transport for Warsaw", and the tickets are shared with KM (Mazovian Railways), and WKD (Warsaw Commuter Train). (Yes @Chargeride I know there is a British vodka brand by the name of WKD!) Important: you do not pay for transporting your bike in Warsaw or in the whole Mazovia. You only need to reserve space and pay for your bike on long distance trains.

View attachment 185336
The City Centre. Palace of Culture and Science PKiN (read: Peking) on the right and Varso Tower (left) are the highest buildings in Poland. (Wrocław's Sky Tower is very high but not that high). FYI: PKiN is the highest of all Soviet constructed 'palaces', and it is higher than any similar 'palace' of Moscow!

There is a well known anecdote. When the architect Lev Rudnev was standing with both Soviet and Polish Communist officials in Praga (right bank Warsaw) in early 1950s, there was an aeroplane with a large balloon attached hovering above the post-war ruins of Warsaw, as the experiment was to set the future PKiN height. 'Higher, higher comrade!' the Polish officials cheered When the height of PKiN was eventually determined, Rudnev was reportedly white on his face out of fear He had never designed anything that high!

View attachment 185337
Inside Warsaw Metro.

View attachment 185341
A cycling friendly city.

View attachment 185342
PKiN and Golden 44 at night.


You didn't read before It is the Leonhard Euler "Seven Bridges of Konigsberg" mathematical problem of 1736.

Great pics of Warsaw! What camera do you use? They look too good for a phone camera! Or perhaps you're just a good photographer!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Great pics of Warsaw! What camera do you use? They look too good for a phone camera! Or perhaps you're just a good photographer!

It's a Samsung S24 Ultra but I process photos in Adobe Lightroom Classic and give the final touch with ON1 Effects

 

[MartsEbike]

It's a Samsung S24 Ultra but I process photos in Adobe Lightroom Classic and give the final touch with ON1 Effects

Wow surprising! Very sharp photos, edited well! I was expecting it to be an expensive DSLR! I think the Warsaw tourist board will be in touch soon asking for permission to use some of these pics.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Agree, excellent photos from Stefan here, as usual.

Famous Colorado landscape photographer John Fielder shot his entire Yampa River float trip through NW Colorado on an iPhone. For his next coffee table book, no less. That's when I decided to make my Samsung Note5's even better camera my default, demoting my heavy, bulky Canon 7D to special use.

Wouldn't be surprised to find Fielder books on most of the coffee tables in Colorado. If a phone camera's good enough for him, it's plenty good enough for me — and I'm pretty picky.

 

[MartsEbike]

I stuck some big knobbly tyres on the Frey EX and went looking for muddy ground this afternoon. Only a short ride of 14miles. Most of it in the dark so not many pics to share!

Its still misty, murky and grey out!

Lights on... The nights arrive quick in winter! By 5pm its pitch black down these paths.

Spotted this fury thing in the undergrowth... Only a blooming Wallaby!

Not for the fainthearted riding off-road in the dark, but it sure is fun. I lost the path just beyond this point and started making my own path through thick tree growth.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Stopped in at South Ponto Beach on today's sunset coast ride on the Vado SL.

It happened to be low tide — in fact, a lower low than usual at 3 days past the new moon. The wide expanse of firm, damp sand was just begging for a ride.

Normally don't expose the SL to the salt and sand of beach rides — have my old hub-drive for that. But I just couldn't resist.

The 38 mm Pathfinder Pro gravel tires performed beautifully at 38 psi. So little sinkage, in fact, that no assist was needed.

Didn't even try to ride South Ponto's ever-present cobble berm. This stuff is treacherous — even with 2.3" hybrid tires!

Never tire of the backlit waves and spindrift this time of day.

Time to go. Usually ride this ebike in ECO or OFF mode, but the fast-fading light was a good excuse to sprint home in SPORT the whole way.

 

[RabH]

I finally had a nice day and enjoyed a cracking ride, conditions were just perfect with light winds and a temp of 10C! I had a nice walk in the morning when it was rather misty and headed out on the bike just after midday and even had a big yellow glow in the sky that has been almost non existent for weeks! I made my way down to the Clyde Valley and had a blast flying down the descent into Crossford, I stopped before the descent for some photos where you can see it really was sunny!

The start of the descent!

Looking back up the hill here!

The River Clyde at Crossford!

The old footbridge part way along the valley, it has been closed for years sadly!

I continued along the valley into Kirkfieldbank and it was time for the huge climb up into Lanark, its only half a mile but a 10% average ascent! I arrived in Lanark and turned north for Cleghorn up over the railway crossing and luckily I only had a short wait as a single train passed through!

The colours at this time of year are just glorious!

Tinto hill to the south!

After the climb I stopped for a couple of photos at Harelaw with the Pentlands Hills way in the distance!

I then turned east towards Carstairs and then north to enjoy the quiet back roads towards Braehead, passing the Alpacas on the way!

The loner!

After passing the Alpacas I turned east for Auchengray and stopped for more photos along the way with the Pentlands still in view and a little closer!

From Auchengray I continued north through Woolfords and enjoyed the quiet roads and the lovely views!

After quite a bit of climbing from Woolfords it was time for some lovely descents again!

Just over 42mph down this one!

At the end of the road I turned NE for West Calder and then headed west through Stoneyburn and then north up the big climb through Longridge which is followed by some nice descents through Whitburn! I then joined the cycle path up into Armadale and took the back road to Blackridge, a very narrow but very smooth road!

I timed it nice to catch setting sun just before Blackridge, my favourite photos of the day!

At Blackridge I turned west for home, pretty much a straight road from here! I was passing Hillend Loch and decided to stop for one last photo, it was a shame the sun had gone down as it would have looked incredible!

I arrived home just as it got dark, my timing was pretty much spot on!It was so good to see the sun again, the temp dropped dramatically when it went down though but what a brilliant day for riding a bike!

 

[Readytoride]

@RabH - Thank you for the lovely photos and your wonderful tales of your rides. It's always a pleasure to read.

 

[MartsEbike]

Had a little ride out on the Vado SL 5.0 last night.

Luton Town Hall. Just out of shot I had a couple of shifty characters eyeing me up and then walking in my direction, too close for comfort. Possibly phone snatchers! I quickly moved on.

As you exit Luton on the Nation Cycling Route 6 you'll find silhouette statues of Eric Morecambe, Capability Brown and a Luton Sea Scout.

Eric Morecambe, of Morecambe and Wise fame, was a comedian and entertainer and a fan of the local Luton Town Football Club. Capability Brown was a famous landscape architect, responsible for landscaping many stately homes, including the nearby Luton Hoo. (Now a hotel and spa!). I have no idea why they've included a Sea Scout!

Reached Harpenden, a small market town just 7 miles away. Couldn't help but take a pic of a pub I frequented many times in my younger days! The George, located on the highstreet.

Finally reached St Albans, where you can find many interesting and historic buildings. Below is the City Hall, it also use to function as a court house. Today it's a museum and art gallery. They've restored the old court rooms and cells where they now give lectures about local history. Surprising given this city has existed since Roman times, and with evidence of such all around, the museum itself is rather sparse of artefacts!

Looking down the highstreet

Another photo of a side road heading towards St Albans Cathedral.

The Great Gateway of the Monastery

Going through the arch there is a sign giving more information about the buildings history.

Right next-door you'll find St Albans Cathedral.

Ye Olde Fighting Cocks pub - St Albans, was once listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest pub in England. Its listing was removed about 20 years ago as the claim couldn't be verified. However, its certainly very old!

Next up was the "Old Town" in Hemel Hempstead, where you couldn't miss the tall spire of St Marys Church.

My phone battery was low by this point so I grabbed a pic of the "old town" highstreet and then moved on.

On the home stretch now. My garmin took me along pitch black plus boggy bridleways and country lanes, and too top it off then headed up the canal towpath.

4 Miles of riding a bike with no suspension down a bumpy towpath, in the dark and right next to water, was like hell on earth. Never again! My backside still hurts and I'm surprised I didn't end up in the canal.

Finished it off by stopping off at the KFC in Leighton Buzzard. By this point I was done, I could take no more... I just needed food and to get home as quick as possible. Turbo Mode all the way!

My filthy dirty Vado SL after the ride... Mudguards would be a good investment.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Had a little ride out on the Vado SL 5.0 last night.

Wow, over 80 km with 750 m elevation gain! And you say you are not fit? Curious how much of battery charge was left post ride?

Mudguards would be a good investment.

SKS Speedrockers and never look back! (as long as your tyres are still 38s)

 

[Chargeride]

Had a little ride out on the Vado SL 5.0 last night.

View attachment 185427

View attachment 185426

Luton Town Hall. Just out of shot I had a couple of shifty characters eyeing me up and then walking in my direction, too close for comfort. Possibly phone snatchers! I quickly moved on.

View attachment 185423

As you exit Luton on the Nation Cycling Route 6 you'll find silhouette statues of Eric Morecambe, Capability Brown and a Luton Sea Scout.

Eric Morecambe, of Morecambe and Wise fame, was a comedian and entertainer and a fan of the local Luton Town Football Club. Capability Brown was a famous landscape architect, responsible for landscaping many stately homes, including the nearby Luton Hoo. (Now a hotel and spa!). I have no idea why they've included a Sea Scout!

View attachment 185425

Reached Harpenden, a small market town just 7 miles away. Couldn't help but take a pic of a pub I frequented many times in my younger days! The George, located on the highstreet.

View attachment 185428

Finally reached St Albans, where you can find many interesting and historic buildings. Below is the City Hall, it also use to function as a court house. Today it's a museum and art gallery. They've restored the old court rooms and cells where they now give lectures about local history. Surprising given this city has existed since Roman times, and with evidence of such all around, the museum itself is rather sparse of artefacts!

View attachment 185429

Looking down the highstreet

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Another photo of a side road heading towards St Albans Cathedral.

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The Great Gateway of the Monastery

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Going through the arch there is a sign giving more information about the buildings history.

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Right next-door you'll find St Albans Cathedral.

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Ye Olde Fighting Cocks pub - St Albans, was once listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest pub in England. Its listing was removed about 20 years ago as the claim couldn't be verified. However, its certainly very old!

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Next up was the "Old Town" in Hemel Hempstead, where you couldn't miss the tall spire of St Marys Church.

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My phone battery was low by this point so I grabbed a pic of the "old town" highstreet and then moved on.

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On the home stretch now. My garmin took me along pitch black plus boggy bridleways and country lanes, and too top it off then headed up the canal towpath.

4 Miles of riding a bike with no suspension down a bumpy towpath, in the dark and right next to water, was like hell on earth. Never again! My backside still hurts and I'm surprised I didn't end up in the canal.

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Finished it off by stopping off at the KFC in Leighton Buzzard. By this point I was done, I could take no more... I just needed food and to get home as quick as possible. Turbo Mode all the way!

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My filthy dirty Vado SL after the ride... Mudguards would be a good investment.

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Holy crp, at night, you mad hero.

 

[MartsEbike]

Wow, over 80 km with 750 m elevation gain! And you say you are not fit? Curious how much of battery charge was left post ride?

SKS Speedrockers and never look back! (as long as your tyres are still 38s)

Hi Stefan haha I'm getting fitter and more confident on this bike! Its liberating knowing you won't be completely stranded if you run out of power!

I'm definitely going to invest in mudguards, and a suspension seat post! I have some Crankbrothers pedals being delivered tomorrow too

I also have a range extender! I rode to St Albans on virtually no power, just a couple of squirts of eco mode to help on a few small hills but otherwise over half of this ride was unpowered. When I got to St Albans I still had 142% of charge. The built-in lights had used up around 5-6% of charge!

By the time I reached Hemel Hempstead I still had 122% of charge available! After that I was in "get home mode", and knowing I had power to spare it was pretty much all Sports and Turbo mode - especially down the bridleways and canal towpath. My legs didn't have much left in them by then!

The "off-road" sections used up most of the charge but I still reached home with 86% charge in the batteries. This might be the first bike I'll do a 100 mile ride on.

 

[RabH]

@RabH - Thank you for the lovely photos and your wonderful tales of your rides. It's always a pleasure to read.

Thank you, Flora! I miss your wonderful posts, I hope you are doing ok?