2025 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos

[Mulezen]

I took a detour today to check on what usually is a lush garden though they haven't broken ground yet. I know last year they were getting greens from it until Christmas time. the river is the South Anna, or at least a branch of it. And the critters are what passes for my cattle herd now. I took the photo from my deck door and counted at least ten along the fence...if they were black Angus my tax situation would be about $2k less.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

You can't actually get booked for speeding on a bike but there is a law called furious pedalling they can get you for...

Had to look that up. Not just furious but "wanton and furious cycling", which sounds like even more fun!

"Wanton and furious cycling" - a guide to the road traffic laws that apply to cyclists. | Road Law Barristers

It seems that our roads are fuller than ever before with cyclists who are caught up in the wave of ‘cycling-mania’ that has gripped the country since the Tour de France’s Grand Depart in Yorkshire this July. Much is written on the numerous laws affecting motorists, but what about the laws that...

roadlawbarristers.co.uk

 

[Chazmo]

You can't actually get booked for speeding on a bike but there is a law called furious pedalling they can get you for...

As a matter of fact, Rab, I was stopped and received a ticket riding down the back side of Mt. Tamalpais on my mountain bike, issued by the f**’n Marin water cops, back in 1993. I was actually foolish enough to present my driver’s license… What a moron. Me, not the officious water cop.

Anyway, I hope that nonsense goes away for you gents.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Warsaw: The City, Midtown, and Old Town (Sunday Walk)

Before I'll describe our Sunday adventures, let me tell you a fun-fact. Historically, Poland operated many types of coin; some of them were:

• Złoty: golden, gulden (our currency is New Polish Złoty, PLN now)
• Talar (dollar)
• Szeląg (shilling) as in the saying "they know you as good as a bad szeląg"
• Grosz, the smallest denomination (we still use it)

The City and Midtown Walk
I had to walk to the Warsaw Central Station late on Sunday morning.

A freshly reconstructed Cepelia pavilion of 1966. Originally selling folk art, now it is a bookstore.

One of two major streets of Warsaw City Centre, Marszałkowska (the other being Aleje Jerozolimskie) . There was a saying "as busy as Marszałkowska during rush hours". After the new traffic system has been built, the street is never as busy as it was before.

City of Warsaw. The street in the foreground is the Aleje.

Varso Tower, the highest building in the EU. The London's Shard is higher to the roof but Varso is higher if you count the spire. The low building is Warsaw City Centre station (not the huge Central one).

A historical Telecomm building in Nowogrodzka. It is "Intercity Phone, Telegraph, and Radiotelegraph".

Now, I had to converge with @Brix who had visited her family the night before.

Freshly renovated Square of Three Crosses with St. Alexander church.

Formerly the Communist Party House, it is now the Warsaw Stock Exchange with several popular restaurants and pubs. (I took a bus from here).

Warsaw Old Town
You need to bear in mind Warsaw was razed to the ground before January 17th, 1945. Our historical Old and New Town had to be reconstructed from the scratch. The area was one of the ugliest and poorest pre WW2. Given the free hand, the architects redesigned both quarters to their 16-17th century glory (the Barbican was last seen there in the 16th century!)

Nowomiejska Street in the Old Town overlooking at the Barbican and New Town.

For some reason, Warsaw is now full of British visitors (unrelated to the recent Legia-Chelsea football match, I was asking!)

@Brix and our close friends at Same Krafty (Only Craft Beer) pub in Nowomiejska.

The oldest street fast food bar in Warsaw, established 1974. You can get a warm bun filled with mushroom or "zapiekanka" (a type of casserole), both being the cult street food in the era long gone.

A patriotic "Katyń" re-enactment. 25,000 Polish army and police officers being transported to their demise in Katyń and Ostaszków in Soviet Union, 1940.

With our close friends in Same Krafty Vis-a-Vis pub. You can certainly see some bromance developing

A broken bell in Kanonia, Old Town.

I took a similar photo of @Brix a dozen years ago there.

The Castle Square with the statue of King Sigismund III of Vasa. That very king moved the capital of Poland from Cracow to Warsaw back in 1596.

The Long Return Walk
Fuelled by excellent craft beer, we decided to take a long walk home.

Piłsudski Square. The City of Warsaw skyline in the background.

A memorial to Smolensk Air Disaster, April 10th 2010. The catastrophe was the outcome of disregarding all aviation safety procedures (like many air accidents before and after). 96 were killed including the most prominent members of the nationalist movement and the Presidential couple. The narrative of "assassination" vs "air crash" has tragically split the nation until this day.

