Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[Readytoride]

The saying around here is that speed limits are just a suggestion since they never enforce it. The same with the greenways. Not to worried about it but it’s infuriating seeing this.

I'll hazard a bet there are no teeth in that ebike restriction. Scofflaw that I am, I ignore rules like this that exclude for no good purpose. Then again, I ride a bike that looks exactly like the bikes everyone else rides except that mine can gently assist. Mine doesn't look like the pseudo-motorcycle Mad Max machines that these lawmakers mistake for "ebikes" and thus want to discourage. Even savvy cyclists on unassisted bikes have to look closely to determine if mine is electric. The county has neither the time nor the money to post law enforcement on the Greenway simply to check bikes. They have better things to do.

No one will care as long as you blend in with everyone else. No one.

Law enforcement *will* care if they catch you cycling on the freeway, however. Federal law prohibits everything except vehicular trucks and cars. Riding a bike (or even walking) on a designated freeway will get you collared by some very annoyed state police really fast. Not a fate I'd want to tempt.

 

[Readytoride]

My truck needs to be replaced… tried to get in line and order an electric Ford Lighting today and the registration is closed likely for the year. The new Chevy Silverado EV isn’t available until 2024. It is unfortunate…I need a truck.

It's too bad that the electric truck revolution is so late to the game. They should have had their hand in years before. What's worse was the pandemic for screwing up the supply chain and setting progress back by at least a year. Its like a 1960s Beatles performance that you had hoped to see...until you found the line for tickets extended for miles around the block and people were sleeping overnight in tents hoping to get seats before they were sold out.

That's what the wait is for an electric truck right now. I've had my tent up in line for the Rivian for several years now.

If you can encourage your truck to limp along for another year (or two) you might be able to jump in line to get an e-truck by the end of 2023.

 

[kahn]

I'll hazard a bet there are no teeth in that ebike restriction. Scofflaw that I am, I ignore rules like this that exclude for no good purpose. Then again, I ride a bike that looks exactly like the bikes everyone else rides except that mine can gently assist. Mine doesn't look like the pseudo-motorcycle Mad Max machines that these lawmakers mistake for "ebikes" and thus want to discourage. Even savvy cyclists on unassisted bikes have to look closely to determine if mine is electric. The county has neither the time nor the money to post law enforcement on the Greenway simply to check bikes. They have better things to do.

No one will care as long as you blend in with everyone else. No one.

Law enforcement *will* care if they catch you cycling on the freeway, however. Federal law prohibits everything except vehicular trucks and cars. Riding a bike (or even walking) on a designated freeway will get you collared by some very annoyed state police really fast. Not a fate I'd want to tempt.

Since I have ridden along/on I-90 east of Seattle, well, east of Issaquah, in the past, I just checked and it is still legal. I have to say it is not necessarily pleasant. There's a ton of noise and heavy vehicles. Even back then, tractor trailers were more hospitable than inept drivers of motor homes. The trucks would move out of the right lane and give up room and freedom from turbulence. Boxy motor homes would just tool along in the right lane and buffet us. There are even sections of I-5 where it is permitted. There are areas where the is no reasonable alternatives.

https://wsdot.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?useExisting=1&layers=66d6114468c7427e925638cc1a0f1d01

Urban sections of the freeways are closed to bikes.

 

[Readytoride]

Since I have ridden along/on I-90 east of Seattle, well, east of Issaquah, in the past, I just checked and it is still legal. I have to say it is not necessarily pleasant. There's a ton of noise and heavy vehicles. Even back then, tractor trailers were more hospitable than inept drivers of motor homes. The trucks would move out of the right lane and give up room and freedom from turbulence. Boxy motor homes would just tool along in the right lane and buffet us. There are even sections of I-5 where it is permitted. There are areas where the is no reasonable alternatives.

https://wsdot.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?useExisting=1&layers=66d6114468c7427e925638cc1a0f1d01

Urban sections of the freeways are closed to bikes.

Not to be pedantic but Freeways are different from Interstates. Interstates may have restrictions in certain circumstances, but generally where they go through rural areas they are open ... although they are anything but comfortable for bicycles. All freeways, on the other hand, are restricted access. No bikes allowed.

I avoid both.

Highways, on the other hand, can be just as hairy (speedwise), but I can tolerate them for short stretches when they have big, wide shoulders. Bikes on major dual lane highways, I've discovered much to my amusement, tend to scare most drivers. Seriously. Not kidding.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Freeways are restricted access. No bikes allowed.

Highways, on the other hand, can be just as hairy (speedwise).

"Cyclists welcome" – if we dare. There's even an magpie waiting patiently on the street light!

No, I did not take this photo! (Thanks Google Street View.)

This is definitely not a motorway but I do have every right to ride it! Just imagine being caught between the guard rail and the blue truck (a typical interstate freighter – limited to two trailers on the Pacific side of the continental divide). Whoosh… splat!

This section of the Warrego Highway is used by around 6000 heavy vehicles per day (4 per minute). A sign just up the road indicating 'Darwin – 3423 km' explains all: the cost of upgrading to motorway standard would be prohibitive.

And why is there a crossing between the divided lanes? Crazy! (Motorways, by definition, must be crossed by bridges or underpasses.) My guess is that the fuel company, who has owned that spot for ages, could have (would have!) successfully demanded a mega-sum in compensation. I have often filled up there but have never crossed the road to do so. (Reminder to self: start saving for that Rivian!)

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Graveloza - Mazovian Landscape Park

I hate riding dirt. I am not happy to ride damaged gravel roads. I do love riding pavement. I do not even own a gravel e-bike! However, the "Polish Format of Gravel Cycling" that assumes riding in forests with occasional switching to paved roads has attracted me: for people and camaraderie. Riding alone is so boring!

9:22 am on Saturday morning in the summer resort of Celestynów eastwards of River Vistula and far southwards of Warsaw. Over 30 people have started the ride at 9:34. A quarter later, another group (late comers) started chasing us. Not to avail! A fact: Very few Polish gravel cyclists own a bike rack; therefore, gravel bikes are brought to the ride start inside station-wagons or even in smaller cars, with the front wheel removed.

I don't think all people who started the ride could complete the route. It was a cold day (and you need to dress properly), and the ride speed was pretty high.

Near to Pilawa. Here, the riding groups split. Here, the Performance Group expected to ride for a Metric Century at high speed. The guy without the helmet is the organizer Too funny! It was him to tell the participants wearing the helmet was obligatory, and he not only forgot to take a body armour with him but he didn't take the helmet either!

The Recreational Group. Over 75 km to ride, and our average speed was pretty good as for amateurs!

The name of the nature reservation is hilarious. It is virtually impossible to give a good translation. I hesitate between "The Place Where You Bonk" and "A Place For Suckers"

I had only one real stop on my ride. At some point, I decided to wait for the slow party. After 5 minutes of waiting, I realized I lost any chance to re-join the group leaders! So I gave them a solid chase, only stopping at the "Place Where You Bonk" to take photos

And I caught up with them: Marek, Paul and Janek.

Once we got on the pavement again, we did a real Keirin, or motor-paced cycle racing! Indeed, I had a motor in my Vado so I rode out to the front, and my mates were drafting behind me! It allowed us a really fast return to Celestynów!

And now, the best! When we could see the finish line, I went Turbo and finished the race in the 1st place. Then we went to the Pizzeria Nigro -- the meeting point - to discover we were the first racers to reach the finish! How come? Simply: The Performance Group spent 13 minutes more on their 100 km ride than we did on our 75 km one! Haha!

There were so many bikes that some of them got stored inside the pizzeria!

To disappoint some of you: No food pictures! I had Tomato Soup, a small Capricciosa pizza, and Winter Tea. I was so hungry I didn't take any pictures!

The Ride Metrics. I was riding 50 or 60% of full power Specialized assistance. (I regret my Vado has no Infinite Tune feature to let me -- for instance -- reduce the assistance whenever needed during riding). People were -- as always -- interested in my Speed Vado, and in e-bikes in general. For example, Marek was demo riding a Creo SL the day before and was enchanted!

 

[PatriciaK]

The Island was beautiful today! Sun, sparkling blue water, calm(ish) wind, temps in the high 40s range.

Electric socks kept my feet toasty warm, and I actually had to shed a layer halfway through the ride .

Almost 17 miles of bliss on my La Free!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

At last!

Someone (Marek) took a picture of me on my Vado

I had a talk with Marek about his impressions from the Creo SL demo ride. He was the most impressed with the way the Specialized system cuts off the motor after the speed has increased past the limiter: "The assistance is not abruptly taken away from you. Instead the power delivery is reduced smoothly and then you are on your own, hardly noticing that. The only indication that you ride unassisted is your thighs feel a little bit stiffer!"

 

[Chargeride]

Graveloza - Mazovian Landscape Park

I hate riding dirt. I am not happy to ride damaged gravel roads. I do love riding pavement. I do not even own a gravel e-bike! However, the "Polish Format of Gravel Cycling" that assumes riding in forests with occasional switching to paved roads has attracted me: for people and camaraderie. Riding alone is so boring!

View attachment 115918
9:22 am on Saturday morning in the summer resort of Celestynów eastwards of River Vistula and far southwards of Warsaw. Over 30 people have started the ride at 9:34. A quarter later, another group (late comers) started chasing us. Not to avail! A fact: Very few Polish gravel cyclists own a bike rack; therefore, gravel bikes are brought to the ride start inside station-wagons or even in smaller cars, with the front wheel removed.

View attachment 115919
I don't think all people who started the ride could complete the route. It was a cold day (and you need to dress properly), and the ride speed was pretty high.

View attachment 115920
Near to Pilawa. Here, the riding groups split. Here, the Performance Group expected to ride for a Metric Century at high speed. The guy without the helmet is the organizer Too funny! It was him to tell the participants wearing the helmet was obligatory, and he not only forgot to take a body armour with him but he didn't take the helmet either!

View attachment 115921
The Recreational Group. Over 75 km to ride, and our average speed was pretty good as for amateurs!

View attachment 115922
The name of the nature reservation is hilarious. It is virtually impossible to give a good translation. I hesitate between "The Place Where You Bonk" and "A Place For Suckers"

View attachment 115923
I had only one real stop on my ride. At some point, I decided to wait for the slow party. After 5 minutes of waiting, I realized I lost any chance to re-join the group leaders! So I gave them a solid chase, only stopping at the "Place Where You Bonk" to take photos

View attachment 115924
And I caught up with them: Marek, Paul and Janek.

View attachment 115925
Once we got on the pavement again, we did a real Keirin, or motor-paced cycle racing! Indeed, I had a motor in my Vado so I rode out to the front, and my mates were drafting behind me! It allowed us a really fast return to Celestynów!

And now, the best! When we could see the finish line, I went Turbo and finished the race in the 1st place. Then we went to the Pizzeria Nigro -- the meeting point - to discover we were the first racers to reach the finish! How come? Simply: The Performance Group spent 13 minutes more on their 100 km ride than we did on our 75 km one! Haha!

View attachment 115926
There were so many bikes that some of them got stored inside the pizzeria!

To disappoint some of you: No food pictures! I had Tomato Soup, a small Capricciosa pizza, and Winter Tea. I was so hungry I didn't take any pictures!

View attachment 115927
The Ride Metrics. I was riding 50 or 60% of full power Specialized assistance. (I regret my Vado has no Infinite Tune feature to let me -- for instance -- reduce the assistance whenever needed during riding). People were -- as always -- interested in my Speed Vado, and in e-bikes in general. For example, Marek was demo riding a Creo SL the day before and was enchanted!

Place Where You Bonk.
We have such places as well, though they dont get an official sign

 

[Marci jo]

Graveloza - Mazovian Landscape Park

I hate riding dirt. I am not happy to ride damaged gravel roads. I do love riding pavement. I do not even own a gravel e-bike! However, the "Polish Format of Gravel Cycling" that assumes riding in forests with occasional switching to paved roads has attracted me: for people and camaraderie. Riding alone is so boring!

View attachment 115918
9:22 am on Saturday morning in the summer resort of Celestynów eastwards of River Vistula and far southwards of Warsaw. Over 30 people have started the ride at 9:34. A quarter later, another group (late comers) started chasing us. Not to avail! A fact: Very few Polish gravel cyclists own a bike rack; therefore, gravel bikes are brought to the ride start inside station-wagons or even in smaller cars, with the front wheel removed.

View attachment 115919
I don't think all people who started the ride could complete the route. It was a cold day (and you need to dress properly), and the ride speed was pretty high.

View attachment 115920
Near to Pilawa. Here, the riding groups split. Here, the Performance Group expected to ride for a Metric Century at high speed. The guy without the helmet is the organizer Too funny! It was him to tell the participants wearing the helmet was obligatory, and he not only forgot to take a body armour with him but he didn't take the helmet either!

View attachment 115921
The Recreational Group. Over 75 km to ride, and our average speed was pretty good as for amateurs!

View attachment 115922
The name of the nature reservation is hilarious. It is virtually impossible to give a good translation. I hesitate between "The Place Where You Bonk" and "A Place For Suckers"

View attachment 115923
I had only one real stop on my ride. At some point, I decided to wait for the slow party. After 5 minutes of waiting, I realized I lost any chance to re-join the group leaders! So I gave them a solid chase, only stopping at the "Place Where You Bonk" to take photos

View attachment 115924
And I caught up with them: Marek, Paul and Janek.

View attachment 115925
Once we got on the pavement again, we did a real Keirin, or motor-paced cycle racing! Indeed, I had a motor in my Vado so I rode out to the front, and my mates were drafting behind me! It allowed us a really fast return to Celestynów!

And now, the best! When we could see the finish line, I went Turbo and finished the race in the 1st place. Then we went to the Pizzeria Nigro -- the meeting point - to discover we were the first racers to reach the finish! How come? Simply: The Performance Group spent 13 minutes more on their 100 km ride than we did on our 75 km one! Haha!

View attachment 115926
There were so many bikes that some of them got stored inside the pizzeria!

To disappoint some of you: No food pictures! I had Tomato Soup, a small Capricciosa pizza, and Winter Tea. I was so hungry I didn't take any pictures!

View attachment 115927
The Ride Metrics. I was riding 50 or 60% of full power Specialized assistance. (I regret my Vado has no Infinite Tune feature to let me -- for instance -- reduce the assistance whenever needed during riding). People were -- as always -- interested in my Speed Vado, and in e-bikes in general. For example, Marek was demo riding a Creo SL the day before and was enchanted!

Wow Stefan, what are fun group!
You are so fortunate. Could you imagine cycling with this group before you had your ebikes?! And I suspect many of the members will be considering getting an ebike.

 

[RabH]

Today was my 400th ride on my amazing e bike, it will be 4 years old at the end of this month and still rides like the day I bought it! I have covered 18,633 miles from the 400 rides, an average of 46.58 miles! I couldn't have asked for a nicer day at the time of year, it was bitterly cold but the light winds made it just perfect for a nice 50 mile ride! The back roads were out of bounds today but being a Sunday the main roads were pretty quiet!

The frost remained all day in the shady parts but the sun did a great job and most of the roads were lovely and dry!

I'm glad we ride on the left and I was going downhill today! Its actually a great road but very neglected when it comes to repairs...

I was hoping to ride to Lanark this morning but the road was closed so I had to detour, with views like this I wasn't complaining!

This road was heavily salted as its over 1100ft up, I just love the descent around the corner where I hit 40.7mph today! I almost reached 50mph on this road before, its pretty exhilarating in the right conditions but very prone to crosswinds...

My legs were pretty tired today, I had to use level 2 and sometimes level 3 assist to get up those hills! Having 2 batteries is a life saver, I actually managed 34 miles on my first battery which was pretty awesome considering I was using the assist more than normal! I will rest my legs for a couple of days now and recharge and hopefully reach 500 rides by the end of this year! Ironically last year I had 118 rides and so far this year I have 18, only 100 to go What a fantastic 400th ride that was, here's to many many more!

 

[kahn]

Place Where You Bonk.
We have such places as well, though they dont get an official sign

I would need too many signs!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

You are so fortunate. Could you imagine cycling with this group before you had your ebikes?! And I suspect many of the members will be considering getting an ebike.

What a fun! The Graveloza organizer spotted my 80 km group ride of today on Strava, and wrote me this humorous message:
-- Hi! I feel you need to join our Performance Group! What was it, that playing to be a stallion with your 80 km ride of today?!

"Long Time No See" Ride

Przemek The Gravel Man and Ania The Roadie were the first people to accept me in a group of traditional cyclists on Feb 28th, 2021. They taught me endurance and long riding without taking a rest. They showed me by their own example what cameraderie and helping one another meant for a cycling group. I am so grateful to them!

I and Ania have not seen each other for many months (although we could stay in touch via Strava and FB). Przemek convinced Ania to come for the Sunday ride, chose the time convenient for her, and made a promise we would never leave paved roads, so Ania's "Princess" road bike would be safe against catching a flat. And he kept his promise as good as he could! For me, starting at 2 pm (instead of 8 am!) was convenient, too. Michał K, a regular member of Przemek group rides joined, too.

Long Time No See. Meeting at Walczewski's Ponds in Grodzisk Mazowiecki. Can you see skiing gloves on my hands? I felt it would be very cold on the ride! (Heated socks helped my feet survive, too).

41st kilometre: The only longer rest on the ride. "Longer" meant nine minutes, haha! (I can read such information from the BLEvo app).

"The Group Power!"

That very road had no paved continuation, so we had to go back a little. Meanwhile, we started suffering cold. It was 0 C down to -2 C. I used to ride under far colder conditions yet we all felt the cold was terrible. Even fast ride could not help us getting any warmer! And we were eventually returning in the dark. (Powerful Vado headlight helped the group to see road surfaces perfectly, even if I was riding in the tail!)

I decided to swap the batteries earlier than needed to save time. The swap took me under 1 minute! (We did it on an extemely short "technical stop", 2 minutes 23 seconds according to BLEvo).

After return to our homes, we shared experiences. Any of us froze to the core! Even my post-ride hot shower felt not warm enough! And now, something interesting. I did the ride with 45/45% Specialized (full power) assistance. It was too much of assistance as for the ride on paved roads! I got too little workout!

 

[Mulezen]

Stefan…your idiomatic English is terrific “Long time no see.”

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Stefan…your idiomatic English is terrific “Long time no see.”

I've read a lot of English books so I knew the idiom. However, I could not invent a good title for the ride and it was Ania to invent it!

 

[Chargeride]

What a fun! The Graveloza organizer spotted my 80 km group ride of today on Strava, and wrote me this humorous message:
-- Hi! I feel you need to join our Performance Group! What was it, that playing to be a stallion with your 80 km ride of today?!

"Long Time No See" Ride

Przemek The Gravel Man and Ania The Roadie were the first people to accept me in a group of traditional cyclists on Feb 28th, 2021. They taught me endurance and long riding without taking a rest. The showed me by their own deeds what cameraderie and helping one another meant for a cycling group. I am so grateful to them!

I and Ania have not seen each other for many months (although we could stay in touch via Strava and FB). Przemek convinced Ania to come for the Sunday ride, chose the time convenient for her, and made a promise we would never leave paved roads, so Ania's "Princess" road bike would be safe against catching a flat. And he kept his promise as good as he could! For me, starting at 2 pm (instead of 8 am!) was convenient, too. Michał K, a regular member of Przemek group rides joined, too.

View attachment 116030
Long Time No See. Meeting at Walewski's Ponds in Grodzisk Mazowiecki. Can you see skiing gloves on my hands? I felt it would be very cold on the ride! (Heated socks helped my feet survive, too).

View attachment 116031
41st kilometre: The only longer rest on the ride. "Longer" meant nine minutes, haha! (I can read such information from the BLEvo app).

View attachment 116032
"The Group Power!"

View attachment 116033
That very road had no paved continuation, so we had to go back a little. Meanwhile, we started suffering cold. It was 0 C down to -2 C. I used to ride under far colder conditions yet we all felt the cold was terrible. Even fast ride could not help us getting any warmer! And we were eventually returning in the dark. (Powerful Vado headlight helped the group to see road surfaces perfectly, even if I was riding in the tail!)

View attachment 116037
I decided to swap the batteries earlier than needed to save time. The swap took me under 1 minute! (We did it on an extemely short "technical stop", 2 minutes 23 seconds according to BLEvo).

View attachment 116038
After return to our homes, we shared experiences. Any of us froze to the core! Even my post-ride hot shower felt not warm enough! And now, something interesting. I did the ride with 45/45% Specialized (full power) assistance. It was too much of assistance as for the ride on paved roads! I got too little workout!

Ania seems to be giving that..'youre not doing it right' to the cameraman.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Over the weekend, Manchester Ian and I rode the Bench Trail but we found it slow going at times when it came to dealing with the snow along the hilly sections of the track. There was zero hard pack on top to gain any traction over the soft snow. I have to admit that this is the most snow that I’ve ridden on along the Bluff. The day started out a bit gloomy and overcast but by the time we completed the Bluff single we were greeted with blue skies.

More ice bike antics on the local skating pond.

Snow at Heritage was also deep but the trails were slightly easier to navigate around.



I switched up cameras on this day for one which allows me to capture wider, immersive footage. It's just a slightly expanded POV from behind the bars. The funny looking mount that you see on the bars actually comes into play in the second video.

I had a bit of playful fun with a lot of help from the camera in this short solo segment.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

The river's too wide now for crossing…

Brisbane River
Burtons Bridge – about 100 km inland​

The river's too wide now for crossing​

The current goes too deep for mending​

It looks like an unhappy ending​

'Cause the river's too wide.​

Ten days after the rain and, despite a six-metre drop in the river's level, the people on the north bank remain isolated. I suspect that most of their farmland – see the first photo in this thread – would have 'gone under' in the flood. I had the option of turning around and heading home (10 km) for a reviving mug of coffee… and a fresh muffin.

 

[Art Deco]

Over the weekend, Manchester Ian and I rode the Bench Trail but we found it slow going at times when it came to dealing with the snow along the hilly sections of the track. There was zero hard pack on top to gain any traction over the soft snow. I have to admit that this is the most snow that I’ve ridden on along the Bluff. The day started out a bit gloomy and overcast but by the time we completed the Bluff single we were greeted with blue skies.

View attachment 116107
View attachment 116108
View attachment 116109
View attachment 116110
View attachment 116111View attachment 116112View attachment 116113

More ice bike antics on the local skating pond.

View attachment 116114

Snow at Heritage was also deep but the trails were slightly easier to navigate around.

View attachment 116115

I switched up cameras on this day for one which allows me to capture wider, immersive footage. It's just a slightly expanded POV from behind the bars. The funny looking mount that you see on the bars actually comes into play in the second video.

I had a bit of playful fun with a lot of help from the camera in this short solo segment.

Wow. So the famous Ground Hog went back into hibernation over here, but the Prairie Dog is still riding on ...

 

[Prairie Dog]

Wow. So the famous Ground Hog went back into hibernation over here, but the Prairie Dog is still riding on ...

I don’t want to make any predictions but this dog ventures out regardless of whether or not he sees his shadow. Our own Balzac Billy has already predicted six more weeks of winter here in Alberta and I’m beginning to think that he’s not going to be too far off.