Another beautiful day, sunny and dry and almost 14 degrees C when I set out, half an hour before sunset. I didn't have a plan but more or less wanted to ride in the area of the Margijsbos and hook up with the Overijse BLOSO's somewhere. I left over Sint Joris Weert and then up the crest of the Smeysberg. I know quite a bit of tracks here so was able to ride up and down at least 3 times, each time enjoying a track carpeted with fallen leaves. Very tricky in the downhills - especially in the waning light - and also demanding full attention during the often steep climbs. It suffices that your front or back wheel hits a log or a root under the leaves to send your bike sideways, demanding catlike reactions to keep the rubber side up. Once the light was gone I switched on the Lupine Tesla and the road once again became an open book. I only use this light at the moment, mounted on the helmet it is more than enough to lighten up the path for the next 50 metres. The dry roads are light, wet is dark. Thats a lesson you quickly learn when nightriding in the forest.Take nothing for granted, even on roads you know like the palm of your hand. Try to stay focussed and concentrated at all times and only take your hands off the handlebar to take a quick sip. From the last ascent of the Smeysberg I rode towards Terlanen and disappeared into the Sint Agatha Rode bos. The sheep were grazing peacefully - a dozen spooky lit eyes as their gaze was caught by my light - when I passed them and did a couple of steep climbs in this forest. The downhills were demanding my full attention. A very steep one towards the road from Terlanen to Ottenburg, taking to the left and left again into the Oliestraat where another long and difficult climb took me to the road between Ottenburg and Sint Agatha Rode. I dropped down the crest at the other side, taking a small track besides a camping lot and further down towards the road between Ottenburg and Archennes. Back up on cobbles and then I followed the Overijse Bloso down and up again to arrive in Sint Agatha Rode. A last loop with the steep climb near the Radarweg and then I took a small track towards the church. Next on to Sint Joris Weert where I entered Meerdael Forest for a last loop taking me past the Kluis and back home. I really enjoyed this ride. A lot of climbing but I never had the feeling I was stressing myself. Before I arrived home I noticed the crescent moon just about to disappear at the southern horizon.
Tomorrow I have to go and have a flu shot - the regular flu, not the Mexican - and this means at least one day off of the bike. For saturday I'm not sure yet since I have to work in the morning , possibly till 3pm.

Ride Stats : 41K and 535/570 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h27mins

8764/90665 

19-11-2009, 20:02 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Another relatively warm day, and no rain this time. A lot of wind with some heavy gusts so I decided to ride in the sheltered environment of the forest. Setting out at dusk with an unclouded sky I rode into Meerdael Forest. The trails were still wet but nothing that bothered me. Before long I was surrounded by shadows and only saw a couple of roe-deer and a cat . I heard a couple of owls making their typical noise. Very scary if you don't know what it is. I more or less followed the perimeter of the forest but stuck to the bigger roads, a little singletrail here and there notwithstanding. Had a good ride. On another note, my desktop PC is back up and running. It seemed all the troubles were due to a faulty hard-disk. I hope all stays up and running now, my PC-guy installed Vista Ultimate which I like better than XP . For the moment I only use it offline for my Polar and Garmin files. The online stuff - including this writing - is done on my HP HDX 16 laptop, also running Vista but the Premium edition. 
 
Ride Stats : 40K and 405/490 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h23mins

8722/90095

18-11-2009, 20:32 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Tomorrow rain, in the afternoon clearing skies and in the evening it was dry. Great ! I bought myself a new rear LED light and mounted it on the Litespeed. The Litespeed is the maid for all work since my Hilset is undergoing surgery at Filip Sport. Should be equipped with a new XTR crankset, coupled to Hope ceramic bottom bracket and Stronglight C116 chainrings any day now. Until the, the Litespeed is more than able to do its job.
Mounted my Lupine Tesla 4 on my helmet and rode out for a ride taking me through Blanden, Heverlee, Egenhoven and Bertem towards Leefdaal. The temperature was a mild 12 degrees C on average and there was a warm wind blowing form the southwest. The best conditions for a november ride. Only snag was that on some of the smaller roads there was quite a bit of mud from the farmers tyres. Riding offroad would be even more difficult since it rained quite a bit these last couple of days. From Leefdaal I turned towards Neerijse and then Sint Agatha Rode. Another little hill and I was riding towards Sint Joris Weert where I took the Weertse Dreef home.

Ride Stats : 36.5K and 265/305 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h46mins

8683/89605

16-11-2009, 20:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

This morning saw a lot of rain, and a strong wind blowing. In the afternoon the rain went away but the wind stayed. It was warm with 15 degrees C so I decided to ride out for an easy long distance ride. Cleaned my bike after yesterday nights' ride but of course even on the tarmac roads , especially the smaller ones I tend to favor ,  there is a lot of mud and debris from the farmers' tractors. The wind was very fierce when I turned into it on the fields east of Hamme Mille, riding towards La Bruyere and L'Ecluse.

Past L'Ecluse I turned towards the North and could enjoy 30kph speeds without having to pedal.Soon I was in Hoksem and Kontich but turning towards Willebringen I could feel the wind blowing again, form the left side. Strong enough to be careful not to be tipped over when a rush of wind grabbed me between two houses. Nearing Bierbeek and descending into Neervelp I could hide a bit but the last section was full blast again. But I had a good ride and these days one has to take every opportunity to bike between the showers.

Ride Stats : 44K and 400 heightmeters (Garmin) in 2h11mins

8646/89300

13-11-2009, 19:21 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

After more than a week off from biking - due to a cold that first wouldn't break through and then wouldn't go away - I was eager to get out today. The 11th of November is a holiday in Belgium - in remembrance of the end of World War I - Armistice Day or Remembrance Day as its also called.
My Moots has been getting its yearly maintenance and the Hilset is at Filip Sport to receive a new crankset. The Merlin is having its yearly winter slumber so I was only left with the Litespeed to choose from. But that is no problem, this bike is very well suited for both on- and offroad riding. Because I was still on the mend from that cold I chose not to ride offroad but instead opted for an easy road ride taking me, not surprisingly, to the Ottenburg area. When I arrived at the start of the organised ride I couldn't help but notice that the attendance wasn't mindblowing. This could have been due to the condition of the forest and field tracks - wet - or perhaps also to the fact that there was a ride in Rotselaar. Not too far away not to be concurrent. I most certainly would not have been caused by the current weather, it was 9 degrees C and dry or the beauty of the region. You would be hard pressed to organise a BAD TT in Ottenburg. The area is just great for offroad pleasure.

But not for me , not today. I have ridden the Ottenburg ride a couple of times already and I don't think there is any road they take I haven't ridden before. They do change their trace from time to time, but most of the highlights are the same each and every year. Since I have the Garmin Edge 705 I tend to go to organised rides even less than before. The ones I do go to are special to me for one reason or another. When I looped back over Terlanen and Sint Agatha Rode I came across the Ottenburg organised rides' bikers several times. They were all rather muddy but seemed to enjoy the ride. So did I.

Ride Stats : 38.5K and 345/360 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h52mins

8569/88535

Today is supposed to be the last dry day with november due to start with some rainy days. This morning I rode to Deinze to participate at the Dyno Days at Apec, a local car tuner. When I got home I wanted to do a ride even though I haven't been feeling top fit these last few days. It looks like a cold that just won't come through. So I took the Litespeed and rode out. Yesterday I had the battery of my Polar replaced by triathlete Peter Laureyns in Huldenberg. He also noticed that my old casing was cracked, making the unit prone to water intrusion, so he proposed to replace it as well. I now have a very shiny new Polar . Here is a picture of it. .

My ride was taking me around Meerdael Forest, the Kouterbos and Heverlee Forest. I included some new tracks to make it almost 40K long. The many fallen leaves made me cautious in some narrow hardly-used trails. There were also some trees blocking one of the singletrails but in all I made good speed, staying low in the heartbeats to avoid stressing my body too much.

I can't wait for my Hilset to be fitted with its new Shimano XTR/Hope Ceramics/Stronglight CT2 crankset. Riding offroad all the time is not the best way to recuperate. Normally all the parts should be at Filip Sport next week.

Ride Stats : 39K and 420/540 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h15mins

8531/88175

Bijlagen:
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When I arrived home from work the sun had long left the skies and darkness was upon us. But I wanted to do a nightride anyway, so I rode out just past 6pm for a ride that took me along the Blue Meerdael BLOSO for starters. My 700 lumen Lupine Tesla 4 headlight proved to be a good source of illumination as I rode along the dark alleys . Once past the Zoete Waters I was completely alone in the dark forest. When I arrived on top of the hill past The Kluis I paused for a bite to eat. I dimmed my light and the only source of light was the half moon shining high above me on the open spot where I stood. I heard an owl cry nearby and it didn't take a vivid imagination to imagine all kinds of shapes crawling up to me in the darkness. After all, Halloween is near, isn't it. With a little shiver running down my spine I continued my ride along the Blue route, riding towards the Savenel where I paused to experiment a bit with my Sony DSC-W300. Taking pictures in complete darkness isn't that easy as it turned out

When I arrived at the junction with the Red route I followed that in the reverse direction, taking the track parallel to the Naamsesteenweg and crossing the bridge on the Weertsedreef. I rode all the way to Mollendaal and then turned back towards the Blanden cemetery and back into the Meerdael forest until I arrived home, glad to have done a ride. My Polar seems to be nearly through its battery, high time I take it in for its yearly maintenance. I've been told there is a shop in Huldenberg where they replace the battery while you wait. I must check that out one of these days.

Ride Stats : 26K and 280/325 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h29mins

8492/87635

Today I had a day off from work and when I saw Roger yesterday after the end of the Meerdaal 2000 organised ride I had told him I would like to ride the furthest loop of the Meerdaal 2000 TT again, with some of the extra bits they had taken out . He agreed to come along so today we met and rode out together. When we arrived at Gottechain we noticed a tree had fallen over the road, and smashed the fence holding in a couple of horses. We decided to do the right thing and rode up to the first house we could find, alarming the inhabitant of the danger of the horses escaping. The - lovely - girl assured us she would call the community and have them clean up the debris and fix the fence. Thus re-assured we rode on.
Starting at Gottechain the loop took us first on a steep and rooty track upwards and then towards Cocrou . Yesterday the ride didn't enter Pietrebais but today I added the extra downhill and uphill to my ride. The leaves were starting to change color and we could both enjoy fantastic views in this very beautiful area. Each time I am riding here I am very grateful to be living where I do, so close to such beautiful forests and landscapes.

From Pietrebais the track now took us to Heze and then all the way up to Longueville. Here I added another left-out section. After plunging down into the valley we took a left turn and then took a very steep climb out of the valley towards Chaumont Gistoux. On the top of the ridge I turned right and we had a very long descent into Bonlez. Here I added a little singletrack next to the river - very wet and muddy at first but then the steep ascent soon left it dryer and we were emerging on the road from Bonlez to Grez. Following this for a while until I turned right and down towards the river Train again. Another secret singletrail - Roger was very pleased to discover these little trails he had never noticed before - brought us to the Royenne region. Right and left and I was at the Gorge du Loup where a long ascent brought us back to the forest edge . A quick zooming descent and we were in downtown Heze. From here I followed the "chemin du Ry de Heze" until past the Royenne farm. A quick right-right and we were on the "Chemin de la Planterie" . To the unwary a dead end but for those in the know it goes on along and between the gardens to end in a very steep climb bringing us into Biez. We stopped briefly at the church to enjoy the beautiful view over Grez Doiceau. The view was made especially beautiful because of the sun breaking though the cloud cover, highlighting the autumn colors. Pity there was a lot of noise here - a screaming radio of the workmen that were renovating the church roof - or we might have stayed there a bit longer. The view is really breathtaking. We rode on and took another narrow singletrack down towards Grez-Doiceau. From here it was only a couple of field tracks and a very steep climb to arrive back at the reststop in Gottechain where our exploration had started. I noticed we already had more than 500 heightmeters, so we rode to Bossut and then down the "Trou des Chiens" trail towards the "Ferme du Grand Royal" . From there we were close to Meerdaal Forest which we entered through Les Claines and the Bois Nicaise. Roger told me it had been a while since he did a particular loop close by so I guided him to that spot and we were zooming along the edge of the valley, down and a bit further grinding our teeth due to a steep ascent bringing us back up the slope. After that we rode down towards the Warande and from there a succesion of big forest roads brought us back to where we started. We said our goodbyes, both very pleased with the ride we had done. The pace had been low but the many hills had taken their toll on our tired legs. Ours is a strange hobby, the more we suffer, the more we seem to enjoy it, in no small amount helped by the beautiful landscapes we cross.

Ride Stats : 47K and 655/705 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h54mins

8466/87310

26-10-2009, 18:06 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Early rise at 6am to be at the start at 7. I had the task to check the arrowing on the longest distance of todays "Meerdaal 2000" organised ride. Regular readers of my blog will have read about the buildup to this organised ride since I already rode the 65K and the 45K in the last couple of weeks.
I had to use the Lupine Tesla headlight for the first 45 minutes, because in the forest it was still pretty dark. I rode alone , the others were already going to check some lost arrows in Blanden. Once I was out in the fields past Valduc I could do without a light since the sun was now up, albeit hidden behind menacing clouds. It had rained a little bit yesterday and last night, but for today no more rain was forecast and with 11 degrees C it looked to be a good day for a ride. The track had been changed in the last couple of days because of refused permissions. Also the approach to the first feed zone was different from what I had in the track they gave me a few weeks back . But when I arrived in Gottechain  the arrows were still very much in place. I paused briefly a the feed zone - they were still building it, along with a stand from Concap - to remove the headlight from my helmet and put it in my Deuter backpack. Then I rode on for what promised to be a hilly and technical 20K, the extra loop the 65K did.
The 45K distance split was at that first feed zone. Permission to enter Pietrebais had been denied so the track was changed here, with the loss of a very nice singletrack downhill and an uphill towards Heze. Instead the trail looped directly to Heze after the technical climb in Cocrou.

The long climb from downtown Heze to the Chapelle du Cheneau was still there, 60 heightmeters in one go. But in Longueville the track was also altered. Instead of a very technical loop with a tricky downhill and a very difficult ascent up towards the fields of Chaumont, the track now stayed in the valley and followed the little rivulet/trail towards the "Pink Fishery" in Bonlez. These two alterations cost them at least a 100 heightmeters but there is no other option than to obey the rules set by the communities you are passing through. The trails seemed a bit wetter here than around Meerdael Forest, perhaps it has rained a little more or a little later last night. Back in Heze and then working my way up towards Biez I was joined by a another biker.
I was surprised to see a biker overtaking me so soon so I asked him what distance he was on. Seemed he had left Bierbeek at 8.15am and was set to do the 45K. But he did not pass the first feed zone so he must have missed an arrow and must have joined the 55/65K track beyond the feed zone. Unfortunately for him this also meant missing the 45K split. But I told him we were not far from the 2nd feed zone - which was the first feed zone again, it served as a double feed zone - so from there he would still have 25K to go. After the 2nd passage at the feed zone in Gottechain the trail turns towards Archennes and Pecrot for some interesting tracks, some very difficult - and dangerous - descents and then in Nethen we disappeared into Meerdael Forest again. In Sint Joris Weert the 3rd feed zone was situated, with the ever lovely and friendly Red Bull Girls offering every biker a Red Bull and a smile. A joy to behold after all the hard work.

I stopped a while to chat up with another member of the organisation, giving him some feedback about my ride and the difficulties some riders had . He told me that at this time they already had between 1400 and 1500 participants which was a very high attendance. The last kilometers were spent on the big ring for most of the time, with still some nasty little climbs here and there. When I reached Bierbeek I was glad to see my friend Roger, who had done the 45K. Another 6K and I was back home for a warm bath and a good meal. I had a good ride, the trail traction was ideal, some wind on the plains, a good amount of heightmeters and very clement weather conditions. I have uploaded the 65k track to EveryTrail for those who would like to ride it again, just click on the link below.

Ride Stats : 77K and 890/1005 heightmeters in 4h6mins

GPS track on EveryTrail
Meerdaal 2000 TT 65K 25okt2009 at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: Share GPS Tracks

8419/86606

25-10-2009, 13:10 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf