Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Craft Ale & Stout Ride Followed By Meeting A Neighbour Who...
...told me there was yet another fantastic brand new bike path from Brwinów to Milanówek
I took my Lovelec just to ride from my new place to Brwinów to buy some good Ales and Imperial Stout. First, I discovered a brand new bike path in Brwinów, enabling me to ride safely almost all the way save some 700 metres.
On my return, when I just approached the block of flats I live in now, a neighbour came to me and -- fascinated -- asked many questions about my e-bike. Then he said:
-- Have you already ridden the brand new bike path between West Brwinów and Milanówek? How beautiful it is!
-- Neighbour, will you keep an eye on my bike? I'll just unload my backpack upstairs and am going to try that bike path! It is so warm, I still have battery charge, why let the evening go to waste?
12 km in 30 minutes. I liked it!
Bike path system around Brwinów. It let me complete my ride several minutes before the sunset.
...told me there was yet another fantastic brand new bike path from Brwinów to Milanówek
I took my Lovelec just to ride from my new place to Brwinów to buy some good Ales and Imperial Stout. First, I discovered a brand new bike path in Brwinów, enabling me to ride safely almost all the way save some 700 metres.On my return, when I just approached the block of flats I live in now, a neighbour came to me and -- fascinated -- asked many questions about my e-bike. Then he said:
-- Have you already ridden the brand new bike path between West Brwinów and Milanówek? How beautiful it is!
-- Neighbour, will you keep an eye on my bike? I'll just unload my backpack upstairs and am going to try that bike path! It is so warm, I still have battery charge, why let the evening go to waste?
12 km in 30 minutes. I liked it!
Bike path system around Brwinów. It let me complete my ride several minutes before the sunset.
BarnBoy
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Pleasanton, CA
The Latin is all I can remember from high school (I am a duck!); thanks for laughing @Stefan Mikes, I must have been close!
OMG, didn’t get the miles today but the wind and hills dang near killed me. Also did an extended down hill free-fall run at 36MPH…. (399Wh)
I got a flat just as I crested my last hill but was out of cell service so did a roadside repair. As I was cleaning up my mess, looked up and saw the windmill below. Still a great ride on a bike that is older than most LBS mechanics….
-BB
OMG, didn’t get the miles today but the wind and hills dang near killed me. Also did an extended down hill free-fall run at 36MPH…. (399Wh)
I got a flat just as I crested my last hill but was out of cell service so did a roadside repair. As I was cleaning up my mess, looked up and saw the windmill below. Still a great ride on a bike that is older than most LBS mechanics….
-BB
reed scott
Well-Known Member
We've converted all our windmills to solar. Costs about $6k per well.The Latin is all I can remember from high school (I am a duck!); thanks for laughing @Stefan Mikes, I must have been close!
OMG, didn’t get the miles today but the wind and hills dang near killed me. Also did an extended down hill free-fall run at 36MPH…. (399Wh)
View attachment 89924
I got a flat just as I crested my last hill but was out of cell service so did a roadside repair. As I was cleaning up my mess, looked up and saw the windmill below. Still a great ride on a bike that is older than most LBS mechanics….
-BB
View attachment 89925
steve mercier
Well-Known Member
I took one year of Latin in school but all I can recall is this song. The latin is at 2 mins 40 secs if anyone cares , which is unlikely. Enjoy as much as you can stand anyway.
Art Deco
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Selinsgrove Pennsylvania
Really? That sounds a lot for Texas solar. Four panels, a controller, and a low voltage half horsepower pump? Or are these giant systems and really deep wells?
reed scott
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I've got no idea really. Only one guy in five counties that is worth his salt with wells. He's probably making out like a bandit. We have about 16 wells on this place and he comes when he's called.
EDIT: The owners are not budget minded shoppers.
Mulezen
Well-Known Member
I loved Zappa…musical genius…remember when he debated Tipper Gore? But I digress…the Latin phrase I’m most familiar with is the one tattooed on my left deltoid…”Cuncta fui; conduction nihil.” Translates to ‘I’ve been around: it gets me nowhere.” Rather than take credit for a classical education I’ll point out I read the quote in a poem.
Dallant
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Former altar boy levels of Latin.
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
Ha..no, this is the UK, full 4G signal and a major town just a few miles away.
I was amazed the track was so empty on such a lovely day.
PowerflyLee formerly known as CheetahLee
Well-Known Member
Amor Vincit Omnia
Now for a little laugh of the day, Don't be this guy!
Time to go edge the walk and mow the lawn, (yawn). Then for a little spin to the park for some summertime reading
Now for a little laugh of the day, Don't be this guy!
Time to go edge the walk and mow the lawn, (yawn). Then for a little spin to the park for some summertime reading
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
That looks perfectly reasonable to me actually...
Im looking at the bike and wondering if it has some kind of spring down tyre friction motor and then realised Im looking at the ornate bench.
Im looking at the bike and wondering if it has some kind of spring down tyre friction motor and then realised Im looking at the ornate bench.
PowerflyLee formerly known as CheetahLee
Well-Known Member
I beat the rain, it was going east to west.
Dropped two inches of rain within 20 minutes! Glad I got the lawn cut before it dumped
Dallant
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Congrats! The Midwest is in great need of rain right now!
Catalyzt
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Monday's ride was a cautionary tale that was right at the edge of my physical limits, though it was only a mile longer than my last ride with another 400 feet of vertical. It's probably useful to note the mistakes I made:
1) I was rushed. Screwed around too long trying to mount a GoPro camera, so I left at 5:23 instead of my drop-dead no-go time (ha!) of 4:45. This caused two problems: I didn't take enough stops to rest, and I wound up being on the mountain too late-- the real problem turned out to be cold, not losing the light. It was probably around 50 degrees at the top and I wasn't dressed for it.
2) I didn't hydrate properly and drank a cup of coffee before leaving-- fine for moderate to heavy exertion, but this was more than that, at least for me.
Only a few pictures this time-- I'll only include views I didn't post before! It WAS beautiful, and satisfying, to get to the top of the ridge and see the view into La Canada Flintridge on the other side, even if I didn't quite make the summit of Mt. Verdugo. I did have some distracting stomach cramps at the ridge top, which I probably could have avoided with more water, and more or longer stops to rest.
I did run into a pack of 60-70 year olds, mostly riding high-end Treks. One guy was very nice, but the others were-- meh, not unfriendly, but not welcoming, either. (You guys are a lot cooler.) I told them I'd ridden there from East Hollywood, and I'm not sure they believed me. (They had come up the La Canada / Sunland side of the mountain, which is rated intermediate, while the route I take, Brand Park Motorway, is intermediate / advanced.) I did meet one REALLY friendly guy on the way down, 52-year old on an acoustic bike on his way up, in fantastic shape-- had a great talk about riding, health, and the meaning of life. I guess the cramps weren't that bad or I wouldn't have hung out with him for 10 minutes or whatever. I was only stationary for 32 minutes-- probably only half what I needed for a climb like this with the Moto.
I think the Elph 100 takes better pictures at 12 MP than the Sony W800 does at 20 MP, I didn't use any processing for these-- they're not great, but good enough. As you can see in the last two shots, the clouds were coming in fast; I was tired, only time for a few pictures. I started my descent at 7:32 and sunset was about 8:04 PM, so again, I was rushed, stressed = not good. It was actually tiring going down, and I went much faster than last time-- still slow by MTB standards, just fast for me, cool to be out of the saddle and let the bike float more because I knew the trail. But I was cold, my triceps, neck, and back were really feeling it, and the flat light made it harder to read the surface. It's really not that difficult, but my concentration was not what it should have been, and it only takes one patch of sand or a sharp rock to dump it, and in some spots, that could have meant going over the side into very rugged terrain with almost no one else on the mountain. Earlier start next time!
Total Time: 3:27
Moving Time: 2:55
Calculated Average Grade of 3.7 mile final climb: 9.4%
(Strava Stats below)
The signs at the summit are very helpful... or probably were 20 years ago... This is the view North, towards La Canada, with the San Gabriels shrouded in clouds.
And here's a nice view of the trail that runs along the ridge looking south east, towards the KROQ transmitting tower and Mt. Thom. I think I can take that route and descend via the Firebreak trail, but I may try going up it first to be safe, because I know I can descend Brand Park Motorway with no problem.
Then this is looking along the same ridge to the Northwest, the trail on the left goes back down Brand Park Motorway and the trail on the right leads to Verdugo Mountain. I'm pretty sure I can get there-- but it will be near the limit of my range! I actually have an emergency refueling plan for the return trip if needed; I would have my wife meet me at a brewery in Atwater for dinner and bring the charger!
1) I was rushed. Screwed around too long trying to mount a GoPro camera, so I left at 5:23 instead of my drop-dead no-go time (ha!) of 4:45. This caused two problems: I didn't take enough stops to rest, and I wound up being on the mountain too late-- the real problem turned out to be cold, not losing the light. It was probably around 50 degrees at the top and I wasn't dressed for it.
2) I didn't hydrate properly and drank a cup of coffee before leaving-- fine for moderate to heavy exertion, but this was more than that, at least for me.
Only a few pictures this time-- I'll only include views I didn't post before! It WAS beautiful, and satisfying, to get to the top of the ridge and see the view into La Canada Flintridge on the other side, even if I didn't quite make the summit of Mt. Verdugo. I did have some distracting stomach cramps at the ridge top, which I probably could have avoided with more water, and more or longer stops to rest.
I did run into a pack of 60-70 year olds, mostly riding high-end Treks. One guy was very nice, but the others were-- meh, not unfriendly, but not welcoming, either. (You guys are a lot cooler.) I told them I'd ridden there from East Hollywood, and I'm not sure they believed me. (They had come up the La Canada / Sunland side of the mountain, which is rated intermediate, while the route I take, Brand Park Motorway, is intermediate / advanced.) I did meet one REALLY friendly guy on the way down, 52-year old on an acoustic bike on his way up, in fantastic shape-- had a great talk about riding, health, and the meaning of life. I guess the cramps weren't that bad or I wouldn't have hung out with him for 10 minutes or whatever. I was only stationary for 32 minutes-- probably only half what I needed for a climb like this with the Moto.
I think the Elph 100 takes better pictures at 12 MP than the Sony W800 does at 20 MP, I didn't use any processing for these-- they're not great, but good enough. As you can see in the last two shots, the clouds were coming in fast; I was tired, only time for a few pictures. I started my descent at 7:32 and sunset was about 8:04 PM, so again, I was rushed, stressed = not good. It was actually tiring going down, and I went much faster than last time-- still slow by MTB standards, just fast for me, cool to be out of the saddle and let the bike float more because I knew the trail. But I was cold, my triceps, neck, and back were really feeling it, and the flat light made it harder to read the surface. It's really not that difficult, but my concentration was not what it should have been, and it only takes one patch of sand or a sharp rock to dump it, and in some spots, that could have meant going over the side into very rugged terrain with almost no one else on the mountain. Earlier start next time!
Total Time: 3:27
Moving Time: 2:55
Calculated Average Grade of 3.7 mile final climb: 9.4%
(Strava Stats below)
The signs at the summit are very helpful... or probably were 20 years ago... This is the view North, towards La Canada, with the San Gabriels shrouded in clouds.
And here's a nice view of the trail that runs along the ridge looking south east, towards the KROQ transmitting tower and Mt. Thom. I think I can take that route and descend via the Firebreak trail, but I may try going up it first to be safe, because I know I can descend Brand Park Motorway with no problem.
Then this is looking along the same ridge to the Northwest, the trail on the left goes back down Brand Park Motorway and the trail on the right leads to Verdugo Mountain. I'm pretty sure I can get there-- but it will be near the limit of my range! I actually have an emergency refueling plan for the return trip if needed; I would have my wife meet me at a brewery in Atwater for dinner and bring the charger!
Last edited:
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
I found fort Knots.
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
my blind wife kicking the poles ass that that broke her kneecap
PowerflyLee formerly known as CheetahLee
Well-Known Member
Getting ready for another rainy ride, it has cooled down to a nice 69 F. Here's yesterday info.
I liked the lighting for this shot.
Ride On my fellow enthusiasts. Ride it like you stole it
I liked the lighting for this shot.
Ride On my fellow enthusiasts. Ride it like you stole it
reed scott
Well-Known Member
Just keep moving. It's harder for lightning to hit you if you're keeping up a good pace.Getting ready for another rainy ride, it has cooled down to a nice 69 F. Here's yesterday info.
View attachment 90084
View attachment 90086View attachment 90087
I liked the lighting for this shot.
Ride On my fellow enthusiasts. Ride it like you stole it
Art Deco
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Selinsgrove Pennsylvania
Love the cathedral...looks like a bit of Europe over here.Getting ready for another rainy ride, it has cooled down to a nice 69 F. Here's yesterday info.
View attachment 90084
View attachment 90086View attachment 90087
I liked the lighting for this shot.
Ride On my fellow enthusiasts. Ride it like you stole it
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