Another fine day and I decided to do an easy recovery ride to allow my legs some time off after yesterdays' long ride. Following the track of the "Haasrode" ride I passed through Bierbeek, Neervelp, Willebringen, Kumtich and Hoksem before arriving in Oorbeek and at the Goudberg Geosite. A van of 'Peter Nolmans' almost killed me when it crossed me with a fools speed and loud honking noise on one of the narrow tarmac roads. Either the driver was a fool or he was drunk. I hope I will see this van again one of these days, revenge will be sweet.
Around the Geosite and then riding upwards to the Marollenkapel near Sint Katelijne Hoksem I paused to take a picture of the chapel bathing in the crisp sunlight.

02-10-2011, 15:02 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

The weather is staying extremely good for the time of the year. 26 degrees C today and a little breeze from the southeast. Ideal for a long road ride so I set out with the Vortex towards Meldert and Hoegaarden. Onto the Ravel 2 and riding through Jodoigne and Eghezee. I stopped just past Longchamps to set my GPS to follow a track I got from "Mousty" - a biker-ess from Blanden - that would lead me to Marche-Les-Dames. The sun was gaining strength as I set forth and left the cosy and safe haven of the Ravel to ride into the great unknown. The track lead me past Leuze and Marchovelette towards Gelbressee. Ondulating up and down before slowly going downwards into Marche-Les-Dames, near the borders of the river Meuse. I felt like this was an Ardennes ride - almost and I realized that this must be the furthest point I have been with this bike from my home - ever, until now.

01-10-2011, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

The Indian Summer was still holding on so when I got home from work I decided to seek the relative cool shelter of the forest and do the first part of my Secret Meerdael Loop. The singletrack part. The trails were narrow and many a spider had woven a web across them. But I managed to ride all unscathed. The forest was wetter than expected . In the grassy sections in the shade there was a fair amount of dew still on the stems. Riding through the grass got me wet feet. Still , with an average temperature of 21 degrees I did not particularly mind. All trails were ride-able except for a couple where trees had fallen over . Here and there was also a muddy patch to be conquered. I rode at a leisurely pace , enjoying the many twisty trails and sudden drops and climbs.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 27K and 265/335 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h38mins

10545/88505

29-09-2011, 19:12 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

A good resting day yesterday and today I wanted to ride out and take advantage of the warm weather. With 25 degrees C it almost was too hot for me but since I only left around 4pm the temperature would drop soon. There was a dry wind blowing from the southeast and I quickly established that I would ride to Hoegaarden, get on the Ravel and make my way back along the N91.
When I arrived in Hoegaarden I had to walk over the broken Ernest Oury straat. Road workings. But once on the Ravel things were fine and I rode relaxed but fast past Jodoigne until I reached the Ramillies station. After that I forked towards Perwez until I reached the N91. Right again and I was on my way to Hamme Mille. The wind was blowing from the right and I made good speed. In Hamme Mille I took a left towards Nethen and rode on through Sint Joris Weert and past the Zoete Waters until I reached Oud-Heverlee. Right to Heverlee and back to Blanden along the Naamsesteenweg. After 3 hours I was back home , just in time before evening fell.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 81K and 460/500 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h02mins

10518/88170

28-09-2011, 20:12 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

I still had some energy left after returning from work in the afternoon. So I decided to ride to Grez Doiceau and start on the parcours of the Accro Bike. The 42K version to be more precise. For those not familiar with the Accro Bike, I suggest they do a search on that term on my Blog.
Starting out with already 12K of mixed ride in the legs the first climb towards Biez hurt . It is a very steep one. And the Accro Bike is a succesion of many suchs climbs and descents. Fortunately the tracks were bone-dry and the bike got me through the fast and bumpy descents. I made good speed but already knew that I would be unable to finish the complete 42K . So I left out 2 big chunks, cutting short a descent and ascent into the Bois de Glabais. When I neared Dion Le Val I also decided to skip the long climb into the Bois des Neulettes, and the section after that in the Bois des Vallees. The colors of the fields were bright with lots of rapeseed flowers .

26-09-2011, 20:01 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

The Men's Elite race at the World Championships in Kopenhagen made good speed so after seeing the best sprinter taking a deserved win I was out on my Moots at 4.10pm. I decided to ride to the Rouge Cloitre near Brussels and this meant taking off through Meerdael Forest and the Doode Beemde and then interconnecting through the Margijsbos towards Duisburg. Here I entered the Sonian Forest. It had been a while since I last was on these trails but I remembered them without help from my GPS and after 1h30 I was at the Rouge Cloitre ponds. Making my way back I decided on a parallel trail more to the North. Over Duisburg again but then aiming for Korbeek Dijle from where I injected myself on the Green Meerdael BLOSO route which I followed past the Meerdaelhof. Up the Keiberg and I was back into Meerdael Forest for a last stretch of green before reaching my point of departure. I had a very good ride in a balmy 21 degrees C and with the sun on my face. Near the end it was almost disappearing behind the horizon but I was home at 7pm due to a very good average speed.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 57K and 560/655 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h48mins

10381/86895

25-09-2011, 19:57 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

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