2025 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos
- Thread starter Saratoga Dave
- Start date
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Weather Dependent
I have designed a 104 km gravel route in the Bolimów Landscape Park for this weekend. The name of the expedition involves the word "Ultimate" as it accumulates all my experience of the area (notice the route almost only leads through green areas).
The point is, I cannot keep the date to Saturday because of the raining predicted to Friday and Saturday. It has to be Sunday, which would eliminate several invited riders... Well...
Post that ride, I will select other areas for riding.
I have designed a 104 km gravel route in the Bolimów Landscape Park for this weekend. The name of the expedition involves the word "Ultimate" as it accumulates all my experience of the area (notice the route almost only leads through green areas).
The point is, I cannot keep the date to Saturday because of the raining predicted to Friday and Saturday. It has to be Sunday, which would eliminate several invited riders... Well...
Post that ride, I will select other areas for riding.
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dodgeman
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Macomb, Illinois
It’s been unusually warm here, temps in the high seventies and low eighties, light winds but I’ve been fighting a cold for a few days. I’m mostly over it but still have a cough keeping me from riding. I hope to get back out next week.
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
I can't see brightly coloured soup stop.
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
Ive just bought a spare battery for the Levo off the guy who sold me the bike.
180 quid for a 500wh, its only got 60 charges, no real use, but at that price why not.
180 quid for a 500wh, its only got 60 charges, no real use, but at that price why not.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
As many as three restaurants on the trail, one named "Hungry Moose"
A steal deal!
RabH
Well-Known Member
I set off on the bike yesterday needing 83 miles to pass 6000 for the year and just 30 miles to pass 42000 on my bike, I had a rough route in my head involving Knockhill Racing Circuit as I haven't cycled there for quite a while!I took all 3 batteries, 2 fully charged and 1 around 80% with a 100 miler in mind! The wind was supposed to be negligible but as I stepped out the door at 7.45am there was a chilly westerly breeze blowing and the temp was only 4C so with the wind chill it was probably close to zero! I was dressed for it though and very glad I was heading east, I made my way out to Kincardine with a nice breeze pushing me along!
After crossing the bridge I made my way to Forestmill where I was hoping to take the back road to Saline, only to be thwarted by a road closure! So I had to stay on the main road for another 2 miles before taking the alternative back road to Saline! My luck was in as the road had been resurfaced recently, it was badly needed!
I then battled my way up the climb through Saline and Steelend, this is the final part of the climb!
The road flattens at the top for a couple of miles before the turnoff for Knockhill where the climbing starts again, thankfully after passing the circuit its a cracking descent down towards Powmill! I finally had a decent view of the Ochil hills on the way down as they had been hidden by low cloud and mist until now!
Near the bottom of the descent I decided to take the very narrow back road to Cleish, it has a sign saying "cycling and walking friendly road" and it was an absolute blast! Amazingly this was the first time I had ridden it in an easterly direction and it won't be the last! The sun also made a welcome appearance and the temp difference was noticeable immediately, this is the tiny village of Cleish!
From here I headed north for Balado which used to be famous for a huge music festival called T in the park! I made a little detour here to Kinross Services to grab lunch and it was a proper sun trap and very warm, I was thinking I should have brought my thinner gloves at this point until I set off in a westerly direction and it was bitterly cold! I passed the NATO radar station and grabbed this photo with a stunning view of the Ochils, the golf clubs NATO use must be massive...
I was now heading for Carnbo on the A91, thankfully the road was quiet as it can be very busy at times! Its such a picturesque road as it runs alongside the Ochils for many miles and passes through many lovely villages! Of course the sun decided to disappear again for a while!
Another view of the Ochils near Dollar!
I then passed though Tillicoultry and joined the cycle path into Alva, where I stopped for this photo!
The next village was Menstrie and the sun decided to bless me again soon after at Blairlogie!
From there I made my way to Bridge of Allan and had a very nice view of the Wallace Monument!
From here I decided to continue west for Doune as I knew there would be some spectacular views of the mountains to the NW if the sun remained!
The road is pretty special also!
From Doune I crossed over the River Teith!
I then took the back road to Thornhill where I turned south towards Kippen, it starts with a big descent before a tough 3.5 mile climb! Its worth it for the views on the way up, sadly the sun left me again!
Near the summit now, looking back down!
I now had one of the best descents in the country down into Fintry, around 4 miles of twists and turns! I switched to my final battery at 95 miles as I arrived in Fintry! It was at this point I realised my 3rd battery only had an 80% charge and I had a lot of climbing to come!
This was the start of the climb up into the Carron Valley!
At least I had the breeze at my back now which was very welcome, I had the Campsie Hills to the south and that would have hit my battery big time so that wasn't an option!
The climbing continued, with a lovely smooth road it was fun to ride!
At the top of the climb there is a nice descent before the road starts going up again before the Carron Valley Reservoir, sadly the road here is a real bone shaker but the views make up for it!
Eventually the smooth road returns!
The 100 miles came up half way round the reservoir and I was now looking forward to a cracking descent down into Denny and I had the breeze at my back all the way down!
From Denny I headed to Bonnybridge where the serious climbing was about to start, up into Falkirk and then up to Slamannan! My battery really took a pounding, I decided to keep it on level 2 up the steepest parts and switch to eco when possible! From Slamannan I took the back road to Longriggend and my battery had dropped to 29%, I was into a headwind again and by the time I reached Longriggend I was down to 23% and I knew the battery would fall off a cliff at 20%!Thankfully I only had the big climb at home to come and I made it up before the battery dropped to 9% as I crested the final hill, I did have the option of getting a little more juice out of my other 2 batteries if I was really struggling! I never expected to end up doing 130 miles but I was just enjoying it so much and just kept going and going...
It was all worth it though and I had such a brilliant day, the bike has now covered 42100 miles and my yearly mileage is now 6047!Attachments
stompandgo
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
130 miles with all that weight on board. You are the Ironman of EBR. A tip of the cap to you.
Mulezen
Well-Known Member
No frost on the pumpkins yet in Central VA but crisp this morning setting out.
I rode over I64 and across Route 250 towards the James river through the honeyed part of Goochland. My first leg, Shallow Well RD begins near the above then penetrates eight miles through horse farms and fox-hunt farms rolling steeply up and down towards the river.
And my favorite for its shy beauty...I believe its been on the market for several years...
Laughed at this artificial raptor. I was a hundred feet away. Do you think the grape-eating songbirds were fooled. As I stepped out this morning towards the barn I noticed a/the hawk perched on my picket fence. I stood still for a few minutes watching a bit of sun catching its grayish back. I thought it had seen me and I was waiting for it to fly off. I grew tired of shifting in the cold and walked towards the barn. I rolled up the entrance and took five minutes to prepare then rode out to the long gravel driveway. I heard its cry gaining altitude on my left then circling a few times. The perfect arrogance of the creature. I thought of Ted Hughes' fine poem 'Hawk Roosting'
it begins..."I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed./Inaction, no falsifying dream/Between my hooked head and hooked feet:/Or in sleep rehearse perfect kills and eat.
I rode over I64 and across Route 250 towards the James river through the honeyed part of Goochland. My first leg, Shallow Well RD begins near the above then penetrates eight miles through horse farms and fox-hunt farms rolling steeply up and down towards the river.
And my favorite for its shy beauty...I believe its been on the market for several years...
Laughed at this artificial raptor. I was a hundred feet away. Do you think the grape-eating songbirds were fooled. As I stepped out this morning towards the barn I noticed a/the hawk perched on my picket fence. I stood still for a few minutes watching a bit of sun catching its grayish back. I thought it had seen me and I was waiting for it to fly off. I grew tired of shifting in the cold and walked towards the barn. I rolled up the entrance and took five minutes to prepare then rode out to the long gravel driveway. I heard its cry gaining altitude on my left then circling a few times. The perfect arrogance of the creature. I thought of Ted Hughes' fine poem 'Hawk Roosting'
it begins..."I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed./Inaction, no falsifying dream/Between my hooked head and hooked feet:/Or in sleep rehearse perfect kills and eat.
Mulezen
Well-Known Member
@RabH in a recent post I mentioned a Pottery. I sent a link to Fred the potter to see the pottery photos. He complimented your photos in a return email.
I rode again today...pushing on a bad leg that nonetheless less feels better on the bike than walking to the barn. On the far brighter side my cardio numbers for specific routes are averaging down more than 10bpm. A perfect Saturday morning...slight breeze, high fifties...and I rode 16 miles rather than the 2 and a half miles to the breakfast sandwiches. Bowles' Farm was 3.5 miles when I stopped...but as the crow flies about a mile down from my creek which becomes their lake. As I write this I can hear the party and the band. Bowles' are scattered all through the area. The only Bowles I've met had me at knifepoint in the Veterans Dermatology clinic.
Later in town.
I rode again today...pushing on a bad leg that nonetheless less feels better on the bike than walking to the barn. On the far brighter side my cardio numbers for specific routes are averaging down more than 10bpm. A perfect Saturday morning...slight breeze, high fifties...and I rode 16 miles rather than the 2 and a half miles to the breakfast sandwiches. Bowles' Farm was 3.5 miles when I stopped...but as the crow flies about a mile down from my creek which becomes their lake. As I write this I can hear the party and the band. Bowles' are scattered all through the area. The only Bowles I've met had me at knifepoint in the Veterans Dermatology clinic.
Later in town.
Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
Great that cycling's treating you well these days.
Just wanted to state the obvious: No need to choose between longer rides and breakfast sandwiches. Personally, I'll ride a long way for coffee and pastries.
Not a word to my internist.
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
the no kings march was huge in portland over 40,000 just in downtown there were marches all over. we rode 40 miles and ran into several. my wife had fun wearing her frog hat too bad it wouldn ot fit over her helmet.
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Chargeride
Well-Known Member
I was going to go dressed as King Charles, Im sure America would get the joke.
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
Sorry to get depressing on a Sunday, but I went to pick up the spare battery on Friday with the bike in the van and rode around a bit where the guy lives, hes one of the group but not a close friend.
Found this lovely abandoned church thats been turned into a war memorial.
Very sombre spot.
This resulted in thought process in the abstract that I'll leave out, but when I got to his house the exact event had played out just the day before to his best friend, it quite took me back , the coincidence of my sudden mental trail into such things, not personally, just reacting to the vibe of the memorial.
These events have hugely risen in the last ten years, and now 4X more likely for men than women.
Found this lovely abandoned church thats been turned into a war memorial.
Very sombre spot.
This resulted in thought process in the abstract that I'll leave out, but when I got to his house the exact event had played out just the day before to his best friend, it quite took me back , the coincidence of my sudden mental trail into such things, not personally, just reacting to the vibe of the memorial.
These events have hugely risen in the last ten years, and now 4X more likely for men than women.
RabH
Well-Known Member
That's good to hear, I'm glad he enjoyed them!
Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
Would this have anything to do with the red maple leaf on the Canadian flag?
JGcycle
Two-Wheeled Shaker
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Saint John
I didn't have that in mind when I took the shot, but I like the way you're thinking.
