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Post by imec on Oct 7, 2010 3:06:26 GMT
I know we have a "Cycling in the City" thread which I think is more focused on how cities are accommodating "active transportation" to allow people to actually get to places they need to go via bicycles or other similar modes of transport. In this thread I'm proposing an opportunity to discuss cycling as a recreation or a way to get fit or indeed both. In late June, a little voice in my head convinced me that my then current course and speed was just not sustainable and that if I were to have any chance at improving my health and my outlook for longevity as well as regaining the shape I cut as a much younger man, I'd have to get off my ass - and not just once or twice but on a regular basis. I loathe running, and walking would just not do the job at hand. I had a crappy bike in the garage which, with a bit of air in the tires would actually get me down the road. I was surprised that on my first ride I was able to cover 4 miles - not much, I know - but it was 4 more miles than I had ridden in several years. Within a couple of weeks I was up to 7 or 8 miles at a time and was riding most days. In not to much more time, I was riding 10 to 12 miles a day and have kept it up, bought a new bike and ride nearly every day and sometimes as far as 20-25 miles. I have two regular rides - one north and one south of my house, and I've recently begun to explore some great unpaved trails within the city but necessitating the transport of my bike by car. In this post I'd like to share some pics of my two regular routes as well as a few of a mixed paved/unpaved ride at one of the city's major parks. I'm hoping that others will share pics and stories of their riding activities too. My "southern route: As some of you already know, I live on the very south edge of the city of Winnipeg in the the province of Manitoba, Canada. This situation allows me to be in a rural region in about 10 minutes. I ride along Red River Drive which as one might guess runs along the Red River. I ride past grain fields, market gardens and country estates. Very enjoyables but sometimes not all that practical due to the strength of the wind across wide open spaces. Next up: My "northern route"
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Post by imec on Oct 7, 2010 3:15:32 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 7, 2010 3:18:31 GMT
This is really inspiring, Imec. I have to change houses and am so hoping to be some place where it's possible to go bike riding.
Those are wonderful photos of the glories of the prairie landscape. What's that yellow piece of farm machinery, please? (& I particularly like that picture)
Four miles on your first outing after such a long hiatus? Dang. I'm hoping to make four blocks when I'm back in the saddle again.
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Post by imec on Oct 7, 2010 3:31:43 GMT
Thanks! The old farm implement is a piece of a hay mower of some sort (I'm sure someone more closely associated with farming either knows the correct name or knows it's something entirely different)
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Post by imec on Oct 7, 2010 3:33:01 GMT
The Assiniboine Parkway encompasses a series of paved, mixed use pathways as well as unmarked dirt trails all in around Winnipeg's largest park, Assiniboine Park - which is bordered by a section of the Assiniboine River in West Winnipeg. The park boasts a Zoo, beautiful flower gardens, a sculpture garden, large playing fields for soccer and cricket, a duck/skating pond, an open air stage and an old pavillion which houses a small art museum and a restaurant. Once in a while, one is reminded that you are indeed, still in the city. This stately old building forms part of the campus of the Canadian Mennonite University. The trails can get pretty hairy with dropoffs to the river very lose to the edge, deep gulleys, roots and logs and low leaning trees (banged me 'ead at least once today). Here's a short video which gives a nice look at this trail... Would love to see where the rest of y'all ride!
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Post by onlymark on Oct 7, 2010 5:11:57 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2010 5:36:15 GMT
It really does look like a fantastic place to ride a bike, and even better since you obviously didn't have to keep your eyes on the road all of the time but could appreciate the scenery. Any idea yet how late in the season you can keep doing this? Will you just keep piling on thermal protection?
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 7, 2010 5:49:11 GMT
Ohhh, Imec ~~ you were posting your Northern route part when I answered you above, so I'm only now seeing it. It's so beautiful. The water, the rolling terrain, the autumn sun angling through the trees -- talk about a way to get people out of the house! Good call, Mark. I've been away from farmland too long -- I should have been able to identify that. Imec, I plugged Assiniboine Trail Winnipeg Manitoba into the search engine at Bikely.com (from this thread), and these are the hits I got. All very nice, but what you show here proves that one picture is worth... etc.
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Post by bjd on Oct 7, 2010 7:31:27 GMT
So nice, Imec. You are lucky to have places like that to ride -- it's flat and there seem to be no cars. On the other hand, I think I would walk that Assiniboine Trail rather than ride on it.
One of the things I do appreciate in Canada is that public parks are large and have "wild" areas, even when they are in cities.
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Oct 7, 2010 12:40:02 GMT
Great pix and commentary on a subject that holds much interest for me. Some of you first pix on the southern trail remind me very much of the Brie region just south of where I live, with all the agricultural fields. If you threw in a few centuries old villages and church steeples it would be hard to tell the difference.
How lucky for you to have a rural area so close to the city. It looks like really great biking terrain whether you were in the park or on those country roads. Seeing the beautiful fall colors reminds me of the one thing I miss this time of year and that is the fall foliage in New England. But where I lived near Boston there is so much suburban sprawl that you can't really get that country feel you get where you live. The terrain is quite hilly in New England too.
I think everyone has seen all my biking trip reports so I don't want to be redundant and post pictures everyone has already seen. I've got a small backlog of biking trip reports I need to get to work on so those pix will be coming sometime soon.
I hadn't biked in quite a few years until I moved here and then I just got on the bike and started riding and in no time I was covering 60 to 70km with ease. I can pedal for 6 or 7 hours without problem now as long as there aren't too many hills. Six or seven hours on a bike may sound like a lot but pedaling is so much less strenuous than walking. Once you get into the routine it becomes quite easy.
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Post by BigIain on Oct 7, 2010 20:35:38 GMT
I see why the attraction of cycling... its flatter than English beer in your part of the world!!!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2010 20:40:55 GMT
That's exactly what I was thinking in terms of Scotland, BigIain. You have shown absolutely fabulous photos of the Scottish highlands, but they would definitely be an excessive challenge for the cycling capabilities of most of us.
But are any of the cities flat enough for municipal or regional cycling... or is it a hopeless cause?
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Post by lagatta on Oct 7, 2010 21:14:57 GMT
Those are splendid autum landscapes, very appealing to ride in.
The Prairies are mostly flat (of course there is an area in Alberta rising up towards the Rockies) but remember that such flat land also means wicked winds.
I know a guy who cycles all year long in Saskatchewan, but that is beyond me.
A problem for doing fitness cycling this time of year is the days growing shorter, so it is much harder to do much of a ride before or after work during the week. In the summer I was getting up at 5am and doing laps around a local playing-field type park and sometimes up our so-called mountain (it is a gentle, winding climb; my arthritic knees have to be wary of pushing it) because I wanted to get more exercise (and lose weight) beyond my usual cycling everywhere in town, slowly and cautiously.
As soon as my finances are a little better, I do want to get a road or hybrid bicycle better for longer rides. My old Raleigh Sprite is very comfy, but I don't think I'd want to ride to Québec City or Ottawa on her. She has been to both end of Montréal Island though.
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Post by BigIain on Oct 10, 2010 12:11:05 GMT
Kerouac... the coastal areas are suitable for cycling here and tend to be full of cyclists. Edinburgh is surrounded by either hills or water on 3 out of 4 sides so its a narow corridor of opportunity. Town cycling here is a non starter for me on the basis that we have some of the worst drivers in the world in the city (seriously) and its bad enough to have to drive with them in a car.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 10, 2010 13:39:23 GMT
This is a great thread! It's hard to believe that you are so close to an urban area,the surroundings there being so reminiscent of a New England countryside. Just beautiful!! Our riding paths here are predominately through oft times, congested parks,although, beautiful,can be a nuisance trying to jostle for a clear path amid joggers,walkers,baby carriages etc.
Our other bike paths run along the Mississippi River and a few along Lake Pontchartrain,much more bike friendly,although, not nearly as much variety in terrain like there. Otherwise,there are many winding designated bike route areas through a variety of residential areas. I'll have to take some pictures of the river route and post them here.
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Post by Jazz on Oct 10, 2010 14:32:22 GMT
Gorgeous, Imec! I especially love that you are posting photos of this beautiful time of year. Good luck with your 'getting in shape' programme. (Within the city of Toronto, I lack the courage to do this...we still have a muted mini-war between automobile drivers and cyclists. Perhaps if I went out of the city...)
All of your photos of your home on the river are remarkable and I acutely remember living so close to pure beauty. ( for the first 17 years of my life and it is part of me, forever.) Just now thinking of the photo at dawn from your bedroom window in the Image Bank. Exquisite.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 10, 2010 16:20:23 GMT
These pics are of the bike path that runs along the Mississippi River not far from our house. It's a quick jaunt down the street and then up the levee,where it runs for many,many miles. Recently,(as in the last week), a cluster of trailers and junky railroad equipment was bulldozed and an open expanse of clear land exposed.My immediate fear was that the Army Corps of Engineers was going to erect some concrete monstrosity. However,I found out from one of the Levee Police persons that it is indeed going to remain open and accessible to the public. I am thrilled beyond belief. This is right at the point where the Mississippi makes a huge bend,in the distance one can see the Huey P. Long Bridge,and all of the traffic along the river,barges,huge ships,tug and tow boats. It's a nice even flat surface ride,not too too exciting, but, it is nice to be alongside the river.One sees familiar riders,folks fishing for catfish, and the occasional horseback rider (there are two stables nearby). These last two pictures are one section of the recently cleared tract,therefore,the freshly bulldozed ground which I am told will be grated and paved to prevent erosion. A nice,wide open area.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2010 20:55:22 GMT
Big flat areas like that are perfect for casual riders -- not everybody wants to climb a mountain pass (I certainly don't!). It looks like the perfect place for a family outing. I would like to be able to imagine picnics and such on the grass, buy my memories of fire ants, snakes and other wildlife remain vivid enough to know that it is just a fantasy.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2010 13:44:12 GMT
It's not as unpleasant as you present at all Kerouac,what a wuss!!!! Yes,fire ants do pose an unpleasantry,however,one uses good sense to know a red ant pile/nest when sitting down to picnic. Snakes do exist up there,but generally not out in the open ready to attack. Again,one uses common sense and caution. The wildlife up there is glorious,hawks,egrets,herons,many many species of songbirds,native butterflies,rabbits,nocturnal creatures such as opossum and raccoons are an unlikely encounter in the daytime hours. A tiny price to pay for being in an urban area and having this available to us.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 18, 2010 14:48:23 GMT
Perfect answer to Fran Lebowitz* Kerouac, Casimira!
I'm thrilled to see this beautiful bike path, as I remember when it was just a dirt track.
Flat isn't boring because you can go so much further, thus see so much more.
*"The outdoors is what you have to go through to get from the apartment into the taxi."
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2010 20:00:13 GMT
You can both sit on all the fire ants you want!
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Post by imec on Feb 9, 2011 14:23:55 GMT
On Sunday I bought tires with steel studs for my bike and have joined the many crazies in Winnipeg who Ice Bike - more to come...
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Post by mich64 on Feb 9, 2011 17:41:56 GMT
Manitoban's really know how to make the best out of what is. ;D Cheers! Mich
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Post by imec on Feb 9, 2011 18:37:42 GMT
Manitoban's really know how to make the best out of what is. ;D Cheers! Mich ;D It was a sunny day and even though the temp was around -14 and a nasty north wind was creating a -21 wind chill, I had a wonderful 10+ mile ride and didn't fall off once. I'm going to enjoy this!
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Post by lagatta on Feb 9, 2011 19:07:55 GMT
This sounds wonderful, and a great way of staying in shape over the winter.
I've been told steel studs on bicycles are illegal here. Seems odd, as obviously we don't do the damage to road surfaces that trucks, cars and even motorcycles do, but perhaps they fear danger in numbers - and there are a lot of all-year cyclists here.
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Feb 10, 2011 0:19:08 GMT
Way to go imec!
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Post by thill25 on Mar 10, 2011 17:36:49 GMT
Nice report...riding in -14 weather is CRAZY!
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Post by Kimby on Mar 11, 2011 17:11:59 GMT
I've been told steel studs on bicycles are illegal here. Seems odd, as obviously we don't do the damage to road surfaces that trucks, cars and even motorcycles do Perhaps it's the damage to the pedestrians you run down that they are trying to prevent?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2011 21:24:34 GMT
Waiting for your ice biking photos, imec!
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Post by imec on Nov 17, 2011 23:50:00 GMT
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