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| Tales from the Woods |
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| 22-04-2007 |
 Houffalize - Mountainbike Mekka |
Friday April 20th:
I arrived in Houffalize around 1pm. I had to wait until 5pm to check in at the hotel, so why not do a mountainbike ride in the meantime. Yes, please. Unloaded my bike and started out on Houffa trail number 2. This starts out by taking the road in the direction of La Roche and then steeply disappears to the left on tarmac, later in the forest. The trail shares the first few k's with the number 3 and also the number 1 trails.A quick downhill into the forest, followed by a wet uphill - wet because of a little stream the trickles down along the trail - yiehaa.. Another downhill, this one tricky and dark due to the heavy coverage of the pinetrees.
Some gullies here so watch out, steer carefully and easy but decisive on the brakes. I was on my Litespeed so had to re-adjust to the lesser brakepower of the XTR V-brakes as compared to the strong Hope Mono Mini diskbrakes on my other bike.
Another steep uphill follows after which the trail mellowed out a bit, but rest assured , in Houffa even the mellow trails are tough . I noticed that the signage was IMPECCABLE and it would remain so during the rest of the ride.
After a long drop from the crest of the hill down to the river Ourthe I crossed the la Roche road again only to disappear into the forest again for another 3k climb, another 200 heightmeters. After that the trail loops towards the North of Houffalize.
Trail number two turned out to be around 29K - I had briefly incorporated a bit of the WorldCup circuit in the beginning which accounted for an extra 3K or so - and it was close to 660 heightmeters. Hillfactor 22.5 , yeah, this is Houffalize allright.
After trail number 2, I decided to do the number 3 trail next . This I had also done the last time I was here and I knew it covered 34K and a little more than 700 heightmeters.
The first bits were the same as the number 2 trail but then number 3 veers anticlockwise to the East - as opposed to trail number 2 which loops clockwise to the West and later to the North of Houffalize. It could be my imagination but I noticed that some tarmac bits had been cut short, opting for offroad tracks instead.
That is a good thing, one can not have enough singletrails. The tracks were dusty and dry, but the wind was cold so even though the sun was blazing, it was not really warm. After a little less than 4 hours riding I arrived back at the hotel.
Ride Stats : 64.5K and 1385 heightmeters in 3h47mins
Saturday April 21st:
A good breakfast and at 8.45 am I left the hotel. It was fiendishly cold - just above freezing - in the ourthe valley and I wore every bit of bike clothing I has with me. I had an appointment with "Moster Blond" and a few other gentle bikers from the Brussels BigM group. MB had procured a map from the La Roche trails and we were about to do one of the new trails. She chose the #2 trail and for me it was a hit. It started a bit boring but at least uphill with a long tarmac climb out of La Roche all the way to the Parc de Gibier. From there on the climb continued, taking us in 7k from 237 to 572 heightmeters, with a little downhill drop in between but we just lost 30 heightmeters in that . Gasp, that was 365 heightmeters in one go. Wow, looking GOOD. After that, it obviously went downhill for a while , but mostly on bigger forest trails. Until we came at a very nice fast downhill section, with some rocks, gullies, roots and other selected nasties that had a lot of us riding back up again to do the downhill bit once more. GOOD.
This was just after passing the little village of Samrée. The downhill went on until we had to climb a long stretch upwards again. Now we were really on a typical La Roche trail. All of a sudden the trail went down, megasteep and in such beautiful landscapes that I had to stop to take some pics. We dropped into a nice little ravine with a stream crossing the trail at the bottom. After that was following a steep, long and rather difficult climb. This section of the trail was really fingerlicking GOOD . Pity there was another stretch of tarmac bringing us down towards crossing the La Roche - Houffalize road. Another steep offroad climb followed which we shared with a few hikers and which brought us nicely back on the plateau again, another good bit for me. The view from the plateau towards Maboge was fantastic. The trail had one very steep downhill up its sleeve, which dropped us back onto the big road from Houffalize to La Roche. From there another 2K saw us back into La Roche. In all, the trail incorporated some very nice uphills, with at least three great downhill sections. I must say I did not like the tarmac sections but perhaps there are no other options. If you know the area, I guess you can do that middle bit a few times in a row. At the end of trail # 2 we had 27.5K and 702 heightmeters but you must substract about 2 K and some 50 heightmeters because of the climb we did twice. But, 25.5K and 650 heightmeters still nets a Hill Factor of 25.5 .
Back at the town I said my goodbyes to the rest of the group and biked back to Houffalize. Just before entering Houffalize I saw a nice singletrail ondulating parallel to the tarmac road, which I got on and followed for 2.5 k or so. When I exited that little trail I saw the markings from Houffa trail #6 which obviously uses that singletrack. Another change to the old trails .
I had a good days biking with some great trail company (you know who you are - thanks boys and girls )
In the late afternoon I got an SMS from "Miss Piggy" , she was at the Expo area and it looked like a good idea to join her and stroll along the many stands with her and her little boy. I met up with a lot of people on the way - who are now probably wondering where I got the instant family from - and the pleasant temperatures made me really enjoy the walk, relaxing before race-day .
Meeting up with Jurgen Vanden Driessche from http://www.xcluziv.net/ gave me a chance to talk about my favorite topic, titanium bikes. Until the women got bored with all that tech stuff and we had to move along that is..
I also met Fons Moors from www.fonsmtb.be and Thierry from O2 Bikers.
Thanks Julie for coming over and accompanying me . I had a grand couple of hours.
Ride Stats : 84K and 1320 heightmeters in 4h47mins
Some pics from the Houffa and La Roche trails here (CLICK)
Sunday April 22nd:
Today I concentrated on following the Womens' Elite race, something I have been doing for 12 years now in Houffalize. Today was no exception and I went out on the track to get some pictures from these athletes I admire so much.
My Houffalize 2007 Womens' Elite Picture gallery (CLICK)
After the Womens' race I met up with "Moster Blond" and some of the BigM gang again and we had a fine time following the Mens' race. Some spectacular biking to be seen at the new downhill section at "Le Arsenal" along the La Roche road.
The beautiful weather made this a very rewarding weekend and I really had a grand time, riding my bike, checking out the Expo area with Julie , taking the pictures from the Womens' race and following the Mens' races with my friends .
I want to thank all of them for being there and making this weekend into what it has become.
3444/28030
22-04-2007, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 16-04-2007 |
| Miss Piggy meets the Big Bad Wolf |
With the glorious weather still holding on for at least one more day I decided to try out the Nandrin trails. With not a single drop of rain this month they were sure to be dry, fast and of course tricky. While everyone was returning back to work or school after the Easter holiday it felt a little perverse to take a day off and go out biking.I had asked Julie (aka "Miss Piggy" at a certain mountainbike forum ) if she wanted to accompany me.Julie has promised me to guide me around in her neck of the woods later this year so I thought I would return the favor by showing her some of the trails I like.Nandrin lies just south-east of Huy, and the trails over there are certainly not among the toughest around but the constant climbing - sometimes very steep - and descending sometimes fast, sometimes a little bit more technical - makes it a great training area, with some lovely views of nice countryside. It also incorporates some nice little singletracks and because the trails are relatively unknown, they are at times almost overgrown, especially in the summer season.We met up at the village center and set off around 9.30. The sun was already well out, painting the "High Condroz" landscapes in full technicolor. Picture a mixture of the young green on the trees and in the pastures , the bright yellow fields of Rapeseed (canola) and the browns, grays and whites of the trails that meander through it.I usually interconnect two routes here, the White and the Red. These routes are remnants of some marked trails in the area. There is a map at the start of the routes and there used to be a little shop where you could get an A4 with the trails on them. I have heard the villages library still carries copies of this map.I made a roadbook of these trails some years ago, roadbook which can still be found HERE (click)The White route takes us directly onto a long steady climb passing through a forest. I usually skip this section because of the mud but today there would be no problem riding this trail. A stretch of wet grass follows, we cross a tarmac road and are plunged again into a forest. A little further we get a nice rollercoaster ride - a fast downhill followed by a steep uphill section. And so it continues for the first 15K, up and down, with some nice landscapes to feast our eyes on. After that the trail mellows out a bit as we stay more or less on the plateau. Around 20K into the ride we join the Red route and things get more interesting again. Little overgrown trails alongside fields bring us into the forest again and the track undulates once again up and down, up and down.We have a little break just before we attack what I consider to be the best part of these routes.A great loop that starts out with a beautiful singletrack alongside a little river soon followed by a wider track with some nasty stones protruding from it- takes us gradually down in the direction of the Meuse valley. At our right we see a high rocky outcrop we would meet again, but not without some effort.A stretch of unavoidable tarmac (Ive checked all sideroads are either private or cul-de-sac) brings us deeper down into a lush and green valley . Suddenly a sharp turn to the right onto a forest road and after crossing the stream we are at the bottom of a long and steep uphill. About 1.6 K and it brings us some 100 meters higher. Nice, rocky and steep. I have seen a lot of people walk here but Julie is a strong climber and the pace she sets is just right for me. After that we come onto a bigger track which still goes upwards but not as steep. Right turn, some forest tracks which soon becomes a singletrack that drops down towards the rocky outcrop we saw before. Here we stop to take some pictures and admire the view.Another singletrack follows which brings us back within some 150 meters from the entrance of this fine loop. Anyone up for a second round? Not today so we continue along the red trail. The trail works its way over two more hills, dropping down along a small track and working its way upwards again on an even narrower track between two fields. Room enough but you have to concentrate on the trail and forget about the barbed wire that keeps the cattle into the fields and us away from them. We come into a small village and surely enough, after a downhill stretch there is another climb waiting, this time in a hollow road into a forest.We have been keeping quite a good pace throughout the ride. Julie is a strong rider and her pace suits me very well. The tracks were dry, the occasional puddle notwithstanding. Still our attention was needed, as usual in the descents, but also there were gullies that lay in wait under the high grass or some roots or timber which demanded us to keep alert at all times.So I think Miss Piggy and this Big Bad Wolf had a good day out together. Our speeds were very well matched, both on the uphill and on the downhill stretches. I am really looking forward to see what nice trails Julie has to offer me in her neck of the woods.
16-04-2007, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 14-04-2007 |
| Magical Bluebells |
6.30am.. ouch, there is not much light as I set out with my bike to ride towards 7 Fontaines near Hallerbos where "Moster Blonde" was waiting for me to do a reconnaisance of the Magical Bluebell ride she organises each year. She had lots of other stuff to do today so we planned to meet up really early. It's nice and quiet in Meerdael Forest and the Foret de Soignes as I bike through them, the first rays of the sun piercing in my back. Oh, nature is so beautiful this early in the morning. In the Dyle valley some shrouds of mist are being quickly dissipated by the upcoming sun. Not a lot of time to look around though.. I'm on a tight shedule.8.01am.. made it - just in time. 37.5K on the counters already and the real ride hasn't even started yet. MB is ready to roll and we set off onto the loop . The first couple of K has us following a little trail along the bottom of a field next to a little stream. A big tree that has been lying here for at least a year has us lifting our bikes over it. We continue along a wet - aargh, my bike is getting dirty - upwards trail towards the outskirts of the forest. Pretty steep but very manageable due to the perfect trail conditions once we passed the wet bit. A technical and sandy downhill follows and then its upwards again to join the Hallerbos rim . The sun is out now but the temperature in and around the forest is still nice and cool. Excellent biking conditions. This early there are but a few other people around but this would change later on. Diving into the first of the Hallerbos valleys it becomes pretty obvious that the amazing weather we have been enjoying these past few weeks has brought the bluebells ( scilla nonscripta - blue hyacynt ) out . They are blooming already.. the magic of this moment is breathtaking and I feel so priviliged to be here, with MB. We both enjoy the moment to the fullest , taking some pictures before venturing deeper into the forest. Riding along has us filling our lungs with the pure air and our nostrils with the scent of thousands of flowers. Some of the tracks are off limits because due to the treefelling they are blocked by trees. A passing horseback rider warns us about the forestry keeping a watch out for trespassers but we are not worried about that. It is not our policy to bike on forbidden roads. MB has the maps with her and has already devised some possible detour around the blocked trails. The trail meanders from one valley into another, always up and down, some technical bits, some steep trails and lots of singletrack to interconnect the bigger trails. This is such a fine forest , pity there are no marked biker trails, and lots of the trails are offlimit to bikers. Still, with the remainder of the trails, and a good guide, the loop we followed is pretty awesome as it stands. We netted 430 heightmeters in 23.5k. Back at the 7 Fontaines area we say our goodbyes and I headed back towards the Foret de Soignes.I felt good so I did a little detour around some of the Hoeilaart trails and coming back into Korbeek Dyle I rode along the Green Bloso loop before happily arriving home after a good long ride.
Thanks Moster Blonde for the awesome ride ...
Ride Stats : 105K and 1015heightmeters in 5h11minsSome pictures taken today (CLICK)3218/24355
14-04-2007, 14:51 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 12-04-2007 |
| Speed King |
Marvelous weather - one can hardly believe its only Easter, it feels as if Summer vacation is here. No excuses, get out on yer bike dude. So I did and I went for a quick dash around the Blue and Green Meerdael routes, in reverse direction. The forest was vibrant with people ; hikers, bikers, horses, children and even some couples who were feeling giddy. Spring is definately in the air.My legs were feeling great and I was able to maintain a good speed throughout the ride, without having to force anything, just a quick easy pace. The trails were bone-dry and even the most stubborn of mudpuddles seemed to have dried out .. great riding and the sun and a warm breeze kept me company , the average temperature being 23 degrees C.I had that great Deep Purple song - Speed King - in my head, and it was very appropriate. I also saw that today marks the 46th anniversary of Yuri Gagarins flight with the Vostok 1 into Earth orbit. I checked some stuff out and found this big monument in his honor, entirely made of out of Russian titanium.. thats a lot of bikes.."I'm a speed king you go to hear me sing""I'm a speed king see me fly.."Ride Stats : 35.5k and 280 heightmeters in 1h34mins3113/23340
12-04-2007, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 11-04-2007 |
| Floating |
Had a great feeling on my bike today. The last two big rides, coupled to sufficient rest have left my body in a supercompensation state, and the ride today, albeit a short one, felt like floating on a cloud. Legs felt fine and heartrate was low throughout the ride. I have been making all kinds of plans for the weekend, trying to make the most of the spell of excellent weather we are having.
Having taken next monday off of work, I plan to do another Ardennes ride, or go to my beloved Nandrin routes. For Sunday there is Paris-Roubaix, a race I love to watch, having participated twice in the mountainbike race over there some years ago.
For saturday, I hope to go out to the Hallerbos with a friend. With the current weather we might just be in time to see the Bluebells bloom.
Ride Stats : 26K and 170 heightmeters in 1h00
3077/23060
11-04-2007, 19:57 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 09-04-2007 |
| Smooth Operator in Theux |
Wow,
great weather conditions today, a perfect day to do a first ride in the
Ardennes. I had made an appointment with a good friend to meet at the
Franchimont Castle and do a combination of the Green and the Blue
Theux routes. It was her first 'big' ride of the year, so we would have to
see how she felt and add or subtract loops accordingly.
We
were not alone at the parking lot, quite a few mountainbikers were
preparing to enjoy the fine weather and possibly have a great ride.
Having
a map soon proved to be of gold value around these trails, because -
although most of the markings are up - at some crucial points markings
were missing , even at the Green and Blue loops which I noted as
'perfectly marked' last year . I noticed that at some points new
markers were added but at other points markers were sadly missing;
some lying on the ground, run over by traffic or simply disappeared
into thin air.
Bottom Line : bring a map!
The first loop, the Green
one, basically is one big climb into the majestic "Bois de Staneu" ,
followed by a nice and fast descent before looping back to Theux. I
love these long uphills and at this point the downhill was certainly up
to par with the uphill, meandering down , with some gullies here and
there, generally forcing the rider to be very attentive, be easy but
decisive on the brakes , choose the right trajectory and basically
enjoy the ride.
At the bottom of the big descent we picked up on the Blue route and immediately started on our second big uphill of the day. We
were taking it easy , since we had a long way to go. Finding a good
pace from the beginning of the climb and sticking to it was the order
of the day. Again
this climb was followed by a long downhill over a gravelly road with
some lazy switchbacks near the end dropping towards the 'Route de
Spa'. I noticed some arrow markings, left over from the Olne-Spa-Olne
ride a few weeks ago. We would see them again throughout the ride.
After
crossing the Route de Spa we came to a more technical uphill which was
thoroughly enjoyed , the landscapes were more open at the end of this
tricky uphill and we would be riding next to fields now. This as
opposed to the first 20K or so which were mainly in the forest, not
considering the first 5K which went through the fields as well.
The road was gradually working its way up towards the 400 meter mark as we decided to take the Red
loop towards the Ninglinspo area. Here we stayed on the plateau for a
while with broader roads but also a nice passage through the fagnes,
which felt a bit like riding over cobbles.
Onto the Blue
loop once again we came , with an interesting passage after another steep
uphill and mighty yummie rocky bouldery downhill which would have been
even more of a handful had it been wet. I have never seen the Theux
trails so dry as they were today , they were perfect and inviting .
At one point we came to a passage were a storm had keeled over a lot of large pine trees, and we had to go around or climb over at least
10 big trees. One biker who joined us at this stage managed to make us
burst out in laughter when he first swiftly climbed/jumped over two
trees, and then just pushed himself and his bike under
a third one. Smooth operator, he certainly was !! It occured to me how
interesting it would be to see a flock of time-pressed chrono riders
take these natural obstacles..
Some more interesting bits were to follow, but now they were few and further apart. This is were the Blue differs from the Red
for sure. The Red route doesn't "mellow out" near the end , it just
keeps on getting tougher and tougher. I don't think this is altogether
a good thing, since mistakes are more easily made near the end of the
ride, and when this 'end of the ride' is as tough as the Red routes'...
well, you take it from there.
As
it was, we still had an interesting loop going round the Chateau de
l'Ourlaine, with a mean downhill with rocks which was very ride-able
today in these dry conditions, followed by a steep uphill section which
brought us back upon tarmac.
The
last 12K I would like to call 'boring', mainly on tarmac roads gently
meandering though the valleys. But the views were at times
breathtaking. With the sun hiding from time to time behind the clouds,
the hills were alternatively brightly lit or in the shade. There were
lots of flowers along the route which along with the fresh green leaves
were not thick enough to hide the underlying outline of the forest floor. I think this time of the
year - and certainly in conditions like today - is, together with the
fall, perhaps the best season to ride these trails.
The last uphill towards the castle was at least another offroad bit which put a nice icing on the cake for me.
Ride Stats : 50K and 1075 heightmeters in 3h44mins
Ride Profile (CLICK)
3051/22890
09-04-2007, 20:53 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 07-04-2007 |
| Tour de Flandres |
Rise and shine at 5.30 after a very good nights' sleep , eat something - bike and biking stuff were already in the boot from last evening - so I was out at 6am and on my way to Ninove. The sky was slightly veiled but still the waning moon kept me company during that precious moment before dawn.
Arrived at Ninove at 7am, the crowds were already pulling in. The Police made a good effort to lead us to a parking space in the local Industrial Area. Very well done and only a few hundred meters from the big road so getting out later would be no problem. But, first I have to ride this "Tour de Flandres" thingie. Set up the bike and myself and at 7.22 I was on my way towards the start and from there onwards. The plan was to do the 140K ride. There was also a 75K ride on offer which skips all the hills save the last 2 or 3 ones.
The first 30k or so is a connection between Ninove and the real "Tour de Flandres" parcours, which we enter just before the first 'real' hill of the day, the "Molenberg" .. Ok, here we go again.. let the mountains come to me (or something along those lines.)
I took it fairly easy, as I usually do this soon into a ride and just before entering Kluisbergen, having stocked up on some Isostar at Oudenaarde, I strayed from the 140K route to ride onto the 260K route because for one reason or another the 140K "misses out" on two hills, the "Kluisberg" and the "Cote de Trieu" , also known as the "Knokteberg" . This part of the race is in the province of Henegauwen, so not really on Flandres territory.This excursion into Walloon area means an extra 16K loop, hence perhaps the reason why the 140K gives those a miss.
During the ascent of the Knokteberg someone comes riding up next to me, says 'Hi Adri' and introduces himself as Berthold. I knew Berthold only 'virtually' until today . He posts a lot of interesting stuff about Ardennes rides at the 4Bikers.be forum. It is a pleasant surprise to meet him here and now, because next Monday I plan to ride in his favorite playground, the Theux area. We were to stay more or less together during the entire remainder of the Tour. More or less because I soon discover he is a very strong climber and I have to let him go on every climb. He has the courtesy to wait for me at the top and we ride the connection towards the next climb together, talking about lots of stuff. I really felt happy having him around, so thanks Berthold for the company and for waiting for this old man after every climb.
In all, I believe there were 18 marked climbs, the only one I couldn't ride - because of the masses - was the famous "Muur" of Geraardsbergen. By then the 75K had joined the other distances and the crowds were really overwhelming and sadly not everyone can climb these hills. Some were at the end of their forces . Sadly but I don't really mind putting a foot down because someone blocks the road. Not unlike some others who were yelling all kinds of nasty things because they could not pass. Darn a-holes , why don't they enter the race tomorrow if they are THAT good !
In all, the weather was just right, a bit frisky at the start but during the first 4-5 hours the sun was warming things up nicely. The last 2 hours or so there were some more clouds - some really menacing with rain as well - but not a single drop of rain fell.
The Tour is a bit different from earlier years, and I think it is a bit tougher too. Arriving at Meerbeke and crossing the finish line felt really good, like it should. This is no mean feat .
This is surely my longest ride ever on a mountainbike - my 158K ride in Bouillon in 2000 had that honor up till now - and I was feeling pretty tired but very happy with the accomplishment.
Oh, the perineal patch from Reskin I tried out proved to be working very well, no skin abrasions at all. Very interesting, I might have to stock up on those , they seem to work wonders on longer rides.Now the only thing thats left today is relax, get some food into me and go to bed early.
I'll watch the Pro's tomorrow fly up the hills we struggled on, and hoping the race brings all the excitement of earlier years.Ride Stats : 163K and 1635 heightmeters in 6h53mins
Ride Profile (CLICK)
Flandrien.Be pic of me on the 'Muur' (CLICK)3001/21815
07-04-2007, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 06-04-2007 |
| Check |
Last little ride today to check my bike. All seems to be in good working order, front brake was not adjusted properly but I could fix that during the ride. Legs are good, bike is good, weather looks to be good, so not much else to do but wait and go out there tomorrow and ride the ride.
Put all my biking clothes in the machine as well, to make sure all is clean and fresh. Will try some bi-elastic bike-patch for the perineal area tomorrow, something new Reskin brought out. Sitting on a saddle for 6 hours you need all the help you can get.
Ride Stats : 24K and 160 heightmeters in 1h02mins
2839/20180
06-04-2007, 12:08 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 05-04-2007 |
| Relax and Choose |
Wow, 3 full days without biking.. I thought I was gonna go mad. But it has been worth it. I feel relaxed and pretty well recovered. Today I did a ride to check out another wheel combination on the Hilset to see whether it would be suitable for the Tour de Flandres. But the Crossmax SL did not quite give me a good feeling and the XTR cassette on it was just a tad out of line , making the gear changes not as crisp as I want them to be. Furthermore I am still feeling some pain in my wrists so I am now convinced I will take the Litespeed , in exactly the same configuration as I did the last time.This bike weighs 1.5 kilos more than the Hilset (10.5 against 9 kilos) but the suspension in front makes the ride a lot more pleasant , especially on the cobbles. Had a very relaxing ride today, averaging 24.5 kph without really having to push on the pedals, another sign that the form is great. Just clean the bike this evening, check it out during a short ride tomorrow and then I should be ready for saturday.Ride Stats : 40.5K and 240 heightmeters in 1h40mins2815/20020
05-04-2007, 18:20 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 01-04-2007 |
| Overijse in Reverse |
Did not feel like getting up this morning. Yesterdays ride left me tired and even though I recuperate fast I still felt the toll of this heavy week. So I stayed in bed till 10.30.
Having gotten up at last I decided to take out the Litespeed once again and do the Overijse '3 valley route' in the reverse direction. This route is some 34K and 490 heightmeters with some nasty uphills and descents. It is very well frequented since I crossed more than 20 bikers today. Doing the route against the flow of course gives you a nice opportunity to guage the amount of bikers on it, and Overijse is very popular. Of course it lying very close to Brussels and offering some very nice challenges and beautiful landscapes to boot, makes it a hit with the Brussels crowd.
Not too many difficulties for me, I can ride this route at 60% without any trouble, the one or two really steep uphills I took purely on routine. The wind was blowing fiercely again which did not bother me too much since the route zigzags all the time, never having the wind from one direction for too long.
This has been a very tough week bikewise . I totalled 357K and 3645 heightmeters , most of them offroad. There were some days I thought I had pushed the envelope too hard, went too deep, but the human body is an amazing thing. Yes, I am tired and I need to take it slowly the next couple of days, in order to be well rested when next saturday comes along, with the 140K Tour de Flandres.
I have been lucky so far to not have any major pains , illness or injuries. The only thing that keeps bothering me is the saddle soreness. I cannot remember the last time I rode without any form of saddle soreness and that is alerting.
Ideally I should stay off of my bike for a few days , better still a week to let "things" heal. But not biking is something I normally only do when injuried or ill.
Ride Stats : 54K and 605 heightmeters in 2h49mins
2774/19780
01-04-2007, 19:13 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 31-03-2007 |
| Century |
My first century this year. I did not know when I started how long I would be out for, but my plan was to do another attempt at following the 'C' tour and see how that went. So I did, and between the Smeysberg and just past Wavre it was pretty hilly..40K out and I already had 450 heightmeters, nice. One hill in particular, just behind the Walibi park had me struggling , it started rather easy and gently sloping upwards on a narrow tarmac road but then came a 200 degree turn to the left and the road was going upwards like a wall in front of me. I had to dig deep to ride it. It went on for about 250 very steep metres before the slope lessened . That is a hill I must do more often when I am around. I later learned that it is a 20% slope. That is why I like to follow these marked trails, you often discover some hidden pearls. I had passed here so many times before, not knowing about this hill.
I was in Wavre now - Limal to be exact - and the arrows pointed towards Perwez. Just past Chaumont I decided to leave them and loop back over Incourt and Opprebais towards home. The wind was again a major player and when on the high plains around Incourt I was really stuggling. At that time the plan began to form to make it a 100K ride, which would fit in nicely just one week before the Tour de Flandres and mentally I was reviewing possibilities for loops to get me over the century mark. I also had to take the wind into account and decided to make sure the last 10K or so I had the wind in my back, so that I could recuperate a bit before arriving home. So I looped over Longueville, Grez Doiceau, Hamme Mille and Meldert. Behind Meldert I followed the Haasrode tour in reverse - knowing all these tours is really a great bonus - and I also noted some yellow BLOSO markings with one distance of 80K marked . This could be an interesting ride for the future. Behind Meldert the wind was blowing from my right side and when I arrived in Bierbeek it was in my back.. oh the joys of biking with the wind giving you a gentle push cannot be described to the uninitiated but those of you who bike will know exactly how wonderful that feeling can be.
So I passed the 100K mark for the first time this year, and with a very nice amount of heightmeters as the icing on the cake. Tomorrow I won't go to the Ardennes or Namur area, opting for closer-by Bertem instead. The longest distance over there is 70K but I will have to wait how I feel tomorrow .
Ride Stats : 100.5k and 845 heightmeters in 4h11mins2720/19175
31-03-2007, 17:45 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 29-03-2007 |
| Run rabbit run |
Bah, a stressful day at work today, so I was pretty loaded when I arrived home. Legs were recuperated so I set out to do a quick dash around the Meerdael Bloso's. I did them in reverse direction with some extra loops here and there. I felt good and along the ride upped the pace and tried to keep the chain on the big ring during the climbs, training the muscles to endure the pain of the lactic acid onset . The trails were perfect, a bit hard at times but I managed to keep a good pace going, especially on the climbs.
I am thinking about going towards the Ardennes this weekend, hesitant to go either to Saint Gerard in the Province of Namur, or go all the way towards Olne for the Olne-Spa-Olne ride, a 45K technical and very hard ride with lots of climbing and hairy descents. There is also a 70K chrono race but I think my racing days are over. Maybe later in the season I might be tempted but I tend to focus more on enjoyment and admiring the landscapes during a ride instead of racing around like a chicken with no head, no time to look around, only focussing on the clock.
Perhaps Olne will be too much for a first ride after the winter so I could opt for Saint Gerard, which is a bit less technical but still offers a good amount of climbing and a distance of 60K which is more than enough in that region . The weather will decide, if it rains a lot saturday I might just opt to go to nearby Bertem where a 70K ride is offered.
First recuperate from this one, the legs are numb now and I need a long hot bath and a good meal to replenish all the burnt calories (1940Kcal according to my Polar) and get some life back in the old limbs and bones.
Ride Stats : 60K and 520 heightmeters in 2h50mins
2620/18330
29-03-2007, 20:26 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 26-03-2007 |
| Accro Bike 52K reverse |
Ahhh, today was my day. Hot and ready for a long-overdue ride along the Accro Bike trails I hold so dear. I decided to do the long version (52K) and do it in the reverse direction. This makes for a completely different ride, some of the mean descents now become mean climbs - two of them unride-able due to the utter steepness - and what normally is a tough climb now becomes a leisurely descent. Although from experience I know that nothing about these trails is leisurely, they are tricky and tough, with a surprise waiting around every corner. I have been floored many times - one of the descents I have secretly nicknamed the Big Bad Gully because I already went over the bars there twice - by the treacherous trails and today I needed all my technical luggage to keep me safe . The "Big Bad Gully" sure looked mean as ever today, out of respect I dismounted and rounded it on foot. Not a third time, thank you.
Some very muddy patches too but nothing I couldn't handle, 90 percent of the trails were dry or at least dry enough not to leave a mark on the bike or myself.
Some parts were severely eroded with a soft floor , forcing me to walk - I HATE to walk - and some parts were relatively easy, or at least seemed to be . The weather was great except for a nasty wind blowing from the northeast again. This would only bother me during the last 20K or so. I misjudged the amount of liquid I needed because I found my bottle to be dry with some 10K to go. I did stop once to have a nice Powerbar and I needed it, as this ride really dug into my arsenal of strenght, which had already suffered from yesterdays' ride. No wells or fountains in the neighborhood so I had to make do with what little liquids I had, and the wind blowing in my face during the last K's didn't really help. I had to dig deep but I survived .
I tried out a new pair of trousers today , which were supposedly better than the Assos I am used to. And I have to say, they are really great. My bum was very happy throughout the ride and no saddle sores developed, or at least no new ones. So yes, a great pair of trousers. They were manufactured by Xesco and it's their top-of-the line offering, with elastic foam and breathing skin, price is 99 .
Felt really good thoughout the ride, no slipping or sliding around, very good support of back and bottom, nice and tight the way I like it. I will have to order a second one soon.
