After watching Giorgia Bronzini take her second consecutive World Title, and also feeling a little bit of the pain that Marianne Vos must have felt after taking her 5th (!) consecutive second place, I decided to make the most of the beautiful weather and ride out with the Moots YBB. I left late and I guessed I would have more or less 2 hours of light in the forest. The temperature was quite mild and the sun was still giving some warmth when I entered Meerdael Forest and made my way to Haasrode to pick in on the base loop of the Haasrode TT, held last August. I would follow this more or less - I had to follow it from memory, did not have the track with me on my GPS - and it led me to Mille, Gottechain and Bossut. I did avoid the steep hill in the Rue St Remacle in Gottechain, riding it downhill instead. Then following the track down along the outskirts of the Bois de Beausart where I had to do a little bit of calisthenics to keep the bike on the right track. There where some deep ruts, some glistening with the promise of a puddle so I had to choose my track wisely. But except for one foot on the ground I rode the whole section. Great!
Into Gottechain again and then down towards the N25. Crossing that I climbed into Bossut and set forth towards Nethen.

Nethen which was lying waiting into a shrouf of light smoke from one of the BBQ's no doubt. Before long I was riding into Meerdael Forest again. The light was dim as the sun was slowly setting. But I kept to the big forest trails and added a last loop into Heverleebos before completing a nice relaxing ride. My legs felt good , having recuperated well during last night and today. The average temperature was 18 degrees and near the end of the ride, with the sun disappearing, I could feel the cold of the autumn night upon me.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 39K and 430/485 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h04mins

10324/86240

24-09-2011, 20:20 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Time for a little more technicality in my reacquantaince path on the mountainbike . So the Overijse BLOSO routes come to mind. Called the "2 Valleien Route" this 34K offroad track connects 2 valleys ; the valley of the river Ijse and the valley of the river Lasne. Ondulating up and down on the flanks. Nothing too tricky, steep or long , but just enough technicality on the downhills to catch the unaware or overzealous biker.
Unfortunately I am neither, and I fully enjoyed riding on these trails again. They were dry and fast, with an occasional puddle and some obstructions in the form of farmers harvesting their fields, or community workers filling up some holes in a field track.
The day started out misty but in the afternoon the sun came piercing through the clouds. I had a first stop on a small track overlooking the village of Huldenberg. Stowing away my windbreaker and checking the tension in my tires.

23-09-2011, 15:31 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

I felt a bit tired and my muscles felt stiff so at first I was thinking about just doing a 40-50K recovery ride. I started out over Bierbeek and Meldert to reach Hoegaarden and inject myself on the ravel. As the kilometers disappeared behind my wheels I started to feel better and I decided to follow the ravel 2 and then take the fork towards Perwez. The wind was blowing in my face on that last bit but once I reached Perwez I could turn to the right and have it  blowing from the left. Speeding towards Maleves-Sainte-Marie-Wastinnes and then through Opprebais and Sart-Risbart. The road was bad here, lots of "macadam" and in a very bad shape with holes and patches in it. In Sart-Risbart I took a narrow tarmac route with some cobble sections to connect to Longueville. From here it wasn't far to Heze and then downhill into Grez-Doiceau. From Grez I rode through Archennes - bad road - and Florival and then took a left turn for a long climb towards Ottenburg. From Ottenburg I took the narrow street down towards Terlanen and decided to ride up the Smeysberg on its 'easy' side before riding to Neerijse along the Langerode straat . In Neerijse I connected to the Sint Jansbergsesteenweg. Following that busy road - but with super tarmac conditions - towards Egenhoven and there taking my usual route back through Heverlee and Oud-Heverlee. When I reached the Zoete Waters I saw that I nearly had 90K so adding another loop towards Sint Joris Weert and riding home along the Weertse Dreef would bring me a solid 100K. The weather was dry and not too warm, ideally suited for a long steady ride. With an average temperature of 21 degrees and a mild wind blowing from the west I have no reason to complain.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 100.5K and 705/760 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h51mins

10229/85040

22-09-2011, 17:37 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Yesterday I took a day off from biking and rode to the Ardennes with my car. We visited Baraque Fraiture and Bastogne and we had a good time driving the Mazda MPS through the twisty Ardennes roads. A little more than 300K in 4h30mins.

Today I felt well rested and I wanted to ride the big interchanging node route that was featured in the summer number of Grinta magazine. This added an extra loop of 21K to the 48.5K ride I did last friday. The extra loop first takes you towards Willebringen, Meldert and then rides along very nice little tracks towards Hoegaarden. Some narrow tarmac roads here , most of them very well known to me from my ventures with the Hilset around these parts. Before entering Hoegaarden I stop to take a picture of the church which looms over the berm of the road.

21-09-2011, 15:14 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Now that summer is at its end, and the freshness of autumn is already in the air, we have to make the most of every sunny, calm and dry day that comes along. So today again I grabbed the Vortex - or did it grab me, I sometimes wonder ? - and got underway for what would turn out to be a great ride. Riding at a relaxed pace - my muscles are beginning to feel the toll of 7 days biking in a row - I rode towards Egenhoven where I got on the Sint-Jansbergsesteenweg which I followed all the way past Overijse until I reached Maleizen. Here I turned left towards Rixensart and crossed the language border riding into Rosieres. Down to cross the river Lasne and then the long  but easy climb upwards towards the N257. Down again into Basse-Wavre and then taking the long climb out of Wavre to reach the Chaussee de Huy near the Bois des Neulettes.
Speeding along to get off of that busy road as soon as possible . Taking a right into Dion Valmont where I rode left and thus took a much calmer parallel road with some nice views into Brabant Walloon as a bonus.

19-09-2011, 18:35 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Wasn't thinking of riding out today but when I saw that the predicted showers did not materialize I decided to take the Vortex for a spin. There was a lot of wind though so my ride was a bit more intense than I wanted it to be. Doing the classic Bierbeek, Meldert, La Bruyere, Beauvechain, Hamme Mille loop I had a lot of wind in my face. When nearing Nethen it subsided a bit, mostly due to the fact that I was down in a valley now. Past Nethen I catched up with 2 big riders and was able to hide behind them until we split up in Sint Joris Weert. I rode towards Sint Agatha Rode and then sped towards Neerijse to follow the Sint Janbergsteenweg where I had the wind blowing in my back. With speeds nearing 50kph I was quickly in Egenhoven and then rode past Arenberg , Oud-Heverlee and the Zoete Waters towards Sint Joris Weert again where I took the Weertse Dreef to ride home.
In all a good ride and a nice distance to finish off a very solid cycling week.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 61k and 380/410 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h18mins

9973/82890

18-09-2011, 13:38 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

After yesterdays' mixed ride I could not resist doing a proper mountainbike ride today. And obviously Meerdael Forest has been beckoning for a while now for me to get back in. I did not spray for horseflies - I sprayed enough yesterday - but I did wear long sleeved trousers and jersey. It looked to me that the horsefly season is truely coming to an end, opening up the offroad adventure box for me.
I settled on doing the Meerdael Bloso routes. Starting out with the Green, then hopping on the Blue, then the Red and finishing off with the Blue again. The tracks were super, dry and fast and only a hint of mud here and there. It takes some getting used to the bumpy offroad again, and of course to a bike that is suspended, as opposed to the road bike. But the technical prowess is still there and I felt confident in myself and the bike on the downhills.  The forest was still bearing the scars of the heavy august thunderstorms as there were some new ruts in the descents and some parts were cleaned out by forestry workers. But the legs still felt surprisingly good and I managed to maintain a solid average of just above 20kph throughout the entire ride. Also my heartrate average was pretty low which to me means that my heart was a lot stronger than my legs. Legs that have been building up fatigue throughout the last 5 days of riding, there is no way around that. But the 2XU compression pants seem to work since the overall feeling of my legs is that they feel less fatigued than one would expect after all the training work they have endured.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 56K and 470/565 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h38mins

9912/82480

17-09-2011, 14:43 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

"1-79-78-90-91-37-68-67-85-86-87-73-75-76-1" , seems like the combination of a very important vault and indeed, in a way you might say that those numbers represent just that. The way in to the vault of treasures that is the region South of Leuven and then to the east towards the Brabant Plateau and into the region of Haspengouw.
I discovered this interchange route - that takes you from one node to another following arrowed signposts  - in the latest edition of 'Grinta'. I chose to ride the 48.5K version. There is also a 70K version but I decided to go for the shorter one today because my legs have been doing a lot of kilometers already this week AND the forecast called for possible rain in the afternoon.
The rain didn't come but I had a fine ride along these numbered nodes. I picked in on the route where the Weertse Dreef crosses the Naamsesteenweg and the next kilometers take me through Mollendaalbos straight east. By the way, this route is absolutely not suited to ride with a road bike. A mountainbike - or citybike if you must - is your best option. Big forest roads and when I reached Mollendaal long sections of cobbles that take me to Opvelp. From there I follow the Hoeveroute alongside the river Velp towards Neervelp and Vertrijk. Crossing the Tiensesteenweg and I ride towards Lubbeek on small tarmac roads. Sometimes another section of cobbles or field road make me glad I chose to ride with a mountainbike today.

16-09-2011, 20:22 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Felt magically recuperated from yesterdays ride - must be those 2XU compression pants - so I was eyeing the disappearing cloudcover with anticipation. Around 11AM I rode off and even though the temperature was only 15 degrees C it promised to be a fine day for cycling.
And indeed, as it turned out, it was. I wanted to ride to Longchamps, making my way over the Zoete Waters, then Sint Joris Weert and Nethen and from Nethen to Pecrot and Archennes. Passing Grez I could already remove my armlings since the sun was starting to bring some warmth to the earth. The long climb to Heze followed and then I passed Longueville on my way to Sart-Risbart. From Sart-Risbart I rode to Opprebais, Maleves-Sainte-Marie-Wastinnes and Thorembais-les-Beguines and then I saw the little tower of Perwez appearing in the distance. The sun was out now and this brough a big smile to my face. It turned out to be a glorious september day, ideally suited for cycling. The wind was almost gone, just a slight breeze from the north-northwest.

Passing Perwez I then set my wheels towards Aische-En-Refail and Mehaigne before reaching Longchamps, the furthest point of todays' ride. From Longchamps I got on the Ravel 2 which nicely brought me past Eghezee and Jodoigne towards Hoegaarden. Great, this was turning out to be another 100K ride. Riding onwards past Kumtich, Willebringen and Bremt I reached the Haasrode Industrie where I did a lap and then followed the Expressweg back into Blanden. I really enjoyed this ride and my legs felt great. My average heartrate was a low 110bpm and even though this was a long distance ride it almost felt as a recovery ride.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 105.5K and 660/680 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 4h00mins

9801/81445

15-09-2011, 16:32 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

.. is blowing in the wind. That was the song that sprang into my mind whilst riding my bike today. The sun was out but so was the wind. During the start of my ride I could ignore it since it was in my back, giving me a good push through Bierbeek, up the hill to the water-tower and then down towards Neervelp and up again to Willebringen. When I turned more into it when I was nearing Hoegaarden through Oorbeek I understood that it would be blowing against me whilst following the Ravel towards Eghezee. Still, one of the advantages of the ravel is that it is surrounded by trees and shrubberies, thus blocking the wind most of the time. The sun on my skin felt good, but as the ride continued, there were more and more - harmless - clouds which made it more and more chilly because of - you guessed it, the wind.
Arriving in Eghezee I turned onto the N91. The wind was now blowing from my left and this made riding along the big road through open landscapes a bit dangerous and thrilling.
I passed this beauty when exiting Eghezee . A Lotus Esprit with a very nice number plate.

Dangerous and thrilling. Each time I was passed by a big truck or lorry, I moved 50cm towards them, and when a big truck or lorry crossed me from the other side, it felt like a big slap wanted to push me and my bike into the sideberm. So keeping a good hold of the guidon was a necessity. I was glad I reached Pietrebais where I could turn to the right and had the wind full in my back again. La Bruyere zoomed past in a blur and before long I was in Meldert where I had to turn left again and again face the wind from my left side. I passed another cyclist who promptly took my wheel. But I was riding fast and he had to let go before reaching Bierbeek.
I met him again when I entered Haasrode and I invited him back into my wheel but he smiled and thanked me and let me go. The last stretch towards Blanden was with the wind full in my face but I still managed to keep my speed up. Most surprisingly my average heartrate was only 112bpm. So I must have recuperated well from yesterdays' ride. My legs felt good and I wonder if the 2XU pants have something to do with that. I wore them for 4 hours after my ride yesterday and my legs felt no fatigue when I took them off. So perhaps they are actually working? I'm wearing them again today.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 86K and 500/500 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h06mins

9696/80765

14-09-2011, 15:23 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

A days' rest and a trip to Ardennes with my dad yesterday. 300Km in the Mazda MPS , first following the E40 and then the E25 to Baraque de Fraiture and then the long way down towards La Roche. A lot of beautiful twisty roads which the MPS clearly enjoys, brought us to Hotton, Durbuy, Barvaux, Bomal and Manhay before taking the E25 back towards Liege and then taking the exit towards Hamoir. From Hamoir I returned home over Huy and Eghezee. We both enjoyed this little road trip very much.

Today I felt well-rested and wanted to do a relatively flat ride, so I took the Vortex towards Leuven and Kessel Lo . Following the Vaart all the way to Coloma, near Mechelen, I had the gusty wind more or less against me .But when I turned back towards Leuven, the speeds went up a couple of K and I could hold 33-34kph until I was joined by another biker. We switched leads and the speed went up to 36-38kph. The legs felt good and the gentle push of the wind helped to maintain a good speed. At the Vaartkom we went our seperate ways and I crossed Leuven and followed the Tervuursesteenweg for a while before turning left towards Arenberg. Then coming in along my usual path, through Oud-Heverlee and left at the Zoete Waters, through Vaalbeek and then into Blanden for the last couple of K's to cool down.
I am trying out some 2XU compression tights to see if they help post-exercise recovery. They feel nice and tight, and remind me of the compression pants I got in hospital after my surgery in the beginning of this year.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 75K and 220/250 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h37mins

9610/80265

13-09-2011, 19:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

This morning the skies were clear and with a temperature just below 20 degrees and a breeze from the southwest things looked too good to stay indoors. So off I rode for a recovery ride that would take me over Bierbeek, Bremt and Lovenjoel towards Pellenberg. Here I descended towards the Diestsesteenweg in Linden. I followed that road until I reached Leuven. Riding around Leuven and when I reached the Tervuursesteenweg I followed that and then took a left towards Arenberg. From here I rode towards Heverlee, Oud-Heverlee and the Zoete Waters. Past the Zoete Waters and then I took a left into the Meerdaelwoud to finish my ride  through the Weertse Dreef and then following the Naamsesteenweg into Blanden. Legs felt good and the short relaxed ride sure did good after yesterdays' long ride.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 46K and 340/375 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h43mins

9534/80015

11-09-2011, 12:45 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Beautiful weather this morning and the forecast for today was good. 28 degrees C and a light breeze from the south. So around 10AM I rode out for a long ride. Following the track of the 145K version of the Biz'On the Bike ride. This is a very fine ride consisting of a hilly start around Huldenberg, Ottenburg and Chaumont Gistoux, then a long ride on the plateau between Incourt and Orp Jauche where I started to feel the effects of the burning sun. I only have one drinking bottle with me during these rides and I think that in this heat that is too little. I usually take a sip every 30 minutes and I stop every 2 hours for a Cliff bar. The dry wind and the sun - which was partially clouded but still the temperature was around 29 degrees C - have a drying effect . The wind was blowing from the south and this was a good thing, at least in the shady parts there was a little coolness. Unfortunately , when I left Orp-Jauche and set forth towards Bomal, Jauchelette and Dongelberg, there were not many shady places. In Dongelberg things started to go up and down again and the legs hurt when I had to shift on my smallest gears. This last bit again is more hilly but fortunately I had the wind in my back now. When I arrived in Melin I was confident I would make it. Damn those cobbles in Saint Remy Geest where hard on my feet. Those feet already hurt because of the high temperatures and when I stopped before the church of Hoegaarden for a second snack, just walking around a bit did a world of good for them. The last 25K were tough but I was on known grounds now and I could spread my efforts nicely. This was my longest ride this year and I am glad I did it. Now I need to replenish my fluids and rest.
 
Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 131.5K and 1060/1045 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 5h04mins

9488/79640

10-09-2011, 16:25 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

The rain yesterday did not bother me very much since I had a rendez-vous chez Filip Sport to get my righthand Campagnolo Chorus shifter fixed. A couple of very small parts were worn out causing the shifts to be sketchy and uncertain. After 1.5 month of waiting the parts arrived and the date was set for yesterday. Orr also replaced the rubber shifting covers and also installed new brakepads and brakepad holders. The existing brakepad holders were recovered to be used as housings for special brakepads to use with my carbon Campagnolo Hyperon Ultra 2 wheelset.

09-09-2011, 15:47 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Hesitating for a long while whether to ride out - or not - today. The offroad was too muddy for a mountainbike stint, and I didn't feel like braving the fierce wind for the second day in a row on a longer road ride. But I did want to ride today because my legs felt like they wanted a bit of movement.
So I decided to do a local loop instead. Around 6K long and incorporating 2 climbs and 2 descents into and out of Blanden and Haasrode. The wind was playing with me from time to time but at least during almost half of the loop it was blowing in my back. And this half happened to be uphill so that was a bonus I was glad to cash in on. Finishing off with a couple of cooldown loops and I had a solid 60K ride which also offered a nice number of climbing meters. Making these loops is not easy on the mental front, you pass places - and people - serveral times and after a while the people begin to notice you and seem to be wondering why you are passing them so many times. or maybe I am paranoid. Nevertheless, I just ride on a do what I set out to do.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 60.5K and 540/585 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h21mins

9306/78255

07-09-2011, 15:13 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

There is a storm forecast for this evening and in front of that storm a lot of wind is blowing from the southwest. And indeed, the first part of my ride had me struggling against a gusty wind that was playing with me like a giant with a marble. While I was climbing my way out of Opvelp towards Beauvechain it was blowing straight in my face making me wish I had my climbing cassette onboard. The little hill was tuning into a mountain. Turning right towards Tourinnes brought some relief because the blows now came from the left, threatening to rip me off of my bike. Gripping my bike's handlebar with both hands and keeping them there all the time was primordial. When I had to let go of one end of the handlebar to drink I had to choose carefully where to do it.  Through Nethen and Sint Joris Weert and then towards Neerijse where I now was rewarded by a strong push in the back from Aeolus. Speeds going up to 50kph on the Sint Janbergsesteenweg and before long I was in Egenhoven where I rode towards Heverlee to return to Blanden along the Naamsesteenweg. A couple of local loops while the skies were filling up with clouds and I finished my semi-recovery ride.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 51K and 355/355 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h55mins

9246/77670

06-09-2011, 13:57 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

This morning saw the passing of a rain front so it didn't look very good for a ride. But around noon things cleared out so I grabbed my bike and rode out . Originally I was thinking about doing a quick 40-50K ride but when I felt the sun on my skin and the skies cleared out completely I decided to ride a bit further. There was a nasty wind blowing from the west but when I arrived on the Ravel 2 from Hoegaarden to Namur, I was sheltered by the shrubberies around it. Passing Jodoigne and then forking off towards Perwez where I got the wind in my face. But with the sun out I did not mind that much. I wanted to pay a visit to Maleves-Sainte-Marie-Wastinnes and check out the little Saint-Ulric church where cycling icon Frank Vandenbroucke got married to Italian beauty Sarah Pinacci in oktober 2000.
Taking the Chaussee de Huy past Thorembais-Saint-Trond I quickly took a right to arrive in Maleves, the first of the 3 villages forming the one 'with the long name'. I stopped near an old World War 2 personel carrier.

Beautifully  restored and acting as an attraction for the nearby Musee du Souvenir . A World War 2 commemorative affair. The owner saw me standing next to the tank and presented me with a little leaflet about the museum.
Moving on I came to the church. Unfortunately it was hidding in scaffoldings but I still took a picture before riding on. It is hard to imagine Frank arriving here on that day in october with a yellow Ferrari. I think they are still talking about it in the village.

From Maleves I rode on towards Opprebais where I stopped to have a look at the big water reservoir where I learned scuba diving a while back. From Opprebais I took the N91 until Pietrebais where I veered to the right . I noticed a black cloud forming in the northwest and while I was riding past La Bruyere, Beauvechain and Opvelp I began to understand I would not be able to escape the rain. And indeed with only 5 kilometers to go, in Bierbeek, the first drops fell and for the next 10 minutes I was riding in mild rain. Still, I considered myself lucky to have been able to ride almost 3 hours without a single drop and in nice sunny weather.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 82.5K and 470/470 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h10mins

9195/77315

05-09-2011, 16:34 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Last night saw the passing of another thunderstorm and this morning there were still scattered showers over our region. Against noon it cleared out and whilst the streets were drying out fast I took the Vortex out for an easy recovery ride. Aiming for 2 hours maximum and planning to keep my average heartrate way below 110bpm.
Starting out as usual over Bierbeek and Opvelp, I crossed over to Beauvechain and then rode towards Hamme Mille and Nethen. At Sint Joris Weert I took a left turn towards Sint Agatha Rode to have a look at how the river Dyle was doing after the rains.

As expected the water was standing near the edge and the debris of last months' thunderstoms were still floating around. I rode on towards Neerijse and there followed the Sint Janbergsesteenweg towards Egenhoven. From there I rode back to Oud-Heverlee and past the Zoete Waters to reach Vaalbeek and Blanden. When I arrived home the skies were clearing out and it looked like the temperature would be rising above 20 degrees C as well.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 50.5K and 295/310 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h52mins

9112/76845

04-09-2011, 15:11 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Very beautiful weather was forecast today and the temperatures of 28 degrees and more made me shy away from my planned long mountainbike ride and got me on the Litespeed Vortex for a long road ride instead. Starting out over Bierbeek, Willebringen and Hoegaarden to follow the Ravel 2 past Eghezee. When I reached 50K around Dhuy, I took a right , off of the Ravel and in the direction of Boscailles. The road would bring me briefly back on the Ravel but I took a left almost immediately in an effort to reach Longchamps. Had some difficulty orientating myself but after a while I reached Longchamps and then took the direction of Mehaigne. I knew I had to pass here and also in Aische-En-Refail in order to reach Perwez.

Enjoying some very beautiful landscapes with the southern wind blowing in my back I reached Perwez and from here followed more familiar roads that took me towards Maleves-Sainte-Marie-Wastinnes and Opprebais. Sart-Risbart and Chaumont-Gistoux were next and through the beautiful little village of Bonlez - where they need to urgently fix the very bad road - I reached Grez-Doiceau. Archennes and Florival were next and then the mean climb out of Pecrot towards Nethen had me dig deep into my power reserves. The temperature was hot and I started to feel the kilometers taking their toll. Passing the 100K mark just past Nethen on my way to Sint Joris Weert I knew I only had around 10K to go. The Zoete Waters were zooming with activity and I had to take care not being hit by cars and other traffic, with drivers having little or no attention for the road or the other participants of traffic it seems. Reaching home I could start the re-hydration and relax whil watching the riders in the Vuelta sweat their way up a nasty mountain in the Asturias range.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 111.5K and 670 heightmeters (Garmin) in 4h09mins

9062/76535

03-09-2011, 15:29 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

After 3 months of abstinence I was back on a mountainbike today. For those who do not know me, I am allergic to horsefly bites and suffered from Lyme's disease last september, so instead of riding around with long trousers and long-sleeved jersey, sprayed in horsefly repellent and constantly fearing to be bitten, I decided to take a break from mountainbiking from June till August. The whole summer I concentrated on riding my road bike, and it has taken me more than 6500K in those 3 and a half months.
The first meters on the Moots YBB felt very strange. The softness of the big tyres, the suspension and in contrast the harshness of the Flite TT saddle, as compared to the smooth Brooks Swift Ti, took some getting used to. But after a couple of kilometers I began to find my position and my legs felt strong, even though I have been riding for 5 straight days before today. 
The trails were dry and hard. In the beginning I had to get used to the grip of the tyres, the speed was high and I needed to correct quickly when things slipped away. But obviously the bike is super and it didn't take me long to find my confidence again. I was on the big ring most of the time, really flying over the dusty forest trails and when I entered the fields of Mille and encountered some cobbles, I felt the compliance of the brilliant titanium frame of the Moots YBB.

Making a big loop  and entering Meerdael forest again for the last kilometers along which I sped with godspeed. Lets hope the next couple of weeks I will get more chances to ride offroad again. I will still ride the Vortex as long as the weather and the roads are clement but the mountainbike should be on the menu more and more as autumn falls .

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 19.5km and 150/185 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 55mins

8951/75865

01-09-2011, 20:24 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf