It was misty and only 15 degrees C when I rode out with the Moots Psychlo-X around 10am. The plan was to ride over Korbeek Dyle and Duisburg into the Sonian Forest. There was a light drizzle and the fog was rolling over the rivers Dyle and Voer. Into the Kapucijnen forest and up the long easy climb towards Jezus Eik. From there I followed the highway towards the Rouge Cloitre area. Pausing at the ponds to take a couple of pictures before attacking the steep climb out of the valley.

Along the N3 I rode into Tervuren and its' park. Back up to Duisburg and from there I rode towards the river Voer. I followed that little river along its left border where a bikepath twists and turns for several kilometers from Vossem to Bertem. In Bertem I rode upwards onto the plateau and then down into the Dyle Valley. From Arenberg I connected to Heverlee forest and the last couple of kilometers of this mixed ride where again on forest roads. Had a good ride with a relaxed 103bpm average heartrate.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 53.5K and 415 heightmeters (Garmin) in 02h16mins

4443/17255

14-09-2014, 13:22 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Another fine evening with temperatures in the high 10's. I decided to ride out on the YBB, taking in some Meerdael Forest trails. I first did the long version of my Military trail, after that reconnoitering a new trail that took me into the Kouterbos and out of it again along a different climb. It is some 8.1 km long and I lapped it in around 22 minutes. Doing another lap of that and then finishing off with another Long Meerdael Military lap. This is 7k long. Amazingly this last lap was my fastest ever . Form is good and I took it relatively easy and relaxed during the first hour. Riding back through Vaalbeek and along the Prosperdreef to reach Blanden.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 37K and 275 heightmeters (Garmin) in 01h36mins

4389/16840

12-09-2014, 20:21 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

It was a little bit colder today with only 16 degrees C. But once I was warmed up it was pretty comfortable riding. No wind and the trails were great. I set out with the Moots YBB for some Meerdael trails . Did a lot of loops around the old military compound. Trying out the Langedaal trail which had dried up almost completely. Only a couple of puddles but they were easily avoided.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats 39.5K and 200 heightmeters in 01h37mins

4353/16565

10-09-2014, 21:24 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

I felt yesterdays' long ride in my legs throughout the day but when I got home I decided to ride out for an exploratory ride of some trails I knew in Mollendaal forest. It had been a while since I connected them all but I had no trouble riding a consistent loop of around 22K with a lot of narrow trails and constant up and down sections. The trails were fine, with only one mud-trap and 2 trees which had fallen over the singletrack. The bike was performing great and so were my legs.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 24K and 275 heightmeters (Garmin) in 01h12mins

4313/16365

08-09-2014, 20:19 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

It was misty when I rode out around 10AM with the Moots Psychlo-X. But the sun was peeping through and it promised to warm up later. Over Hamme Mille and Beauvechain towards L'Ecluse and then into Hoegaarden. I found a tricky descent with a cobble section that looked Roman. Very old and wet and sharp. So easy going. From Hoegaarden some more cobbles were waiting for my 32mm tyres when I set out towards Saint Remy Geest. Pausing near the church for some pictures and a welcome break.

Onwards to Melin and then through Bruyere back to Beauvechain and Hamme Mille. Taking a little loop into Meerdael Forest and finishing over some more cobbles in the descent into Vaalbeek.
Had a good ride - a long one - and I felt good. Average heartrate was good around 101bpm.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 57.5K and 425 heightmeters (Garmin) in 02h20mins

4289/16090

07-09-2014, 14:19 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

05-09-2014, 20:43 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Fine weather this evening and I went out for a ride on the Moots YBB. I am testing a new kind of chain lube with nanotechnology. A big word , lets see how it stands up in the field. More info at Dieci-9 . I did a pyramidical succession of laps today. Starting with the medium, then the large and then the extra large one. After that I did the large, medium and finished off with the small lap. In all nearly 40K of fun. The trails were dry and faster than a couple of days ago. My legs felt good and I could maintain a good average.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 41.5K and 275 heightmeters (Garmin) in 01h45mins

4206/15500

03-09-2014, 20:16 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Wanted to do a ride when I got home from work. Took the Moots YBB out for a spin over Meerdael trails. 2 big laps of 9.6 kilometers followed by another lap of 8km. I felt Ok but I did not push too hard since I had been riding yesterday as well. I still managed to get a KOM (King Of the Mountain) on the 8K lap. It got dark near the end, rain clouds filling the sky. But it remained dry and I was able to finish the lap before it got too dark to see. September is here and the days are visibly shortening . Still, the september month also means the end of the horsefly era and soon I will be able to wear short sleeves when venturing into the wood.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 35.5K and 225 heightmeters (Garmin) in 01h35mins

