Had to wait until today to ride a bike again. My cold was better and riding should help drain my nose and sinusses from the last remainders of the virus. I chose to do a recon of the upcoming Meerdaal 2000 ride  - sunday the 30th of October in Bierbeek - and decided to start out easy with the 45K distance. The weather was cold but clear skies and a breeze from the east. Around 11am the temperature had risen well above 0 so I donned my new Assos Fugu socks and Early Winter gloves. Both turned out to be amazingly suited for the purpose.
The trail was dry and my bike - the Obed - performed well. Only bother was that I could not get my Polar to receive a signal from the speed sensor. Oh, I would have to do without that during this ride. I could still record my heartrate and that was the most important. Upon arriving home I discovered what was wrong - the sensor on the fork had shifted downwards. Probably during the maintenance that it received last week.
Talking of that fork, it performed beautifully.
My heart rate was still rather high during the ride but my legs felt strong . You can check out how the loop goes on the Endomondo link below this entry. The first bit was mellow and going through a very cold Meerdael Forest. When I arrived in Valduc I felt the warmth of the sun and the ride became a lot more comfortable. The wind was noticeable but I was well-protected by multiple layers of clothing.
Entering Gottechain where the split between the 45K and the 2 longer distances of 55 and 65K was, I took to the right into the valley and towards Bossut.

In and around Archennes the track becomes more challenging with a couple of demanding climbs and tricky descents. Afterwards riding towards Pecrot and entering the Meerdael Forest again in Nethen, things mellow out again. By then I began to feel my legs though and the last couple of K's towards the Zoete Waters and up to the Keiberg were done pretty relaxed to spare my legs and avoid going too deep into my reserves.
Arriving home I noticed the average temperature was 8 degrees C, which is not bad on a sunny late October day .

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 46K and 545/600 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h36mins

10980/92750

22-10-2011, 15:22 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Howdy. I have been suffering a cold since last friday so I had to take it easy for a couple of days. Stayed in throughout the - wonderfully sunny - weekend and when I started to feel better on monday I decided to go out for a walk in the Meerdael Forest. Walking is another way to enjoy the beauty of the forest and it gives you another perspective on all things that roam around. I started out with a 1h30 walk which netted me a little less than 7K.

In the meantime I also had my Litespeed Obed serviced at Filip Sport. The Fox RLT80 fork has been overhauled and I also put on a new chain and XTR cassette. Some glamour in the form of a golden jockey wheel was also welcome. This bike will carry me through the muddier rides which are sure to come in the next couple of months.

20-10-2011, 18:34 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today saw a mix of light rain and dry periods, still a lot of wind and temperatures around 15 degrees C. It was dry when I left on the Hilset for a ride that would take me on a loop through Bierbeek, Opvelp and Meldert. From here I turned right and then left into L'Ecluse. From L'Ecluse I quickly reached La Bruyere and set towards Beauvechain. I noticed the dark clouds coming nearer and before long I began to feel a light drizzle falling down. I wore a sleeveless windstopper over my long sleeved jersey and the rain did not bother me much. Riding through Tourinnes-la-Grosse and Nodebais I stopped for a little break and took a picture of the Hilset overlooking Hamme Mille in the distance. Riding the Hilset differs in many ways from riding the Vortex. The Hilset offers a harsher ride. Looking at the saddle one can imagine the comfort offered by the Tune Speedneedle is far less than that of the Brooks on the Vortex. But the wheels as well are more jumpy as is the frame. The aluminum stem, carbon handlebar and Pace fork add to the whole experience.  Good thing the frame and seatpost are made of titanium, otherwise this bike would feel like a pogo-stick.

12-10-2011, 18:44 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Three days of rest because we had 3 days of rain. As it turned out my legs felt stiff but I could feel there was also power hidden in there. Today was the first time I was back on the Hilset BBW custom titanium hardtail. This is the bike I use for road rides in winter and the wet months of fall and spring. After more than 8000km road kilometers on the Litespeed Vortex - a proper roadbike - it will take some getting used to ride slower and on a bike that is not as lenient as the magnificent Vortex. The Tune Speedneedle made itself feel during the first part of the ride. Like I said, this bike will take some getting used to.
I rode out over the Weertse Dreef and into Sint Joris Weert. Then to Nethen and in Pecrot I rode up the hill towards Malaise and over the cobbles to Bossut. I paused briefly at the farm where my dad was born to take some pictures.

Moving on and into the harsh wind I rode down to Archennes and then towards Dion Valmont. Crossing the Chaussee de Huy and then riding parallel to it, enjoying the peace and quiet of the little backroads. Steep, narrow but the Hilset is well-geared to taken on even the steepest climbs. In Gistoux I was glad to have the wind in my back and when I climbed on the plateau again to reach Longueville I was making good speed. Down towards Heze and further into Grez I had the wind from the side and it was trying to topple me over. Some black clouds as well but luckily it remained dry throughout the entire ride. Entering Bossut for the second time and then down towards Hamme Mille. Following the Naamsesteenweg into Blanden I decided to add another loop, taking advantage of the fine weather - well, the dry weather  - riding along the Naamsesteenweg to La Chasse and then taking a right towards the Commemoratory graveyard, there a right again towards Blanden again. Notwithstanding the wind and the stiff legs I had a fine ride.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 62.5K and 555/650 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h45mins

10889/91815

10-10-2011, 19:36 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Fall seems to be well on its way now. The weather was windy and some showers fell during the day. Hesitant to ride out but I decided to get the Litespeed Obed out from under the dust and get myself re-acquainted with its intricacies. I rode into Meerdael forest which was moist but not overly wet. The temperature was a meagre 12 degrees C and the wind - blowing from the north - fell cold when it reached me through the leaves. The first toadstools are appearing left and right of the trails. Lots of leaves falling and for sure some more will fall in the upcoming weeks. The trails were fine with only the occasional puddle to spoil the fun. 

06-10-2011, 19:55 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Last sunday saw the passing of the Pietrebais organised ride. A ride that I have done a couple of times in the past but that I could not attend this year. Thanks to Roger L. I received the GPS track and when I told him I wanted to ride the 54K trail today he was eager to come along.
When we started around 1.30pm there was some light drizzle falling but pretty soon the rain ceased and we even were greeted by the sun from time to time making our ride even more pleasant. My average temperature was 18 degrees C so you might say weather conditions were excellent.
We picked in on the trail high in Gottechain and from the start we were plunged in a succession of climbs and descents. Trail conditions were excellent, dry and fast, almost no fallen leaves thanks to the little Indian Summer we had last week and there was only one place were we got our wheels wet on the entire 54K.
I know this region very well and I must say ; kudos to the trail builder. It is quite obvious he likes climbing and the section between Bonlez and Longueville offers one of the best connection of trails I have ever ridden here. If I had the legs I would have done it another time. But we agreed that we better ride the rest of the trail, it would be more than enough. Offering close to 900 heightmeters on the 54K, not an easy stroll indeed.
About halfway into our ride we took a break at the Chapelle du Cheneau near Longueville to eat and drink a bit. It was necessary. The climbs were mostly short but very steep and I thanked the gods for the good traction. If you decide to come and ride here, preferably do so after a week without rain because mud will make these trails very very difficult physically.

From Longueville the tobogan rolled on through Heze and then to the finish in Pietrebais. Some of the trail markings were still there and the GPS track and Rogers' memory did the rest. Taking another break in Pietrebais I noticed the big slab of stone that gave its name to the rivulet and the town.

Moving on the track lead us to Cocrou and then into the Bois de Beausart for the next climbs. Gottechain was looming over the horizon but the trail veered to the left for another downhill and another climb. Last sunday there was also a chrono over this track and Roger told me the first rider finished the 54K in 2h09mins. Quite an accomplishement given the fact that our Olympic qualifier Kevin Van Hoovels was 6th with a time of 2h22. Anyway, hats off to those guys. It must be something riding here with speeds around 30kph and a lot more in the - sometimes very tricky and dangerous - downhills. The landscapes here are very beautiful, while riding from one valley into the other.

From Gottechain we rode homewards through Hamme Mille and finished off a very pleasant, enjoyable and heavy ride though amazingly beautiful landscapes. Good thing we could enjoy those while our legs were screaming for mercy. But that is what we like, to suffer and to enjoy the suffering.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 76.5K and 1035/1110 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 4h18mins

10800/90910

04-10-2011, 19:49 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

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