Today I had my mind set to ride towards the Sept Fontaines area in Dworp and do the 35K Hallerbos/Lembeekbos GPS track. The day announced itself quite sunny and warm so it was in good spirits that I rode towards the Sonian Forest, taking the easy route over Korbeek Dyle and Duisburg. There was a dry wind blowing from the south and I was glad to be encapsulated by the majestic trees of the forest. Riding straight through the Sonian to reach the Middenhut, from where it is only 7 or 8K to the Sept Fontaines.

I started at the field entry of the GR route and immediately it was wet and I had to take care not to slip and slide where I did not want to slip and slide. There seems to be water everywhere in this area - that is probably why it is called Sept Fontaines - and the long climb into the outskirts of Hallerbos was also along a very wet track. Then some tarmac and a long way up to reach the Hallerbos. I immediately noticed that the only flowers which were in bloom where the white forest anemones. Here and there I could already spot the blue hue of a bluebell but the great mass of them will probably bloom somewhere next week

The GPS track is a pretty good one, even though at some places the track and the road don't fall together. But it is pretty obvious which track you have to take. Into Braine Le Chateau and the track guides me through narrow Pistes Cyclistes . Some of them very steep, and always meandering up and down. Crossing a busy road and then I reach the Lembeekbos where I can relax during a long downhill through this forest. But what goes down must come up again and indeed, before long I am grinding teeth and struggling on my lowest gearing to make the grade. Nice track and I am through Lembeek forest , taking a break to eat something.

The temperature has risen to an ungodly 21 degrees and my water is almost out. Before long I cross the busy road again and now follows another piece of Hallerbos, always going up and down through its many vales. Lots of white flowers left and right from the track but no bluebells yet. A Japanese couple halts me and we talk a little. They want to know if this is the famous blue forest and I tell them that this is indeed the place but that they should come back next weekend for the bluebells. They are very enthusiastic and very friendly as we part our ways. I still have about 40K to go and from Dworp I make my way back to the Sonian Forest. A little stop at the 2 Stooges before I enter the forest.

At Duisburg I can score a Cola from a shop and I guzzle it down, its coolness and sugar give me a much needed rush to complete that last 20K of my ride. I am pleased with the overall average but I felt pretty tired at some places. Perhaps a lack of hydration? I did eat 2 Isostar bars, and stupidly lost another one out of my backpack side pocket somewhere on the track !
Now its time to recuperate . The muscles felt tight and strong today but like I said , also some tiredness possibly due to the warmth and the lack of drinking.

Ride Stats : 115.5K and 1195/1390 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 6h8mins30secs

1085/12110

02-04-2011, 17:44 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Yesterday it rained so I stayed home, but today I couldn't resist riding out for another ride through Blanden and Haasrode. Doing my laps, I begin to get accustomed to the road bike. Obviously it is fast, a lot faster than a mountainbike with slick tyres, the rolling resistance is so much less and the bike accelerates very fast, due to the top frame and wheels. I could have done a lot more kilometers should I have wanted but I wouldn't strain myself too much. So I stopped at 5 laps and just over 32K. The temperature was a nice 20 degrees but I did feel some rain from time to time. But at the end of the ride the sun came peeping through the clouds. Tomorrow promises to be a warm day with possible thunderstorms in the late afternoon. And sunday is the Ronde Van Vlaanderen day, a holy day for sure.

Ride Stats : 32K and 315/320 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h13mins

970/10720

01-04-2011, 18:34 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Rain forecast today but the sun was shining when I rode out with the Litespeed Vortex for another exploratory ride, getting familiar with the way it behaves. The shifting already went a little better, learning that you need to hear the click to be sure that the shift is complete. If not, the chain might drop off the selected cog again. Click click click.
My little parcours was the same as last monday, this time the laps were a little bigger and there were three climbs in every lap. Nothing eartshattering but I did 4 laps making it a good hours' ride.
I noticed my - carbon - saddlepost was slipping, just a couple of mm but enough to make me loosen the nut and tighten it a little faster. Carbon is always tricky and I'm keeping my eye on that post.
The rest of the bike behaved like it should and I did not flatten this time either. Good thing because I'm still awaiting my inner tyres and a full-sized pump. I will take those with me on the longer rides in the future.

Ride Stats : 27.5K and 260/270 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h5mins

938/10400

30-03-2011, 12:37 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

The weather was good and warm when I set out for another lap around the Haasrode TT Base Loop for 2011. I was on the Moots YBB this time so this meant a little more comfort. Which was needed because the tracks were dry as a bone and hard tothe wheels. I felt good so could keep up a good pace from the beginnings. Setting a couple of markers along the way. 30 minutes to the Mollendaal shelter, 1 hour to the road crossing with the N91 just above Hamme Mille. Then cam the tough climb in Gottechain and after 1h30 I was entering Bossut and taking the small track behind the school. Into Meerdael Forest again for the last stretch until I reached the place where I had picked up on the lap, just past the bridge of the Naamsesteenweg. I reached home with a good feeling in my legs and a time well under 2 hours. A good ride by all accounts. I checked the Chris King ISO hubs for play and found that I could tighten the rear one just a little bit. That will perform even better during the next ride. I noticed I passed the 10000 heightmeters mark. Not bad after the first couple of months of this year being rather empty kilometre-wise due to medical problems.

Ride Stats : 39K and 420/490 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h56mins

910/10130

29-03-2011, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

The Litespeed Vortex was built and delivered this weekend and when I had an hour to spare today I couldn't resist checking it out. I did not have any spare inner tyres yet so I decided on a loop through Blanden, up and down towards Haasrode and then making a figure eight through Bierbeekstraat, Milsestraat, Kartuizerstraat and Blandenstraat. That way if I did flatten, I would only be within walking distance from home.
It had been a while since I rode a road-bike and I was amazed at the agility and nervousness of this kind of bike. The speed was amazing and the bike felt light and agile. The Brooks saddle was still hard and will need a lot of kilometers to settle in, I'm aware of that. I relaxed on the uphills, letting the bike do the work and trying to get the hang of the shifting. The Campagnolo Chorus group shifts well but I need to focus on which side of the shifter I need to use to shift up and down, in front and in the rear. On the downhills I was a bit scared to let the bike go at full speed, not being used to this nervousness and the way it seemed to pick up the speed very quickly so I took it relatively easy, grabbing the handlebar in the curve with the brakes within easy reach.
I wore Campagnolo overshoes in sky blue color which miraculously matched the color of the Vredestein Fortezza tyres that ran across the Campagnolo Neutron wheels I bought off Gregory Joseph, a young "Topsport Vlaanderen" pro . The brakes also took some getting used to, but they seem strong and grippy.

The position on the bike seems to be spot on, I don't think I will have to change anything. Obviously the ride was short, maybe longer rides will demand some positional changes but it doesn't look that way. The bike weighs in just a tad over 8 kg and it feels that way as well.

The only thing that needs to be done now is attach the Litespeed head badge, but Filip Sport is waiting for special glue to do that. I leave you with a family shot taken saturday from the 2 Litespeeds I now own. The Obed mountainbike, date of birth 1999, and the 'new' Vortex which was made in 2001.

Ride Stats : 24.5K and 190/225 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h1min

871/9640

28-03-2011, 18:51 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Moots Time ! Yesterday I cleaned the Litespeed Obed and put it under covers. It should remain there until late fall, when the weather will be foul again. Now the Moots and the Merlin come out, for those epic spring and summer rides.
Wanting to do a long ride , but not too much heightmeters, I chose the O2 Bikers Taalgrens roadbook. This is 80K long and couples forest and field together in one long ride.
With the Moots I also have disk brakes and No Tubes, which means I can go faster downhill without worrying too much about flattening my tyres . Sure, it can still happen , but not as easy.
The first 20K of this roadbook is a great succession of forest and hilly fieldtracks. Starting at the Zoete Waters the trail goes into the Meerdael Forest for some nice lesser-used tracks, coupled to a tricky descent here and there. Unfortunatelt, forest exploitation is still going on and on one track I had to find a way around a jungle of fallen trees.

It is here that a GPS is of invaluable worth. Just check for alternative trails and you quickly find one that brings you back on the track. But the alternative trail was also very difficult , lots of deep tractor and heavy machinery ruts . But the Moots is a fine little bike. The Chris King rear hub gives it near-instantaneaous reaction to pedalling movement, so you can really be very confident on twisty and difficult trails. So I zigzagged around fallen trees, through deep ruts and over crosstrails. I emerged near the Hercules Salon where I was treated to a magnificent downhill towards the La Hetraie camping. Crossing the road and into Beaumont for another great section of hills, hollow roads and cobblestones taking me up towards Bossut and then back down towards Nethen.

Crossing another big road and I am in the fields of Gottechain. The sun has come out and is giving me a bit of warmth, much needed because it isn't really that warm. A little breeze is blowing from the northeast . It will keep me company throughout the ride. Nice passage in and out of Pietrebais and I'm into the fields. Every now and then there is a challenge in the form of deeply rutted trails - you DON'T want to do this roadbook when it has rained ! - or a descent in a deep hollow road. The field tracks are dry, dusty and hard on bike and man. The trail here as a major tendancy to loop around in search for extra kilometers. They might have wanted to focus on ding some more technically challenging stuff but obviously they did not want to make it too difficult - besides it being 80K which really  is difficult and challenging enough for most.
But my aim today is getting a long ride in, so I accept this. Grabbing the occasional technical passage with both hands, just to have something else to do than avoiding potholes on the endless field roads.
On a beautiful descent in a hollow road I am stopped again by what looks to be a jungle of fallen trees. No way through, and no way around.

So I have to ride back up out of the track - yippee, extra heightmeters  - and do the descent on a cobble road. Bummer. Into St Remy Geest and then onwards to join the track again back into the fields. A nice loop down a deep hollow road again, followed by a long climb back upwards, in another hollow road. And then more field roads. After what feels like a 100K of desert I see at last Meerdael Forest looming on the horizon. Phew, I made it. So glad to see some trees again and ride in the shade. I do a little dance upon entering Meerdael Forest. I really wanted to get off my bike for a couple of minutes because my neck and shoulders are painful from the hammering on the field tracks.

With renewed spirits I  complete the last 10K in Meerdael Forest. There are a lot of walkers, bikers and horses about but everyone is very friendly when greeted. In the fields around Lathuy and Jodoigne I was passed or crossed several times by jeeps, which seemed to be on some kind of GPS tour. They all were very attentive, stopping when I crossed them (to avoid the dust ! ) and at one point I just was faster on a deeply rutted downhill than they were. Ah, a small victory from man and bike over machine and horsepower.
Upon arriving at the Zoete Waters I only had 5 more K to ride back home. A good long ride and I am very pleased with my average and heartrate. Ok, trail conditions were nearly perfect, dry and fast, but still I rode well. Two 5-hour rides this week. Need to relax a bit next week for sure.

Ride Stats : 94K and 790/900 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 5h14mins

847/9415

27-03-2011, 18:10 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf