Life as a cyclist is harsh these days. We are experiencing normal April weather with showers, wind and general not-too-high temperatures. When I woke up the sun was shining but a couple of minutes later some beautiful cloud formation was releasing some rain, hurried on by a strong western wind.
I decided the forest would be the only sensible option and I left with my Hilset equipped with fenders and myself dressed in a goretex rain jacket. Just to be on the safe side.
The forest trails were moist bit not muddy so the Mollendaal trails suited me fine. I did one of my winter loops, crisscrossing Mollendaal forest . Only in the valleys there were a couple of short muddy sections where the forestry machinery had passed and left deep tracks. But the Hilset flew through them without much effort. I was lucky enough to remain dry for most of my ride, only during the last couple of kilometers there were some drops falling.

The temperatures were around 9 degrees C on average which felt cold with the wind reaching through the forest cover. I did manage to get in a good ride with an average heartrate of only 120bpm which was all I needed for a good recovery ride.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 28K and 340 heightmeters (Garmin) in 1h33mins

2839/29040

21-04-2012, 13:35 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

After a couple of days of April showers and cold and windy weather, today looked a lot better . The weekly KBC MTB club rendez-vous saw around 15 riders at the start. We quickly split up in two groups with me leading the fast group. I felt a little lazy at the start but when I got going the pace picked up. First through Heverleebos and then into the Kouterbos and Meerdael Forest. A climbing session at the Nethen valley was to follow . The forest trails were dry and the rainfall from the last days was barely noticeable. Some steep and varied hills and descents had the gears a-grinding and the guys a-groaning. The heightmeters were accumulating and the harsh ride of the non-suspension Hilset was taking its toll on the descents. Looping back towards Mollendaal forest and the speed was now well and truemy rising when we rode through Blanden and Vaalbeek into Heverleebos ance again. A very good workout after 3 days of supercompensation.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 43K and 495 heightmeters (Garmin) in 2h06mins

2811/28700

19-04-2012, 21:12 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Quite a cold night and when riding out around 9.30am it was still rather cold. There was also a nasty wind blowing so I decided to stay in or close to the forest as much as possible. The logical thing to do is a perimeter ride. Starting out clockwise from Blanden I had the northern wind in my face straightaway. But the forest offered solace as I turned east and south. I had a bit of a fright when my rear wheel started making the typical Mavic noise. When idling the rear hub starts to vibrate. This is my oldest Mavic Crossmax - the original first issue from 1999 and the only one that has survived so far - and I am a bit surprised it took that long for it to start. I hope new bearings will solve the issue but thinking about my crossmax II and III hubs that totalled after having the same problems I'm not too optimistic.
After a while it stopped making the noise so it did not bother me too much. I will have Filip Sport look at it when I go to collect my Obed and Moots YBB front wheel. The Obed is also not quite running. It is more and more proving to be difficult to find bearings for the Race Face taperlock square axis. Filip is doing what he can and I am also looking. Its not only the bearings but also the cups that need to be changed.
Anyway, I finished my ride today and when I got home I washed up and started following the womens' race at the Houffalize XC World Cup on Extreme.com telecast.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 34K and 325 heightmeters (Garmin) in 1h41mins

2768/28205

15-04-2012, 12:23 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf