My 2025 Grand Tour Activity

[DownUnder]

A new year, with a new Grand Tour, so we need a new blog.

My 2025 Grand Tour - Planning

As always, please feel free to skim, read comment or ignore as you see fit.

Game on, clutch out, let's ride

[DownUnder]

As I patiently sit here counting down the days to 01-March (14 for you, 15 for me), I though I'd post another chapter of my 2025 Grand Tour Blog.

My 2025 Grand Tour - Routing

As always, feel free to skim, read, comment or ignore as you feel appropriate

[DownUnder]

And after waiting till 02 March (my time), my Grand Tour has started.



Let's ride . . . .

[DownUnder]

Yippee, at long last, I have been able to "get away" for a few day's bonus bagging.

My ride report is at :- The Southern Loop

As always, please feel free to skim, read, comment and/or ignore, as you see fit.

Let's ride . . . again soon.

[Lapchik]

I wish I was going for 3 day rides instead of 3 hour rides.

[DownUnder]

I have the advantage of being a Retired Baby Boomer.

[DownUnder]

After what seems like an age, but has only been 4 weeks, I have been able to get away for another Grand Tour ride.

Here is the link to my Ride Report :-- North West Loop

As always, please feel free to skim, read, comment or just ignore, as you see fit.

[theemightyorbit]

'Apexes' works as a plural of 'apex'.

So does 'apices'.

Hope Tim heals up fast.

Thanks for the blog posts. They're a good read!

[Lapchik]

I doubt I'll ever be able to travel down there, and if I do it won't be very much of the country considering its size. I'm glad I can live vicariously through ride reports.

[DownUnder]

Thank you, I am glad that you both enjoyed my ride report.

[DownUnder]

More of an update than a ride report.

My update is at :-- Intermission

As always, please feel free to skim, read, comment or just ignore, as you see fit.

[Lapchik]

Well, winter makes us crazy. We have it for 5-7 months out of the year depending on your definition of the season. I have been known to ride to work when it's below 0°F (-18°C for you metric folks). It helps that the ride to work is only 2.5 miles. My record for below freezing (32°F/0°C) ride length is 176 miles @28°F. It was 10C all day today in Ontario, Canada and in Minnesota. I rode about 400 miles through intermittent drizzle and rain. Definitely wouldn't choose to do that if I had a choice.

[DownUnder]

And people think I'm crazy . . . .

[theemightyorbit]

How's Tim doing?

[DownUnder]

(06-09-2025 06:09 AM)theemightyorbit Wrote:  How's Tim doing?

Tim's final diagnosis was that he had suffered a partial tear to his right hamstring muscle and developed a trauma haematoma. (internal bleeding from torn tissue).

This became evident when the back of his leg developed a large bruise from just below his bum down to his calf. This is according to Tim as I don't pay much attention to Tim's rear-end.

He was given medication for the pain and to help dissipate the blood clot and he has subsequently been able to walk freely again and reasonably pain-free.

However, he has said that his leg strength is not reliable especially after he has been sitting for a while, and he doubts that he would be able to support the weight of his BMW at a set of stop-lights.

He has further appointments with his physiotherapist and hopes for a revised exercise program. I am sure that he will be back riding again in a month or two.

[DownUnder]

The Rain Gods granted me 3 consecutive mid-week days of sunshine, with no rain forecast, so I have been able to get away for another Grand Tour ride.

Unfortunately, things did not go entirely to plan.

Here is the link to my Ride Report :-- North Coast Loop

As always, please feel free to skim, read, comment or just ignore, as you see fit.

[DownUnder]

More a bed-time story than a ride report :-- Winter Maintenance - Part 1

As always, please feel free to skim, read, comment or ignore as you see appropriate.

[Lapchik]

"Cold as in 0*C ~ 15*C"

(Laughs in Minnesotan)

That's about the spring temperature I do my maintenance too, if I didn't get it done in the fall. Warm enough to easily heat up the garage with the kerosene heater, but not so cold I have to run that heater until I see sounds and hear colors.

[DownUnder]

That's a fair statement. My Winters are mild, almost "tropical" compared to Minnesota. Still, they feel cold to me.

The good thing is that in 4 weeks time, it will be my Spring, and the beginning of 6~8 months of sunshine, surf, sand and t-shirt weather ( said with an evil Sydneysider chuckle )

A kerosene heater, you say. Now that is a real "blast from the past". I haven't seen one of those since the 60's. Everything these days is either electrical or LPG.

[Lapchik]

Still very popular in agriculture country. You can run them on kerosene, or with the small turn of a screw you can adjust them to diesel.