Wasn't sure if I should ride out today. The morning saw a lot of short showers and a fierce wind accompanying them. Furthermore I could use a day of rest. But around 2.30pm the skies cleared out and a quick look on www.meteox.be showed a period of relative calm on the shower front. So I rode out with the Vortex for a quick recovery ride. Making a loop starting out over Vaalbeek , the Zoete Waters , Sint Joris Weert , Nethen and Hamme Mille, I crossed the N25 and continued along Tourinnes, Beauvechain and then taking a left towards Opvelp, Neervelp and another left here brought me to Bierbeek and Haasrode. The wind was indeed a major factor today but I only had it against me during one quarter of the ride. When speeding from Beauvechain to Neervelp it helped me gain a top speed of 53kph during the descent. 
With an average temperature of 22 degrees C I could not complain about the temperature either. The sun came through every now and then and the horizon was drawn with dark clouds in all shapes. Near the end of my ride the skies were darkening again but it remained dry. 

Endomondo track

Ride Stats : 40K and 305/300 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h29mins

6227/58460

18-07-2011, 17:17 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

I was up at 8.30am and after checking the weather maps it looked like there was a 3 to 4 hour gap of dry weather. Yes. So I rode out with the Vortex, hoping that the weather forecast would be correct. It was correct about the wind, I noticed that immediately. The blow from the southwest was very hard and I had to struggle on the higher plateaus with the wind in my face.
But the good thing of doing a lap is that at one point the wind is working in your favor. I followed the Blue Bloso from Heverlee but added a couple of extra loops to spice things up and get a longer distance. The descent of the Smeysberg was again a 75kph+ affair. I rode it back up from Huldenberg centre which is the less steep version. I then followed the track to Neerijse and from there I followed the Red Bloso until I decided to descent into Leefdaal and climb back out again in the direction of the Sint JansBerg steenweg. I followed that into Egenhoven and then rode towards Arenberg Campus where I stopped for a couple of pictures.

17-07-2011, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

www.yr.no had me believe that the rain would only appear from 2pm so I rode out for a recovery ride that was to take me along the Red road BLOSO. My faith in yr.no was a little shaken when I felt droplets fall whilst riding towards the Zoete Waters and Sint Joris Weert but the rain didn't stay and when I reached Sint Agatha Rode the skies were dry again. Some sun was appearing from behind the clouds and it looked like it wouldn't rain any more. Upon reaching Ottenburg I again felt some rain drops but on this occasion too, the rain subsided.
It was quite warm with around 20 degrees C and the wind was blowing notice-ably from westerly directions. I avoided the Moskesstraat because that really is too steep to ride with my 36/25 gearing. The cobbles don't help either. The Smeysberg was a blast to ride down, and my speed went up to 77kph. Double right and I was crawling back up the same mountain with a speed that wasn't much faster than 6kph. On the flats and downhills I tried to save energy as much as possible and the climbs were taken - if possible - on high rpm's. My idea of a recovery ride. When I neared Leuven the wind was starting to blow faster and the skies were also getting darker so I was glad I was very near to the end of todays' ride. I feel I had a good ride, taking advantage of a dry spell and maximizing my result with a minimum on effort.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 56K and 495/500 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h09mins

6131/57645

16-07-2011, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Yesterday and today saw a lot of rain. No dry spells, not even an hour, to try and ride out. So I waited until today, supercompensating from monday and tuesdays' rides. I wanted to get a long one in because the forecast for the weekend isn't too bright either.
So I set out over Bierbeek and Opvelp to connect to the road to Eghezee . Here I felt a light wind from the side whilst riding along at a good pace towards Eghezee. Liz Hatch pointed me to an interesting website which enables you to track your rides in real-time from your Android phone. It even connects to your Polar to incorporate the heartrate data. I did not enable this feature yet, because I wanted to check out how it worked first on the GPS data acquired through my Galaxy SII. As you can see in the link beneath this write-up, it does its work very well. The resulting track is even finer than that with the Garmin 705 GPS.
In Namur I wanted to find a way to the Citadelle. So I followed a track I found on the www. It got me through a tunnel at the end of the Ravel 2 and then I followed a road that brought me to the river Sambre. Here I decided to turn back, not very comfortable in this big city and most of all afraid I would not find my way back again. Yeah, like I could get lost with 2 GPS devices !! Anyway, the road along the Sambre to the point where it flows into the river Meuse seems straightforward. I will check it out on another occasion. Now I turned around and found my way back to the Ravel 2. Back to Eghezee and from Eghezee following the N91 back to Pietrebais. Now the wind was more in my face and I had to dig deep until I could turn to the right towards the 1St Wing Airbase. Forward to La Bruyere and Meldert and then back home over Bierbeek and Haasrode. Very good workout and a good experience with the Endomondo application. When I got home it uploaded the track to the www so I could check it on my PC and share it .

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 115K and 640/680 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 4h14mins30secs

6075/57145

15-07-2011, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Weather was still sunny this morning so I rode out for what should be an easier ride than yesterday. However, I chose to follow an old track once used by the Ludo Dierckxsens Classic. This brings me from Bierbeek over Beauvechain, La Bruyere, Happeau, Sart-Risbart and Chaumont Gistoux to Dion Valmont. From here the track turns towards Archennes and Florival. In Florival I decided to add another loop over Ottenburg, Terlanen and then climb towards the Fields of Terlanen to reach Overijse. From Overijse I ride to Huldenberg and take the easy version of the Smeysberg out of it. Dropping down into Sint Agatha Rode and then ride to Sint Joris Weert and the Zoete Waters.

The weather was changing, clouds started to fill the sky and there is a forecast for thunderstorms later this afternoon. When I rode out the sun was still out but by the time I arrived home it was partly obscured by high misty clouds. The sky was turning grey. Temperatures were still high though and there was a slight breeze blowing from variable directions. My average heartrate was nicely in the recovery zone - below 114bpm - so even the many little hills did not bother me today.

Ride Stats : 80K and 650/660 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h01mins

5960/56465

12-07-2011, 14:42 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Had a good resting day yesterday. Was abhorred to see the carnage in the Tour de France. Belgians' podium hope Jurgen VDB out with broken ribs and shoulder blade, his aide Frederik Willems broke his collarbone in the same crash and old warrior Vino was taken to hospital with what looked like a broken pelvis and/or broken femur. Also Dave Zabriskie was hurt in the same downhill crash with a broken wrist.
A little later we witnessed an attack on two riders by a car from France 2. Flecha was hit by the car and smacked on the tarmac, but Johnny Hoogerland was worse off. He was thrown - bike and all - into a barbed wire fence. Severely cut and shamed he crawled back up and was able to arrive at the finish. What a Tour.
Today the rider had a resting day - much needed by most of them - so I could ride out for a nice long ride. I set forth towards Bierbeek, Opvelp and La Bruyere to arrive at the N91 . I followed this big road to Eghezee, a nice straight stretch of good tarmac. The road nicely undulates so in good form it is possible to stay on the big ring and have a good workout. With 38K under my belt I arrived in Eghezee. Here I turned onto the Ravel 2 and followed that until it ended in Saint Servais, near Namur.

One of these days I should try to find out how to connect to the southern part of the Ravel 2 , but this involves riding through Namur and I am not really looking forward to that. So for now I ate a snack and turned my Vortex around. A long 7K climb out of Namur brought me back to Cognelee. From now on it was downhill until I reached Eghezee again. Here I set forth on the N91 again for the long ride back to Hamme Mille. From Hamme Mille I looped back to Blanden over Nethen, Sint Joris Weert, the Zoete Waters and Vaalbeek. I had a great workout and even though the sun was out most of the time it wasn't too hot. There was a slight breeze which was nice without being bothersome. I attach the GPS map for those who want to try out this ride. The N91 is a very nice road to follow. Broad enough so the traffic doesn't really bother the cyclists. And the tarmac runs nicely under the wheels.



Ride Stats : 110.5K and 635/635 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h52mins

5880/55805

11-07-2011, 16:06 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

I rested the whole day, and only when the riders in the Tour de France had finished their stage I decided to ride out. I wanted to check out the shortest distance of the Fleche Gottechinoise. The day saw a little rain in the AM but after 4pm the skies cleared and the sun came through. Because I did not know how long I would be away I decided to wear a long sleeved jersey. That turned out to be a good choice because I stayed out more than 3 hours.
Leaving just before 6pm I rode towards Bierbeek and Opvelp and then picked up on the Gottechinoise trail in Beauvechain. The 3 distances (40/70 and 100) were marked with seperate arrows. My distance, the 40K , was marked with a green arrow with a circle beneath it. The track was nothing special, going towards La Bruyere, and then returning to Hamme Mille along the big road. From Hamme Mille, it turned a sharp left towards Wavre and then left again to the finish, high in Gottechain.

From the finish/Start I then followed the first bit, where all 3 distances run together. Over Bossut and La Malaise towards Pecrot. Then in the direction of Sint Agatha Rode and Sint Joris Weert. Over Nethen and Hamme Mille towards Tourinnes and Beauvechain and the 40K was already behind me. I rode towards Opvelp and Neervelp and the chose to ride to Bremt and follow a road parrallel to the E40. Here I took some pictures of a little chapel I had already spotted when I came here on the Decathlon Classic last week.

From Bierbeek I rode to the Haasrode Industrie grounds where I did 2 laps of the big empty road before heading to the Geldenaakse baan and follow this into Heverlee Park. From Heverlee I followed the Naamse steenweg towards Blanden. A good ride and I was pleased with the distance despite feeling tired this morning. This is my 8th successive riding day and I am thinking of taking a rest day tomorrow. 

Ride Stats : 90.5K and 575/635 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h22mins

5769/55170 

09-07-2011, 22:27 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Lots of threats. Belgium is threatened by the continuous argueing of right wing Flanders and left wing Walloon politicians who are uncapable of sitting together and work out a debated solution. This whole business is threatening to bring our country to bankrupcy, despite all the people who have been working hard since the 2008 crash to get the economy back on the rails. The childish behaviour of our top politicians is a slap in the face of all those people. I have to get out, ride this stress out of my system.
Outside there are black clouds threatening, the sun coming out from time to time. I decide to ride out to get the dark thought out of my mind. Just zero out and let the strong southerwesterly wind blow away the wisps of the non-politics and personal egotism that is leading our country.
I was hoping to follow some new arrows I discovered yesterday, part of the Gottechainoise that is taking place this sunday, but the idea of getting soaked by a rainshower lets me stay relatively close to home. First looping over Sint Joris Weert, Nethen , Hamme Mille , Op- and Neervelp towards Bremt and Haasrode Industrie. From there, and after having looked at the skies which seems to be clear of threats for the moment, I decide to follow the Geldenaaksebaan to Heverlee park. Then up and down towards the Naamsesteenweg, cross that and into Oud-Heverlee. Back at the Zoete Waters, I ride to Sint Joris Weert again and then take the Weertse Dreef back to Blanden. In Blanden I do another local loop towards Haasrode to complete the ride. No rain, so I could have gone further, but I am pleased with 60K and an average heartrate of 109bpm.

Ride Stats : 60K and 460 heightmeters (Garmin) in 2h17mins

5679/54535

08-07-2011, 14:16 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

When I saw the sun shining I decided to ride out for an easy recovery ride. Starting in an unusual direction, following the Expressweg from Blanden to Haasrode Industrie and then down into Heverlee and taking the Naamsesteenweg back into Blanden. This provided me with an extra 8K before starting one of my usual loops. From Vaalbeek to the Zoete Waters where I was made aware of a fierce southerly wind that was blowing. But I wasn't set on riding fast, just trying to pedal and relax my aching muscles from the days before. After reaching the Zoete Waters I turned left towards Sint Joris Weert and then Nethen. Riding through Hamme Mille and Tourinnes I arrived in Beauvechain. The church looked quited dramatically against a sharp, crisp and colorful background of blue skies and some big white clouds. So I stopped to takes some pictures.

From Beauvechain I turned left again and now the wind was blowing full in my back. These are the glorious moments in cycling. Doing 40kph on the bike without even having to pedal. In Opvelp I was passed by two cyclists and when I put myself in their wheel the speed went up to almost 50kph. All too soon we arrived in Neervelp and I had to turn left towards Bierbeek. During the last uphill stretch next to the water tower I could feel the wind gaining force again. From Bierbeek towards Haasrode and ultimately Blanden it would play with me, blowing through the gaps between the houses, trying to tip me off my bike. But it did not succeed and I jotted down a nice recovery ride with an average heartrate of only 104bpm.
 
Ride Stats : 44K and 280/305 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h39mins

5619/54075

07-07-2011, 13:57 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

At first I wasn't thinking of riding out today since the weather forecast called for frequent showers. But when I woke up the sun shone and there were only scattered clouds racing through the sky, pushed along by a strong westerly wind. Checking Meteox.be I decided to go for it. I had planned to take the Vortex to Filip Sport to have the rear derailleur checked . The shifting wasn't all that crisp lately. But instead of taking my car I rode the bike over and Filips' mechanic checked it and adjusted the cable tension. He also checked the cassette and the rear wheel for play. All was well. Only thing he mentioned is that the springs in the right Chorus shifter should be replaced since they were responsible for the slacker response when shifting.
When I rode home I noticed some dark clouds building up in the distance so - hurried along by the strong wind - I swiftly rode my Vortex home. And indeed, whilst I was arriving home the sky closed and a little bit later a heavy rainshower hit the tarmac. So I was lucky to have kept it dry and sunny until the end.

Ride Stats : 53.5K and 315/350 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h59mins

5575/53770

06-07-2011, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Sun was out from the start today which meant that the temperatures would surely rise above 25 degrees C. Starting around 10am I decided to follow the Vlaanderen Fietsroute for around 50 or 2 hours and see how far I could get. It had been a while I had followed it for that long so I was curious to discover the landscapes and villages I had not seen for some time. Starting out over Bierbeek and Willebringen, then Oorbeek and further to Hoegaarden. Passing the Marollenkapel in Houthem I could not resist taking another photograph, this time from its backside.

05-07-2011, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

The sun was a bit hesitant to show up this morning but around 11am the clouds were parting and the temperature was rising from a frisky 15 degrees C to a more comfortable 20 degrees. I had decided to do the Haasrode Tour. This brings me from Haasrode - obviously - to Bierbeek, where I ogled the water tower - which is being cleaned because of a bacterial infection - and then rode onwards to Bremt and Neervelp. The wind was blowing from the northeast so it was kinda against me as I rode to Willebringen and Kumtich. From Kumtich I looped to Hoksem and then through Oorbeek towards the Goudberg geosite. Down towards Hoegaarden and the a right to Houtem. I stopped to take a couple of pictures of the Marollenkapel, this time in a field of corn.

From Houtem I then rode west to L'Ecluse and La Bruyere. Having crossed the language border I then move through beautiful landscapes with fields full of grains and corn, yellow and green patches with a red streak here and there where some poppies found ground to blossom. Slowly climbing I then cross the N91 and follow a small tarmac road that plunges into Pietrebais. Taking a right towards Cocrou and then speeding along the N240 into Grez. Here I leave the Haasrode track to climb up to Bossut and then drop down again into Archennes. The little church strikes me as a beautiful picture so I stop and capture it with my Galaxy S II GT-9100.

From Archennes I ride onwards into Florival and then all the way to Ottenburg. Down into Terlanen where I decide to climb the Holstheide again, followed by the Stroobantsstraat which brings me into Sint Agatha Rode. From there I ride towards Sint Joris Weert and the Zoete Waters. Here I take another loop towards Oud-Heverlee and Heverlee before returning by following the Naamsesteenweg towards Blanden.
Today the weather was ideal for cycling. Temperatures around 20 degrees and a little breeze to keep things cool. I changed the battery of the sensor my PRO DIGI-W7 and it seems to indicate the whole range of speeds now.

Ride Stats : 80K and 665/695 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h02mins

5420/52760

04-07-2011, 15:39 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today I wanted to some of the hills I missed out on when choosing for the 108K instead of the 144K during yesterdays' ride. So I set out to Bierbeek where the distance split was and rode towards Opvelp and Beauvechain. I avoided the 3K long cobble section and then rode towards Hamme Mille and Nethen. When I left Hamme Mille the road was blocked by a police man. He made all cars make a turn and also blocked my way. I stopped and asked him why we couldn't continue along this road. His answer was pretty straightforward and non-revealing : "Parce que je suis ici" - "Because I am here". He told me I could make a detour over Les Claines and that was obviously my plan. When I reached the road again I saw the reason he blocked the road. There was a house on fire and the firemen were still working. Hmm, he might just have mentioned that instead of his cryptic answer.

03-07-2011, 15:18 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today I started for my first roadbike organised ride. Strange how things develop . There was a time when I wouldn't even give a roadbike a second look. But now, a victim of circumstances, my fear of going out mountainbiking and gettign bitten by horseflies is bigger than the joy I have in the actual mountainbiking. So as my avid readers know by now, the months of June to September are spent on a roadbike. And I actually quite like it as well, riding a roadbike.
So today I rode towards the start of the Bank of the Post - Decathlon Classic in Heverlee. There were different distances, 39, 83, 108 and 144K. Having had a look at the 144 I decided this might be too much for me at this point. Especially since the toughest bit is in the extra loop the 144 has over the 108. The Moskesberg and the Smeysberg are sure to hit hard after 120K, especially since the menu of the 108 is already well-filled with short steep climbs. So I decided to go for the 108.
The ride starts out easy towards Bierbeek and Lovenjoel, then crossing the N3 for the first climb towards Pellenberg, which ended with a steep bit on cobbles. There were a couple of photographers there. I wasn't officially inscribed so I didn't take the refreshment offered, I would provide my own food and drink. The ride then went towards Lubbeek where another steep hill was awaiting me. The Vortex went on its smallest gear and I made my way up, sitting down, letting the power in my legs do the talking. I felt quite good, keeping it on the small ring in front , just relaxing on the easy parts because I was weary of what was still lying in front of me, hill-wise. 
Arriving at the furthest point, near Molenbeek-Wersbeek, we encountered the next patch of cobblestones. And a little bit further a cobblestone hill, the Kerkstraat in Molenbeek-Wersbeek. It was showing that this organisation also does the Ronde van Vlaanderen. The hill wasn't that steep but with a maximum grade of 13.5% every cobble hit home. I stopped for a first picture.

02-07-2011, 19:58 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Yippee, last day at work for a month so from now on it's a holiday. Time to relax and recharge my batteries. Yesterday I went to Filip Sport to have the Litespeed headbadge fitted to my Vortex. He also had the bottom bracket checked and tightened the headset. Seems I had no re-tightened it suffciently after mounting the bell. I also got me a King Cage titanium bottle holder, which saves 13 grams over the Specialized alu one. It also grabs the bottle a whole lot firmer.

01-07-2011, 18:19 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

After yesterday brought us 34 degrees C and heavy and violent thunderstorms in the evening, today looked to be a normal day. Starting moist with mist and light rain , but gradually clearing out and temperatures reaching 20 degrees in the mid-afternoon. Time to head out and do an easy recovery ride. There was a cool wind blowing when I set out towards Heverlee and the Arenberg campus. From there I rode towards Egenhoven and then made my way on the small tarmac road up the crest towards Leefdaal. Down into Neerijse, with the wind in my back easily reaching 40kph. From Neerijse I followed the newly asphalted Sint Jansbergse steenweg into Huldenberg. From there onwards to Overijse and then up to Maleizen. That was far enough and I made a turn towards Tombeek, again with the wind mostly in my back. From Tombeek it went towards Terlanen and then upwards into Ottenburg. Ottenburg, Sint Agatha Rode and then Nethen towards Hamme Mille. I felt good and my heartrate was low so I decided to loop over Tourinnes and Beauvechain to Opvelp. Turning left towards Bierbeek and the wind was now blowing against me. Still I was not worried. I felt well-rested and my average heartrate of 110bpm over the entire ride can judge for that. Tomorrow I need to take the Vortex towards Filip Sport to attach - at last - the Litespeed headbadge and finally finishing the build.

Ride Stats : 70k and 435/470 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h35mins

5114/50305

29-06-2011, 20:18 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today it was 32 degrees C when I rode out and my average temperature during the ride would be 34 degrees C. A far cry from the 13 degrees from last saturday. I wanted to do an easy recovery ride but the hot weather and fohn-like wind made it not very easy to keep the heartrate low. Nevertheless I did not force anything and rode an easy 32K , just my little loop connecting Blanden to Bierbeek, Opvelp, Beauvechain, Tourinnes, Hamme Mille, Nethen and then through Sint JorisWeert and past the Zoete Waters back to Vaalbeek and Blanden. Lets hope this hot weather goes away, I do not mind a little sun but this is simply too much. Forecast calls for heavy thunderstorms tomorrow so we might get rid of the tropical temperatures very fast.

Ride Stats : 32K and 175/190 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h09mins

5044/49835 

27-06-2011, 17:25 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today the weather forecast called for warmth and sun. It was still overcast when I rode out around 11am but the sun would soon show its face. The temperature already was a balmy 20 degrees C and I set along the same path as I did yesterday to reach Hoegaarden. Bierbeek, Willebringen and Oorbeek passed along as I was checking out to feel how my legs were after yesterdays' ride. It looked like my easy approach had paid off, because they were feeling fine as I hopped on the Ravel 2 and followed that until I reached Eghezee. Exactly 45K into the ride I turned to the right on the bih N91. There was a market in Eghezee which looked very flash in the sun. Lots of colors and smells were greeting me when I passed all the stands with clothing, food and other delicatessen. Following the N91 until I reached Hamme Mille proved a lot easier than lasty wednesday when the rain and the wind were playing with me. Today the sun was out and the wind was shifting from the West to the East, a lot warmer and certainly not with the same strength as it had last wednesday or even yesterday. Turning towards Nethen upon reaching Hamme Mille I figured I would have to add another loop since my plan was to reach 90K, possibly 100, today. I only had 70 upon entering Hamme Mille so I looped over Nethen, Sint Joris Weert , the Zoete Waters and further onwards through Oud-Heverlee and then towards Heverlee. From Heverlee I rode towards the Heverlee Park and then took the Geldenaaksebaan until I reached the Expressweg, which I took towards Blanden. A couple of local loops then finished the job and took me above 100K. A good ride in warm weather and mild wind. My legs were tyring towards the end but given the average speed of 28kph they had every right to be tired.

26-06-2011, 15:54 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

It rained softly the entire morning and I was already beginning to think I would not be able to ride out when, around 1pm, things dried out and it looked like the last of the rain had passed. It was cold - 15 degrees C - and overcast when I left home. Following the Vlaanderen Fietsroute with a little detour to Willebringen and Oorbeek to reach Hoegaarden. From Hoegaarden again on the Lf2a until the little roads started to be blocked by big puddles of water. I rode around those by passing through Laar and Hemiksem and then picked up on the Lf2A again until I reached the Battle of Neerwinden Memorial . Pausing for a couple of pictures and then back until I came upon the markings of the Ludo Dierckxsens Classic, which incidently took place today. 

I decided to follow those yellow markers and with already 45K on my counter I was hoping to get out 80 or 90K. I was wrong, it would be a lot more kilometers. The LD rode towards Helecine, and then I passed through Noduwez, Marilles, Enines and Huppaye. I crossed the Ravel and for a moment was tempted to take that back to Jodoigne and Hoegaarden. But I decided to stick with the LD. The wind was again blowing today and it was full in my face when I reached Jauchelette and the track turned to the right towards Dongelberg and further on to Lathuy . I was on more familiar roads now and this gave me hope and strength. Passing along the trails of the 1W and Biz'On the Bike I reached Melin and here the trail turned left again towards the N240. It then turned right towards La Bruyere and onwards to Meldert and Willebringen. Here I decided to leave the LD and return home over Neervelp, Bierbeek and the Haasrode industrial terrain. Despite the clouded skies not a drop fell and towards the end of my ride the temperature had climbed to a feisty 17 degrees .
I was feeling tired in my legs but very satisfied with this ride, despite the adverse weather conditions. It had turned out into a solid 100K+ ride.

Ride Stats : 111K and 735/795 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 4h22mins

4911/49035

25-06-2011, 19:47 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Took a half day off from work to do some necessary chores. Like getting a new battery installed in my Polar S710. It had been displaying the low battery icon for 2 weeks now and I did not want to take any chances of it dying on me during a ride.
It had rained most of the AM and it only stopped around 2.30pm. The wind dried up the roads very quickly and I had spotted a dry spell on meteox.be. So I decided to take my chances and rode out at 3pm. The sun came peeping through but with 15 degrees it was still rather cold. During the first 20K of the ride I was fortunate to have the wind mostly from behind as I made my way through Bierbeek, Willebringen, Kumtich and Hoksem towards Hoegaarden. When I entered the Ravel I had the wind 3/4 from the right front. Luckily the small Ravel road is bordered most of the time by shrubs and trees. Only drawback is that the road dries out very slow. But this did not bother me and I set forth towards Jodoigne and onward in the direction of Eghezee. When I reached the tumulus of Hottomont I turned right, stopping to take a couple of pictures in the blazing sun.

22-06-2011, 20:56 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf