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

[MartsEbike]

@MartsEbike: Could you tell me something about the Cycle Superhighway 1 in England?

Hi Stefan, these Superhighways are only found in London and I don't have any first hand experience of using them myself. They've spent a lot of time and money to create these fully segregated cycling "superhighways" but as you get further out you get from centre of London it does revert to just being "a painted line" protecting you from traffic. So the title doesn't always match what you'd expect of it.

The National Cycling Network is much more interesting - and still growing. These routes spread all over the country are opened with the intention of being accessible to all (Abled and Disabled alike) - but that said, in places you won't always have nice tarmac to ride on, it could be off-road paths, gravel tracks, woodland/forest, disused railway lines, following canals, across farmland etc.

These routes usually pass some great places too, often through "areas of outstanding natural beauty", and with historical / cultural and recreational highlights along the way. You'll also find plenty of good pubs and cafes etc to stop for refreshments!

Gravel / MTB riders especially will appreciate this network as it offers so much good riding....

You can find out much more about on the Sustran Website. Its a great place to start for anyone thinking of planning a cycling holiday in the UK.

Also, Komoot is an excellent app to find decent sections to ride. Its much better than using Strava! (Roadies like road).

 

[MartsEbike]

Hi Stefan, I just noticed you were posting about your visit to London! I hadn't seen this message when I started composing my reply earlier!

It looks like you'll be sightseeing in the centre of London then you'll be fine using the Superhighways, and other cycling routes! There are plenty of routes around London and obviously plenty to see and do a well.

Santander Bikes are available in many places. Also Lime Bikes are available everywhere. You shouldn't have any worries about finding wheels to ride.

Good idea to cover the bridges too - although some can be very busy with traffic - they do offer unique views of the city, which is great for photos!

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Announcement

Between 26 and 28th of this October, I am open for a meeting or a ride with any EBR member in London UK

View attachment 184148
I plan to ride a Santander bike or e-bike over a 26 km/16 mile route I named "All Cycling Bridges of London". In fact, these might not be all but it is 11 bridges from Battersea to Tower plus walking the bike through the Millenium Bridge. (The starting point is SE1 0JA: Southwark Street in The Bank).

That route looks like a lot of fun. Bet the scenery will be superb.

There's something special about riding bridges. Rented a non-electric gravel bike in Portland, Oregon last year to knock around the city with my daughter. Lots of BIG bridges across the Willamette River there, and we went out of our way to ride them as many times as we could. Excellent bikeways on all of them.

Combatant Cuisine

Not to confuse Jeremy more! ...

28 minutes later, I arrived in Combat Cuisine Bar.

View attachment 184150
I took a bowl of Military Pea Soup for the starter (it is a staple Polish meal, packed with sausage and bacon!)

I'm easily confused about a lot of things, but not about the looks of that pea soup! My Czech grandmother's pea soup looked just like that, and I have yet to find one even half as good.

Is that style called Military Pea Soup beyond that military-themed restaurant?

The next time my internist wags his finger at me over the things I eat, I'll say, "Ha, you think my diet's bad! I know this Polish guy...."

It's all a matter of perspective. He calls it atherosclerotic plaque. I call it protective coating.
;^}

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Thank you Marts for the useful information on British and London cycling! I admit I was misled by the name "Superhighway"

E-Bike Ride, December 2023

Bike Ride, December 2023

I already had three short trips in London:

• E-Bike Ride: I find the public share e-bikes overpowered and very heavy They do serve their purpose to get from A to B very well!
• Lime e-Scooter ride: Easy for me as I have used e-scooters in so many cities...
• Bike Ride: Santander pedal bikes might be heavy and slow but the rental is inexpensive, and you do not really need more in London!

Not everybody knows I fly to London to meet my girlfriend @Brix Ewa knows I am an avid cyclist, and she will certainly give me some time for cycling in the morning one day. Quite recently, she took a photo walk along the Thames and documented all 14 London bridges from Tower to Battersea! (Pictured: Chelsea Bridge and the iconic Battersea Power Station),

Is that style called Military Pea Soup beyond that military-themed restaurant?

Pea Soup is one of the traditional Polish dishes. However, it is mainly served in the cold season. The military serves pea soup all year long as the soup is nourishing. If you want to get Pea Soup in the warm season, the biggest chance to get it is visiting one of many "military picnics" organized by the Army, hence the name The bar in Strzeniówka offers several totally basic Polish meals that are easy to make or can be kept warm for many hours in a wood-fired Army stove:

• Bigos
• Pea Soup
• Grilled Sausage
• Grilled Pork Neck
• Grilled Fish
• Chips/French Fries

and of course fermented cucumber, buns, condiments. The Cuisine is full in the warm season but it will close the next Monday until the Spring.

 

[RabH]

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!

It's soon followed by another climb of course!

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!

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!

I then turned off the main road to get some photos of the Union Canal near Philpstoun!

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!

I was now looking forward to the big descent into the valley but stopped for a few photos before starting the descent!

I had this big climb up to the country park to tackle after the descent!

I hurtled down the hill at just over 41mph, what a buzz that was! I then stopped for this photo looking back at the hill I just descended!

Part way up the climb I stopped for more photos!

I had a nice clear view of the bridges over the Forth today!

Another photo at the top of the climb, you can see the hill I descended at 41mph!

I had a nice view of the Ochils up here also!

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!

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!

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!

Roughrigg Reservoir!

The next awesome descent, the Campsie Hills are in the background here!

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...

 

[BlackHand]

Glad you're back in the saddle Rab!

 

[MTO]

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!

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! I then stopped for this photo looking back at the hill I just descended!

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! 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!

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! 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...

That is a short ride for you! Beautiful country!

 

[DaveMatthews]

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!

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! I then stopped for this photo looking back at the hill I just descended!

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! 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!

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! 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...

Nicely done mate!

 

[MTO]

Here’s some good shots of the blue angels that Mrs. MTO and I took if anyone is interested.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

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:

• The United Kingdom
• Ireland
• The United States
• Australia or
• Germany.

A rich Kiwi may stuff their passport where the sun doesn't shine Or, a wealthy Norwegian No Canucks either!

Well, renting a Lime or a Santander is easy and nobody would steal the bike from you

 

[Prairie Dog]

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]

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.

That’s Japan? It’s crazy how little traffic there is! Love the cable bridge across the river.

 

[JGcycle]

A few pics from today's 20km ride:

 

[Prairie Dog]

That’s Japan? It’s crazy how little traffic there is! Love the cable bridge across the river.

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.

 

[Roamers]

there is always the comet.

From an Astronomy Club member last night. Great bino view, visible with naked eye.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

From a Geography Professor in Toruń yesterday. A telephoto for sure.

 

[Chargeride]

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.

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]

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.

 

[Chargeride]

Here’s some good shots of the blue angels that Mrs. MTO and I took if anyone is interested.

How do they fly that close in an arc?
Our acrobatic team are called the Red Arrows, but theyre all in the doghouse for being horrible to women.
Which these days could clearly include
leaving the ejector seat fully back.

 

[JGcycle]

A pic from today's 20km ride: