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

[RabH]

Yet another glorious day so I just had to make the most of it and enjoy it while it continues! I set off at 7.15am and it was a little chilly so the long finger gloves kept my hands warm, the temp was set to increase to 19C as the day progressed! There was very little wind at this early hour but it was due to increase in strength throughout the day, nothing more than 20mph though so a mere breeze in these parts! My plan was to head for Callander and avoid the bigger climbs like the Campsie Hills as my legs were still a little tired after Mondays ride, I enjoyed some nice descents with the highlight being the fast descent down into Glenn Village where I hit 44mph today! From there I took the road through Lionthorn and grabbed this photo from the cycle path!

I then arrived in Falkirk and took the back road to Bonnybridge, more nice descending to enjoy! I stopped at the canal in Bonnybridge for this photo!

From Bonnybridge I headed north to Denny where it was time for the first proper climb of the day up past the Carron Valley Reservoir, time for a barrage of photos from this stunning area!

Then it was time for some descents again on a super smooth road, the Campsie Hills were looking very nice today!

At the bottom of the descent I turned west for Fintry and then north for Kippen, I was expecting this to be a hard climb but it turned out to be really easy! Its actúally the first time I have climbed this as I usually descend it from Kippen and its very fast, that made me think it would be a hard one! At the top of the climb I had these amazing views of the mountains to the north!

Now it was time to enjoy the descent down into Kippen and the road was in excellent condition for the most part!

At the bottom of the descent I continued north for Thornhill and got a very pleasant surprise when I spotted this awesome old Twin Pioneer which was built in Scotland in 1959, the year after I was born! Its a shame the engines weren't mounted but they were lying next to it!

There was also this old Royal Navy Sea King from 1980, I forgot how massive these were!

From Thornhill I turned west to Blairhoyle and then north for Callander up a 2 mile climb with an average gradient of 5%, part way up I stopped at Loch Rusky for a photo!

Another photo at the top of the climb before hurtling down an awesome descent and heading into Callander!

Ben Ledi was looking amazing today!

I had a well earned lunch in Callander before heading SE for Stirling, where I then passed the Wallace Monument!

I then headed for Alloa which wasn't my best decision as I was using the main A907 for many miles, thankfully it had a decent shoulder but it wasn't very enjoyable at all! From Alloa I made my way to Kincardine Bridge where I had this view of the Clackmannanshire bridge with the stunning Ochil Hills in the background!

I then used my usual roads out to Slamannan with lots of big climbs, grabbing more photos as I went!

From Slamannan I tackled the big climb up to Limerigg and I was actually feeling strong so I decided to take the road over Heights, another big climb!

At the top of the climb here!

Then I had a nice descent down into Blackridge where I turned west for home with 109 miles in the bag and 9 to go! That last 9 miles were into a 20mph headwind and I enjoyed it because it cooled me down nicely as it was nudging 20C (very hot for me) now, I then arrived home just in time for dinner! What a brilliant day on the bike, I think I will sleep very well tonight!

 

[Watana Bob]

View attachment 193311

Yet another glorious day so I just had to make the most of it and enjoy it while it continues! I set off at 7.15am and it was a little chilly so the long finger gloves kept my hands warm, the temp was set to increase to 19C as the day progressed! There was very little wind at this early hour but it was due to increase in strength throughout the day, nothing more than 20mph though so a mere breeze in these parts! My plan was to head for Callander and avoid the bigger climbs like the Campsie Hills as my legs were still a little tired after Mondays ride, I enjoyed some nice descents with the highlight being the fast descent down into Glenn Village where I hit 44mph today! From there I took the road through Lionthorn and grabbed this photo from the cycle path!

View attachment 193312
I then arrived in Falkirk and took the back road to Bonnybridge, more nice descending to enjoy! I stopped at the canal in Bonnybridge for this photo!

View attachment 193314
From Bonnybridge I headed north to Denny where it was time for the first proper climb of the day up past the Carron Valley Reservoir, time for a barrage of photos from this stunning area!

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Then it was time for some descents again on a super smooth road, the Campsie Hills were looking very nice today!

View attachment 193320
At the bottom of the descent I turned west for Fintry and then north for Kippen, I was expecting this to be a hard climb but it turned out to be really easy! Its actúally the first time I have climbed this as I usually descend it from Kippen and its very fast, that made me think it would be a hard one! At the top of the climb I had these amazing views of the mountains to the north!

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Now it was time to enjoy the descent down into Kippen and the road was in excellent condition for the most part!

View attachment 193325
At the bottom of the descent I continued north for Thornhill and got a very pleasant surprise when I spotted this awesome old Twin Pioneer which was built in Scotland in 1959, the year after I was born! Its a shame the engines weren't mounted but they were lying next to it!

View attachment 193327
There was also this old Royal Navy Sea King from 1980, I forgot how massive these were!

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From Thornhill I turned west to Blairhoyle and then north for Callander up a 2 mile climb with an average gradient of 5%, part way up I stopped at Loch Rusky for a photo!

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Another photo at the top of the climb before hurtling down an awesome descent and heading into Callander!

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Ben Ledi was looking amazing today!

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I had a well earned lunch in Callander before heading SE for Stirling, where I then passed the Wallace Monument!

View attachment 193345
I then headed for Alloa which wasn't my best decision as I was using the main A907 for many miles, thankfully it had a decent shoulder but it wasn't very enjoyable at all! From Alloa I made my way to Kincardine Bridge where I had this view of the Clackmannanshire bridge with the stunning Ochil Hills in the background!

View attachment 193346
I then used my usual roads out to Slamannan with lots of big climbs, grabbing more photos as I went!

View attachment 193347
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From Slamannan I tackled the big climb up to Limerigg and I was actually feeling strong so I decided to take the road over Heights, another big climb!

At the top of the climb here!

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Then I had a nice descent down into Blackridge where I turned west for home with 109 miles in the bag and 9 to go! That last 9 miles were into a 20mph headwind and I enjoyed it because it cooled me down nicely as it was nudging 20C (very hot for me) now, I then arrived home just in time for dinner! What a brilliant day on the bike, I think I will sleep very well tonight!

Just beautiful Rab!

 

[Chargeride]

That tower is epic, what suncream you using Factor 100?

 

[Chargeride]

I'm off to Abergele with the crew, because Stan says the local girls sunbathe at the trail centre.
DOM

 

[stompandgo]

I'm off to Abergele with the crew, because Stan says the local girls sunbathe at the trail centre.
DOM

Are they "naturalists"? "Minimists"?

 

[dodgeman]

I got back on my bike today. Since last fall I’ve only ridden once, mostly because I’ve been doing work around the house and just haven’t felt like riding. I ride a nice easy 12 miles in near perfect weather, light winds, low humidity and 70 degrees. I have checked the forum a few times over the winter. I saw RabH slacked off on a ride recently and only did 60 miles but on his next one he got back up over a 100 miles. I tried adding a picture but no matter how much I prune it I get a message saying it is too big.

 

[RabH]

I got back on my bike today. Since last fall I’ve only ridden once, mostly because I’ve been doing work around the house and just haven’t felt like riding. I ride a nice easy 12 miles in near perfect weather, light winds, low humidity and 70 degrees. I have checked the forum a few times over the winter. I saw RabH slacked off on a ride recently and only did 60 miles but on his next one he got back up over a 100 miles. I tried adding a picture but no matter how much I prune it I get a message saying it is too big.

The file size for your image needs to be less than 1.5mb so you can either lower the quality or crop it! Good to see you posting again, I'll try not to slack too much in the coming months...

 

[Chargeride]

Are they "naturalists"? "Minimists"?

Welsh I think.

 

[fooferdoggie]

a cool fountain, or I guess a water feature.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I tried adding a picture but no matter how much I prune it I get a message saying it is too big.

Did you get under 2.0 MB file size? Seems to be the limit now.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@fooferdoggie: your post is "heavy" and slowly refreshing. Probably 2 MB files.

Guys,
I had a meeting with an old friend (I will write more on that later). I was invited to a Vegerunners gathering (vegan and vegetarian runners). I was offered delicious vegan food, and loved it. But I was starving before, so no surprise

Vegerunners. (a 100 kB photo)

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Three Rides Before Sudovia Gravel Race

Grzesio to Jacek
Grzegorz (Gregory) is my second name, and the diminutive Grzesio is only used by my close family.

The Saturday morning started with discovering a defect in Giant Trance E+ (a.k.a. Monster): it turned out the battery would not unlock! My brother advised I came to him as only he had the right tool to re-adjust the lock. So I set off for a northerly ride on a cold and windy morning. Monster was barely moving on asphalt heading a strong headwind! The first grin of joy only appeared on my face when I entered off-road in Kampinos National Park. Oh man how the e-MTB handled the sand, tree-roots or potholes! Given no wind among the trees, now I could ride at a good speed!

After we shook our hands with Jacek, I told him I was returning Monster to him and collecting my Vado back from his garage. He was surprised until I told him the e-MTB was not the right machine for gravel racing; at least not for me. I know my Vado (a.k.a. Roadrunner) like my own pocket, I do understand the battery consumption of that e-bike, it is fast on gravel, and I raced on it before.

Just a remark: If anyone fancies buying a full suspension Trail e-MTB, let it only be ridden off-road, the best on technical singletracks. This type of e-bike just hates paved roads and is slow on gravel (unless you are a very sporty person)!

A Gravel Cycling Workout
I asked Jacek about some good gravel route towards Warsaw. As he is now a true gravel cyclist, he brightened up and with a lot of enthusiasm explained to me where to ride. The general line was 'Keep along the Vistula as closely as you can!' He was right!

I enjoyed riding new gravel trails on my swift Vado a lot! There were places I have never been to before!

A neglected place called Młociny Harbour next to Marie Curie (Northern) Bridge. (I think the place would undergo a lot of development in the future). The river is now at a decent water level (at last!)

On a gravel segment called Suzuka. It is a long series of connected "S"; perhaps the name author was thinking of the Suzuki brand logo?

Eventually, I arrived in Czerniakowski Harbour. If you ask a young Warsawer what quarter the Harbour is located, the proud answer will be: "It's The Vistula Quarter!"

Vegerunners and Patyczak
I was to meet an old friend Patyczak. He is a famous musician who created a one-man band called Brudne Dzieci Sida (Dirty Children of Sid), which is an acoustic punk-rock cabaret I love his witty songs, and identify with one of them!

TOO FAR AWAY
I live too far away
Too far away to buy milk and bread
Too far away from the school and to see my mates
So I'm sad; but would like to be merry
I get on my bicycle and ride home alone
Too far away, too far away, too far away
I put on my helmet and ride home alone
Too far away.

Necessary to mention, we recorded together several songs for my project SZMATA in 2010s. This song is about cheating politicians who love spending their holidays in Siberia but we as righteous punk-rockers would neither cheat nor spend our vacation in Siberia even if we are the same "pretty vacant" as them! (We recorded that song in a hostel in Poznań where Grzegorz was working at that time).

He is an activist, a vegetarian, and a runner. So he was both a competitor and Master of Ceremony at a Vegerunners race. He also was about to give a little gig after the decoration ceremony.

At the ceremony end, the participants were offered protein bars. I whispered to Grzegorz I was starving. He blinked at me and... -- as a person loaded with terabytes of charisma, said to the audience -- "Meet my great friend Mikeš! He pedalled for fifty kilometres just to honour all of us! Besides, he was in the first PUNK contingent in Warsaw already in 1970s! Cheers for Mikeš! I think he deserves the protein bar and a medal!" I thanked for the distinction and told the audience they saved me as I was starving to death! To which, a friendly vegan man approached me and softly said I would get delicious grub inside in a few minutes All I can say is I didn't regret cycling to that gathering!

The rest of the day was uneventful. I just returned home "on the wheels".

 

[Chazmo]

@Stefan Mikes are you not planning to use the eMTB at all? Sorry, I think I missed a post somewhere. You borrowed one for this, right?

 

[Chargeride]

Is..is that you playing the guitar?

 

[JGcycle]

I stopped at a couple of roadside gardens during today's 20km ride:

 

[Chargeride]

Abergele day out was splendid, no boobies, but the view were spectacular.
I rode up one hill with them, but turned around with he mission to find a way up the other

my snazzy new pumpkin helmet, the rocky outcrop on the right was my given mission

After a bit of searching I found a way to the top via a charity garden centre, this was an epic first gear climb and a bit exposed at times.

I realised I had to descend to the actual path and I had to pick my way through terrifyingly steep, loose paths only walkers use.

All by myself up here, I was so glad to make it unscathed.

If you turn the image so the tree is vertical you can see how steep it actually is.

The path led down into cuttings that were very magical to pass through

The whole area is next to a well known mock castle and its massive, with huge entrances everywhere.

Even local farms have these entrances

VE day bunting everywhere of course

Another farm a good half mile away has this rather pointless entrance.

The guy next to me in the dark blue tshirt offered me his carbon Velo for 2 grand with a 500 mile new motor fitted,
Its a price I can't refuse.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@Stefan Mikes are you not planning to use the eMTB at all? Sorry, I think I missed a post somewhere. You borrowed one for this, right?

Charlie, I bought the e-MTB in 2020 when I was still a noob. I thought I was buying a normal comfortable (SUV) e-bike. Turned out e-MTBs were not made for paved roads, and were poor performers even on gravel. As soon as I realized that, I was transporting my Trance E+ to the trails or even to the mountains by car. While the e-bike really shone in a difficult terrain, it was still hopeless on mountain paved roads. I'm too old and too cowardly to learn technical singletrack techniques and am totally not into MTB. I simply bought a wrong bike type.

Following some personal disasters, I gave the Trance to my beloved first cousin ("brother") Jacek. It was a wonderful gift for him as he is an MTBer by heart; he rides with an advanced MTB club off-road during the winter, and takes the e-MTB to high mountains. He is a very strong and brave character!

Yes, my intention was to borrow the e-MTB for the race. No, it wouldn't work. Under me, the e-bike is too slow, requires a lot of effort, the riding position is uncomfortable, and I cannot control the battery discharge rate (I cannot understand the power distribution by the Giant). Even the special rear rack is not OK for a pannier with a heavy spare battery. So I returned the Giant e-bike to Jacek.

My choice for the race is my special Vado, which is my best e-bike. I know how to ride gravel on this e-bike fast. It is an excellent climber. Easy to transport the battery in a relatively small pannier on a sturdy rear rack. I know how Vado uses the battery. And I rode it in the same race a year ago

Is..is that you playing the guitar?

Yes, it was me thirteen years ago. Long hair (intentionally; I prefer short ones). I actually composed e-drums for that song, played the bass and guitars. In the video, I pretended playing the guitar, and that guitar was a cheepo hostel decoration but had all the strings and could be properly tuned!

 

[Chargeride]

emtb can do everything.
Gravel bikes can not possibly cope with proper offroad trail riding unless the rider is world class cyclocross.

An electric gravel bike would have a better range on light offroad, just what I did today would have destroyed the rims of a gravel bike and my back.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

11 Former Russian Forts of Warsaw

I decided to do a thematic trip on last Sunday.

Historical note (necessary!)
Russian Empire had ruled a third of Poland for 123 years since 1795. Having already built the Warsaw Citadel to control those Polish rebels the Russian decided to give us as many as 28 new forts in Warsaw. The construction was completed by 1890. However, the Tsarist military realized by 1909 the fortified defence was an obsolete warfare doctrine, and maintaining the fortresses cost the Empire a fortune. Starting 1909, the Russian Army managed to demolish all the forts on the right bank of the Vistula, and they even partly damaged the other strongholds. In 1913, the Russian went in panic mode: as the next war was near, they started reinforcing the remaining structures with concrete but it was too late. In 1915, the Russian Army left Warsaw without any combat (leaving the city to Prussian forces).

I counted 16 locations of possibly remaining Russian Warsaw forts so set off for the trip late on Sunday (because the morning was very cold!)

I need to show you the ride map first. There were two rings of defence: outer (where the forts were numbered) and the inner (where the forts were named by letters).

The two first forts (V and VI) were located not far away from the train station. There is an air crash memorial in Fort VI "Okęcie". On March 14th 1980, a Soviet made IL-62 of LOT Polish Airlines (that departed from NYC earlier) was approaching for landing at the Warsaw Okęcie Airport (now: Chopin). Suddenly, some engines exploded and detached from the aircraft. Cpt. Paweł Lipowczan realised he wouldn't make it to the nearby airport, and his only choice was where to crash the plane. He saved lives of many people as he flew above a Correction Home and intentionally crashed the airplane into the Fort with no survivors. He is remembered as a hero.

Fort VII is located on the opposite side of the airport. Good weather allowed me taking this picturesque photo

Fort VIII has completely gentrified!

Fort IX was a surprise for me as it was turned into a part of the Polish Military Museum! I had to buy a ticket in a vending machine, and was disallowed to ride my bike by a guard! (Thursdays are free!)
Fort IX is one of the few that ever saw action: It was heroically defended by Poles against the Nazi in September 1939 and in August 1944.

Top: IS-3 and IS-2 (Iosif Stalin) Soviet heavy tanks.
Centre: Soviet assault guns (tank destroyers): ISU-122 and SU-85.
Bottom: Have a look at the next picture!

American friends: This is your M107, a 175 mm self-propelled howitzer from 1960s!

Polish Air Force section.
Top: Antonov AN-2, a Soviet airplane that is claimed to be produced in the biggest number worldwide.
Centre: A battery of Soviet SAMs.
Bottom: MiG-23.

Polish designed and made TS-8 Bies, a trainer aircraft.

All the weapon must have been used by the Polish military at some time in history, perhaps except for the M107

Not Fort X but Battery X, as the fortification near to the Vistula had only been groundworks. Siekierkowski Bridge is seen in the background.

As I was riding my Vado at a good speed on a bike path, I was stopped by a cyclist who rode from the opposite direction, who said these mysterious words to me: 'I DON'T THINK SO...' We saw a family of wild boar feeding by the pavement/sidewalk! Boars are now a plague for Warsaw. The picture was taken in the neighbourhood of Czerniaków, which for historical reason is a wilderness inside the city! We heard of boar attacks on the pedestrian. The beasts are not allowed to be killed so they are transported deep into the forest after each incident.

Now, I was riding along the inner ring of defences. Here, the fort Ч (Russian letter "che"), which underwent gentrification, too.

Similarly gentrified Fort M.

Nothing except for groundworks remained from the Fort Щ-М (shcha-em) in Rakowiec.

Fort Щ (shcha) in Szczęśliwice was sold into private hands.

Not much remained from Fort В-Щ (ve-shcha) either. Now, it is a part of the Polish Railways imperium A very climatic place with a great "urbex" feel!

An unusual view on the City with the highest EU building Varso Tower.

The trip took twice much time as just riding, so I had to go home! I will visit the remaining 5 locations as well as the Citadel another time!

The full map of fortifications on Komoot. I didn't include non-existing locations at the very north of Warsaw (the ring touched the Vistula at the north of the city, too!)

 

[dodgeman]

I rode a little over 14 miles today. I stopped to take a picture of a skeleton on a tractor holding a beer can. I first started seeing these around here this last Halloween. This picture of one is roughly life sized but some are 10 or 12 feet tall. I figured people would take them down after Halloween but I figured wrong. People put t shirts on them, a Santa Claus hat and other holiday decorations on them and leave them up year round.