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

Guessing you guys don't wanna hear about our cold days last weekend. Got down to a high of 15°C. Brrrrr! But at least our 3 weeks of non-stop gloom through mid-October were over.

20241020_164707.jpg
 
Chargeride said:
Yes, why did we do it, you reach a point thinking it will get better and then realise it would be worse to turn back.
Click to expand...
I am, unfortunately, a person of a similar mindset :) I hardly can return from the trail when the things have gone wrong.

1730621509861.png

Once, I mistakenly rode into a hiking trail in Polish Table Mountains. I should have returned soon but continued. The things were getting worse and worse to the point I needed to ask hikers met on the trail to help me carry the e-bike past the point of no return. As it turned out to be impossible to continue, I took an advice from an experienced hiker and took a shortcut, walking. Eventually, I found myself in a place where fallen trees made it impossible to move any farther! Then I understood I was in a really dire situation. I managed to pull my e-bike across a tree trunk, then threw the bike down the valley and followed it on foot...

1730621934930.png

This is what a person who has avoided certain death looks like.

Nowadays, I often go back when see that something looks very wrong ahead!
 
The name of this road makes me very uncomfortable.
dri1.jpg


Around the bend the public toilets are on a cliff edge.

dri2.jpg


Agatha Christie eh?
That motorcyclist was mocking us by pretending to pedal.
We arranged for his untimely end in a mysterious motorcycle themed weekend at the mansion.
dri3.jpg


Three icons, 1960s Mustang, Red telephone box and an Orange mountain bike.
dri4.jpg
 
Those double yellow lines at the edge of the road( and taking 1/3 of the bike lane) are confusing to me as an American. Also the orange mtb in the middle of the road looks stupid/dangerous unless that line of traffic is completely stopped.
 
BlackHand said:
Those double yellow lines at the edge of the road( and taking 1/3 of the bike lane) are confusing to me as an American. Also the orange mtb in the middle of the road looks stupid/dangerous unless that line of traffic is completely stopped.
Click to expand...
Haha That piece of tarmac is wide for Torquay!! I think it would blow your mind if you had to drive on the roads around there. I'm from the UK and find it daunting. Most of the roads were made for Horse and Cart!

Even worse if you're a truck driver. One wrong turn and you might be stuck! Like this guy below :p (this happened just 2 days ago!)
www.bbc.co.uk

Lorry gets stuck in narrow village lane near Saltash

The HGV, carrying 40 tonnes of seed, is wedged between a house and a wall in the Cornwall village.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
1730667533985.png
 
MartsEbike said:
Haha That piece of tarmac is wide for Torquay!! I think it would blow your mind if you had to drive on the roads around there. I'm from the UK and find it daunting. Most of the roads were made for Horse and Cart!

Even worse if you're a truck driver. One wrong turn and you might be stuck! Like this guy below :p (this happened just 2 days ago!)
www.bbc.co.uk

Lorry gets stuck in narrow village lane near Saltash

The HGV, carrying 40 tonnes of seed, is wedged between a house and a wall in the Cornwall village.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
View attachment 185280
Click to expand...
We ended up in a tiny lane due to road closures, when I say tiny, my mates van was running its mirrors through bushes.
A young woman came the other way and tried to reverse, she was so bad at it that the guy behind her did it for her.
She just kept getting further into the side even though it was a wide part of the road

This is normal down here.
IMG-20241103-WA0002.jpg
 
BlackHand said:
Also the orange mtb in the middle of the road looks stupid/dangerous unless that line of traffic is completely stopped.
Click to expand...
This is normal for Britain (ask me how I know) :D
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!
 
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!

1730710769879.png

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.

1730711383448.png

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

1730711513326.png

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.


1730711849784.png

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.

1730711981625.png

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.

1730712096012.png

The Olympic Centre on the left river bank.

1730712160860.png

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

1730712246331.png

'The Worm' :)

1730712286537.png

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

1730712527158.png

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.

1730712714649.png

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.

1730712962739.png

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.

1730713584484.png

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

1730713694035.png

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. :D

1730714185680.png

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) :)

1730714318322.png

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

1730714433318.png

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

1730714530019.png

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.

1730714887307.png

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

1730715629836.png

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...)


1730715967812.png

Rowers as seen from Łazienkowski Bridge (#8).

1730716081115.png

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.

1730716212514.png

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!

1730716918789.png

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

1730717034098.png

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!)

1730717140636.png

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!


1730717381289.png

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.

1730718145894.png

The sunset over Ann the Jagiellon Bridge.

1730718242093.png

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).
 
Last edited:
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.
 
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.


1000011272.png



1000011273.jpg

PXL_20241103_232622519~2.jpg
 
Stefan Mikes said:
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. :D

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).
Click to expand...
Lovely, but whats with this bridge obsession, is it a new achievement in Strava 😂
 
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