Photo-story - Where my bike’s been

[StreetCowboy]

7 hours ago, bobfish said:

Refuelling the Cannondale

It looks like it needs a lot of fuelling; don’t skimp!

[StreetCowboy]

Breakfast in Brickfields

The way back was slightly hillier than I had recalled, but I was OK.  I said to The New Boy, who is more athletically minded than I am, “why don’t you take the young boys down and up the hills, and us auld geezers will follow the contours”

He dropped back a moment, and returned “The young fellas are OK following the contours”

”I’d not intended asking them”, so we all took the hills.

”This is better than I remembered”, I said.

”We’re still going downhill”

”Eurghhghggh” I replied, when we weren’t.

Anyway, we got to the top, to a slightly baffling junction, I circled around to get on the right road, everyone seemed to be there, and off to the MRT station. This was a section of road I did not know well, so I was focusing on the route ahead rather than looking after the ducklings behind. We had to take the MRT lifts over the road, ever since the PBD developers demolished the PBD access bridge.

Anyway, where was the Project Director?  The young boys, we could afford to lose; the regular team were all there.  But to misplace the Project Director?  That would be a hard one to explain away in the Monthly Report to the Client: “Misplaced; May turn up soon- Recruitment Consultants and Traffic Police have been contacted”

Fortunately, despite his position, he’s not entirely clueless, and eventually we got a message “Back at the Golf Course - what happened to you guys? Are you OK?” - he’d taken a wrong turning, then a short cut along the highway

[StreetCowboy]

I am worried about my reputation; I lost two more yesterday.

 

We'd gone out to Almost Kuala Selangor (that's too far, by the way, but the way back was a lovely road)

Anyway, we'd got most of the way back, despite a dodgy tyre that we'd managed to replace at a village kedai motobasikal, there was only one more kampung to go and we'd be into the industrial estates and the suburbs and safely in the pub with an hour till dusk...

It's a bit of a tricky turn off the road there, the traffic is heavy for the size of road it is, but there was a big enough gap and I went across, checking briefly over my shoulder to make sure others followed.  I was concentrating on the road and the route ahead, as it's not straightforward and since the monkey bridge was demolished or washed away there's only one route home in that direction, and not an obvious one.

Luckily I recognised the road, and I was sure I knew where we were going.  

"Wait a minute - we've lost The New Boy and V".  

"Yer mate's back thair, waiting for you" a passing motorist kindly advised us, so we went back, splitting up down the different possible mis-routes they might have taken.  No sign of them...I knew V's phone was dead, so I called The New Boy, who's navigational expertise is questionable at the best of times (specifically, early(ish) evening going back from the pub...). 

Apparently V had not made it across the road in the same gap as us, and by the time he got across, we had disappeared.  So V was leading the way on a slightly more obvious (but I thought longer, and less attractive) route past the Star Mall near the Old Airport.

So we resumed our ride, worried for their safety as V was suffering from the length of the ride; he's not used to going out in the heat of the mid-day sun like us Brits, what with him being a Queenslander.  But embarrassingly, we got a phone call while we were  coming in through the suburbs a few km out.

"We're meeting at Silly Billy, right? Where are you?"

 

So I feel bad about losing people on two consecutive rides, but worse that in both cases they got home before we did.

 

[n210mp]

Well sat here in the office (AKA shed) since 3 45 am waiting for it to either start raining properly or not (It's one of those day when is just promising to rain hard but hasn't yet )

So just a few pics'

Jomtien beach at cyclists corner, Bansare commercial fishing harbour, Khon Kaen zoo Khao suan kwang and a puncture at a 7/11 in the middle of Bansare village 

Jomtien Sunday, very windy but very lucky, started out  down Sukhumvit from the darkside  with a tailwind and turned at Bansare for the return tip via Ban Amphur and Jomtien beaches also with a tail wind (I thought I was on an energy high until I realised what was happening)

 

[StreetCowboy]

N210mp: Are thpse all taken in the early morning before the sun has properly wiped the sleep from its eyes?
They don't look too unbearably hot as I'd always imagined cycling in Pattaya.

[ravip]

On 6/25/2018 at 1:39 PM, hansiver said:

My bike at Phanom Rung Historical Park. I ride 51 km ewery morning and I always go past the Phanom Rung Historical Park because it gives me 2,5 km up hill. 

 

I ride 51 km ewery morning

Approximately how long does it take you?

Non stop or with multiple stops?

 

Edit

I found this thread by accident. Fantastic!

 

 

[n210mp]

On 7/17/2018 at 7:10 AM, StreetCowboy said:

N210mp: Are thpse all taken in the early morning before the sun has properly wiped the sleep from its eyes?
They don't look too unbearably hot as I'd always imagined cycling in Pattaya.

Well  SB they were all taken before 7 0 am when the humidity is Ok and the Sun is just getting out of bed so its very much cooler.                      One of the reasons I am off on the bike at 4 0 am 

[StreetCowboy]

I was struck down by gastric flu or something yesterday which seems to have cleared now, but I missed my ride with the New Boy, so I missed a day out with his Single-Speed.  Just as well, as I would not have been able to keep up, judging from his Strava times.

 

I plundered this photo from his Strava feed: Start of the ride

I've never seen a bottle carrier in that position before.  I guess if he bumps up and down on the saddle it squirts oil all over the road in front of his competitors

[hansiver]

On 7/20/2018 at 11:12 AM, ravip said:

I ride 51 km ewery morning

Approximately how long does it take you?

Non stop or with multiple stops?

 

Edit

I found this thread by accident. Fantastic!

 

 

Non stop. around almost 2 hours. Best is 1:56

[StreetCowboy]

As you know, it’s less than two months till Pubcycle. 2018, Le Tour de Sid’s V, to raise money for Agathians’ Shelter.  Our route check yesterday went well, setting good times on all the major hills, and feeling absolutely grand - especially after a three hour break in Beer Shack on the way home.

 

The afternoon was slightly marred by overdoing it somewhat on the descent to the golf club, hitting the kerb and flying into the bushes at 25 kph.  Fortunately, no harm done that a trip to the optician’s won’t fix, and I should probably have gone for a couple of stitches in the head wound, to avoid a scar.  But other than that, A Grand Day Out! 

[StreetCowboy]

Terowong Penchala - it's like the Time Tunnel, taking you from the modern high-rise suburb of Mont Kiara to Kampung Penchala, which is like KL thirty years ago - on the brink of disappearing under high-rise development

[StreetCowboy]

Today’s ride was not so photogenic.  Rod was on hunger-strike until our company starts paying consultants again; he managed the first 60 km fine, even the hill I was a bit worried about.  Coming down the other side on the way home, I was hunched down over the handlebars focussing on my speedometer (66 kph) and he flew past, legs spinning like billy-o (apparently 73 kph) but the last 10 km home were tough for him. And for me.

[Chilon]

StreetCowboy,

 

Well done on kicking off this thread.   I'm up in Kamphaeng Phet middway between Bangers and Chiang Mai.   Try to ride twice per week, about 50km each time.  Speed isn't great, the aim is to get back without being bitten by the local canines and without blowing a head gasket.    Some photos of this morning's ride follow.

 

At my rest stop.  Pub's are in short supply around here but they do serve water and electrolyte drinks

On the way back, a bit of rain.

They're resurfacing 1.5km of road, lucky I got there before the rain but then the water truck came through and buggered things up.

 

And finally a view without the bike.

[StreetCowboy]

1 hour ago, Chilon said:

StreetCowboy,

 

Well done on kicking off this thread.   I'm up in Kamphaeng Phet middway between Bangers and Chiang Mai.   Try to ride twice per week, about 50km each time.  Speed isn't great, the aim is to get back without being bitten by the local canines and without blowing a head gasket.    Some photos of this morning's ride follow.

 

At my rest stop.  Pub's are in short supply around here but they do serve water and electrolyte drinks

On the way back, a bit of rain.

They're resurfacing 1.5km of road, lucky I got there before the rain but then the water truck came through and buggered things up.

 

And finally a view without the bike.

Great photos. I’m always amazed how green the rice is

[StreetCowboy]

That's me back from a sojourn in The Old Country, and managed to get out for my 'long' ride for August yesterday.  Not a photogenic ride, unfortunately.  We were targeting 100 km.  There was three of us, myself, my regular cycling buddy and one of his younger colleagues, who turned out to have mis-planned his nutrition prior to the ride.  By about sixty km he was flagging, and he was really struggling by the time we got to the next food stop, at about km78; 

 

I'd already shortened the route to the point that we would be struggling to make the 100.

 

Anyway, a plate of nasi lemak and the young fella was good as new, and set off at a blistering pace that I struggled to follow.  Luckily, he didn't know the way home, so I was able to take my usual position at the front and see us all safely home, bar a puncture in the last six km. I was still 3 km short of the 100 by the time we got to the pub; the young lad was OK thanks to living in a neighbouring suburb and having an eight km ride to and from the start; and my buddy had another three km to look forward to on the way home.  The young fella joined us for a drink (that's Scottish for three pints, although he did not realise that till later) then we released him, as he seemed to have enough trouble with his clipped pedals at the best of times.

 

My buddy headed home to fulfil domestic obligations, while I watched the rugby quarter-finals from Jakarta; and then a quick few km round my suburb to take me up to the 100, and then home for a good sleep.

[StreetCowboy]

They've cleared out all the old bikes from the bike rack at my local shopping centre, so my bike looks a bit isolated now.  At least there's space in the rack now...

[StreetCowboy]

On my Saturday morning short ride to my chagrin I once again misplaced my companion.  It was not a particularly photogenic ride, through places I've posted photos of before, I think. 

 

Maybe I should've taken a photo of me looking for Matt, and you could have called in advice if you saw him (would it not be more helpful to post a picture of Matt? Aye, right, and how am I supposed to do that when I'm looking for him?  I think a post saying "If you think you've seen Matt, tell this man".  with a photo of me.  Anyway, he turned up again shortly after, so all's well that ends well)

 

I set a personal fastest time up Science Centre Hill since I switched from a mountain bike to a road bike almost three years ago, so that was satisfying.  I overtook some people, which is something I don't normally do on hills.  Maybe I could have tried to take a photo of that, but I can see that all ending in tears, fumbling with my phone while bursting a gut and wheezing and wobbling up the hill.

 

I was glad to get home, after all that, especially as it started to tip down stair-rods before I'd collapsed on the sofa.  I doubt Matt, who had six or seven km to get home, found the sudden downpour as pleasantly refreshing as I did.

[n210mp]

All around the Ban sare and Jomtien areas early morning

[StreetCowboy]

We took a long ride up beyond the tips of Rawang.  The Kuang - Rawang road has several excellent viewpoints, each of which looks like this

We set too hard a pace, and I suffered for it on the way home.

I was feeling so poorly the first cider was a bit of a struggle, but I soon revived.  Salt in it makes cider go down slower.

 

SC

[StreetCowboy]

I took the shopping bike to Brickfields On a samosa run with The New Boy, stopping for breakfast in Sentral Chapatti Shop while we were there.

The New Boy scuffed his bar tape taking a tumble when he couldn’t unclip as we arrived at the pub on the way home, but he stayed seated to avoid risking damage to the saddle.

 

We’d have left after a couple, if it hadn’t started to rain...

 

[bobfish]

Had a quick trip to Milan last week, caught the train north for a nice few hours riding. Climbed up from Bellagio to La Madonna del Ghisallo (the patron saint of cycling) chapel which has lots of memorabilia. I then attempted the Muro di Sormano (Wall of Sormano) but needed to stop for a photo opportunity or two. Or three... and a wee walk. 

 

And descended for a well earned beer in Como.

[StreetCowboy]

4 hours ago, bobfish said:

Had a quick trip to Milan last week, caught the train north for a nice few hours riding. Climbed up from Bellagio to La Madonna del Ghisallo (the patron saint of cycling) chapel which has lots of memorabilia. I then attempted the Muro di Sormano (Wall of Sormano) but needed to stop for a photo opportunity or two. Or three... and a wee walk. 

 

And descended for a well earned beer in Como.

SC: Comments added in line....

That's my kind of climbing!

 

Bike facing the right way, I see!

 

Is that scanned in from a picture postcard?

 

Look at those aerodynamic noses! It's no wonder we can't compete

 

 

I love the look of steel frames.  Proper cycling!  How did they manage it?

 

Quote

It's 

It's not just about the journey...

 

That looks like a great ride, but really quite hilly.  I find that:
1) steeper gradients are much harder; I'd rather do 3 km at 3% than 1 km at 6%

2) I can ride all day up and down at 4% in 500 m stretches, but 5 km at 4% upwards is a struggle
(Estimated numbers)

3) You can't trust the Strava elevation numbers.  For those of us using our phones for GPS data, I believe Strava doesn't trust the elevation, and uses a contour map instead.  But that reflects the surrounding land, not the road, and maybe not the current situation after development and levelling.  

 

[bobfish]

It was a great day and lucky with the weather as rain was forecast. All photos courtesy iPhone SE. I don't know how they rode those bikes up the Muro in 10mins in the 60's. I was using modern 34/32 gearing and struggled/walked a bit. Then again, I'm 61!

 

I'm not religious, but maybe it was the visit to the chapel, or the shaft of light that appeared on my Muro photo that made that beer taste like heaven!

 

The Strava elevation is a bit of a quandary if you don't record with a calibrated barometric altimeter. The 'corrected' elevation using GPS altitude is good enough for me though. 

[StreetCowboy]

2 hours ago, bobfish said:

It was a great day and lucky with the weather as rain was forecast. All photos courtesy iPhone SE. I don't know how they rode those bikes up the Muro in 10mins in the 60's. I was using modern 34/32 gearing and struggled/walked a bit. Then again, I'm 61!

 

I'm not religious, but maybe it was the visit to the chapel, or the shaft of light that appeared on my Muro photo that made that beer taste like heaven!

 

The Strava elevation is a bit of a quandary if you don't record with a calibrated barometric altimeter. The 'corrected' elevation using GPS altitude is good enough for me though. 

There was another thread where we discussed GPS altitude data extensively.

 

My Strava data, which I think is based on map data not GPS readings, is significantly higher than my buddies who have fancy GPS machines, which are allegedly more trustworthy than a phone, and therefore I think Strava uses the read value.  This is more so the case on our normal rides (short up and downs and town riding) than on the hill rides out in the boondocks.  If you are going up 300 metres, then whether the road is a metre or two above the surrounding land at the start and in a small cutting at the top doesn't make much difference.  But when you are on a town ride in the suburbs where an old hill has been flattened to make way for houses and condos since the map survey was done, then the difference is much greater! 

 

My apologies for the digression; this weekend I have a planned pub lunch ride into KL to meet up with an acquaintance who is still on the road back to fitness after months in a wheel chair, so it will be a fairly gentle ride - the bit in town anyway.  Not so sure about the road into town and back, though.

 

SC

[StreetCowboy]

standing on it’s own two feet outside Sid’s, which is more than I can say for myself.

[StreetCowboy]

I've probably posted this view before, but I always feel obliged to stop and take a photo.

It seems that I have an app on my phone that automatically photoshops the Twin Towers into the background of every photo I take in KL.

 

Shortly after this we came through Chow Kit market, which I would not recommend for cyclists.  In the end, we had to dismount to get through the crowds, then through a covered market, then through a couple of shop houses.

 

SC

 

 

[StreetCowboy]

Outside SId's across the road at the end of the first stage of Le Tour de Sid's V, Pubcycle 2018.

My bike is at the roadside, resting against the White Van, our most regular supporter on the ride.

[StreetCowboy]

We went on an unnecessarily hilly ride today, 40 km with an average gradient of 4% in one direction or the other.

What is sometimes surprising is the number of run-down properties in extremely affluent areas, like this one, right at the top of a hill, maybe 15 minutes from the city centre in two directions.

One of my cycling friends suggested in some cases they were the topic of inheritance disputes, and the parties involved were hesitant to go to law, based on the provenance of the properties.

 

I was just glad of a chance to stop and take a photo, and gasp and wheeze a bit

 

SC

[StreetCowboy]

Last week’s bike delivery team Agathians’ Shelter; we stopped for a photo-op outside My Bicycle Shop, who kindly donated the bikes, but they’re closed on Sundays

Our own bikes are in the background, making sure they’re not forgotten, especially after my cycling buddy going on about what a great bike the orange roadster is...

[StreetCowboy]

I'm trying to find a safe way home from the hills on the far side of the city.  A safe way home that doesn't involve going over that ridiculous road we took last time.

 

So today we took a ride down past Gotham City - that would have been worth a photo if I'd thought about it - past the brewery (not particularly photogenic, but a site of special interest nonetheless), wrong turning and along a particularly intimidating highway, then over a footbridge, and back on track along the motorcycle lane to the National Sports Complex, and finally two attempts to ride round the horse-racing track from either direction, but in every case thwarted by diligent security guards.  Then back the same way bar not taking the wrong turning... 60 km before breakfast gave us a bit of an appetite as well as a thirst.  MJ had to drive home, so I'm not sure he was properly rehydrated, but a short while later I managed to get home before I fell asleep.

 

Anyway, that's half the route, but the harder part is beyond that, in countryside that is sorely afflicted with highways and autocentric retail development.  Then beyond that, you're into the hills, and this would be the furthest point of the ride...

Photo from last June.  I suppose we could come back the way we went, but that is such an anticlimax.  And I don't want to take the risk of being tempted to attempt that hill back again...