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| Tales from the Woods |
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| 02-12-2011 |
 Shopify |
This morning saw quite some rain and only in the afternoon did it dry out. When I arrived home from work I was eager to ride out and relax my brain. The Hilset has been giving me some thought these last couple of rides. I have difficulty finding a good pace aboard it. Possibly I have been spoiled by riding the magnificent Litespeed Vortex on the road all summer and now it just doesn't feel right to ride a mountain bike on the road. I have been playing with the idea of getting me a cyclocross bike for those mixed winter rides. It would give me the speed of a road bike and the handling of a mountain bike. Sevens' Mudhoney looks like a good candidate but the pricing is pretty steep. In the same league, even a notch above the Seven, is the Moots Psychlo X . Need to give it some more thought and look for the best options as pertains to wheel size, brake type and various other parameters.
Meanwhile, on the Hilset , I completed todays ride in the relaxing pace. The last hour saw me using my Limicycle lights so this officially qualifies as a night ride. The total kilometers and heightmeters are coming along nicely for this year, aided by the still-clement weather so far this winter.
Endomondo track
Ride Stats : 40K and 265/305 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h51mins
12450/109135
02-12-2011, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 30-11-2011 |
| Meldert to Jodoigne |
Took a day off from work today and I was lucky with the weather. This last month has seen nearly no rain at all and very clement temperatures. Today was no exception, it was sunny and there was a light breeze blowing from the south-southwest. Temperatures would exceed 10 degrees C during my ride. Starting past 10AM I took the Hilset out for a spin that would bring me on semi-moist tarmac roads from Bierbeek to Meldert. The old church was standing in a dramatic poise due to the sunlight and with bells chiming and birds flying off provided a nice backdrop for a picture.
It had rained lightly late last evening and when I arrived in Hoegaarden and took the Ravel to Jodoigne, the leaves on the track were still wet. But the sun was wout and pretty soon I was leaving Jodoigne and heading for Melin and Sart-Melin. My legs felt a little saturated but I kept the pace low and enjoyed the sunny day out. Stopping on my way to Nodebais at the little chapel in the fields, I took a picture of it shining in the sun.
From Nodebais I rode to Hamme Mille and Nethen, finishing my ride over Sint Joris Weert, the Zoete Waters and Vaalbeek before reaching Blanden for a last loop along the Naamsesteenweg into Heverlee forest and then down the Banhagestraat into Blanden again.
Endomondo track
Ride Stats : 60K and 430/495 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h51mins
12410/108830
30-11-2011, 14:31 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 27-11-2011 |
| Taalgrens roadbook with shortcuts |
The weather had taken a turn since yesterday, with a strong wind blowing from the southwest and the temperature which was a couple of degrees warmer. I had an appointment with Johan H. to ride the O2 Bikers "Taalgrens" roadbook. I have done this a couple of times and it consists of a starting loop in Meerdael Forest, then moves towards Nethen and Bossut before crossing the N25 and making its way towards Pietrebais. It then moves on past Roux-Miroir , almost into Jodoigne before returning through the fields towards Beuavechain and ending into the Meerdael Forest again.
Since the wind was pretty fierce and the loops into the fields past Pietrebais are not very challenging, I had cut into the loop past Pietrebais, bringing us back north towards the Wahenge farm and from there we picked in on the loop again.
In the process we took some challenging tracks where I was grateful it hadn't rained for almost a month now. Past l'Ecluse the wind was blowing into our faces so I cut a couple of corners and brought us back straight into the sheltering arms of Meerdael Forest. I did a little loop incorporating my nightride parcours before making my way back to the roadbook trail for the last stretch over the Naamsesteenweg and into Vaalbeek. After the last climb up into the Heverleebos we returned passing the Haccourt castle and taking a couple of singletrails back into Vaalbeek. It had been a good ride, with the wind cutting deep into my reserves on the plains. I could feel my legs were still tired from yesterdays' ride and Johan had to wait several times because I chose to ride conservatively, saving my strength and energy. The last part of the ride saw some light drizzle falling from the skies which had been threatening all day.
Endomondo track
Ride Stats : 67K and 620/670 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h39mins
12278/107600
27-11-2011, 14:45 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 26-11-2011 |
| Best of Linden and Holsbeek |
I wanted to do the best of the Lubbeek and Holsbeek BLOSO routes today. I rode them both seperately during the last couple of weeks and it was obvious that the tracks in and around Holsbeek and Linden, on the crest of the Meesberg and Chartreuzeberg and further south were among the best those BLOSO trails have to offer. So I combined the Red Bloso of Lubbeek with the Green and part of the Blue of Holsbeek.
Riding towards Linden to pick up on the Red near the church I quickly was embalmed in climbing and descending the slopes south of the Steenveld. Arriving at the Bed of Napoleon I followed the Blue Holsbeek Bloso down a great descent into Holsbeek. Following the route for a while to connect with the Green and the fun really begins. Crossing the Leuvensebaan a steep climb takes me into the Gertrudisbos.
A big loop in this forest has me shifting constantly from the big over the middle to the small ring in front. Down the Meesberg and back up again on a long climb that starts out over cobbles into a valley and finishes high on the crest of the Chartreuzenberg.
Down again towards the Leming where another great section awaits. A tricky descent takes me back towards the Leuvensebaan but not for long since I take a right again and am already climbing back up the crest. I am on the Blue Holsbeek Bloso now and arrive at the Bed of Napoleon where I follow the rest of the Red Lubbeek Bloso.
This takes me into the Bleekbos for a nice loop down towards Vlierbeek. The sun is out and the myriad leaves on the forest trails glisten. I enjoy the climb back up towards the Kasteeldreef and then its down a long sweeping path into Linden where I end my Bloso loops.
Back towards home I follow the GR path up the Trolieberg. Passing the white-red communications tower I look for - and find - a little path to descend towards the Tiensesteenweg. Riding along small roads I reach the Abdij van Park and descide to return home along the Heverlee kazerne and Heverleebos. But I am forced to make a little detour since there is a mountainbike race taking place on the military grounds and parts of Heverleebos. Making my way to the Kerspelstraat and further on towards the Prosperdreef I conclude a nice ride that has netted me quite some heightmeters and nice passages.
Endomondo
track
Ride Stats : 57.5K and 650/700 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h05mins
12211/106930
26-11-2011, 14:37 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 21-11-2011 |
| Meerdael Perimeter |
This years' november month is turning out to be one of the dryest november months - ever. The pluviometer of the Blanden weather station stands at 9.2mm of rainfall. This translates into dry trails. Except for the morning dew and the mist there is no water to make puddles or mud. Of course this is a blessing for every mountainbiker and today I could not resist grabbing the Obed and ride out. I settled for a Meerdael Forest perimeter ride where I try to follow the forests' edge as close as possible. Halfway through the ride, when I arrived high above Sint Joris Weert I saw the sun setting over the Dyle and Nethen valleys. Stopping long enough to take some pictures and then I rode on towards the Kouterbos.
Heverleebos was the last patch of Meerdael and I completed my lap in complete darkness with whisps of mist rolling in the open spaces between the trees. My Lupine Tesla had been burning for about half an hour when I arrived home with a nice distance under my belt. The cold was seeping in already and I think it will drop below zero tonight. But until the end of the week there is still no rain forecast.
Endomondo track
Ride Stats : 36.5K and 350/405 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h10mins
12107/105910
21-11-2011, 18:42 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 20-11-2011 |
| Margijs and Meerdael |
Today I wanted to do a fun ride with my Litespeed Obed and I had an idea in mind that would bring me towards the Margijsbos for some exploring and climbing. I rode out just past 10AM and the temperature was around 2 degrees C. The sun was out though so I expected it to warm up a bit during the riding. Starting out in the Kouterbos and making my way to Sint Joris Weert where I crossed the Dyle valley to reach the slopes of the ridge between the valleys of the river Dyle and the river Ijse. I could feel my legs were still recovering from yesterdays' ride so I took it easy on the climbs. Upon reaching the top of the ridge I set about doing every possible climb and descent I could reasonably find in the Margijsbos. The small tracks were wet with dew and treacherous during the downhills. They also did not offer much traction on the ascents so I had to take care to find the perfect track. Big fun of course since I love to climb and explore new tracks. Often I had to turn back because a track that looked promising at first ended in the private property or appeared to have been overgrown. But I did find some new trails that connected me to the next uphill or downhill. I also came accross one trail that had been closed before - and the "private property" markings were still there - but where the community had hung a notice saying that walkers and bikers had a right of passage here. In case of complaints or trouble they even mentioned calling the police.
