2026 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos

[RabH]

I will give the weather forecasters their due, they got it right today! It rained all morning and it didn't look like it would stop, just after midday the sky started to clear and within 20 minutes the sun broke through! I grabbed my chance and set off at 12.40pm with blue skies and sunshine greeting me! Just a couple of miles into my ride I came across this just after passing through Hareshaw, I have cycled this road for over 50 years and I have never seen it flooded here!

I thought I was going to have to turn around but on checking the depth at the right hand side it was fine to skirt the edge, I did manage to get my feet wet after stupidly stepping on the grass... I continued down the descent into Allanton and turned east towards Shotts, lots of climbing but I had a 20mph wind at my back! From Shotts I continued east on the A71 and turned south to take the road up to Climpy, another big climb but it was a good bit colder today so the climbs were welcome!

The start of the climb!

Then the steep part!

I passed through the village and I was looking forward to the big descent down into Forth!

The view looking back up the hill!

From Forth I turned north on the A706, its a cracking road with a gradual climb up to almost 1100ft!

I stopped near the top at the recycling centre for a snack and a short break!

This was the view to the east!

At the top of the climb now looking north with Ochil Hills way in the distance!

I usually take the left here at the fork in the road and go down the big descent to Breich but decided to take the right fork this time and head for West Calder! Its a 3 mile gradual descent and I had the wind at my back all the way down it, I was absolutely flying down it!

I managed to grab a photo of the road to Breich before heading down, you can see how undulating the road is from here!

From West Calder I turned west towards Addiewell and was now facing that 20mph wind that I had been enjoying, the difference in temperature was instant so I cranked the heat up on my gloves! At Addiewell I turned north for Blackburn and got a little break from the chilly SW wind, it was short lived though as I turned west again towards Whitburn! I joined the cycle path here which runs to Harthill and turned north for Blackridge from there, then it was west for home! I stopped at Hillend Loch for some photos, like the Black Loch yesterday it was also partially frozen!

Near home I caught the sun setting just before it disappeared behind some clouds!

I got home soon after and just had enough time to wash the bike before total darkness, it actually rained just as I got home but it was short lived! Another enjoyable ride, not as taxing as yesterday but I sure got a workout once again!

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

View attachment 204535

I grabbed my chance and set off at 12.40pm with blue skies and sunshine greeting me! Just a couple of miles into my ride I came across this just after passing through Hareshaw, I have cycled this road for over 50 years and I have never seen it flooded here!

View attachment 204536
I thought I was going to have to turn around but on checking the depth at the right hand side it was fine to skirt the edge, I did manage to get my feet wet after stupidly stepping on the grass...

OMG, that first shot needs to go on a poster! With some motivational slogan like, "There's a beautiful ride on the other side of that puddle", or "C'mon, how deep could it be?"

 

[dodgeman]

I rode 14 miles today. Cloudy and breezy but 50 degrees so I took advantage of it. It’s suppose to cool off so it’ll be a while before I can ride again. This is an old cemetery I ride by on occasion.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

"Man fahrt, man hat" (German: You ride, you get it) Green snow in the front of the Little Frog. Żabka is the ubiqutous Poland's convenience store similar to 7-11. A pretty high quality shop, a good choice of products. It can work on Sundays and public holidays because of its small size, making it a life saver for so many Poles, especially cyclists.

I had my first spill this year but that was all my fault. I should've stopped my Vado on the road, "scooter" myself into the parking lot then dismount the bike. I attempted cornering there. There was a little curb; the angle of attack of my front wheel was too shallow, and the fall was imminent. As I expected that, I slid myself onto the snow with my back facing the ground while holding my bike for dampening. It worked! No hit, no pain, no slightest harm to my body, yay! And now I know parking lots are a no-go for me! (I could see a car maneuvering on our access road in deep snow; its front wheels were spinning!)

I also collected an SDXC memory card from the InPost parcel locker, so I can use my full-frame camera now

I had a look at my Strava to see what Polish cyclists were doing during the winter:

1. Travel to warm countries such as Spain to cycle there
2. Pedal on indoor bike trainers
3. Hike
4. Run
5. Ski and do other winter sports
6. Lift weights...

Only 4 Poles including myself (among the persons I follow) actually do winter cycling! Well, I feel proud a little

 

[Mulezen]

View attachment 204562
"Man fahrt, man hat" (German: You ride, you get it) Green snow in the front of the Little Frog. Żabka is the ubiqutous Poland's convenience store similar to 7-11. A pretty high quality shop, a good choice of products. It can work on Sundays and public holidays because of its small size, making it a life saver for so many Poles, especially cyclists.

I had my first spill this year but that was all my fault. I should've stopped my Vado on the road, "scooter" myself into the parking lot then dismount the bike. I attempted cornering there. There was a little curb; the angle of attack of my front wheel was too shallow, and the fall was imminent. As I expected that, I slid myself onto the snow with my back facing the ground while holding my bike for dampening. It worked! No hit, no pain, no slightest harm to my body, yay! And now I know parking lots are a no-go for me! (I could see a car maneuvering on our access road in deep snow; its front wheels were spinning!)

I also collected an SDXC memory card from the InPost parcel locker, so I can use my full-frame camera now

I had a look at my Strava to see what Polish cyclists were doing during the winter:

1. Travel to warm countries such as Spain to cycle there
2. Pedal on indoor bike trainers
3. Hike
4. Run
5. Ski and do other winter sports
6. Lift weights...

Only 4 Poles including myself (among the persons I follow) actually do winter cycling! Well, I feel proud a little

You feel proud? What does that say about those in Spain. Do you imagine they are sunning themselves thinking...boy I wish I was up there with Stefan! I'm proud of him.
Happy no damage to you or your bike...

 

[Stefan Mikes]

What does that say about those in Spain.

c*nts Or, French puppies
I've got enough words of admiration from people met outdoor to feel really good
No damage, no harm. I learned the hard lesson of falling since February 2021

 

[Mulezen]

I rode the last few days for the first time since the end of November. I got my bike back from my rediscovered mechanic. She replaced my long running tires (10K...back one slick) with a similar Schwalbe Marathon Mondial. She downloaded updates the last mech missed as well as replacing the newly installed chain and a chewed up cassette. Other than that how was the play Mrs. Lincoln. The bike is worth it and is running smoothly. Physically I'm grinding a few figurative gears but with a new heated vest pleased to be on the road in January. For this old Vet the road is the perfect tonic.