4165/15225

01-09-2014, 20:52 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Taking the PsychloX out today for a mixed ride around Leuven. Starting in Blanden I decided to do the 40K . This looked like more than enough , I had the option of adding an extra loop later if need be. Over Bierbeek, Kessel Lo and Herent the loop took me towards Winksele and Bertem. Some nice little hills put my heart and legs to the test. All went well, I could hold my speed and was wise enough not to push too hard. Past Bertem we rode towards Korbeek Dyle , the Zoete Waters and finally Vaalbeek to reach Blanden again. I decided against the extra lap because the clouds were very black and menacing and indeed, only minutes after I arrived home the skies opened up and it started to rain heavily.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 44K and 295 heightmeters (Garmin) in 01h51mins

4129/15000

31-08-2014, 12:52 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Time for another ride. It was warm with a balmy 20 degrees C when I rode out with the Moots YBB. I did a new lap in Meerdael Forest, making a figure 8 around the military compound and towards the Keiberg. An 8K lap I did 3 times. Legs felt good and the trails were fine. Dryer than last wednesday and with less heightmeters the average pace was also higher.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 32K and 180 heightmeters (Garmin) in 01h24mins

4086/14705

29-08-2014, 19:48 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Yesterday saw a lot of rain. Ir only stopped in the late afternoon and I did a forest walk. Today saw the return of dry and calm weather, with the sun out and when I arrived home after work I decided to ride out with the Moots YBB. I did 4 of the big military laps in Meerdael Forest and Kouterbos. The trails were mostly dry with only some big puddles that could be circumvened. The climb away from the Zoete Water was hard with the sand wet and the gully clear of debris. I did this climb 5 times. On the last lap I got surprised by a wasp that flew in my helmet and managed to sting me on the skull before escaping. Painful but I guess my skull will protect me from the venom. At least that is what I hope. As I am writing this there is no swelling yet.
Otherwise the ride went fine and I enjoyed being out there.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 44K and 360 heightmeters (Garmin) in 02h04mins

4054/14525

27-08-2014, 20:09 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

This morning saw bright skies and sunshine, even though the temperature was below 15 degrees C. But that did not bother me, on the contrary, it is better for me since I'm dressed in long sleeved pants and jersey. Taking the Moots YBB out for a couple of laps. I did one each of the long, medium and standard lap and then finished off with 2 of the small laps around the old Meerdael military compound. The trails were fine, almost dry with only a couple of mushy sections left in the uphill from the Zoete Waters. Uphill I did 1 and a half times so I'm not complaining. Met up with some of the KBC crew who were doing the BLOSO blue in reverse - or something like that - and in general I had a very good workout with my legs performing well. I did not push things , settling for a good pace instead.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 37.5K and 255 heightmeters (Garmin) in 01h42mins

4010/14165

24-08-2014, 12:35 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

I was eager to ride out in the late afternoon. It had been raining during the last hour or so but when I rode out it was drying out. Nevertheless the trails were wet, but not overly so . I started out along the Naamsesteenweg and the Weertsedreef and then injected myself on my trail segment around the old military grounds. I had to take care with the Psychlo-X on the stony descent along the Meerdaelweg because the 32mm tyres are prone to snakebites. But I was careful and did not hurt my tyres or rims. After 4 laps of the normal lap I did 2 more little laps, only 3.5K each and finished my ride back along the Weertsedreef and the Naamsesteenweg.
I thoroughly enjoyed this ride. The bike felt fine and except for the splash of mud here and there the trails were perfect. The legs felt fine too.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 35K and 210 heightmeters (Garmin) in 01h24mins

3972/13910

22-08-2014, 20:22 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Another day, another Moots. I wanted to do a ride on the Psychlo-X for a while now and even though the skies where threatening with rain I decided to ride out with the CX bike on my mountanbike trail. The first lap went well, it stayed dry and the bike was fast. The pressure in the tyres was not enough to stop me feeling roots and stones through them but apart from that all was well. On my second lap it started to rain lightly and the trails were getting wetter where they were exposed to the air. Under the trees things were still OK even though at some points the droplets were slowly reaching the ground. I had to take care because the CX bike is not as stable as a mountain bike and even more importantly , CX brakes don't stop the bike, they just slow it down. It makes me look at the professional riders like Sven Nys with awe.
My third lap was well and truely a wet lap. It rained even harder now and I decided to ride towards home keeping myself as much in the forest as possible, after I complete the lap. In all the ride was a pleasant one even though it was shorter than I intended.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 20.5K and 140 heightmeters (Garmin) in 00h52mins

3938/13700

20-08-2014, 18:47 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

The weather was great for me this late afternoon. 17 degrees and mostly overcast but dry. I rode out on the Moots YBB for another series of laps in Meerdael Forest. The ride went well, I could maintain my speed and I even managed to get my heartrate up to 129bpm. With an average heartrate of 112 I had the feeling I was getting somewhere. The ride went fine, I was never out of breath and my legs felt fine even if somewhat tired on the climbing sections.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 24.5K and 185 heightmeters (Garmin) in 01h07mins30secs

3917/13560

18-08-2014, 19:49 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

My legs were aching from a 9.2K forest walk I did yesterday but after noon I decided to ride out and do a couple of laps in Meerdael Forest. I started the same as last wednesday but added an extra loop down to the Keiberg Chapel and then back up the long climb from the Zoete Waters to the top of the Keiberg again. I did 3 of those laps and made sure my heartrate stayed reasonable. The trails were drying up after yesterdays and last nights' rainy spells and were quite agreable. Looping back over Vaalbeek I rode back home, with a good feeling about this ride and the way my legs behaved. 

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 26.5K and 235 heightmeters (Garmin) in 01h16mins

3893/13375

16-08-2014, 14:29 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today I had to wear a Holter - a Heartrate recording device - for 24 hours. When I arrived home from work I needed to ride my bike to see how my heartrate would behave and to see if there were any irregularities. I took the YBB for a spin in the neighborhood. Warming up gently on a lap that took me parallel with the Weertse Dreef to the edge of the forest, then taking a right towards the north and another right towards the Keiberg. Down and up towards the Langedaal again to complete the lap. I did 3 of those and then made my way back along Vaalbeek and the Prosperdreef towards Blanden. I did not feel anything irreguler but of course the Holter will have recorded everything for the cardiologist to scrutinize.

Ride Stats : 21.5K and 140 heightmeters (Garmin) in 00h58mins

3866/13140

13-08-2014, 19:49 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Another try-out ride this evening. It had rained consoderably but I wanted to see how my heart would behave on an outdoor ride. So I took the Moots YBB and rode out into Meerdael Forest. Taking care not to ride too fast but still pressing on enough to make it a workout. I felt eerie from time to time, in anticipation of an irregular heartbeat or a pain in the chest but it didn't happen. I took the bike into the fields beyond Meerdael, riding towards Bierbeek and into Mollendaal before returning over Haasrode and Blanden.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 15K and 130 heightmeters (Garmin) in 00h45mins

3845/13000

11-08-2014, 20:28 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

I has been a while since my last ride. Due to irregular heartbeats I had to go to the cardiologist and was diagnosed with supra-ventrical tachycardy . My heart had to be reset - a conversion they call it - because the main syne node was no longer pulsing. Instead my heart was controlled by nerves in the left ventrical. Because of that, the resting heartrate was up to 120 and it had to be brought down by taking beta-blockers and flecanaide. I also had to take pradaxan to counter trombose.
Quite a change and the first week after the conversion I wasn't too keen on doing anything. Scared I guess, but who can blame me for that.
Today, over 2 weeks after my last ride and still taking the meds listed above (although my heart is pumping normal again) I decided on a short ride on the Tacx Satori.
Just half an hour and it went well. Feeling out of shape, but not too much, probably due to the meds as well. I could maintain a good speed, unconsciously always checking my heart to make sure it didn't race. But it didn't and after the ride I was back to my usual 50bpm.

Ride Stats : 18.5K in 00h31mins

3830/12870

09-08-2014, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Another sunny day and I rode out for a ride with the Vortex. Setting out over Bierbeek and Opvelp and then taking a right towards Beauvechain. On the climb to Beauvechain I began to experience irregular heartbeats. Going up to 182 and then dropping to 120 again. I rode on but tried to keep the pace down. When I arrived at home my resting heartrate remained high, around 130 where I normally have around 50. I made an appointment to see the doctor to find out what is wrong.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 32K and 200 heightmeters (Garmin) in 01h11mins

3811/12870

24-07-2014, 10:46 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf