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RIDES 2017 — add yours here

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Andre Jute:
Even the youngest and most energetic of us can't go everywhere. But a moment's reflection shows that it isn't a hardship. Through the photographs on this forum we can tour vicariously wherever another member has toured. Share your rides and photographs here. I'll start us off:

In Ireland the beginning of 2017 was mild enough, down in the single digits Celcius, true, but with no ice on the roads. If you've ever been to Bantry Bay in the far South of Ireland, and looked up at the cellar mast on the hill high, high above the town around the bay, and said, "No, that's too much like hard work," you will know from where I took this photo.

Andre Jute: Bantry Bay from the cell tower hill, 2017, with favorite hill walks in the distance
It's about five miles out of town and you can see the elevation. Might be dangerous getting there if the road is icy but when it is dry it is steep but passable standard Irish farm lanes, meaning narrow blacktop with considerate drivers. You get there from the main square in the town by taking the narrow lane up past the hotel and turning right; then you just take the uphill turn at every fork until you come to the phone company's big gates, and I'll be standing in the picnic-spot parking on your left, waiting for you to bring the beer.

As you can see from the quality of the light at about 3.30pm, the day is short, with sunset due in about an hour. You want to keep this is mind on rides in Ireland in the winter, as even with good dynolamps the rough little roads can slow down nighttime return journeys to near enough double the outgoing time; you don't want those left behind to send out search parties for no reason at all.

This time of the year it is too dangerous underfoot for serious hillwalking, but here's another one, which should be called "Dreams for deeper into the year." The two snowy peaks in the far distance are The Paps, relatively easy climbing, and surrounded by mountains I've been up either on foot or, if there is any kind of a road, by bicycle.

Andre Jute: The Paps across Bantry Bay 2017
Behind me, on my left, there's also the Durrus Peninsula, which features an agreeable circular short day-ride over not too high hills, good, especially in winter, when the party is large and includes many intermittent riders bravely venturing out with the hard men, lured by my promise that on my rides nobody is left behind.

Looking forward keenly to your rides and photos.

John Saxby:
Thanks, Andre, for continuing/renewing your thread. Great photos, and I'm hugely envious that you can ride. Yesterday we had the second ice storm in 10 days--freezing rain is usually part of an Eastern Ontario winter, but I don't recall seeing it so frequently. Lots of power outages on both sides of the river.

I saw two cyclists during a morning walk today -- the cyclepaths had been ploughed and salted, so were manageable, if barely.

On New Year's Eve morning, I was X-country skiing for a couple of hours up in the hills -- it was -13, with wind-driven snow, so I made it only a short-ish outing, 10 kms or so. I did see a clutch of fatbike riders on one of the snowshoeing trails. I confess I had no urge to say, "Dang! Wisht I had one of those right now."

So far, watching others is the closest I've come to a "Ride of 2017".  I plan to make amends in Feb & March, though, as we're visiting our son & his family in SE Queensland, and I'll take a bike along on this trip.

Happy New Year, and safe and enjoyable riding around The Holy Ground.

jags:
Great wee country we live in Andre .
i haven't been out on the bike in a month and with this new build going on i borrowing stuff from my roadbike to get the audax built ,it looks like i wont be cycling for a while yet.
i've never been to your part of the country sure look's  lovely .

anto.

Pavel:
Weather here is only 63 Fahrenheit  ( 17 C), so a bit too cold to go out riding still.  Soon though! ;)

I need to set up my server, something I've been putting off for over a year, so that I can upload photos. Photos sure do inspire.

David Simpson:

--- Quote from: pavel on January 04, 2017, 06:29:32 pm ---Weather here is only 63 Fahrenheit  ( 17 C), so a bit too cold to go out riding still.

--- End quote ---

Yeah, you don't want to risk frostbite. :)  Try to avoid riding when the temperature is below 20C (risk of a slight chill) or above 22C (risk of sweat).

Joking aside, here in Vancouver, we're stuck in an unusually long cold snap. It's been at freezing or below for the past 4 weeks. Normally, the snow lasts a week or two, then is washed away in a matter of days by the rain. I haven't been on my bike since early December due to ice on the roads and bike lanes. Hopefully in a week or two we'll be back to normal.

- DaveS

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