Where has your bike taken you today?

[Jackal355]

Bottelary hills

Dams looking good

[TheAntoine1]

My local.....

Qatar Cycle track.jpeg

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/commercial/2020/9/the-longest-continuous-cycle-path-in-the-world-laid-in-qatar-629730

Thats the normal Qatari false but unquestioned lies going on. Don't believe a word of it. Much better and longer cycle tracks available in Dubai.

[capediver]

Thats the normal Qatari false but unquestioned lies going on. Don't believe a word of it. Much better and longer cycle tracks available in Dubai.

I have ridden both tracks in UAE, Dubai and Abu Dhabi and yes they are longer...but then I checked the Guinness web site and its there. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/commercial/2020/9/the-longest-continuous-cycle-path-in-the-world-laid-in-qatar-629730

...don't know what criteria they used and maybe the others haven't applied for the record...

Edited September 10, 2020 by capediver

[Eddy Gordo]

I have ridden both tracks in UAE, Dubai and Abu Dhabi and yes they are longer...but then I checked the Guinness web site and its there. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/commercial/2020/9/the-longest-continuous-cycle-path-in-the-world-laid-in-qatar-629730

...don't know what criteria they used and maybe the others haven't applied for the record...

 

Is there any difference in them. As the Qatar record say longest continuous..... Are the others maybe interrupted?

Non the less its awesome to have such a long continuous bike track.

[capediver]

Is there any difference in them. As the Qatar record say longest continuous..... Are the others maybe interrupted?

Non the less its awesome to have such a long continuous bike track.

Yeah, both Abu Dhabi and Dubai have circular tracks with various loops,, they quite far out of town so takes some effort to get there but have great facilities, something that is still to be done in Qatar...like a coffee shop and small LBS would be awesomer!....but you're right, it's  fantastic to have something like this right in town!

[geomark]

Jonkershoek for the 1st time in a loooong time, Winelands showing off after all the rain and makes a glorious change to dry, drab, brown dusty and smoky highveld this time of year.

 

[DJR]

Jonkershoek for the 1st time in a loooong time, Winelands showing off after all the rain and makes a glorious change to dry, drab, brown dusty and smoky highveld this time of year.

 

IMG_9521.jpg

You simply cannot post pictures like this while we are all working......really insensitive!

Edited September 10, 2020 by DJR

[TheAntoine1]

Yeah, both Abu Dhabi and Dubai have circular tracks with various loops,, they quite far out of town so takes some effort to get there but have great facilities, something that is still to be done in Qatar...like a coffee shop and small LBS would be awesomer!....but you're right, it's  fantastic to have something like this right in town!

Bike riding on the roads is pretty damn great in the Middle East tho. Even Saudi has excellent quality roads out in the desert. Just need to get out early before sunrise. There used to be just one decent LBS in Doha (Carbon Wheels) - are there any more these days?

[Eddy Gordo]

Bike riding on the roads is pretty damn great in the Middle East tho. Even Saudi has excellent quality roads out in the desert. Just need to get out early before sunrise. There used to be just one decent LBS in Doha (Carbon Wheels) - are there any more these days?

My friend started working in saudi end of last year. He was moaning about not being able to ride. I shared to Tony's posts of the cycle tracks. He is now on the lookout for a bike when he gets back.

[Trevz]

Sunday solo gravel ride. Vaal Dam to Grootvlei loop. Mostly gravel. Wind was quite crap in the area. Riding straight into it. Fun was had.

 

Peace and quiet... Farmers greeted me when they passed in their bakkies. All was good.

[capediver]

Bike riding on the roads is pretty damn great in the Middle East tho. Even Saudi has excellent quality roads out in the desert. Just need to get out early before sunrise. There used to be just one decent LBS in Doha (Carbon Wheels) - are there any more these days?

Seems the sport has been given major boost locally by the track and by COVID ironically...bike sales are booming and there are more and more guys on the road, early morning around the streets of the Pearl are quite busy on the weekends and the track is always busy especially on a Monday

 night..local LBS Doha Cycling arranges social rides at the track and this Monday there were at least 50 guys...the owner of Doha Cycles used to ride professionally and has the Willier agency and just landed the Specialised agency, close to the main Doha start of the track.

Carbon Wheels is at the Pearl also nearby and stock mostly Bianchi and BMC...

then there's Rasen Sports on Salwa Road and also at the Pearl, stock a good range of bikes, SC, Cannondale and some spares and tools as well as camping gear. Salwa Road has best stock levels.

Skate Shack is also on Salwa road and stock trek and basic spares.

GoSport is hypermarket stuff in most of the malls and stock basic bikes

Two issues with LBS...price...way higher than back home...parts/spares....they all sell the complete bikes but very few stock spares for them, you can get basic spares like tyres and tubes and bits and pieces but not high end wheel sets and group sets....have have to wait for that and PAY! Guess like most LBS I suppose!

So in all the cycle vibe is growing here fast..I have been commuting to work for almost 2 years and was the only one in the office to do so, just in the last few months, there are 3 others who have started.

Edited September 10, 2020 by capediver

[Bateleur1]

Took a quick loop with the mtb before starting my work or the day. Signs of autumn is rather visible in this picture.  Although we are having lovely day temps of 25 degrees, the low lying fog in the mornings are there, typical for this time of the year.

 

[geomark]

Bottleray hills late this morning

 

 

 

[TyronLab]

Giving the local roadie groups some hell on the Hulkbuster in roadie mode, all pumped up to 2.1 bar, would you believe.

 

 

Found a great morning group that starts 2km from my house, at the right time, with a great bunch of guys and gals and a decent mix of easy-goers and racing snakes. Been having oodles of fun in the random intermediate sprints to the next robot or the top of whichever incline we're riding up.

[T_Boss]

 

The view over Stanford from the top of Sir Robert Stanford

 

 

Bridge over the Klien River, a few hours later it was flooded over

 

 

A pond full of waterblommetjies on Stonehouse Cheese Estate. We later that day also found the source of the best Waterblommetjie bredie in the Cape

 

 

[ChrisF]

Few days in Prince Albert ... as nice as the Swartberg pass is, one wants to see what else the area offers .....

 

So I visited the local Information Centre.  DO pop in here, they hand out a very handy map of the area !  They gave me a lot of information, but directed me to Prince Albert Cycles for the final verdict on what to do in the area.

 

The following are some of the more obvious options in the area :

- Swartberg pass, with or without a loop into Gamkaskloof.  Leaving Prince Albert you are going to climb about 200m in the first 10km, and then the fun starts .... In the next 5km you will be climbing more than 500m.

 

- Weltevreden - the road starts on the South side of the town, next to the cemetry.  Perfect gravel grinding.  Over the next 26km the rolling hills will have a cumulative climb of about 200m, while you are actually dropping 200m in altitude.  Here you are greeted by a lovely coffee shop.  R25 for a POT of coffee ...

 

 

 

- Magrieta Prinsloo street - this road takes you West out of town to a river.  Also a typical gravel grinding route, though the first few kilometers were properly corrugated ... I did a short stint here on Wednesday as a recovery ride.

 

NOTE - Google Earth shows roads linking between Weltevreden and Magrieta Prinsloo .... The linking section is NOT open to public.

 

Pastorie road / R407 - this is a 50km gravel road to the East.  Not enough days, so I did not try out this route.

 

 

Prince Albert is morphing into the next retired artists village, with a strong emphasis on tourism.  Apple pie at Lazy Lizzard has been a know attraction since the 90's ...  My wife really tried, but simply could not finish this ....

 

 

La-Di-Dah is another restaurant that have become part of the town, even though it changed owners on 1 March 2020 .. ouch.  The new owners certainly are doing an excellent job !!

 

 

But this is a cycling forum, so only one destination counts .. Prince Albert Cycles

 

 

PS - Prince Albert Cycles is near the BP garage in the KarooBlom facility.

 

 

Look at this nice pairing .... a full suspension MTB, and a rigid single speed cruiser bike ....

 

 

 

 

And for those cyclists that like to hit little white balls ....

 

 

The main road, 11:00 on a weekday -

 

 

 

We have been visiting Prince Albert since 1992, mostly popped in for coffee with our destination further afield.  Sometimes we slept over one or two nights.  This was our first extended stay, giving some time to pick up the vibe of the town .... LOVELY.

 

 

 

Back to cycling .... some pics of the road to Weltevreden Fig Farm -

 

Long level sections, gradually dropping into the valley

 

 

 

why is it that a camera never catches the intensity of these climbs ....

 

 

 

 

 

And then you go over the koppie and see the valley spread out for miles ....

 

 

 

Slow and steady .... 

 

 

 

With 52km and just more than 600m climbing for the Weltevreden route, this is a nice recovery ride after doing the Swartbergpass ...  And the coffee stop in the kloof really wraps this ride up perfectly !!

Edited September 10, 2020 by ChrisF