Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[RabH]

grandson actually, to be clear.

Your wife's fault for looking so young, my bad!

 

[kahn]

@David Berry

What a splendid bike path. And a very clean looking city. Not bad for a former penal colony!

 

[Cowlitz]

Frozen fog this morning.

 

[kahn]

Frozen fog this morning.

On this side, it was drizzling earlier but now the sun keeps popping in and out. 48F but breezy although nothing like those Brits keep posting about!

 

[RandallS]

Rode in some pretty strong winds today up on Nose Hill with @Prairie Dog and his brother in law Dale.
Good fun - I'll leave it to Art to share any photos or videos once he get's a chance.

Strava weather station is delusional about the winds.
It was more like 30 gusting to 50!

A couple of minor tumbles - nothing serious. Just being stupid...
I think it's time to go pick up my new bike - a full suspension would have been nice in the conditions we were riding in today.

 

[RandallS]

Part of my regular ride from Brisbane's western suburbs to the sea.

This video covers the riverside section immediately after Brisbane Central: Wilson Outlook (50 km) to Newstead House (57 km).

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I found myself scanning for "for Rent" signs on those apartments along the way!

 

[Prairie Dog]

A Stellar Ride up on Nose Hill Park

Calgary is a city of parks and there is no doubt that Nose Hill is the largest. It encompasses over 11 square kilometers of trails, grasslands and coulees which makes it an ideal place to explore. We spent only a few hours tapping into just ¼ of the bike-able trails as our exemplary host @RandallS provided us a hands-on guided tour of this wonderful park. I’ll definitely make plans to return to this spot in the summer and hope that we will be able to hook up with @Twin Valley for another EBR get-together. No guarantee that it will be a wind-free day though.

View of the Calgary skyline from atop Nose Hill.

My brother-in-law and @RandallS pause briefly for a photo opp.

The Chinook Arch is clearly visible in the sky as Randall rides up towards another viewpoint of the city. Snow covered COP (Canada Olympic Park) can be seen off to the right in the distance and has been a familiar landmark on the road towards the iconic Banff National Park only an hour drive away.

The camera never lies.

As I followed Randall on this downhill run along one of the trails, I hit a patch of ice at the bottom and moments later found myself staring at the frozen ground. At this point, Randall had already reached the top.


An encounter with playful pooch along one of the trails.

More pics of our day up on the Nose.



A closing vista of the Rockies from my sister’s home in Signal Hill and a video tribute to our ride at Nose Hill Park.

 

[DiggyGun]

A Stellar Ride up on Nose Hill Park

Calgary is a city of parks and there is no doubt that Nose Hill is the largest. It encompasses over 11 square kilometers of trails, grasslands and coulees which makes it an ideal place to explore. We spent only a few hours tapping into just ¼ of the bike-able trails as our exemplary host @RandallS provided us a hands-on guided tour of this wonderful park. I’ll definitely make plans to return to this spot in the summer and hope that we will be able to hook up with @Twin Valley for another EBR get-together. No guarantee that it will be a wind-free day though.

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Looks like a nice and fun place to ride.

Were you all using studs?

 

[DiggyGun]

We had a nice, bright and sunny morning today. But very chilly with a strong wind again. The temperature was 3oC ,but with the wind chill it felt like -1oC.

We put plenty of layers on and I even wore my Gore Lobster gloves, so my hands were nice and warm.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Looks like a nice and fun place to ride.

Were you all using studs?

Sure enough we were all running on spikes. Studded tires were unquestionably a huge asset on this day but even with ISPs there’s limits of traction one can expect especially when factoring in speed and winter trail conditions. I found this out soon enough when I hit an icy pocked marked section at the bottom of one of the descents.

 

[RandallS]

Looks like a nice and fun place to ride.

Were you all using studs?

Studs are a must. The ground is frozen and when the snow melts, it pools and refreezes. The ground won't normally thaw until April. You can't ride without really concentrating on the surface ahead of you. OK, you can of course, but it can hurt a bit...

 

[Twin Valley]

We had a nice, bright and sunny morning today. But very chilly with a strong wind again. The temperature was 3oC ,but with the wind chill it felt like -1oC.

We put plenty of layers on and I even wore my Gore Lobster gloves, so my hands were nice and warm.
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even though a bit chilly I love seeing the green grass in your photos and your "picnics" in various churchyards seem so relaxing!

 

[DiggyGun]

even though a bit chilly I love seeing the green grass in your photos and your "picnics" in various churchyards seem so relaxing!

Thank you. We will always have a hot coffee or Bovril with us and often lunch so we find nice places to stop

In England, most villages and towns have an old church and churchyard, some dating back to the the 11th Century, (Norman times, the last time the UK was invaded in 1066). These invariably have some form of seating, so you can always find somewhere nice to stop.

As you said, makes it a pleasant place to stop and rest.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

or Bovril

In the form of broth, I presume?

 

[DiggyGun]

In the form of broth, I presume?

Yes, we’ve found an instant drink version of it, which we particularly like.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Family: Lost & Found

It's 1890s. Following the death of our grand-grandfather Józef, our grandpa Jakub and his step-sister Marcela find no future in staying in a small village of Opatkowice (then Russian Empire, now Holy Cross Voivodeship of Poland). Marcela escapes to Warsaw first, getting a job of a chambermaid there. Jakub follows her in 1893, to get a job of an unskilled worker at then-created Warsaw Water Filters. He learns to read (never learned to write). In early 20th c., he takes a bank credit and becomes a landowner & gardener in Nowy Wawrzyszew (now, part of Warsaw). As Jakub creates our line of the family, Marcela creates hers. That family line was strongly associated with ours until we lost contact many years ago. And Jacek has found them again thanks to his genealogical interests! Our "sister" Barbara and "brother" Wojciech, nicknamed "Żbik" (Wildcat) from their family name.

I promised the found family to come to them on an e-bike Lucky me I chose Vado SL: otherwise I wouldn't fit into the tiny lift in the block of flats in the right-bank quarter of Warsaw named Praga.

The street name here is Posag 7 Panien (Dowry of 7 Maidens). In 1893 (the same year my Grandpa immigrated in Warsaw), seven entrepreneurs used the dowry of their daughters as share capital to create a mechanical plant. Later, that factory became a huge tractor manufacturer by the name of Ursus. Nowadays, the factory's site is being converted to a housing estate. (The P7P Street was the main alley of the factory).

Entering the City of Warsaw from the west. The number and length of bike paths in Warsaw are excellent!

The Palace of Culture & Science (PKiN) of 1955 defines the very centre of the City of Warsaw. (The palace used to be dedicated to Joseph Stalin in the very beginning).

The family reunion. Jacek (left) managed to gather Barbara (sitting back to the camera), Żbik (the greybeard), Paweł (Barbara's son), and her husband Wojciech.

Barbara (born in Warsaw in 1941) is a great story-teller! She together with her parents was banished from Warsaw (with the rest of Warsaw Uprising survivors) to Germany in 1944 to return to Poland (and eventually to Warsaw) post WW2.

As in any decent Polish home, we were treated with pączki Also with croquettes/borscht

It was easy to travel to Barbara, as there was a 33 km/h tail-wind on the outward leg of the trip. It was worse on the return... I admit I got tired a little bit climbing the Tamka, one of the steepest Warsaw streets! And later I was fighting headwind in the Aleje. (There are two Aleje -- Avenues -- in Warsaw but any genuine Warsawer knows that The Aleje are the Jerusalem Avenues!)

 

[pmcdonald]

What a lovely get together Stefan!

I enjoyed a 33km/h tailwind on my ride today as well. It fortunately died down once I got to my destination - a large reserve about 4km away - otherwise branches would have been dropping all over the place.

It was nice and quiet after a few days of rain. There were a few dog walkers about, including one puppy that wanted to abandon its owner and follow me up the trail, and a couple of gravel bikers. Work on a giant bypass is about to commence that will cut this reserve in two. I thought I'd better go see some trails over the other side while I can.

The local kids have built some crazy fun trials through this reserve so the riding was a mix of XC, firetrails and downhill runs. There's a nice range of features to barrel over or cautiously side step.

500km in I am absolutely loving this new bike. Its ridiculously more capable than anything I've ridden, and has definitely saved me from going over the bars on a number of ill-timed drops and jumps! The thing is extraordinary - I just point it down track and hang on!

All up a much needed and adrenalin filled 25km jaunt in the bush.

 

[Chargeride]

Family: Lost & Found

It's 1890s. Following the death of our grand-grandfather Józef, our grandpa Jakub and his step-sister Marcela find no future in staying in a small village of Opatkowice (then Russian Empire, now Holy Cross Voivodeship of Poland). Marcela escapes to Warsaw first, getting a job of a chambermaid there. Jakub follows her in 1893, to get a job of an unskilled worker at then-created Warsaw Water Filters. He learns to read (never learned to write). In early 20th c., he takes a bank credit and becomes a landowner & gardener in Nowy Wawrzyszew (now, part of Warsaw). As Jakub creates our line of the family, Marcela creates hers. That family line was strongly associated with ours until we lost contact many years ago. And Jacek has found them again thanks to his genealogical interests! Our "sister" Barbara and "brother" Wojciech, nicknamed "Żbik" (Wildcat) from their family name.

I promised the found family to come to them on an e-bike Lucky me I chose Vado SL: otherwise I wouldn't fit into the tiny lift in the block of flats in the right-bank quarter of Warsaw named Praga.

View attachment 113547
The street name here is Posag 7 Panien (Dowry of 7 Maidens). In 1893 (the same year my Grandpa immigrated in Warsaw), seven entrepreneurs used the dowry of their daughters as share capital to create a mechanical plant. Later, that factory became a huge tractor manufacturer by the name of Ursus. Nowadays, the factory's site is being converted to a housing estate. (The P7P Street was the main alley of the factory).

View attachment 113548
Entering the City of Warsaw from the west. The number and length of bike paths in Warsaw are excellent!

View attachment 113549
The Palace of Culture & Science (PKiN) of 1955 defines the very centre of the City of Warsaw. (The palace used to be dedicated to Joseph Stalin in the very beginning).

View attachment 113550
The family reunion. Jacek (left) managed to gather Barbara (sitting back to the camera), Żbik (the greybeard), Paweł (Barbara's son), and her husband Wojciech.

View attachment 113552
Barbara (born in Warsaw in 1941) is a great story-teller! She together with her parents was banished from Warsaw (with the rest of Warsaw Uprising survivors) to Germany in 1944 to return to Poland (and eventually to Warsaw) post WW2.

View attachment 113553
As in any decent Polish home, we were treated with pączki Also with croquettes/borscht

View attachment 113555
It was easy to travel to Barbara, as there was a 33 km/h tail-wind on the outward leg of the trip. It was worse on the return... I admit I got tired a little bit climbing the Tamka, one of the steepest Warsaw streets! And later I was fighting headwind in the Aleje. (There are two Aleje -- Avenues -- in Warsaw but any genuine Warsawer knows that The Aleje are the Jerusalem Avenues!)

What a lovely story, we had a split family reunion some time ago, so many tales to tell.
That palace just oozes soviet and those buns have now got me off to the shop for whatever English cake looks the closest.

 

[Art Deco]

What a lovely get together Stefan!

I enjoyed a 33km/h tailwind on my ride today as well. It fortunately died down once I got to my destination - a large reserve about 4km away - otherwise branches would have been dropping all over the place.

It was nice and quiet after a few days of rain. There were a few dog walkers about, including one puppy that wanted to abandon its owner and follow me up the trail, and a couple of gravel bikers. Work on a giant bypass is about to commence that will cut this reserve in two. I thought I'd better go see some trails over the other side while I can.

The local kids have built some crazy fun trials through this reserve so the riding was a mix of XC, firetrails and downhill runs. There's a nice range of features to barrel over or cautiously side step.

500km in I am absolutely loving this new bike. Its ridiculously more capable than anything I've ridden, and has definitely saved me from going over the bars on a number of ill-timed drops and jumps! The thing is extraordinary - I just point it down track and hang on!

All up a much needed and adrenalin filled 25km jaunt in the bush.

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View attachment 113581

Looks like a ride in a rainforest. Lovely.

 

[DiggyGun]

Didn’t go out for a ride today. Mixture of rain and very cold winds. Presently, the wind is 22mph, but with gusts up to 45mph.

Was in town this morning and it was quite cold and blustery walking back. Mind you, we had just eaten a full English. Very nice…