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| Tales from the Woods |
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| 07-02-2007 |
 Power |
Foggy , snowy roads and cold, so motivation to go and ride outside was lacking. Someone brought THIS to my attention and I decided to try a training out of that scheme. Some Powertraining on the rollers - rollers are excellent for that purpose - and an ideal way to pass the time whilst riding.
I hope the weather clears because I really want to ride outside for a change. The forecast however calls for more snow and lots of rain in the weekend. We'll have to wait and see.
LINK to specific training for the Tour de Flandres
Ride Stats : 24K in 1h2mins
1180/8330
07-02-2007, 16:53 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 06-02-2007 |
| Snow? |
Was still feeling some little pains from last weeks's 350K week. My left wrist hurt (for the dirty minds - NO, I am right handed ) probably from a fall last sunday, on a slow muddy downhill where my front wheel washed out. I fell on my left side, all soft and cozy in the mud, but I must have strained something in my wrist. I also strained a muscle in my left leg which took a day to settle back into place and my behind is still a little sore from the mega-rides in the beginning of last week. Oh well, "no pain no gain" isn't it.
I decided to do an hour on the rollers, starting out very easy, reading this months O2 Bikers, and then accelerating during the last 15 minutes doing 2 intervals of 5 minutes at 33kph, finishing off the lot with a minute at 50kph. Legs warmed up well and I felt no pain except in my bum.
When I emerged from the cellar I noticed it had begun to snow.. the first one this winter, and as far as I'm concerned I wouldn't mind if it were the last one too.
I had hoped to do the Accro Bike tomorrow but if it keeps falling down, things will be considerably wetter than I would have preferred. DAMN !
Ride Stats : 26K in 1h03mins
1156/8330
06-02-2007, 19:47 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 04-02-2007 |
| The Litespeed boys |
Dense fog upon waking this morning, so any ideas I might have had to ride to Aywaille quickly made way for other plans. I decided to do the first half of my Secret Meerdael Loop, which would net me around 30K and 450 heightmeters . When I started out I quickly met up with my friend Roger, who was going to ride the Meerdael Bloso routes. Roger is slowly turning into a titanium adept as well, he already has a Seven Sola and just recently he acquired a Litespeed Sewanee. This was the first time I saw this bike and what a marvelous looking bike it is. Decked out with top-notch components and weighing in just a tad over 100k for a size M . We talked a little but and then we each went our own way.
It was around 3 degrees C and still foggy when I left around 11pm but the fog would quickly evaporate and around noon the temperature would reach 6 or 7 degrees. I averaged 5 degrees C.
The first part of my Meerdael Loop consists mainly of a lot of singletracks , and even though it was less muddy than a few weeks ago, there was one section that was really REALLY bad with mud . The Forestry is felling trees and getting them out with big machines. These machines really leave very deep tracks, destroying the trail, accumulating water and generally leaving me on foot quite a few times. Also, on the small trails there are still some trees that fell with the storm in January and which made me dismount at least 5 times, lifting my bike over them and riding along. I quickly noticed that my titanium Kocmo cassette has had it. I changed my chain and now it keeps slipping over the smaller cogs. That cassette has served me well the last 4 years, so it really was worth its money. Back home I will put on an XTR cassette from last year. I usually change cassettes once a year, except for the Kocmo that is. Most of the time the cassettes are not completely worn so I can use them a little longer on these wheels. Wheels that are used in muddy conditions only.Some 30K into the ride I decided that I had had enough, with just under 2 hours the average speed says it all. I connected with the Bloso route in Nethen and decided to follow it for a while to let my legs recover a bit from the tough conditions. And guess who I spot in the distance, yep there is Roger. We meet up again, him with 10K more and finishing the Red trail towards Bierbeek. We ride the last 10K of that Red route together, having ample time to chat . Roger is playing with the idea of originating a mountainbike tour around Leuven and he's asking if I'm not interested in helping him with the planning and reconnoitre the trails. Of course I am ! I know some people who are very familiar with the region North of Leuven and with our deep knowledge of the trails in the South of Leuven this great idea might just materialize over the next year. More to follow.Ride Stats : 44K and 555 heightmeters in 2h401130/8330
04-02-2007, 16:44 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 30-01-2007 |
| Long Slow Distance again |
Ok, sometimes I do crazy stuff. Like today when I noticed I still had 125K to ride this month to make it an even 1000K.. Normally I average a 1000K/month over the year so I like to start out the year by riding at least a 1000K in January.
After yesterday's 90K ride I didn't have much hope as to how my legs would feel today and indeed they protested when I left home around 4pm. I set out on an easy ride, hoping to do 50K and perhaps 60. But as the distance passed below my wheels a cunning plan began to develop. I had my heartrate way down so I figured I could easily try and do a bit more. My bum was protesting and so were my neck and shoulders from the beating of the road. But I persevered and even made it 80K. It is sometimes quite amazing what your body can do if you set your mind to it. I had to kick myself a few times, especially during the last 10K when I passed closed to home and the desire to call it a day was great. But I didn't, I rode on and made the distance which left me very tired but also happy that I was strong enough mentally to push myself into riding this.
This leaves me with around 45K to ride tomorrow , which should be no difficulty, I can even do those on the rollers should the weather turn. Today the weather was great. A few drops of scattered rain and an average temperature of 7 degrees. I rode around 3 hours with the lights on and they didn't show any signs of fading when I arrived at home. Great lights, thanks Lumicycle.
Ride Stats : 80K and 605 heightmeters in 3h39mins
955/6860
30-01-2007, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 27-01-2007 |
| Easy does it |
Quick ride between two races at the Cyclo Cross World Championships. Belgium already won gold with Joeri Adams in the Junior Class and the hope is high for the Minus 23 and Elite classes also. Pity the girls aren't up to par with the rest of the world but some might be able to get a top 10 finish..I'm thinking Veerle Ingels in the first place but we will have to wait and see.
Me I had an easy ride along Huldenberg and Ottenburg, taking in a few heightmeters but all very relaxed. My right calf has been giving me some troubles after rising this morning, I think I overstretched it yesterday. Still during the ride I didn't feel it except when I really had to put the hammer down. Weather was fine, averaging 6 degrees C with some sunshine at the start and just a few drops of rain near the end of the ride.
Ride Stats : 43.5K and 395 heightmeters in 1h50mins
745/5540
27-01-2007, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 26-01-2007 |
| Dylelandroute |
Ah, today I was out on the Moots, first time this year. Need to check the front suspension although putting it upside down for a few hours prior to the ride seems to have mellowed it a bit. Too much perhaps because I felt it was indeed very responsive - which is good - but perhaps too much sag to start with. I put in 10psi more air pressure when I was back home , and we'll see what gives next ride. Need to bring the Fox in for maintenance anyways , it has never been in and I do have the bike for 3 years now.
So, I took half a day off at work because the weather forecast called for snow/rain in the late afternoon and I wanted to be back by the time things got wet. Trails were still pretty frozen so I took the chance of leaving the Racing Ralphs on , and except for the occasional dew patch where they were sliding all over the place, they performed well. I followed the Dylelandroute, starting at Meerdael forest and looping towards Neerijse and Huldenberg, but I added a couple of nice climbs.. and selected more offroad tracks than the Dyleland itself takes. Some nice climbs made me enjoy the Moots' ability to dig in and climb like a real mountain goat. The temperature was rising during the ride - I started around noon and was back in around 1.50pm - from around freezing towards 2 degrees C. Near the end I couldn't resist the steep footpath I discovered in Sint Joris Weert and I made it, obviously, also with this bike. People sometimes ask me why I prefer an XTR transmission on my bikes and todays' ride once again put forward the exceptional quality of the XTR's shifting. Changing a gear only demands a gentle push or pull, almost a caress, and the gear has already been changed. No noises, not hesitation, just touch the lever and you immediately feel the action. Great stuff, wouldn't be the same without it. Only downsize is the price but the shifters I'm using on the Moots are still going strong and they date from 1999. So the longevity of this gear is also top-notch. New XTR cassette is said to be even stiffer, and a bit lighter, so I'm looking forward to that. Prize in Belgium is a whopping 225 but I've seen them at 120 on Chainreaction Cycles.
Ride Stats : 35K and 395 heighmeters in 1h45
701/5145
26-01-2007, 15:41 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 24-01-2007 |
| Laurensart |
Tonight it froze -5 degrees C and that meant that things were dry offroad. Great, I took a recovery day yesterday in order to be well rested and today I left an hour sooner at work to do a hilltraining in Meerdaelwoud and the Bois de Laurensart. I started out with some climbs around Nethen, and the one I didn't make a few days ago - the one were I lost my V-brake pad - was high on my list. The traction was marginally better, I was a bit less tired and above all had a lot more determination. SO I made the climb, albeit with a lot of cursing and a heartrate that soared towards 165bpm.
After that I gently took towards Pecrot and Archennes, taking in every climb that I could, before arriving at the Bois de Laurensart. There are a few very steep climbs here , going up and down to the 'De Tomme' plateau, and of course I did them all, making some kind of loop which had me do the whole thing in the opposite direction when I headed back towards Meerdaelwoud. Some of the tracks were very tricky with the frozen tracks which partly were defrosted and slippery. This did not bother me much during the uphill sections but I had to keep very concentrated during the downhills.
I had left at 3.15 pm and arrived home just before dusk set in, with a very good ride under my belt. An average temperature of -1 degrees C kept things fresh but I never found it to be cold. Of course all the climbing keeps you warm but there was also no wind so the chill factor was low.
Ride Stats : 31.5K and 565 heightmeters in 2h01mins
655/4750
24-01-2007, 18:05 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 22-01-2007 |
| Peking Crow |
My legs were still hurting from yesterdays' ride so I decided to stay home from work, rest as much as possible, and get in an easy road-ride. Rest is relative as you will understand.I set out and it turned out to be a bit colder , 5 degrees on average, but also relatively calm due to the absense of wind. Great conditions for an easy ride.My thoughts during this ride wandered off to the Chinese food business, and I tried to remember Chinese specialties.. ehmm, lets see, Peking Duck, Sharkfin Soup, Soya something, lychees.. oh yes, lychees, I definately remember those.When I first ate them I was abhorred by their taste, they tasted almost perverse. Now, a little bit older and no longer abhorred by the perverse , I kinda like them. Its a bit as with olives. They taste funny but once you eat them you get all kinds of subtle after-tastes in your mouth, flavors, which make them OK after all.Same with lychees. I like the Chinese kitchen, its diversity of smells, ingredients, tastes and the sheer pallet of colors the food on the dishes have. Lets not forget the Chinese were already highly developed when we were still crawling around in the dark ages.Funny how the mind sometimes makes the weirdest twists and turns.. I noticed some crows (Corvus Corone) flying next to me and began noticing a large amount of them on the surrounding fields, accompanying their more numerous smaller siblings, Corvus Monedula ( Jackdaw ) and their equally big brothers, Corvus Frugilegus ( Rook ) . Some of them are quite easy to get close to, their black eyes following your every move, and especially checking out of there is anything tasty on your person. They are scavengers I know, but they are quite common during this time of the year and I kinda like them.My mind suddenly switched to something my dad always says. He claims that during the Second World War, when he was a young adolescent, they used to hunt and eat crow for their flesh.He says the flesh is black and the taste is not really very good. Before you go out and puke lets not forget we are talking WWII here, when people were under German regime, and my dads' family were farmers who had to surrender what little cattle they had, some cow and a heavy horse, to the Germans to feed the troups. So times were tough and you ate what you could get.
Switching back to the Chinese I wonder what they would do with crow, what subtle flavors would they add to make it an enjoyable meal. I wouldn't mind tasting it I'm sure. Back to the ride then, which went great, I came home feeling fitter than when I left, which is always a good sign the recovery ride was succesfull.
When I stored my bike next to the others I noticed that the front wheel of my Litespeed was as flat as can be.. hmm, must mend it later to be ready for the next ride in the forest.
Ride Stats : 27K and 190 heightmeters in 1h12mins623/4185
22-01-2007, 16:15 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 21-01-2007 |
| Secret Meerdael trails |
Today I wanted to do the second part of my secret Meerdael loop. It's a toughie even when conditions are good so I made myself no illusions , this was going to hurt !
I was not disappointed. The trail conditions were rather good on most of the climbs and descents but the storms from last week had broken many trees and thrown a lot of debris on the small trails. I had to dismount a lot, carrying my bike over big trees which blocked the trail and every now and then branches would find their way into the spokes of my wheel, forcing me to a standstill. Also on the level parts mud was a factor, making it difficult to progress. Luckily I have a very light bike and a good eye for the trail, always finding a way to circumvene the muddiest patches. Or at least most of the time.
I was very careful on the downhills because they are steep and with all the branches lying over them, one false move could send me over the handlebars. Still, I rode them all what could not be said about the uphills.
One uphill looked like something had mauled its way through it, leaving it wet , soggy and basically unride-able, at least not in my current condition. I tried and attacked it fiercely and I made it about 3/4 of the way up, but then my strenght went and a few meters further my determination was gone and I ground to a standstill in a heap of leaves and branches . On clutching my rear brake, to stop me from rolling back down in case you were wondering , I felt it went too far to be normal. I looked back and found that the little pin that secures the brakepad was gone, and the brakepad had dropped out. I was lucky it happened just there and I found it almost immediately lying between the leaves .. I had no spare pin with me so I went home, put in a spare pin and rejoined the trail where I left it.
Always going up and down, the strength of my legs was diminishing with every heightmetre. But mountainbiking is not only about physical strength, it is also and perhaps even foremost a mental thing. I *willed* myself up the steep hills. My legs are strong, that is true but do NOT underestimate the power of the mind. Lots of people give up when they see a steep hill, they think 'oh bugger, I'm not gonna make this', and they are already defeated even before they actually start the uphill.
Me, I see every uphill as a challenge, the steeper and more technical it is, the more I rejoice in attacking it and believe you me, the feeling when you actually make such an uphill is pure joy. I had a lot of pure joy moments today.
Very tired now but also very happy that I made this one. I saw 5 roedeer alaong the way, one couple and one group of 3 . I stood still immediately and we were standing there, man and animal, checking each other out, they moving ever so gently away from me, standing still after a few steps, to check me and what my intentions were. I find these moments very rewarding.
Ride Stats : 46K and 795 heightmeters in 3h07mins
597/3995
21-01-2007, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 20-01-2007 |
| Take it easy |
Felt tired today and that, coupled with the fact that there was a strong wind blowing and some rain in the afternoon, made me get up on the rollers once again for an hours' recovery ride.
This time I felt like reading again so I chose another Robert E.Howard story, this time 'The Devil in Iron'. Nice little story fragments of which are to be found in some Conan movies I saw.
Ride stats : 20.5K in 1h1min
551/3200
20-01-2007, 17:27 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 19-01-2007 |
| After the Storm |
Seems we had the worse storm in four years yesterday , at least as far as wind speeds were concerned. Not as bad as in 1990 when, not far from where I live , a wind speed of 168kph was measured.
But wind speeds in excess of 120kph were noted yesterday and a lot of rain really soaked the offroad.
Today saw a lot of rain in the early morning, followed by the sun peeping through and the still-well-notice-able wind blowing the streets dry at high speed. I took half a day off and decided to go out and check the damage. Did a little tour towards Grez-Doiceau to pick up my Master2 MTB licence for 2007 at Laurent Saublens' , our Blancs Gilets club president and also big honcho at the FCWB, the Walloon side of the Belgian Royal Bicycling Club. I was in luck, he was just about to leave as I rode by, so I could pick up my licence.
Lots of debris on or next to the roads, the wind still blowing fiercely but with a temperature of 14 degrees I did not mind. I was happy to be able to ride outside and glad I had the opportunity to do so. The weekend doesn't look too good, another low is coming our way with rain and winds.
Ride Stats : 41K and 340 heightmeters in 1h47mins
530/3200
19-01-2007, 16:15 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 18-01-2007 |
| Storm |
Big storm raging outside, wind gusts of over 110kph so not really the best weather to be out on a bike. Temps are up to 14 degrees C , almost Spring one would say. Next weekend the forecast calls for a drop to more normal temperatures for this time of year, around freezing at night and 5 degrees C during the day. Lets hope it dries out as well because all those hours on the rollers are just that, hours on the rollers. I would love to go out again, even for an hour .
I did not feel like reading today so I just closed my eyes and only opened them from time to time to see how far I already got. Some soothing music on my MP3, Ewa is still in favor, coupled to a great Bad Company track, Anna, a name which reminds me of someone who once was very close to me, my mom . Legs felt good, overall I'm OK .
Ride Stats : 30K in 1h15mins
18-01-2007, 20:22 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 17-01-2007 |
| Rollerboy |
Bad weather out there, so just did a quick recovery ride on the rollers today. Nothing fancy but effective in keeping the juices flowing.
Ride Stats : 23.5K in 1h00
17-01-2007, 17:59 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 16-01-2007 |
| Tell me why |
People often ask me why I bike so much. I tend to answer it has something to do with hormones, biking for a certain time releases hormones, endorphines , that give a feeling of well-being.. Runners refer to it as the runners' high..
I have to admit, this runners' high exists, there IS a feeling of well-being to be had when biking, and it certainly is very addictive. I tend to feel bad when I skip a day, which I usually do when I'm too tired from a tough ride or through other circumstances. I have a feeling of guilt over me when I can't bike . So yes, it is a physical thing.
But another reason why I like to bike is that, for me, it is a great stress-reliever. I can go out on my bike, or even just close my eyes when riding on the rollers, and then I can start to run the film of my day; work that was hectic, personal stuff that came up, just thinking about all these matters, sometimes dreaming away and waking up some distance further on , like I am riding on autopilot.
Today on the rollers I just closed my eyes and rode along, thinking about life and how it treats us. People hurting other people, taking away things, for profit or just for the thrill of it. I have never understood why so many people find joy in hurting other people, just because they can? I am sometimes so ashamed when I read or hear what is happening in the world. Ashamed to be men .
At the same time I feel so lucky that in my life, at least , things are good. I have always been rather optimistic, not having had major setbacks yet, being in reasonably good health and being able to do what I want. How lucky am I.
I have been called a dreamer a lot of times but pray tell me, what else can we fall back on at all times, if not on our dreams? Dreams are free, they are the one thing NOBODY can take away from you. Yes, I dream on my bike, I dream of a better world, a world where people love each other instead of killing each other, be it mentally or physically. A world where nature will restore itself instead of being destroyed by our greedy race, hunting for the easy gain, forgetting that all we do is slowly killing our planet, and therefore is also slowly killing us.
But I dream of a better world, nobody can take that away from me. I am free in my dreamworld, I ride on my bike, my body feels good, with muscles gently aching, blood pumping and endorphines getting released, putting a smile on my face . The day falls off of me like an old shroud that has been worn to bits, evaporating as it touches the floor.
I open my eyes, stop pedalling, unclip my Polar and get off my bike. My heartrate drops from 119bpm to a steady 65, I'm already recovering. Time now for a good hot tub and with another dream safely locked in my memory I decide to open up just a little bit, put a little personal stuff in my blog...the other side of the Big Bad Wolf perhaps? You can wake up now, I'm done.
Ride Stats : 32.5K in 1h20mins
16-01-2007, 22:23 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 14-01-2007 |
| Spring is in the air |
Even the most stubborn negationist will have to admit, our environment is changing. And it is not for the good I tell you . Sure, it IS nice to have spring temperatures in the middle of winter, but lets not forget every season has it's place in this big regulated machine that our world is. It is NOT normal that we are half January and there hasn't even been as much as one snow flake and it has barely frozen one or two nights so far this winter.
Things are going wrong, badly, and more quickly then most will want to admit. Forget about saving the environment, things are changing and it's beyond our control, all we can hope for is that the global warming can be slowed down, and therefore actions have to be taken now. Let's hope those that have the power also have the enlightenment. I am not very optimistic about that though , the quick buck and profit will continue to rule the way those who have the power, think .
Oh well, enough world talk. Today saw me rising at 11am, after a night that was interspersed with work action and permanence calls. I was too late to go to an organised ride, and it was too wet in the fields too, so no big loss there.
I decided to go out on the road instead and put in a nice long ride in what appears to be early spring. Clean air rushing in from over the Northsea still is good for the lungs and brings in great boosts of oxygen with every breath. Lots of people were out today; walking, running, jogging, biking, and some even were riding in cabriolets with the hood down. Crazy world we live in.
Ride Stats : 60K and 445 heightmeters in 2h28.
14-01-2007, 17:27 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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