Palace of Culture and Science (PKiN, Peking) illuminated at night. The Soviet structure of 1955 has grown on Warsawers (I personally cannot imagine Warsaw without it). The building is as huge as it takes the most of the Warsaw City Centre!

I walked for some 7 km for the day, which is unusual for me (my ailments!) Whenever you visit Warsaw, I'm sure you will take a full walk from the Belvedere all the way to the Old and New Town. It is a must, especially on a weekend during the warm season! (I recommend renting a Lime/Uber e-scooter!)

 

[Chargeride]

Great pics I've never seen any of that, well done PO's, it looks lovely, except the marching to your end bit

 

[Chargeride]

I didn't ride today, instead I snuck on a fabulous rocketship full of screaming women.

 

[Chazmo]

Well, two days ago we were buried in about 4-5” of heavy, wet snow. But today is magnificent, sunny, and heading north of 60 degF. Plus, the trails are only barely squishy from the meltdown. Anyway, my usual 20+mi ride to my turnaround point, Maple Spring Pond in Holden, MA, with Fättie preening, below. Apologies for using Fättie as a clothesline:

 

[Chazmo]

I didn't ride today, instead I snuck on a fabulous rocketship full of screaming women.

It didn’t happen without pictures!

 

[Base]

Very sunny morning ride into the office. Second day on this charge, 188 Km to go

did see some deer and almost no other people in this early hours outside the city.

 

[Very Bad Rider]

A-courting we will go…

I met this amorous pair around an hour after sunrise. By then I had ridden my ebike long enough (twenty-something kilometres) to deserve a break, and had pulled over next to a large pond (aka mosquito-ridden swamp) to raid whatever had been stowed in the panniers.

Note: ebike necessities are kept in the right pannier — I've had my run of punctures, annoying insects and unexpected rain to remind me of the boy scouts' slogan to Be Prepared — while food and drink (always far too much!) are packed carefully in the left.

So there I was… ready for a late breakfast of dark rich fruit cake and coffee; but, of course, there had to be a disturbance. In flitted these young lovers for a flirtatious, albeit somewhat stilted, affair right before me. Lovely.

Another hour later, feeling not in the least bothered by the lost opportunity to post a few Strava records, I continued. Around the next corner of the bikeway I was greeted by a cheerful local government sign announcing the council's latest initiative: a mega-extension of the city's sewage works. By the alleged completion date, 'late 2027', the stilts will have had to relocate home to a less-effluent neighbourhood. I resisted the temptation to take photos.

Thanks for looking.
— VBR

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Another hour later, feeling not in the least bothered by the lost opportunity to post a few Strava records

Will you join our Electric Bike Review Riders club on Strava?

 

[JGcycle]

A pic from today's 20km ride:

 

[RabH]

When I woke this morning it was wet outside and the forecast wasn't looking very inviting so I jumped in the car and headed to Callander Park in Falkirk for a walk in the woods, cycling wasn't on my mind at all at this point! On my way home things brightened up a bit and I decided to chance it, the forecast couldn't have been more wrong! Almost 5 hours on the bike and it was dry the whole time and the sun even made an appearance. it ended up one of my best rides ever! I needed 36 miles for 2000 this year and surpassed that easily, it was one of those rides where everything just clicked into place!

Lots of big descents and lots of big climbs, my first descent near home resulted in a speed of 46.4mph thanks to a rare northerly wind! It wasn't even much of a wind, around 10mph but most of the time I head down this descent its into a headwind! I wasn't going to take any photos today due to conditions but when it cleared up as I approached Lanark I just had to stop and grab some pics!

A lovely clear view of Tinto Hill for once!

I then passed over the railway crossing at Cleghorn and made my way into Lanark, stopping for more photos!

I made my way down into the Clyde Valley next, enjoying the big descent at Kirkfieldbank and the views across the valley!

It was nice to descend it today as I have been climbing it a lot recently!

Part way down I got a nice view of the River Clyde dissecting the valley, they had actually cut the high hedge for once!

After the descent I had the massive climb up through Coziglen to come, time to stop for some snacks and photos at Crossford before tackling the climb!

Part way up the climb I stopped for more photos across the valley!

The young lambs were enjoying the sunshine!

After climbing out of the valley I arrived in Carluke and took the back road towards Allanton, I then noticed a big black cloud overhead Allanton and decided to use the back road which loops round the village in the hope the cloud would pass over by then! Thankfully it did and the back road is awesome anyway!

At the start of my ride I enjoyed the descent from Kirk of Shotts down to Allanton, now it was time to climb it and I was rewarded near the top when I spotted one of the Ostriches back in its pen! There were 2 last year but they have been missing this year, it was good to see one of them again anyway! They make such a strange noise!

I then used my favourite back road to Hareshaw, I was really flying along it today with very little wind holding me back and its mostly downhill! From Hareshaw I joined the cycle path to Salsburgh and then took the back roads to home, I was just about to enjoy the big descent near home when 2 horse riders appeared! I waited until they passed and they thanked me, I said I was waiting for them to pass to enjoy the descent at full speed! I had a nice view of the Campsie Hills from here today!

What a brilliant ride that was, to think I wasn't even thinking about cycling today due to the forecast and it turned out like this! Tomorrow is looking very wet, maybe it will be a glorious day...

 

[Watana Bob]

View attachment 192188

When I woke this morning it was wet outside and the forecast wasn't looking very inviting so I jumped in the car and headed to Callander Park in Falkirk for a walk in the woods, cycling wasn't on my mind at all at this point! On my way home things brightened up a bit and I decided to chance it, the forecast couldn't have been more wrong! Almost 5 hours on the bike and it was dry the whole time and the sun even made an appearance. it ended up one of my best rides ever! I needed 36 miles for 2000 this year and surpassed that easily, it was one of those rides where everything just clicked into place!

Lots of big descents and lots of big climbs, my first descent near home resulted in a speed of 46.4mph thanks to a rare northerly wind! It wasn't even much of a wind, around 10mph but most of the time I head down this descent its into a headwind! I wasn't going to take any photos today due to conditions but when it cleared up as I approached Lanark I just had to stop and grab some pics!

View attachment 192189
View attachment 192190
A lovely clear view of Tinto Hill for once!

View attachment 192191
I then passed over the railway crossing at Cleghorn and made my way into Lanark, stopping for more photos!

View attachment 192193
View attachment 192194
View attachment 192195
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I made my way down into the Clyde Valley next, enjoying the big descent at Kirkfieldbank and the views across the valley!

View attachment 192197
It was nice to descend it today as I have been climbing it a lot recently!

View attachment 192198
Part way down I got a nice view of the River Clyde dissecting the valley, they had actually cut the high hedge for once!

View attachment 192199
After the descent I had the massive climb up through Coziglen to come, time to stop for some snacks and photos at Crossford before tackling the climb!

View attachment 192200
View attachment 192201
View attachment 192203
Part way up the climb I stopped for more photos across the valley!

View attachment 192205
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The young lambs were enjoying the sunshine!

View attachment 192207
After climbing out of the valley I arrived in Carluke and took the back road towards Allanton, I then noticed a big black cloud overhead Allanton and decided to use the back road which loops round the village in the hope the cloud would pass over by then! Thankfully it did and the back road is awesome anyway!

View attachment 192208
At the start of my ride I enjoyed the descent from Kirk of Shotts down to Allanton, now it was time to climb it and I was rewarded near the top when I spotted one of the Ostriches back in its pen! There were 2 last year but they have been missing this year, it was good to see one of them again anyway! They make such a strange noise!

View attachment 192210
View attachment 192211
I then used my favourite back road to Hareshaw, I was really flying along it today with very little wind holding me back and its mostly downhill! From Hareshaw I joined the cycle path to Salsburgh and then took the back roads to home, I was just about to enjoy the big descent near home when 2 horse riders appeared! I waited until they passed and they thanked me, I said I was waiting for them to pass to enjoy the descent at full speed! I had a nice view of the Campsie Hills from here today!

View attachment 192212
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View attachment 192214
What a brilliant ride that was, to think I wasn't even thinking about cycling today due to the forecast and it turned out like this! Tomorrow is looking very wet, maybe it will be a glorious day...

Rab you should submit some of your photos to the Scotland Visitors Bureau for use on postcards, they are just beautiful!

 

[Very Bad Rider]

A gentle country ride…

It was a beautiful April morning which, of course, meant that it was time to 'go ride'.

This is how it started: a rail trail running parallel to a country road – did the locals, a century ago, race the daily train in their Ford Model Ts? Whatever they might have done, I think they'd have been shocked to learn that the rail line lasted for barely three-quarters of a century! 'Progress'?

This was my first stop and I wasn't sure whether to rest up on the shady log or the sunny one. (No problem when it is clearly summer or winter.)

Thanks for looking.
— VBR