A good development, there have been a lot of bridleways that have been unlawfully privatized in the past, and the community is now reinstating them as valuable passage-ways. Upon reaching the outer edge of Huldenberg, and the edge of the Margijsbos, I decided to ride back towards Sint-Joris-Weert and add another couple of climbs into Meerdael Forest. It turned out that I still had a lot left in my legs because I added quite a bit of heightmeters in my home forest to the already impressive amount I made in the Margijsbos. The sun was out in full november splendour now and the forest was shining bright and colorful. I stopped to take a picture before tackling the long climb along the Savenel estate wall.
In the end I had a great ride, with lots of fun trails and with an moderate pace and average heartrate that was only 115 bpm. So an easy ride despite all the climbing. The average temperature was a mere 6 degrees Celcius but that was more than enough with the right amount of clothing. During this week I passed the 12000K mark for this year, which makes me very happy because that is usually the amount of kilometers I set out as a goal for a years' riding. Having passed the 100000 heightmeter mark a while ago I have reached both of my cycling goals already for this year.
Endomondo track
Ride Stats : 42K and 635/705 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h41mins
12070/105505
20-11-2011, 14:31 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 19-11-2011 |
| Bloso routes Lubbeek |
Cold but sunny this morning so around 10AM I rode out towards Lovenjoel to pick up on the Lubbeek Bloso routes. I was on the Green route which turned out to be the main loop, with the Blue and Red routes adding two extra loops, respectively to the east and the west of the main loop. Before long I came upon the Blue loop which rides all the way to Binkom. Nothing really special here, lots of small tarmac roads with the occasional offroad or semi-offroad track breaking the boredom. I was more concerned with passing cars than with the intricacies of the trail. Entering Binkom the church lies dominantly before you on a hill.
The only challenge of the Blue loop comes towards the end, when you enter the Calvariebos. This means a very steep climb towards the statue of Jesus. Dropping down immediately and before long you have had the Blue Loop and are back on the Green and entering Lubbeek.
In Lubbeek I pass the start of the loops and make a picture of the route map whilst eating a little snack. Another biker is ready to start and says hello.
On the Green loop now which offers some nice tracks, connected by - again - narrow tarmac roads. But a least there is some challenge here as I slowly come closer to the N2. Crossing that means I am near Linden and I now ride on the Red Loop. This turns out to be the more challenging of the three routes as it enters the Steenveld , Bleekbos and Lindenbos for a couple of nice climbs and some backtracks and singletracks. Care has to be taken not to pass the sometimes small trails. They often start between two houses and on a couple of occasions I rode too fare before realizing I had passed the trailhead. But the combination of the trail markings - missing at the crossing of the Kasteeldreef and the Kortrijkstraat - and the GPS track quickly had me on the right track again.
Crossing the N2 for the second time I make my way up through the Gasthuisbos as I near Pellenberg. Nice descent here on a very steep and steppy singletrail. A little danger sign would not go amiss. This descent can take you by surprise . Riding around the hospital I am nearing my insertion point and before long I have completed the 48K loop. I remember that the Red is the more intersting loop, it looks interesting to combine this with the Green loop of the Holsbeek Blosos.
Making my way home I loop around St Camillus and have to take a detour when the Haanhofweg appears to be blocked for all traffic.
But the weather is superb and I don't mind the extra effort and kilometers as I ride through the Industriezone in Haasrode and make my way back to Blanden along the Langestraat and the Wijnbergstraat.
Endomondo track
Ride Stats : 75.5K and 690/775 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h55mins
12028/104800
19-11-2011, 17:01 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 17-11-2011 |
| Nocturnal ride in Mollendaal forest |
Getting home quite late from work I rode out around 4.30PM. This meant I had around 30 minutes to complete a lap of my 8K training circuit in the Mollendaalbos before the light in the sky went out.
I had devised a plan to ride 3 big laps consisting of the 8K lap I usually do , and a 7K lap that cuts off a bit from the 8K lap, not passing through Blanden . It connects to the 8K lap at the end of the Alex Vermaelenstraat , just before the first of the steep climbs
So that makes 3 laps of 15K, give or take a couple of 100 metres. The forest was dryer than it was yesterday and I got a good look at the trails before darkness fell and I had to lighten up my Lupine Tesla. With an average temperature of 8 degrees C it was a lot warmer than yesterday.
There were a lot of noises in the forest, mostly from owls chasing unseen prey. People sometimes ask me if I am not scared to ride in the forest at night. But I don't believe there is anything in there that can hurt me. Sure, there are a lot of noises and with a vivid imagination you can see all kinds of shapes shifting just beyond the beam of light that is projected in front of you.
But the real dangers are elsewhere. I could fall or I could get a flat tyre or a mechanical failure. My light could fail as well. The Lupine is intelligent in that it cuts the intensity of the beam when the battery powers down. I started out on its brightest setting and after it had turned itself down a notch , about one hour and a half after it was lit, I switched it on the lowest setting. This still allows for good speed but I cannot see that far ahead so going downhill fast is a bit of a risk. But by then I have seen all there is to be seen on the trail from previous passages. Branches don't move by themselves and I follow the same line almost automatically.
Still at the end of my last lap I could hear something jam into my rear derailleur. I tried to remove it by back-pedaling but it seemed like it didn't want to move. When I stopped and felt my way around I noticed the derailler was pointing in the wrong direction, backwards instead of forwards. It must have hit a branch or something. I put it back in the right position and was able to complete the ride.
I need to have it looked at though because it looks like the tension on the lower hinge is gone. It passes all the gears and there is no play. It is an XTR after all , it can take some abuse and this particular one has been in service on this bike for more than 10 years.
Anyway, the ride was a pleasant one and I will clean the bike tomorrow before taking it to Filip Sport to have the derailleur checked.
Endomondo track
Ride Stats : 47K and 465/525 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h37mins
11953/104025
17-11-2011, 21:38 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 15-11-2011 |
| Bloso routes Holsbeek |
Had a day off from work today and I was looking to do a long offroad ride to enjoy the dry november weather. The night saw the first freezing temperatures and when I rode out around 11AM the temperature was still a fresh 3 degrees C.
The plan was to connect over the road to the place where the Holsbeek BLOSO routes come closest to the church of Linden. So I rode 15K through Korbeek Lo and Linden and met up with the route near the place they call the "bed of Napoleon". Legend has it Napoleon Bonaparte slept here during one of his outings in our country.
Starting the track on my Garmin Edge 705 and I was off on the Blue track of the Pynnock routes , as they are also called. Nice descent to start with and the route meanders to Kortrijk-Dutsel. Some field roads, some backtracks and the occasional singletrack. Going gently up and down I am now on the Red route and in the neighborhood of Sint-Pieters-Rode. A lot of field roads here and also some tarmac. I see a nice hill to the east but the route does not seem to be concerned with climbing and it turns back to the north.
Missing the Horst castle which is very close - one wonders why they did not pass here, it is a beautiful castle - and now the track arrives in the neighborhood of Nieuwrode. Here, it makes a lot of loops to connect some nice tracks, some uphill, some downhill. This is a very nice and intense section which ends when the track comes on the Sint-Jobs route and turns towards the west.
The sun is at its highest point now and I enjoy its rays whilst I ride to the south of a forest. There are a lot of appletrees here . The route now comes in the neighborhood of Holsbeek and I have long forgotten which color of arrow I am following now. The track I have on my GPS incorporates all the routes and I have seen Red and Blue arrows , then Red again and now I arrive at a section where the Red Rotselaar Bloso route shares the same road as the Blue Holsbeek one. A little further the tracks split up.
I follow my track and I can report that there are no arrows missing. They all seem well-placed and properly maintained. I leave Holsbeek and I am now on the Green track. Things get serious when I arrive in a big forest. The track meanders up and down and keeps on doing so for more than 10K. This is for sure one of the highlights of the Holsbeek BLOSO routes. The steep hills and tricky downhills keep you busy. Meanwhile I am nearing my starting point. The complete track is nearly 56K long and has close to 700 heightmeters. Not to be scoffed at for sure.
I feel my legs are well spent and I am more than satisfied with my ride on these tracks. There are some sections which incorporate long stretches of tarmac and field roads, but they are used to connect to more interesting tracks and hilly sections. Use the tarmac to recuperate, it is well-needed.
Riding back to Linden and following the GR track over the ridge towards Korbeek Lo. Another 10K to go and I am back in Blanden, with a solid ride under my belt.
Endomondo track
Ride Stats : 86K and 965/1075 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 4h41mins
11887/103315
15-11-2011, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 13-11-2011 |
| Ottenburg |
Since I was unable to attend the Ottenburg TT last friday, today I did the next best thing. I got the GPS track of the 50K - the longest distance - and decided to ride it on my own. I noticed the track incorporated a lot of small loops and even some crossings, so I was forewarned that following it on the GPS might not be easy at those points. But lets see what happens. Leaving home around 10AM with a thick layer of fog still around. The Meerdael Forest was shrouded by layers of low cloud. The temperature was around 5 degrees C and it would not rise a lot throughout the ride. So an extra layer of clothing and thicker gloves were worn. I would regret neither of them.
Picking in on the 50K loop at camping La Hetraie in Nethen the track was still very much notice-able from the many bikers that passed here 2 days ago. This was an advantage, it made following the right trail easier and the trail itself was beaten to a pulp by the many wheels. The grass was wet with condensation but overall trail conditions were good. A little bit moist but not wet. The Ottenburg TT is known for its many hills and this version would indeed honor that tradition. Constantly going up and down, incorporating some fine singletrails and in general connecting the areas' finest climbs and descents, I passed the Bois the Beaumont , rode up into La Malaise and then dropped down towards Florival where they had devised a heavenly loop up and down in the Bois de la Hocaille and then along the singletrail overlooking the railroad. Down into Pecrot the trail followed the valley and then crossed the river Dyle before climbing up into the Langerode forest. Here I would encounter the first problem with the GPS track. Arriving at the top of the long climb I saw three possible trails to follow. My GPS remained stumm - or I did not see the track when it was displayed - so I had to choose. I chose wrong, I arrived in the lush green valley after a steep descent and then went up the steppy downhill on the Red Bloso route. No signal from my GPS that I was on the right track so I decided to try one of the purple lines and dropped down the Tomme. Following the track I chose to take a left towards Wavre. When I arrived at the round point I decided this was no use and rode towards the Start in the Bloemenstraat.
Here I re-started my GPS navigation and this this time I was on the right track immediately. Down into a field and then towards Terlanen. Up and down the Sint Agatha Rode bos ridge a couple of times and then taking another Bloso track in the reverse direction. The heightmeters were accumulating nicely and my energy reserves were being drained at the same time. Arriving at the Langeheidestraat for the second time today, after a mean and steep climb, I now followed the track in the good direction, down the steppy downhill and into the lush green valley again. And then up the very steep ascent towards the top of the Langerodebos. HAving a good look at the GPS I saw the little white arrow just in time to take the right one of the 3 purple lines. Down the Tomme again and then into Gastuche for a little trip into Brabant Walloon and the Dyle valley. Some nice backtracks lead me towards Archennes where another nasty climb was awaiting me. Climbing up to La Malaise the track now veered towards Bossut. Down the singletrack towards the Grand Royal and bedore long I was at the hollow road descent we call the Lianenklim. Stones and steps kept me concentrated until I was at the bottom and then looped back up along a parallel track to complete this very fine little loop. I can imagine some flat tyres and possibly people falling off during the descent of the Lianenklim. It is a nasty one but at least today it was dry and without mud.
Another big challenge awaited a couple of K further down the track. A very difficult climb in a hollow road littered with stones and ruts. One foot to the ground was all I had to sacrifice during this very intense and technical climb. Great stuff. Down into Nethen and I was back at the Savenel from where it was only a short stretch to where I had entered the Ottenburg loop.
Riding back home along the Denteneerspad I was very satisfied with my ride today. Pity I missed a little stretch around Wavre but looking at the overall distance and heightmeters I did not miss out on too much. Next time.
Endomondo track
Ride Stats : 65K and 945/1015 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 4h04mins
11801/102240
13-11-2011, 17:19 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 12-11-2011 |
| Recovery |
Today called for an easy recovery ride. After yesterdays' long offroad ride I wanted to ease my legs into recovery. The sun was out from the start of the day and it was already past 10 degrees at 10AM. There was a little breeze blowing from the northeast. Ideally suited for a recovery ride so I got the Hilset out and rode to Heverlee and Arenberg on my way to the Sint Jansberg Steenweg. This would take me from Egenhoven to Neerijse where I took a left turn towards Sint Joris Weert. From Weert I rode to Nethen and Hamme Mille. Crossing the N25 I rode through Tourinnes and Beauvechain.
From Beauvechain I took a left turn again and then followed the long cobbled road into Bierbeek. Passing the Vuilenbos and at the Lindenboom I took a left turn and followed the Geldenaaksebaan until I reached the Expressweg. Left turn again for the last stretch into Blanden. A good ride with low heartrate and in warm circumstances. With an average temperature of 13 degrees C during the ride.
Endomondo track
Ride Stats : 43K and 240/285 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h58mins
11736/101225
12-11-2011, 14:31 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 11-11-2011 |
| Hallerbos Extravaganza 3 |
Connecting 4 forests, that is about what this ride comes down to. I made an appointment with my friend Johan H. to start at 9AM and we left Blanden whilst the weather was still cloudy and temperatures were no higher than 6 degrees C. I wore more than enough insulation and I would certainly not regret this. We rode into Meerdael Forest to ride towards Sint Joris Weert where we left the forest and made our way out of the Nethen valley and over the crest into Neerijse. The valley of the Ijse provided us with our next climb and we made our way towards the Ganspoel and down into Duisburg. Up again to the twin water towers and before long we were into the majestic Sonian Forest.
In Sint Genesius Rode we exited the Sonian and made our way along the Zonienwoudlaan towards the edges of the Hallerbos. At the Sept Fontaines starts a GPS track that would bring us into the Hallerbos and further south towards Braine l'Alleud and then through the Lembeekbos back to the Hallerbos. This is a pretty neat track with some 700 heighmeters for its 36K distance. Always up and down, and sometimes very steep as well. Draining our legs with every climb so we made sure to eat and drink regularly.
Around 1PM the sun came bursting though the low cloud cover and the area brightened up considerably. The wealth of autumn colors now shone in full splendour in the rays of the sun. For the first time today I felt a little warmth instead of the dry southeasterly wind. Arriving back at the Hallerbos for the last stretch of this impressive track we could enjoy a myriad of leaves on the forest floor, hiding sometimes dangerous adversaries, like roots, stones, gullies, mud patches and more of the kind. But we came through without any trouble.
With a little less than 80K on our counters we started on the way back towards the Sonian Forest and beyond. Arriving at the edge I paused to make a picture of the 2 Stooges. They have been moved and have received new heads and limbs. Picture proves it.
I decided to ride back along a slightly different way so we rode to the edge of Tervuren and then through Duisburg and towards Leefdaal. Johan had a flat front tyre and I paused while he fixed it like a pro. A big injection of Co2 into a new inner tyre and we were quickly on our way again for the last stretches towards Heverleebos and ultimately Meerdael Forest.
Arriving in Korbeek Dyle and riding towards Oud-Heverlee the Korbeekdamstraat was painful to the legs. Into Heverleebos and Vaalbeek where we split up. Johan was close to home and I only had a little stretch to ride along the edge of Meerdael Forest before I arrived home myself. A very tough and long but also satisfying ride. With an average temperature of 8 degrees C the forecast 12 degrees were never reached. But it was dry so I did not complain about the weather. On the contrary, we should consider ourselves very lucky to have such conditions in mid-november.
I noticed I crossed the 100.000 heightmeter mark during this ride. Which means I reached one of my goals for biking already this year. The other one being the 12.000km mark.
Endomondo track
Ride Stats : 112K and 1370/1480 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 6h09mins
11693/100940
11-11-2011, 17:22 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 08-11-2011 |
| Mollendaal and Meerdael |
It was a bit misty and overcast when I rode out in the late afternoon. After a days' rest I wanted to do another offroad ride in my home forest. Starting out on the lap I did a couple of days ago, but in the opposite direction , I rode through Mollendaal forest and then decided to ride to the Hercules Salon in Meerdael forest to have a go at my climbing lap. This consists of three climbs and descents in about 4K. When I arrived at the Hercules Salon I saw that Ad Wouters had made another sculpture. Taking a picture before starting on the first of 2 laps of my climbing lap.
The forest floor was dry and hard, and grip was good. The only problems consisted of a multitude of fallen leaves blocking the view on the various roots and ruts. Especially in the downhills this was tricky and necessitated good concentration of the rider. Me .
The climbs went well and I returned to Mollendaal forest along the same path as I came. Another passing along my lap there and I was close to home. The last 10K had me blazing my Lupine because darkness was falling fast. The temperature was a mild 11 degrees C and they forecast 15 to 16 degrees in the next couple of days.
Endomondo track
Ride Stats : 37K and 520/560 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h13mins
11582/99460
08-11-2011, 18:35 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 06-11-2011 |
| Owl Hollow |
Felt tired in the morning so I decided to wait until dusk to ride out. This meant another nightride which I solved by riding laps again into Mollendaalbos. I had very bad GPS reception, my Garmin failed to find any satellite and the Endomondo tracker also took a lot of time to give the GPS OK message. I fear the total amount of heightmeters which my Garmin gave me might be a little on the optimistic side, since I started out at 5m altitude and it picked up 60 metres during the first couple of kilometers into the ride. So 450 to 460 might be more realistic than the 515 it gave me at the end of the ride. The GPS signal remained bad throughout the ride.
The first 2 laps were completed in the quickly fading light. I had expected the tracks would be wetter than last friday, because it rained a bit in the night from friday to saturday, but to my surprise they were actually dried out almost completely. The leaves on the tracks were still making them very treacherous, especially since I slightly modified my loop to incorporate another singletracks which has quite a few roots crossing it. The last 3 laps I had the Lupine Tesla on and the speed remained as fast as the first laps. There was quite a bit of noise in the forest, some owls for starters, and I saw one or two of them flying along at the edge of my lightcone. When darkness fell completely the last walkers had left the trails and I was all alone - with a million creatures lurking just beyond my beacon of light. Or so I imagined. A vivid imagination can run some shivers down your spine in these conditions but at least you do not see what lies in the darkness.
Back to the ride, that went fine, my legs were not in tiptop shape but I left my backback at home which saved me almost 3 kilograms of weight. I figured that since I did not venture further than 3-4K from my home, having a flat would not cost me more than a 30-40 minute walk. I could take one of my Vittoria Pitstop bottles with me on these kind of rides, which might inflate a flat just enough to ride home.
Riding without a backback is indeed allowing me to breather easier and puts less strain on my shoulders and neck. I might consider doing this more often.
Endomondo track
Ride Stats : 42.5K and 395/515 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h14mins
11545/98900
06-11-2011, 19:40 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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