Had some stuff to do after work so I left quite late for a ride that would bring me over Egenhoven to Leefdaal and Neerijse. Loonbeek, Huldenberg and Overijse were next as I worked my way south against a wind that seemed as fierce as yesterday. Luckily in the Yse valley I was most of the time sheltered from its force. It was warm and sunny but it became gradually more overcast as the kilometers moved on. I decided to make my way as far south as Maleizen and then turned towards Rixensart and Rosieres. Some climbing but also shelter from the wind that was now blowing in my side. When I reached Wavre and headed for Ottenburg I had the wind in my back and things were moving very fast now. I regularly saw 40kph on my counter as I sped towards Sint Agatha Rode and Sint Joris Weert. Still moving on I reached the Zoete Waters and then turned right towards Vaalbeek to finish off a fast ride despite the wind. I felt some droplets of rain when I was almost home and from the looks of it , it looks like some rain is going to fall tonight.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 60.5K and 410/425 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h09mins

7720/68540

11-08-2011, 20:44 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Sunny and dry this afternoon, but as I already noticed when returning from work with the Vespa, the southwestern wind was quite fierce and would become my main adversary during my ensueing bike ride.
I rode out with the Vortex and first planned to do a point ride past Hoegaarden on the Lf6 route. But when I neared Hoegaarden and judged the strength of the wind I decided to make a loop instead. Following the Ravel 2 from Hoegaarden I was sheltered from the wind. In Jodoigne I left the Ravel and returned on the Chaussee de Wavre until I reached the right turn towards La Bruyere. This Chaussee de Wavre is quite a busy road and with the wind blowing in my side I and moving me from left to right I was glad to leave it behind me on the fast drop around the 1st Wing Airbase. From La Bruyere to Beauvechain I was more or less sheltered by the houses and only when I was riding towards Hamme Mille I could feel the wind from time to time, tugging hard and blowing in my face now. Nethen and Sint Joris Weert followed and I decided to round off todays ride by doing an extra loop towards Oud-Heverlee and Heverlee. In all, the ride was quite good and with an average heartrate of 109bpm I did not suffer too much from the windy conditions. That I almost managed 27kph average was a bit of a surprise to me but it surely has to be contributed to the excellent shape I seem to be in these last couple of weeks.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 65.5K and 430/445 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h25mins

7660/68115

10-08-2011, 19:15 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

09-08-2011, 21:08 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Looked Ok this morning, the sun was out and the forecast did not call for any rain to speak of. Unfortunately the wind was blowing quite hard from the southwest. That wind would be my adversary but also my friend during this ride.
I started out over Bierbeek, Neervelp and Willebringen to reach Hoegaarden. Here I injected myself on the the Ravel 2 and followed that to reach Eghezee. The wind was blowing fiercely from my right and luckily most of the Ravel route lies sheltered behind shrubberies and small trees. Upon reaching Eghezee I turned on the N91 and my speed was going up due to the wind now blowing slightly in my favor. This chemical wedding of my mitochondria and the wind sped me along and I was reaching 30kph+ without much trouble. At the last stretch I was even able to go 40kph in the fast corner around the Beauvechain airport. Arriving in Hamme Mille I had 70K on my counter so I decided to add a loop towards Nethen, Sint Joris Weert and Neerijse. On the Sint Jansbergse steenweg again the wind was in my favor and on the flat and descending bits I had no trouble following some of the cars which were doing 50kph.  Arriving in Egenhoven I rode towards Arenberg and then back to Oud-Heverlee. Arriving at the Zoete Waters I was on shedule to make it a century ride. Even though this was my second century in two days I felt a lot better than yesterday.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 101.5K and 635/655 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h36mins

7519/67005

07-08-2011, 15:21 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Weather promised to be reasonably dry and warm, so I rode out today around 10.15AM for a logn ride. I wore a short sleeved jersey but also a windbreaker, just to be protected should it rain. Riding through Sint Joris Weert, Nethen and Pecrot and then from Archennes to Grez. Climbing towards the Circuit de Bercuit Golf Course to reach Dion at the other side of the hill. Crossing the Chaussee de Huy I set forth towards Corroy Le Grand. I had to ask for the best way because this is a region that is not so very well known to me. But when I reached Gistoux I was fine. From Corroy I decided to make my way towards Perwez and I had memorized a couple of villages I should pass in order to get there. Nil-Saint-Martin, Tourinnes-Saint-Lambert and Orbais passed under my wheels. Reaching the Chaussee de Charleroi I was not far from Perwez. In Perwez I injected myself on the Ravel and followed that until I reached Hoegaarden. From Hoegaarden I followed the Haasrode Tour in reverse direction. Through Oorbeek, Hoksem, Kumtich and Willebringen. Passing the Water Tower hig above Bierbeek I was greeted by a strange sight. Someone had planted a whole lot of Father Christmas figurines in the field. I could not resist taking a picture of this strange sight.

It had started to rain, some big drops, as I descended towards Bremt and then rode to Bierbeek and the Haasrode Industrieterrain. Into Heverlee Park next and then back home following the Naamsesteenweg towards Blanden. Good solid ride in good conditions ; a temperature around 24 degrees C, a little breeze from the south and overcast weather with the sun peeping through for short periods of time. Some rain as well but nothing much. Cleaning my bike with a rag when I got home was all that was needed. 

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 106K and 765 heightmeters (Garmin) in 3h58mins

7417/66350

06-08-2011, 15:40 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Rode out for a short ride this evening. Starting out over Heverlee and Egenhoven and the taking the tarmac road high above Leefdaal towards the bigger road from Leefdaal to Neerijse. From Neerijse I made my way to Sint Joris Weert and then Nethen. The weather was not too bad, 24 degrees C and every now and then some light drizzle. So I opted for another loop, taking me towards Hamme Mille, Beauvechain and Opvelp. From Opvelp I took the road to Bierbeek, then moved on to the Haasrode Industriepark for a lap of the grounds. From Nethen I had been following some yellow/red arrows marked 'Grinta!'. I think these belong to an organised ride starting in Duffel. Pity they don't go any deeper in Brabant-Walloon , which did not make it worthwhile to follow them any longer than necessary. The sun came through near the end of my ride and I was a bit overdressed all of a sudden with my long sleeved jersey and windbreaker.
On another note, I have been weighing my new set of climbing wheels, Campagnolo Hyperon Ultra Two carbons with tubular Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp Pro tyres and a Campagnolo Record 13-29 cassette. They weigh 355g less than my Neutron/Continental Attack&Force combo, which sports a 12-25 cassette. I hope I will feel the difference on the Ardennes climbs. I only need to change my brake pads and I can go and test them.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 52K and 275/305 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h51mins

7311/65585

05-08-2011, 20:23 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

For a long time it looked like I would not be able to ride out today. It drizzled off and on throughout the entire day. But then, around 6pm the rain stopped and an hour later I was zooming on moist roads whilst some fog was forming when the sun was peeping through the opening clouds. I settled for a quick fast ride, riding over the Zoete Waters, Sint Joris Weert and Neerijse towards Overijse and onwards up to Reutenbeek. There I took a turn to the left and rode back north along Terlanen and Sint Agatha Rode. Reaching Sint Joris Weert again and I took a right turn at the Zoete Waters to finish off my loop over Vaalbeek and into Blanden.
The legs felt fine even though I felt tired throughout the day. Must be the change from holiday to work . Different eating, waking  and sleeping times. 2 days ago I bought a pair of Campagnolo Hyperon Two Ultra wheels, fitted with Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp Pro tubulars. I contacted Filip Sport and I will have him put a Campagnolo Record 13-29 cassette on it. The wheels will be used for climbing sessions in the Ardennes. I also need to change the brakepads when I put those wheels on my Vortex , because the Hyperons are carbon fibre wheels and need softer pads than my aluminum Neutrons. Looking forward to see how the tubulars will perform.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 40.5K and 240/255 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h25mins

7259/65280

03-08-2011, 21:01 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

A good days' rest yesterday. The weather was picking up with 25 degrees and today even 30 degrees. The moment I rode out I was already convincing myself that 3 hours of riding would be too much. A dry southern wind and downright too hot temperatures were prohibiting.
So I settled for a shorter loop, doing a little more than 2 hours and 60K. The legs felt fine and near the end the fatigue I felt due to the warmth seemed to fall off of me.
I also received the 57 and 67K tracks for the upcoming Haasrode TT on the 28th of August. They look promising with the 57 netting around 900 heightmeters and the 67 adding an extra 10K loop and some 150 extra heightmeters. You can check out the tracks on my Endomondo profile. I added them on the same day as todays' ride. As I type this the clouds are getting darker, and it definately looks like thunderstorms could be a possibility. So much for the short bout of summer. Oh well, a couple of degrees less heat will suit me fine.

Endomondo track


Endomondo track 57K Haasrode TT

Endomondo track 67K Haasrode TT


Ride Stats : 61K and 395/440 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h14mins

7219/65025

02-08-2011, 19:38 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

So the month of july is coming to an end. I had a very good training month and today whilst riding past the Marollen Chapel in Hautem I passed the 2000K mark for this month. Of course I was on holiday but still it remains a large distance to ride. So the weather in july was not that bad after all. On the contrary I found it ideal for riding a bike, on the road. The temperatures were around 20 degrees, sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less, I could always find a spot between showers to ride 2 or 3 hours and the wind was mostly present but not blowing too hard either.
So today I rode out for a recovery ride that brought me through some of the spots I saw so frequently these last weeks. Starting out over Bierbeek, Willebringen and Hoksem , then into Oorbeek and to the outskirts of Hoegaarden, up to Hautem and then towards l'Ecluse and Beauvechain. Past the 1St Wing Airbase in La Bruyere and crossing the N240 and the N92 to reach Pietrebais . From Pietrebais I rode towards Grez-Doiceau and then followed the N25 to Hamme Mille. From Hamme Mille I rode home along my usual loop, through Nethen, Sint Joris Weert, the Zoete Waters and Vaalbeek.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 65K and 435/455 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h30mins

7158/64585

31-07-2011, 14:22 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today I wanted to do a big chunk of the 'Dwars door Brabant' organised ride, organised by the WTC De Berggeiten. Since I already did a massive ride yesterday and because the weather was rather cold and overcast, I decided to do the part of the ride between Bierbeek and Bertem, on the 135K loop. This part goes into Brabant Walloon and looked like it had some interesting climbs in it. From Bierbeek the arrowing was easy to spot and to follow. They had used pink arrows.
My legs hurt when I was on the 18% slope of the Bruyere the Wez in Nethen and they hurt again when doing the 16% Rue Arthur Snaps in Pecrot. And they missed out on the Langeheidestraat in Ottenburg, another 16% slope. Instead they chose the easier slope of the Florival straat going up into Ottenburg. The next part of the loop included some more climbing, with the Holstheide in Terlanen being the steepest of that remainder of the loop. When I passed the start in Bertem I nearly had 60K so I decided to return over Egenhoven, Heverlee Park and along the  Geldenaaksebaan and the Expressweg to Blanden. I had some light drizzle entering Pecrot but it stopped soon without even making the road really wet. So except for the cool temperatures the weather was fine for cycling, provided you wore the appropriate long-sleeved clothing.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 76K and 710 heightmeters (Garmin) in 3h01mins

7093/64130

30-07-2011, 15:45 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Looking forward to do a long ride today. The forecast was good, no rain , overcast skies and a bit more than 20 degrees C. Excellent. So I set out towards Hoegaarden to pick in on the Lf6 trail. This brings me nicely towards Velm, not far from Sint Truiden. At the furthest point I have exactly 50K and 2 hours of riding behind me. Turning back I follow the same track whence I came until I reach Opvelp again. I had a plan to add some more kilometers and for that I needed to do an extra loop. From Opvelp I ride towards Hamme Mille where I pass the 100K. Nethen, Sint Joris Weert and Neerijse are next. I follow the Sint Janbergse Steenweg until I reach Egenhoven. From there I cut through to the Arenberg campus in Heverlee. Then I ride towards Oud-Heverlee to reach the Zoete Waters. From there in the direction of Vaalbeek and Blanden and I am home with a nice distance of 131K on my counters. Solid LSD ride with an average heartrate of 111bpm. Near the end the extra hour was starting to make itself feel because my body was feeling tired when I arrived home.
A surprise was waiting there because I received a package from Assos, my equipe Campionissimo welcome gift, a special shirt and a pair of eC socks. Nice.

29-07-2011, 17:06 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

It looked like it would stay more or less dry so I rode out for a recovery ride. Starting out over Heverlee and Heverlee Park, I rode towards Arenberg and Egenhoven and then followed the Sint Jansberg Steenweg through Neerijse, Huldenberg and up to Overijse. Here I turned left and then left again to Terlanen. From Terlanen a long climb brought me to Ottenburg. I felt fine and when I reached Sint Agatha Rode I decided to ride through to Neerijse and take the Sint Jansberg Steenweg back to Egenhoven. From Egenhoven I rode to Heverlee and Oud-Heverlee until I reached the Zoet Waters. Here I decided to call it a day and came in through Vaalbeek. A couple of cooldown laps in Blanden later and I had a nice 70K . Due to the hilly character of the region I had more heightmeters than necessary on a recovery ride but I felt OK so I didn't mind the extra effort. With an average heartrate of 115bpm my body seemed OK with that as well.
This was the first ride on the new Continental Attack& Force tyre combo.

28-07-2011, 14:55 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today it looked like it would remain dry so I decided to try a long ride. And a point ride as well. Point rides are rides where you ride out to one point, turn around, and follow the same way back home. Contrary to loops this kind of ride will usually find me far from home at the turning point, so care is to be taken. You can be surprised by foul weather which means that you have a long way to get back home in rain or wind, or when you have a mechanical problem or a flat tyre, you also have to get it fixed unless you want to take a taxi home. On loop rides there is always the possibility that you are not TOO far from home so cutting a ride short is easier. Not so on a point ride.
I had a look at my tyres before riding out and I was a little worried when I saw the state of my rear tyre. It looked like at some points that it had worn through the outer layer and the protection layer was visible. This tyre was in dire need of change.

27-07-2011, 15:02 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Starting at 10AM for a long ride towards Namur. From Bierbeek I rode to Honsem and then took a left towards Willebringen. Through Kumtich and Hoksem I then reached Hoegaarden where I took the Ravel 2 towards Namur. With 61K on my counter I arrived in Saint Servais, my furthest point today. The ravel tarmac was wet under the trees and there must have been some rainfall earlier.
When I rode back towards Hoegaarden I was overtaken by a group of 6 or 8 riders and I was able to ride with them for a couple of kilometers. They were surprised at my speed - I was doing around 34kph when they overtook me - and I was surprised how easy it is to ride in such a big group. Hiding in the group allowed my heartrate to drop 10 beats per minute whilst doing 37kph without any trouble. Sadly in Jodoigne I left them behind since they were slowing down too much for my liking. Or they were simply slowing their pace because they had to go much further than me. They had also been to Namur but they would have around 180K when returning to their homes.
Anyway, upon reaching Hoegaarden and then riding back to Hoksem I began to feel my legs as well. The long downhill from Cognelee to Hoegaarden was easy on the big ring, but between Hoegaarden and Bierbeek I had to do some climbing and the wind was blowing against me. Just before Willebringen I encountered my friend Roger - again - who was also doing his daily ride. Reaching home I had an average heartrate of 120bpm which was quite good considering the last 20K were tough. The weather was OK with some sunshine and clouds but no rain.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 121K and 575/625 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 4h25mins

6714/61795

25-07-2011, 17:19 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

The forecast rain didn't show so after a days' rest yesterday I could not resist getting the Vortex out and do a recovery ride. The sky was cloud-covered and with 16 degrees C it wasn't exactly warm but with longs sleeved jacket and tights there was no problem. I also wore a windbreaker because the wind was blowing cold from the northwest. Doing one of my usual laps, starting out over Bierbeek, Opvelp, Meldert and La Bruyere. Then turning right towards Beauvechain. Here I turned left and cycled through Tourinnes, Nodebais and then down into Hamme Mille. From Hamme Mille I reached Nethen and Sint Joris Weert and then decided to add another loop taking me towards Neerijse, Egenhoven and Heverlee before turning towards Blanden to finish my ride. I rode at an easy pace so the ride was a very relaxing one. When I got home a big grasshopper landed on me and I could not resist taking a picture of it.

Another 400K+ week, the third in a row. Despite the uneasy weather I managed to ride almost every day during the month of july, having an occasional rest day obviously when I felt it was needed.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 50.5K and 310/305 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h00mins

6593/61170

24-07-2011, 14:29 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

The best chances for stable weather were after 6pm so I decided to first watch the stage in the Tour de France, and then ride out for a tempo ride. Bertje Contador tried to pull a big number in the TdF stage but in the end he only partially succeeded in taking back some time on the other competitors. Belgian Jelle Vanendert met his limits and Cadel Evans seems to be the favorite for the GC with only a 42K time trial left. But who knows what 3 weeks of hard cycling does to anyone's legs. So there is nothing decided yet and tomorrow the final dies will be cast.
This evening I started out on an easy pace and upped the pace as I went along. Zoete Waters, Sint Joris Weert , Sint Agatha Rode , Ottenburg and then descending into Basse-Wavre. From there a long climb took me towards Chaumont Gistoux . I rode on to Sart-Risbart and then just before Dongelberg I took the N91 back towards Pietrebais. The wind was blowing from the north so it took some power to keep the pace up. Turning right towards La Bruyere and Meldert temporarily relieved me from the wind but from Meldert to Opvelp it was back in my face again. I kept the chain on the big ring and battled it out, making it a good tempo training. Reaching Bierbeek I turned left towards Haasrode and Blanden to complete a solid workout.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 66K and 500/515 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h26mins

6542/60865

22-07-2011, 21:52 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Well, yesterdays' forecast showed a grim and wet 21st of July but when I woke up the sun was shining. A quick look at www.meteox.be convinced me that I would better get on my bike. Not for a long ride, because I was recovering from two 100K rides and because there was an interesting stage in the Tour de France today. I did not want to miss that. So I settled for a quick dash and rode over Heverlee, the Zoete Waters and Sint Joris Weert. Here I again encountered my friend Roger L., who was also doing a quick ride before watching the Tour on TV. We briefly spoke and went our own way. Riding on to Nethen, then Hamme Mille and Beauvechain, through Opvelp and Neervelp , turning left to reach Bremt and then passing Bierbeek and Haasrode to close the lap. Legs felt fine and I focussed on high rpm's with minimal power. The sun was shining throughout the entire ride, a first for this week.
Let me close by saying "Vive La Belgique !  Leve Belgie !" and lets hope this fine weather on our National Day inspires the politicians to make haste of a new government.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 42K and 245/285 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h35mins

6476/60350

21-07-2011, 14:08 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

The forecast for today was OK in the AM with only in the late afternoon possibilities of rain. So instead of staying home I rode out. I wanted to do a 50-60K recovery ride, depending on how my legs would feel the distance could be stretched to 60-70K.
Setting out along Bierbeek and Willebringen to reach Hoegaarden. Since the narrow roads were still wet from yesterdays' and last nights' rain I followed the big road through Zetrud-Lumay towards Jodoigne. From Jodoigne I followed the N240 towards Wavre until I took a left turn towards Lathuy and Dongelberg. The weather was a bit cold but dry and the wind was only mildly rattling its chain from time to time. Legs felt fine so from Dongelberg I rode on to Sart-Risbart and Chaumont-Gistoux. Grez Doiceau and Archennes were next and then I rode though Sint Agatha Rode. I felt fine so I decided to add a loop and rode to Neerijse whence I followed the Sint Janbergse steenweg to Korbeek Dyle and Egenhoven. I now had more than 70K and I began thinking of another 100K loop. So I rode to Heverlee and then Heverlee Park and looped back in over Bierbeek and Haasrode, taking some small extra loops whenever I could. From Haasrode to Blanden and here I added another loop so I reached 96K when I passed my home. Another couple of cooling-down loops took the distance nicely over 100K. Feeling very satisfied with this result I can now relax for a couple of days to let my body recover from the workouts.
I hope there is no snowfall on the Galibier for the next couple of days so we can enjoy a good battle between the GC contenders in the Tour de France. I'll be looking at the forecast often.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 101K and 700/715 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h51mins

6434/60065

20-07-2011, 14:30 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Forecast today was for a dry spell in the AM with possible showers from around noon. So at 9.20AM I was on my bike . I set out for the Biz'On the Bike ride. This time the 100K loop would suit me fine. I added a couple of loops, one to avoid a cobble section just before Zetrud-Lumay, and another near the end ro make it a full 100K.
The weather was fine for cycling, not much wind, slightly overcast and temperatures around 22-24 degrees C. When I reached Bierbeek I fell some raindrops but after a couple of minutes it stopped raining. There was a big dark cloud coming near though so I was glad when I was nearing my home with just a little more than 105K on my counters. The Mobile Viking mobile network was down so my Endomondo tracker could not upload the recorded data from somewhere around the Haasrode Industrie terrain but around 2.30PM the data connection was OK and the data uploaded just fine. You can check my ride by clicking the Endomondo link below this report.
I felt great today, and I met my friend Roger in Incourt. He was going in the opposite direction so we briefly stopped and compared our rides. He was more or less doing my loop but in the reverse direction. We should go to the Ardennes together to do some road riding there somewhere next week, when the Tour de France will be finished.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 106K and 840/890 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 4h05mins

6333/59350

19-07-2011, 14:47 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

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