Great, it froze -4 degrees C last night so the mud and muck in the forest has been rendered in a more solid state. It was still freezing lightly when I left around 11am and a strong easterly wind made me happy to be able to ride in the forest. Or - at least - most of the time, since I was doing my Meerdael perimeter ride and every now and then this meant riding very close to the forests' edge, with as a result that the wind could reach me. I was riding it in the reverse direction today, starting out along the Heverleebos perimeter and moving on towards the Kouterbos and finishing off with the Meerdaelbos sections. The forest floor was frozen and I made good progress. It took me a while to adapt to the -1 degree temperature but after 15 minutes or so I was settling in. Stopping from time to time to take a picture I could feel the forest floor become softer and softer while the temps slowly rose over 0 degrees. This was a ride were I would have enjoyed the Moots YBB even more than the Litespeed, but the Moots was still at Filip Sport - waiting for a postmount to IS disc adapter that must surely be coming from the moon or something. I mean,when I need a Hope adapter, I can just order it and its at my place 2 or 3 days later. Why it takes more than 3 weeks for a dealer to take delivery of the same piece is beyond me and all reason. So I rode the Litespeed, which is of course a bit harsher due to the lack of suspension in the back.
Even then the mud was still too viscous to splatter on my bike. For the next days the temperatures will remain below zero during the day as well. Great ! Lets just hope that the wind settles a bit because the chill factor is more influential than the temperature these days.
On another note Took delivery of my Lumicycle LEDSYSTEM 3 lighthead today. It looks very smart and offers an amazing 850 lumen light output in the highest stand with its 3 LED lights. I plugged it into my NiMH battery - I have been using a Lumicycle HID Halide for 6 years now and after setting the LED system into NIMH mode I could make myself familiar with it. It has 4 power modes and one SOS mode . Switching between them is done by toggling the switch either upwards or down. Powering down is achieved by holding the toggle down for more than one second. I'm looking forward to ride out with this light. Its a 6 degree spot unit (Lumicycle also offers a 13 degree 'flood' lighthead which is unsuited for commuting because of its blinding white wide beam. Some pictures of the unit.
Here is an idea of the light
output at the different settings. I made these with the D2X and a 28-70
f2.8 lens set at f3.5. I stopped it down afterwards in Nikon Editor to
have the same intensity of background sky. This might not be optimal
but it gives an idea of the beam color and intensity. The different intensity stages are: Commute - Low - High and Boost. I also included a
comparison shot of the 40W HID Halide (which has a 13 degree beam as
compared to the LedSystem3 6 degree beam.
As you can see the Halide has a cooler lightcolor, I find the LedSystem3 light color more natural.
Ride Stats : 33.5K and 365/354 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h59mins
A nightride on Christmas Eve. After two days of rest I wanted to ride out tonight. I took along the Lupine Tesla 4 unit because I wanted to test that out as well. Starting out with the 20W Halogen Lumicycle I decided to ride until its battery would be nearly empty, and switch on the Lupine to continue the ride. I stopped in the beginning of the ride in a pitch black backroad to make some comparison pictures between the different light units. I ran the 20W Halogen, then added the Lupine at its 1.5, 4 and 12W setting. Unfortunately my Sony Ericsson k850i isn't the greatest camera in dark conditions but the pics might already give an idea of the difference in clarity between a halogen and a led light. In real life the Tesla provides an astounding beam of bright white light.
I started out towards the Zoete Waters , Korbeek Dyle and Leefdaal and then rode over Duisburg and Huldenberg to reach Overijse and Maleizen. From here I descended into Tombeek and then climbed out of Terlanen to reach Ottenburg. A few steep climbs and descents later I was in Archennes where - precisely after 2 hours - my Lumicycle light began to fade. I think its amazing that after 6 years this battery still delivers its claimed lifetime when using a 20W light. On came the Tesla and I switched it in its lowest mode - 1.5 Watts. Even then I needed no more light to ride along fast towards Pecrot, climb out of there towards Nethen and then further on to Hamme Mille. Its beam made some automobilists signal me they were blinded but with a light mounted on a helmet its easy - you just look the other way until the car has crossed you. When I got home the Lupines battery didn't even need charging. It can deliver a whopping 24 hrs to the light in its 1.5W mode. The lighthead is hardly noticed on your helmet - it weighs 105g - and the small battery tucks away nicely into my backpack. The weather was calm and with 6 degrees rather clement. I had no worries of any wind either. The roads were all but deserted - Christmas Eve remember - and in all I had a very nice quiet ride, accompanied by some good guiding lights.
Ride Stats : 58.5K and 515/538 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h41mins
A lot of drizzle yesterday and rain during the evening and most of the night took away any incentive I might have had to ride offroad. This morning saw a dry spell and I decided to take advantage of that to do a long LSD ride on the road. The roads were still wet when I started out but dried out as the K's moved along. I did the Haasrode tour, a marked route running over Bierbeek, Willebringen and Hoksem towards the outskirts of Hoegaarden. There was a lot of wind cutting in from the southwest and I was glad I could stop to make a picture of an exclusive Renault Megane RS Team F1 in Hoksem. When I set out again my heartrate monitor was behaving strangely. It seemed to be hanging at 135bpm. Strange, perhaps the receptor belt needs some cleaning or a new battery. I have to look at this because my heartrate is very important to me. I rode on and passed through l'Ecluse and La Bruyere and on my way to Pietrebais I crossed my friend Roger who was having a long ride as well on his Seven Sola. We briefly exchanged our ideas about the wind and other smalltalk and then we each went our own way again. Through Pietrebais and then into Cocrou, Grez-Doiceau and Archennes. In Nethen I cam across another exclusive car I couldn't leave without taking some pictures. A nice black Ferrari F430 Scuderia.
Only Sint Joris Weert and Vaalbeek were left before I was in Blanden again. This was a very important ride because I also passed the 10000K mark for this year. Congratulations to myself !
Ride Stats : 70.5K and 505/525 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h20mins
Yes, a clear and dry day. An opportunity I couldn't let pass so I set out for a quick nightride. I rode out with my 20W Halogen Lumicycle light but when things got dark I wanted to switch on my HID and - shock ! horror ! - it wouldn't come on. I guess the bulb has effectively reached its end now. I tried both leads but it doesn't fire up anymore. The flickering of the HID bulb I experienced during the last couple of nightrides was an indication and after 6 years I guess it has had its time. I still have to receive my HID replacement bulb but Lumicycle has only just started shipping their LedSystem3 lights - of which I also ordered a specimen - and I guess they don't want to send 2 packages. Anyway, I let them know my need has just become a little more urgent. The 20W halogen is nothing compared to the bright 10W HID light. It's bright enough to see where you are going but it doesn't inspire much confidence when going fast and I certainly wouldn't use it offroad. Of course, for the offroad nightrides I have my Lupine Tesla 4 system, another lesson in how bright a LED light can be.
Ride Stats : 34K and 300/355 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h34mins
Another dreary day , not much sense in biking in the polluted air so another spin on the rollers. I started reading a new book - Edgar Allan Poe's Complete Oeuvre - and listened to some heavy metal on my MP3 player. While outside it was misty, wet and drizzly I was enjoying a good read, some great music and letting my legs spinning on a very nice recovery rhythm.
Strange how hearing a certain song can make your thoughts spin back to certain moments in time. When I heard 'Holy Diver' by Dio on my MP3 I had to think back to the time when I still was a deepsea diver. At that time - must have been around 1996 - I had a friend and diving buddy whose name was Remi. He was a paratrooper soldier stationed in Heverlee and we did a lot of dives together. He was a bit reckless and I was mostly diving on the safe side. At that time I usually dived with the gentle people from "De Zeekat" , a diving club of Herentals. I had some friends there and Remi used to know one of the girls rather intimately. Due to me being an experienced diver I was very welcome to help the club out with the forming of new divers. Even though officially I was not a member of that club I was with them during most of the weekends in the diving season. They used to dive in the lesser crowded areas of the Oosterschelde, in Zeeland, and we had some really fabulous dives during that period of my career. I cannot remember exactly when I first met Remi, but we got to know each other and it kinda clicked. Frequenting the same crowd certainly helped. We did some brave dives together. I had all the trouble in the world making him stay attached and close to me during our dives in the Oosterschelde. This was an obligation, both divers are attached with a piece of rope - a buddyline - to avoid losing each other during the dive. With the reduced visibility and sometimes heavy underwater current, getting lost was not a thing to be joked about. Divers dive in pairs because that way, when there is something that goes wrong, you buddy can help you out. Remi had the uncanny habit of clicking out of the buddy line, adding some adrenaline to an already adventurous sport. But I managed to keep him in view and we never had any trouble. The reason I thought of Remi when hering that Dio song today was that before we went into the water - we had to change and get into our diving suit and kit up on the parking lots next to the inland sea - he played this particular song very loudly on his car stereo. It got him into the right mood. And most certainly it is a great song. I wonder what has happened with Remi. Is he still diving? Is he even alive ? Being in the Army, and the Paratroopers division, he will have been sent to some of the foreign missions. Sometimes I would like to catch up with some of the people from back then. It almost seemed a lifetime ago, strange and distant memories but with some very tangible moments that are written in my soul for ever.
Two days of gloomy murky weather, today even light drizzle and as a whole very unhealthy. There is a lot of fine dust in the mist - smog its called - so after a days' rest yesterday I decided to stay indoors today and do a quiet ride on the rollers. I was able to finish the book Sven Nys wrote about his career so far. Very interesting read , he is a real example for all and I'm glad he got the 'Sportman of the Year' award this year. My cold seems to be almost gone and I'm looking forward for the warmer weather they predicted this weekend. Lets hope it doesn't mean rain because I would like to do a long offroad ride on saturday or sunday.
With temps of 1 degree C it was not feasable to do a 4 to 5 hour ride so I decided to leave the Grez Doiceau O2 Bikers roadbook for another day and do a ride a bit closer to home. My friend Roger agreed to accompany me for a Meerdael perimeter ride. I had put my November 9th effort on my Garmin 705 GPS as a course and so we followed the exact same trail I rode back then. The forest was wet and cold but there was not that much mud. Except on some of the bigger roads were forestry tractors had made quite a mess. Furthermore, with temps close to freezing the mud was on the stiff side, not fluid. We had a good easy ride , wondering why we were almost alone in the forest. We only crossed one couple taking a walk near the Zoete Waters and saw two roedeer being scared off by a small truck that seemed to be a bit lost in Heverleebos. The 2-hour effort was just the right amount with this kind of conditions leaving me with the feeling that I had done a good workout without feeling overly tired or drawn.
Ride Stats : 33.5K and 335/361 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h03mins
Time for an easy road ride. I started out over Hamme Mille and then down into Pietrebais From there I made my way into Cocrou. Nice little quiet village with some cobbles in the direction of Biez. In Grez Doiceau I wanted to do an extra little climb towards the school in the Rue de la Ste ChĂȘne but I took a right turn one street too early and ended up on a cobble road that soon made way for a real field track. Being too stubborn to turn back I continued through the fields on a relatively dry trail towards the Bois de Linsmeau. Here things got a little more muddy and on top of that I needed to negociate a very tricky downhill which was a good exercise in bike handling with my gripless Marathon Supreme tyres. Some deep mud as well next to the field on the Rue de Linsmeau but then I could make my way towards Gottechain and continue on paved roads once again. I stopped for a few pictures on the offroad climb towards Gottechain, looking out towards Grez Doiceau .
Ride Stats : 33K and 315/316 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h39mins
Full moon last night and the open skies made it very enjoyable to look at her. This morning temps were in the -2 degrees area so why not try and do a ride in the forest? Indeed, all the mud had nicely frozen solid so it was fun to ride again. The wind was making it very chilly though. I settled for a ride more or less following the Red Bloso route into Meerdael Forest. Yesterday I changed my v-brake pads, chain and jockey wheels . At last I could brake again and the entire gear changing mechanism also benefitted from the new chain and jockeys. All I need to replace now is the derailleur cables and obviously the SID SL fork.
I deviated from the Red route to take some pics at the Warande ponds and in Bierbeek I checked out a hollow road parallel to the one leading past the starting point. Its a nice alternative track if you want to avoid the tarmac and the cobbles. Near the end of my ride the temps were around 0 degrees and the forest floor began to become more muddy again. But still my bike was as good as clean when I arrived home.
Ride Stats : 26.5K and 275/292 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h34mins
The weather is drying out nicely but I'm sticking to my inside roller rides just a little longer. Even though my averages go up and I feel quite ready to ride out, I'm still waiting for a replacement bulb for my Lumicycle HID and a new Lumicycle LEDSYSTEM3 light. They should be shipping by the end of this week, possibly to arrive next week. This saturday there is a nightride organised by Filip Sport. A chance to put my Lupine Tesla to the test. A good two-hour forest ride by the full moon. I want to go.
Another easy ride to let my body fight the nose cold. Things are looking better than yesterday so I stayed on a full hour. Outside snow, sleet and rain were not making me very sorry to be inside on my bike. Hope that this wet weather leaves us and would love to see some frost and dry days instead. Nearly finished my VDB book and got the chance to listen to the first CD of the new Arch Enemy double CD record "Tyrants of the Rising Sun". Here is the official trailer for you.
A nose cold is starting to push through these last few days so today I decided to take a break from biking outside and do an easy half hour rollers ride. Nothing fancy, just going through the motions.
This morning the sun was out so it was impossible to stay inside. I didn't feel like a road ride so I got my Litespeed out again and set out along the Blue and Green BLOSO routes. The tracks were still very wet and before long I was plowing in the mud with a bike that weighed 2Kg more than when I started out. It was chilly in the forest and I was glad I could catch a bit of sunshine when riding towards Korbeek Dyle. The steep climb next to the railroad was too muddy to make , my rearwheel just lost traction in the deep soggy rut. I tried riding on the border but this was too narrow to stay on. So I had to walk a few meters, wouldn't be the last time today. Some people think my bike looks weird with the fenders - it does, I agree - but at least they keep ME clean. Check the pictures to see what liquid mud does to your bike. It looks like chocolate but it doesn't taste like it.
I switched to the Blue bloso near the Zoete Waters and from Heverleebos to the Kouterbos and Meerdaelbos. Here things got even more muddier. The descent into Nethen was downright suicidal. I have never known it to be so slippery and it took a lot of convincing to guide the bike down while keeping the rubber side down. I unclipped a couple of time to help me with my equilibrum. There have been some forestry works in this area and the track was not only wet and muddy, it was also covered with branches making it even more of a challenge. When I arrived at the track leading to the Nethen wall, I could see that the TT of Pecrot had passed here as well. A myriad tyres made the track one big gooey mess. I was glad I had to turn left and start the climb alongside the wall. Here the track is sandy and this made for very good traction. Halfway up the track again became like soap, with horses hooves and other gullies making it impossible to ride without burning a lot of calories. I decided to again walk of couple of meters until I reached the second sandy section where I could again ride. The last few K's went easy and I arrived just in time to catch the start of the Igorre cyclocross.
Ride Stats : 35.5K and 330 heightmeters in 2h07mins
Inspired by the latest roadbook in O2 Bikers I decided to go south and check out some stuff in and around Grez Doiceau. I started out in my usual way, riding towards Hamme Mille and the make my way offroad towards Bossut . From here on I descended into Archennes. I had already seen the markers for tomorrows' Pecrot organised ride and was going to bump into them again further down the path. When I rode out the weather was dry, with partly cloudy skies. There was even a hint of the sun peeping through the clouds. But the tracks were wet and dirty. Good thing I mounted my new ToPeak Defender because I was going to need it today. There were puddles everywhere and the ground was heavy going and mushy. I wanted to check out a particular climb in Longuevill so from Archennes I made my way towards Doiceau. Here I climbed into the Bois des Gottes and passed the Bercuit Golf Circuits. From there I made my way down a very slippery path where my WTB Weirwolfs met their match and I kissed the floor - lightly. When I was overlooking the Rue de Bayarmont it started to rain. I took out my GSM to make a pic and waited until the rain stopped.
Before long the rainbow was nearing me and yes, another shower came down to add to the wetness. I decided to call it a day and rode back towards the Grand Royal and further towards Les Claines and Meerdael Forest. A nice ride but a tough one as well. Especially the slippery and wet tracks demanded a lot of attention and concentration.
Ride Stats : 45.5K and 540/548 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h43mins Ride Map:
Busy day today. Didn't start too well when I got flashed with my car at a junction in Herent. at 6am in the morning. I'm not sure what the speed limit is, normally it is 70kph - I was driving around 75kph - but there are constructions going on, so they might have adjusted the speed and the flash gun. I must have a look tomorrow morning. Worse case scenario is that the new speed limit is 30kph in which case I might loose my drivers licence. Stupid me. At work thing were hectic too and I needed to drop my Moots at Filip Sport to get its new Durin SL fork fitted. So I had to take the freeway from Mechelen to Brussels and a bit of the Brussels ringlane. Traffic was acceptably busy but I made it in time. Then I got on the rollers because I had to go to work again this evening. So no elaborate ride - it was still wet outside anyway - but a nice quiet recovery ride. I got confirmation from Lumicycle that my HID lights' behaviour is due to it reaching its End Of Life. This is presumed to be between 500 and 1000 hours and I'm guessing I'm closer to 1000 than 500. So I ordered a replacement bulb (90Â thank you) and one of their new LedSystem3 lights to serve as a backup and assistance light. With 850 lumens I'm guessing it might pale the HID (which is around 600 lumens) I made sure I ordered the spot version of the Led3 because the beam is narrower for onroad use. Using the offroad version is illegal because of its broad light spread (13 degrees vs 9 degrees for the spot) and I have troubles enough with the law as it is.
Today the forecast was for a wet start, possibly some below zero temps and during the day things would dry out. And yes, so it went. I was home around 4.45 pm and on my bike at 5pm. Just in time to take advantage of the last light to start my GPS and get going. I have a new chain and cassette on my bike which got broken in quite nicely since I chose a more hilly version of the 30K Heverlee Bloso tour. Looping through St Agatha Rode, up and down and up again towards Ottenburg, down into Terlanen, up over the Smeysberg and then making my way back to Sint Joris Weert for an ultimate loop over Nethen and Hamme Mille. The temps were near freezing but I felt quite cozy and very happy to be out there. My Lumicycle HID light has been giving my frowns since it seems to be flickering during the ride. Normally its a steady blue-white but I've noticed it flickers and then goes into the yellow spectrum for a while. Its amazing that it has been going for 6 years now and I do suspect that it is nearing its end. I am pondering ordering a new lighthead to replace this one should it fail. It also seems to have lost some of its intensity but judging to the reactions of some car drives Its still bright enough. I am thinking about returning to the Vosges next year. Possibly a combination of a shortbike and an extended stay in a chalet. I'm still looking at it but I had a great time there 2 years back and I wouldn't mind returning for some more trail exploration. I also have finalized my stay in the Ol Fosse d'Outh during the Houffalize World Cup at the end of next April. I will be arriving on thursday and leave on Sunday, giving me an extra day to go out biking and / or explore the World Cup trails.
Ride Stats : 40K and 325/322 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h50mins
Yesterday I went to Dr.Fontaine in Hamme Mille to have my annual checkup . This is necessary if you want to obtain a licence for competition. Next to the usual questionnaire and heart checkup I also asked for a bike test. Dr.Fontaine has all the necessary ingredients except for the VO2 max and blood acid measurements. The test consists of pedalling at 60rpm and every minute 30Wats resistance is added to get your heartrate and blood acidity up. He only let me go to 146bpm and this meant I had to stop when doing 270Watts. Nevertheless I felt good and the results also showed a healthy heart and an aerobic treshold of 110bpm. This is consistent with what I experience when riding, my recovery rides always circle around that heartrate. My anearobic treshold must be luring between 145 and 150bpm, but this was not reached. Today the forecast was for colder weather with possible rain and snow showers in the evening. So I decided to play it safe and stay indoors. I started with 45 minutes of recovery pace on the rollers and then did a couple of 'steigerungen' for one-minute intervals with 4 minutes of cooldown between them. I had a good and refreshing workout and managed to read some more in Frank Viediebie's book.
Just an easy ride on the rollers today, bringing my total for this week to 250K, not bad for a week in November. I read a couple of chapters in Frank Van den Brouckes book and I begin to realize what this guy has been through these last couple of years. The dope, the personal troubles, the press and the police that wanted his skin and made mountains out of molehills to sell papers and get funding for more. It is amazing how he still manages to get a hold of himself, thanks to a very few people who refused to let him slide into his self-inflicted oblivion. The latest news is that he will be back next year in a new team - Cinelli Cycling - with his old pal Keuns - or Nico Mattan as he is more commonly known. Surely a next chapter in the book of life for VDB.
..well not really but I've noticed that I have been biking over 120792K since I started recording my distances some 10 years ago. That is 3 times around the world and that surely must count for something.
Today the weather continued to be dry and cold-ish with temps of 4 degrees C. Ideally suited for a long ride and I set out to do the Ludo Dierckxsens trajectory. From Bierbeek this follows a nice loop over La Bruyere , Happeau, Sart Risbart and Chaumont Gistoux towards Dion le Val. From here it loops back over Grez Doiceau and Archennes towards Eerken, Sint Agatha Rode and Sint Joris Weert. Here I leave the LD loop which continues all the way towards Herselt (or something). The loop isn't too difficult with only a few steep hills in Chaumont and also one when leaving Bonlez. My legs felt tired from yesterday evenings ride but I found a good pace which I was able to keep until the end. Along the way I photographed this cute Shetland pony youngster who was too shy to come any closer.
His mom wasn't shy though and we exchanged some warmth when I stroked her head. The sun was out in the beginning of the ride - its rays are still warm enough to be felt when your face is lit - but during the ride it became increasingly cloudy and by the time I reached Chaumont it was gone, leaving me without pleasant light to make photographs. Before I entered Chaumont I saw some snow lying at the side of the road, a remnant from last sundays first snow of this winter.
Ride Stats : 67K and 485/417 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h09mins Ride Map:
