Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[Prairie Dog]

Randall - going to follow your adventures on the Intrigue as a family member was going to purchase one but by the time a decision was made our LBS was sold out of them . . . today's ride could be called "Fire in the Hole" or what the heck . . . about a mile north of our house is a series of hills that I often take the Golden Doodle to run off some of her never-ending energy - there is never a person around just a good habitat for deer, fox and so forth, today to my astonishment I met a fellow in all white camo carrying a long range rifle (and hunting season is over here) who was upset that my dog and I crested a hill that he had a target there for shooting long range (600 metres) - I had spotted his truck at a gas well and thought some maintenance was going on - guess not - we had a long chat and he promised to call before future shooting events but my little biking paradise won't be quite the same in the future, picture has a fox den hole holding the Levo up and "Missy" concerned about what might be in the hole under the bike . . .View attachment 109121

What a swell place to go out on a ride with the pup despite having that close call. We received a few cm of snow last night which was a welcome sight.

 

[Prairie Dog]

@David Berry Curious what you call the guard on the front of the rig? Where I grew up we called it a cow-catcher even though there was no open range and deer were by far the most likely to impact it. Kangaroo-katcher?

What about you @Prairie Dog ? Moose rack, bull bars, or just plain ole cow-catcher?

I've always thought of them as grill guards similar to the ones seen on p/u trucks.

 

[Prairie Dog]

I just couldn’t pass this up this opportunity on my way home today. For a Sunday, I expected the place to be packed but much to my surprise there were fewer skaters on the ponds than I thought there would be. I kept away from the busier north half of the ponds where most seemed to be gathering around the main pavilion.

A video tribute to Vince Guaraldi, one of my all-time favorite pianists and composers.

@RandallS – Vermillion Lakes would be a good place to take this show on the road.

Memorable Places to Skate in Banff National Park

www.banfflakelouise.com

 

[RandallS]

Randall - going to follow your adventures on the Intrigue as a family member was going to purchase one but by the time a decision was made our LBS was sold out of them . . . today's ride could be called "Fire in the Hole" or what the heck . . . about a mile north of our house is a series of hills that I often take the Golden Doodle to run off some of her never-ending energy - there is never a person around just a good habitat for deer, fox and so forth, today to my astonishment I met a fellow in all white camo carrying a long range rifle (and hunting season is over here) who was upset that my dog and I crested a hill that he had a target there for shooting long range (600 metres) - I had spotted his truck at a gas well and thought some maintenance was going on - guess not - we had a long chat and he promised to call before future shooting events but my little biking paradise won't be quite the same in the future, picture has a fox den hole holding the Levo up and "Missy" concerned about what might be in the hole under the bike . . .View attachment 109121

I bet "your LBS" and "My" LBS is one and the same.
Yours is the Okotoks location and mine is in Kensington.

We'll have to get out together one of these days - on my Fathom or once I get the Intrigue.
I do need to head that way one of these days - I have an old university chum not too far from you I think and I haven't seen him in 40 years.

I've been back working since July and I am walking away again in January - I'll have time during the week again soon.

 

[kahn]

@Prairie Dog

Okay, how slick is that surface. It seems you have complete control. What about stopping? No quick turns?

I've seen the Ice Castle at Lake Louise. We use to ski across the lake up to the Plain of the X Glaciers and telemark back there. It was a favorite and there were usually folks ice climbing one of the falls out on the right.

 

[RandallS]

@Prairie Dog

Okay, how slick is that surface. It seems you have complete control. What about stopping? No quick turns?

I've seen the Ice Castle at Lake Louise. We use to ski across the lake up to the Plain of the X Glaciers and telemark back there. It was a favorite and there were usually folks ice climbing one of the falls out on the right.

The stability on hard packed snow and ice with Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pros is amazing.

 

[Prairie Dog]

@Prairie Dog

Okay, how slick is that surface. It seems you have complete control. What about stopping? No quick turns?

I've seen the Ice Castle at Lake Louise. We use to ski across the lake up to the Plain of the X Glaciers and telemark back there. It was a favorite and there were usually folks ice climbing one of the falls out on the right.

I’m sure the surface was slick but the Ice Spikers (as @RandallS can attest to) have such tenacious grip that I felt pretty solid going around the bends. Night and day compared to the tires that I was running on last season.

That sounds like one unforgettable ski trip! Lake Louise is such an incredible place to be during the winter season as there’s so much to take in. Back in 2006, we embarked on a dog sled trip not too far from the resort. Coincidentally, that was the last time that I strapped on a pair of skates.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I’m sure the surface was slick but the Ice Spikers (as @RandallS can attest to) have such tenacious grip that I felt pretty solid going around the bends.

I can attest to it as well. Last Winter, I was riding the same tyres (27.5 x 2.6") on black ice, and the experience was like riding on dry asphalt!

 

[Prairie Dog]

I can attest to it as well. Last Winter, I was riding the same tyres (27.5 x 2.6") on black ice, and the experience was like riding on dry asphalt!

Speaking of riding on dry asphalt, who needs a bike bell when people can hear the sound of over 700 studs clacking in unison as you approach far from behind.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

@David Berry Curious what you call the guard on the front of the rig? Where I grew up we called it a cow-catcher even though there was no open range and deer were by far the most likely to impact it. Kangaroo-katcher?

Usually bull bar; sometimes roo bar.

Hazards: cattle, kangaroos, camels.

Although we are into an area where accuracy is often placed second to exaggeration, it is commonly claimed that there are more camels in Australia than in any other country. Certainly, Australian camels are regularly exported to the Gulf region for food, breeding and racing.

Camels, dingoes and buffaloes are certainly not native to the continent. The camels – the ancestors of the wild mobs necessitating the fitting of bull bars to trucks – were brought to Australia during the period of exploration (and exploitation) of the driest areas of the outback. This was roughly 1860–1930 (American Civil War to Great Depression).

The cameleers came from the tribal areas of NW British India and were known, not altogether inaccurately, as 'Afghans' or 'Ghans'. Most went home but the descendants of those who stayed are proud of their heritage.

The camels didn't 'go home', but were allowed to run wild. How could people have been so daft! (Still are?)

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The Bigos Ride

Joanna (who insists on calling her Makenzen, the nickname of her own choice) gave me a pretext for a pretty long Winter ride on my "big" Vado: she knows I like bigos. By chance, she was cooking bigos for a couple of last days (bigos is the best if stewed for several hours a day for a week!), so she invited me to taste it on Sunday. I retrieved the Vado from storage and set off at quarter to eleven a.m. I was delighted with the performance of my low-geared, winterized, and low handlebars Vado: a perfect ride for low temps and icy conditions!

A short rest near to the Union of Lublin Square in Warsaw. The "square" actually is a beautiful junction in the shape of a six-pointed star (it is obscured by the shopping mall in the picture). The square's name commemorates the creation of the Republic of Both Nations, or the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569. (Bear in mind Lithuania owned Belarus, and Poland owned Ukraine in those times).

The shape of Warsaw bike paths was dramatic on Sunday. Most of sidewalks are cleared of snow and ice but the city decided not to clear bike paths in the hope very few people would be cycling in the Winter. Wrong. Poland has changed and many people do cycle all year round! Frozen ruts were very dangerous, even if Marathon Winter Plus studded tyres helped keep the stability. (The picture taken at Wał Miedzeszyński -- or the Miedzeszyn Wall -- a long right hand side Vistula embankment).

At Makenzen's Her bigos was excellent!

Icy but not frozen River Vistula as seen from the Warsaw Southern Bridge. The bridge is a part of the Warsaw Southern Beltway, more on it soon.

We Warsawers cannot wait until the whole Southern Beltway is finally put in use! The tunnel running under Ursynów quarter is the offending element, as the Turkish construction company still cannot meet the standards, and the safety tests have been continually failed. For this reason, a long part of the motorway cannot be put in use, and that makes the parallel service road/bike path not put in use either! People (cyclists, young mothers and dog-walkers) have had enough and made the barriers to that segment "not completely closed" And I could make my maiden voyage along the brand new WSB cycling segment!

The unfinished WSB makes it hard for me to conveniently return home by the "southern route". To make the return ride pleasant, I decided to ride through the Kabacki Forest. It was icy hard packed snow! Marathons Winter helped me with a stable ride. At some point, a little unleashed dog ran in the direction of my front wheel! I braked rather hard, my Vado slipped but retained the stability! No other issues otherwise.

I was riding proactively, with the minimum number of stops (you don't want to stop when it's cold!) I had a small latte in my favourite BP petrol station in Sokołów, then decided to put the Turbo mode on! (What sense does it make to own a Turbo e-bike and never ride in the Turbo mode?) Oh! My Vado became so fast! The remaining distance was just "eaten" in very short time for the boring segment! (Temperature was -3 C when I started, and -4 C when I finished the ride).

189 km left to equalize @RabH's 2020 distance ridden!

 

[RabH]

Unforeseen circumstances prevented me from getting out yesterday but I managed a ride today! I had to stay very local as my dad isn't keeping too well but I had quite a ride due to my amazing local roads! It was a bit murky but dry and pretty mild for the time of year, certainly no ice around so I could enjoy all the ups and downs of which there were plenty! Almost 3500ft of climbing so I got quite a workout! I didn't take any photos this time, it wasn't a day for them!

I decided on a route back home which is a lot of fun but today I came across a load of construction work which was very unexpected on this route, in hindsight I should probably have turned back and avoided it but I was committed and just ploughed through the mudbath! I think its the filthiest my bike has ever been but its back to its gleamimg best after a good wash! What a fun ride that was, only 119 miles to make it 5000 for the year, way behind @Stefan Mikes who is very determined to beat my total from last year! Good luck Stefan, I'm sure you will do it knowing how determined you are!

@Prairie Dog I'm sure you caused that poor kid to fall on the ice when they saw you on your bike! I bet they were thinking, look at this nutter on the bike haha!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

In The Search Of Pure Ice (Jacek Mikulski's Ice Spiker Pro KPN Ride)

An that's what my brother was doing on the very same Sunday...

Jacek on the Palmiry Road. As you can see, the road was covered with pure ice. Jacek: "My Trance E+ was slipping a little on pure ice with Ice Spiker Pro but that was controllable".

"50 km/h. SLOW DOWN. ACCIDENTS" Fortunately, Jacek met no moose on his ride.

The Palmiry Massacre Memorial. Jacek was a single cyclist present there! He could see some cyclists riding on the snow on some forest paths. No one except him dared riding the Palmiry Road though.

The stone commemorating a 1939 tank duel. It is hard to miss that landmark when you ride through the Kampinos National Park (East).

Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro 27.5 x 2.6" tyre in detail. It is really a thing!

Jacek was very happy with riding the Trance E+ Pro 2 on proper winter tyres. He only mentioned it was critical that both front and rear of the bike were equally loaded to avoid slippage!

 

[Prairie Dog]

I'm sure you caused that poor kid to fall on the ice when they saw you on your bike! I bet they were thinking, look at this nutter on the bike haha!

That's exactly what happened, though I did acknowledge with an apologetic wave.

 

[RabH]

That's exactly what happened, though I did acknowledge with an apologetic wave.

Yes I saw your wave, I'm sure it wasn't their first or last fall on ice!

 

[Chargeride]

I just couldn’t pass this up this opportunity on my way home today. For a Sunday, I expected the place to be packed but much to my surprise there were fewer skaters on the ponds than I thought there would be. I kept away from the busier north half of the ponds where most seemed to be gathering around the main pavilion.

View attachment 109128
View attachment 109127

A video tribute to Vince Guaraldi, one of my all-time favorite pianists and composers.

@RandallS – Vermillion Lakes would be a good place to take this show on the road.

Memorable Places to Skate in Banff National Park

www.banfflakelouise.com

If something like that froze over in England, there would be an emergency meeting of parliament and trains within 50 miles would derail.
Lover the peanuts jazz track.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Thought that I would follow up with a summary of yesterday’s ride. It was -7C with a bit of breeze blowing but still quite pleasant day to be out.

I left home and rode the 5km to Heritage Ranch where I enjoyed the fresh snow that had fallen the previous night. What a difference a few cm makes. Most of the exposed roots were now covered with the exception of some of the narrower sections, it felt more like a pillowy ride. No crispy crunch of ice beneath the tires but more of a swoosh along the surface of the trail.

It was then off to Maskepetoon Park, a local wetland that features a short out-and-back looped trail within the city limits. The trail is connected by a series of bridges and boardwalks which tie in nicely with its natural surroundings.

Maskepetoon Park - The City of Red Deer

Maskepetoon Park is an ecological gem tucked away in the west end of Red Deer. Visitors can access the park via Kerry Wood Drive and once there, can stroll along paths and trails that wind through the forest and marshland.

www.reddeer.ca

Just before I entered the trail, I took time to take in the view of the river below while atop the bluff.

The trail leading into the confines of this small park.

The system of bridges/boardwalks that dot the trails.

A sure sign that a weasel was out and about recently.

Despite the ice build up, the river was still flowing relatively fast. The viewpoint near the entrance to the park is situated at the top of the sandy bluff left of center in the image.

A parting shot of the trail leading out of the park. Another wonderful day to be out and no sooner as in the coming week we’ll be in one of many deep freezes to come.

 

[kahn]

@Stefan Mikes That bigos looks really tempting. I checked out a recipe. Right now my ratatouille is cooking and vegetarian will have to make do.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@Prairie Dog: I have shown your ice ride video to my FB friends. Any cyclist among them got jealous of your gear, and especially of the tyres!

@Stefan Mikes That bigos looks really tempting. I checked out a recipe. Right now my ratatouille is cooking and vegetarian will have to make do.

Then you know bigos shall be heavy packed with different meats There is a big difference between Polish Bigos and German Sauerkraut. The German use raw sour cabbage and stew it rather shortly, giving the food sour, fresh and aggressive taste. The Polish wash their cabbage first to remove most of the acid, then add a lot of meats, sausage, dried fungi and dried smoked plums. Bigos stewing is a process taking a lot of time, that's why families make it mostly well before Christmas. As you never make it in small quantities, bigos is later stored outside at winter temps. All that explains why getting a real home-made Bigos is so rare for a person like me, a single guy living in a small flat now.

 

[Prairie Dog]

I have shown your ice ride video to my FB friends. Any cyclist among them got jealous of your gear, and especially of the tyres!

Bigos look yummy!

I didn't want to push it with all of the kiddies around. They're like minions on ice. Here’s a favorite of mine, Stefan. Makes you appreciate what real ice biking on an alpine lake is like.