Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[Stefan Mikes]

Meanwhile, it’s yet another cold day here as we are stuck in this deep freeze for a solid week.

That is worse than in Yakutsk, Russia!
(When we Poles want to feel warm, we study the weather in Yakutsk).

 

[RandallS]

@Stefan Mikes – You’re brave to skip out for shopping errands when most of us would simply hop in our vehicles to pickup essentials. Meanwhile, it’s yet another cold day here as we are stuck in this deep freeze for a solid week. On days like this, I take solace in viewing other posters’ images of tropical locales or warm sunny beaches. @David Berry comes to mind.
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It doesn't look so promising for the province as a whole either.

Weather Information - Environment Canada

Environment Canada's weather web site provides official weather warnings, current conditions, forecasts, and weather models, for public and marine areas in Canada. Canadian weather RADAR, tropical storm tracking, lightning activity, UV index, and AQHI index values also available.

weather.gc.ca

Positively balmy 150 kms south of you. Relatively anyways...

 

[Sierratim]

Did a 20 mile loop around town running errands yesterday afternoon. The temps peaked at 64°F. Very unseasonal.

 

[mogulskier]

Did a 20 mile loop around town running errands yesterday afternoon. The temps peaked at 64°F. Very unseasonal.

Agree. Went out for a quick 10 mile ride yesterday, in shorts and a tshirt. It was sunny and very warm.

Today, well off to cold cloudy start.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Return to the country …

Fernnvale, Queensland
About 80 or 90 km inland.​

 

[Twin Valley]

@Twin Valley - The Kootenays seem beautiful any time of the year and you're lucky to have this special place to spend time at. Thanks for sharing!

So on the way home (southern Alberta) I needed one last "fix" at a favorite spot in the Kootenays near Fort Steele (Cranbrook) which is highlighted in the picture below. I left our vehicle with temps decent around minus 5 degrees C and within the hour the north wind blew in and temp dropped to middle minus twenties. I needed Stefan's space suit and huddled around the car heater heading home. For our friends from afar the Kootenay ranges are in the southeast corner of British Columbia, Canada just north of our American friends in Washington, Idaho and Montana and west of our province of Alberta, of course. The actual Kootenay ranges comprise an area larger than the mountainous areas of all of Switzerland. There are numerous fire roads and trails which one can pedal without company other than the hunters in the fall and firewood seekers in the summer. All enjoy the crazy old guy pedalling his bike up the trails and nobody cares whether it is an e-bike or regular bike. So refreshing from the "rules" about e-bikes in more popular areas that we bike in Alberta. Well I will hunker down until this current

cold spell lifts and look to our southern posts to tease us for better riding conditions.

 

[Prairie Dog]

So on the way home (southern Alberta) I needed one last "fix" at a favorite spot in the Kootenays near Fort Steele (Cranbrook) which is highlighted in the picture below. I left our vehicle with temps decent around minus 5 degrees C and within the hour the north wind blew in and temp dropped to middle minus twenties. I needed Stefan's space suit and huddled around the car heater heading home. For our friends from afar the Kootenay ranges are in the southeast corner of British Columbia, Canada just north of our American friends in Washington, Idaho and Montana and west of our province of Alberta, of course. The actual Kootenay ranges comprise an area larger than the mountainous areas of all of Switzerland. There are numerous fire roads and trails which one can pedal without company other than the hunters in the fall and firewood seekers in the summer. All enjoy the crazy old guy pedalling his bike up the trails and nobody cares whether it is an e-bike or regular bike. So refreshing from the "rules" about e-bikes in more popular areas that we bike in Alberta. Well I will hunker down until this currentView attachment 78692 cold spell lifts and look to our southern posts to tease us for better riding conditions.

What a view!! ...and welcome back home!

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Tailwind or headwind?

Newport•
Redcliffe Peninsula​

Maybe I wan't such a good idea to head up the bay today. The wind was fresh and from the SSE, which is to say behind me. Of course, sea breezes are fickle so there was little assistance for the first hour or two; however, when I crossed the three-kilometre viaduct to the Redcliffe Peninsula the vibrating slats on the cycleway's safety barrier were humming a warning which was reinforced by the thorough buffeting meted out as the trail arced around the southern, that is unprotected, end of the peninsula. Uh, oh!

The photo above was at the northern protected extremity. Despite just a few ripples on the canal, the ketch's Blue Ensign indicated what lay in store if I chose to return the way I had come. More significantly, when I reached my usual turning point at 60 km the Homage's computer cheerfully predicted that my range (distance remaining) was a little over 200 km. Alarm bells! The only way one gets that sort of reading is by having a boisterous tailwind on the outward leg; turn around – should that be the more nautical go about – and switch to a higher assist and suddenly the prospects are not so good.

I headed inland, tacking at 45º to the wind along the Redcliffe Rail Trail. Fortunately this is not a rails to trail but rails with trail; in other words a rail trail that had been built alongside, and at the same time, as the railway. After an hour or so, I 'accidentally' rolled onto a station platform and took the next train back to Brisbane.

* Newport on the Redcliffe Peninsula was named to commemorate what happened in Rhode Island in 1983: the so-called 'longest winning streak in sporting history' of 132 years came to an end and the America's Cup was taken to another continent.​

 

[Chargeride]

This Is Why I Wear the "Mass Destruction Snow" Suit...

Shopping during Polish snowstorm.

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I have to admit I was scared a little bit. My "winterized" Monster is good for ice, not for the fresh snowfall. While it was easy to ride downwind (35 km/h) on the highway (riding on bare icy asphalt in the ruts made by cars), I decided to return via snowy local streets. I had to ride very slowly and carefully to maintain the bike stability.

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Main Street in Podkowa Leśna. It is by no means "main" As there are West and East Streets in the town, it was necessary to name the third one "Main". (These street names reflect the three WKD train stops within the town). Main Street is wide, with hardly any traffic. Weather: Snowfall, -10 C, 35 km/h eastern wind.

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Points of Interest.

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Normally, it takes 10-12 minutes net ride time to do shopping. It was 20 minutes this morning.

I'm convinced youre the talk of the local commute.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I'm convinced youre the talk of the local commute.

It's the only time I'd like to own a fat bike

 

[Art Deco]

It's the only time I'd like to own a fat bike

Snow or sand are what fatties are built for, AFAIK. And even so, there are real limits to what two wheels can do.
.

 

[RabH]

@David Berry I will take your weather with a headwind any day compared to what we have here

Nice catch with the gull

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Not a gull in sight …

Deception Bay, QLD​

 

[Chargeride]

Just a little vid of my excursion into the mud, no jump scares

keskscare

Watch "keskscare" on Streamable.

streamable.com

 

[RandallS]

That's a LOT of mud...

 

[steve mercier]

It's too cold for a morning ride here. Might have to wait until later in the day.
View attachment 78554

WOW that is unreal! I have been there in minus 20 but that is far below ice skating weather. I wonder how long you can survive outdoors at that temp if your car broke down and you had no special gear?

 

[steve mercier]

 

[steve mercier]

If anybody's interested what I wear for my winter rides...

View attachment 78553
Winter Body Armour Ultimate.
(Photo by Cyberpunk).

Stefan it looks like you have your shoes on the wrong feet...haha. Anyways I also have these 100 % goggles and they are great in cold weather. I have noticed that I do not get a runny nose when I wear them and that is a big plus. But I also have these 100% knee pads ( level 1 protection) which are comfortable BUT I cannot keep them from shifting down off the knees towards my shins so I am going to try a different pair. Now I wish I still had all my stinky old hockey pads with the garters (-:

 

[RandallS]

Now I wish I still had all my stinky old hockey pads with the garters (-:

A lot of my old hockey gear had to go to the toxic waste disposal area - it was brutal!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Stefan it looks like you have your shoes on the wrong feet...

Indeed! I managed to misplace the left and right overshoe