Ride Stats : 80k and 1090 heightmeters in 4h34mins
2497/17225
26-03-2007, 17:43 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 25-03-2007 |
| Wrong C |
Ok, so today the sun was out. Fierce wind though, which would prove to be my major bother later on during the ride. I had heard that there was a road ride passing not far from my home - follow the C with the arrow on top of it - so I decided to give that a shot. They told me the start was in Gembloux and the ride was 110K with nearly 1400 heightmeters. I did not feel up to doing the whole distance but I decided to pick in at the bottom of the Smeysberg and play it by ear. So it went. I spotted a big C with an arrow so I followed that. The route was pretty hilly and meandering nicely through La Hulpe towards Rixensart and Wavre. I had hoped to see some bikers on the ride but I was all alone. So I began to doubt if I was following the right signs. Still, I knew my way around these parts of Brabant Walloon so I rode on. When the ride looped back towards Maleizen and Ottenburg I began to smell a rat. I must be following the wrong C's !
Ok, no big deal, when I arrived in Sint Agatha Rode I decided to loop back to the Smeysberg and check out the signage again. On top of the hills I saw some bikers and I also saw another type of C plastered on the tarmac. Surely, that must have been the right "C'..
I was not in the mood, nor did I feel strong enough, to add another 100 K to the ride - at that point my counter was on 40K - so I decided to follow the Red Bloso arrows which also pass there and which would yield me another 30-ish K's.
The wind was blowing fiercely from North-eastern regions and during the latter part of the ride it was really bothering me. Sapping strength out of my legs and making me decide to just do the Bloso ride and not add another extra loop to make it a 100K ride.
Also bearing in mind that I took a day off of work tomorrow to try and ride the Accro Bike loop, I hope I made the right decision. Temperatures were in the 10 degrees C region, feeling a bit more when the wind was blowing in my back and definately feeling a bit less when the dry gusts were blowing in my face.
Ride Stats : 75K and 655 heightmeters in 3h15mins
2417/16135
25-03-2007, 16:04 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 23-03-2007 |
| Hoppa Hoppa Reiter |
Another dreary cold day and first I did not want to bike at all. But when I heard that for tomorrow they predict even more wetness I decided to count my chickens and do a short ride on the rollers. Good thing because I could read another couple of chapters in 'Lord Fouls' Bane', the first book of the First Trilogy of the White Gold Wielder saga.Put some Rammstein ( Mutter ) on the MP3 and this helped me to up the tempo during the ride. Hoppa Hoppa Reiter..Ride Stats : 25K in 1h2mins2316/15480
23-03-2007, 20:09 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 22-03-2007 |
| Young green and eldritch dark |
Ok, it remained dry most of the day and although there was still a pretty fierce wind, blowing from Northwestern areas, I went out , happy to feel the air move along me again. Some young green leaves on the trees announce the arrival of spring, the sun didn't shine much but when it did pierce through the menacing dark clouds - I love those menacing clouds that hold the promise of rain but fail to keep it - it gave me a warm feeling on the cheeks. Ride was pretty uneventful and I had plenty of time to order my thoughts on the events of the day.
I had browsed around a bit on my favorite online bookstore to order the latest in the Covenant Chronicles series (Yip, Stephen R.Donaldson is working on a third trilogy after 20 years ,the first book - "The Runes of the Earth" which I ordered - is out and a second book is to come soon, possibly this year ) and found some stuff of Clark Ashton Smith and H.P.Lovecraft, two writers I was quite fond of when I was younger and who still arouse me with their stories of the beyond and the ungraspable eldritch dark . Mystery and horror weaved in a tight web of the unsurmountable Ur-Angst we all have for the formless terror that lies just beyond what our eyes can see. Like a double shadow. Great stuff.
I want to close with one of Clark Ashtons' Poems , which I believe captures the spirit of his writings rather well.
The Winter Moonlight
The silence of the silver night
Lies visibly upon the pines;
In marble
tame the moon declines
Where spectral mountains dream in light.
And pale as with eternal sleep
The enchanted valleys, far and
strange,
Extend for ever without change
Beneath the veiling splendors
deep.
Carven of steel or fretted stone,
One stark and leafless autumn
tree
With shadows made of ebony
Leans on the moon-ward field
alone. Printed from: www.eldritchdark.com/writings/poetry/655
Ride Stats : 33.5K and 215 heightmeters in 1h25mins 2291/15480
22-03-2007, 20:30 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 21-03-2007 |
| No balls |
Another grim day, 4 degrees C and lots of wintery showers made me get on my rollers again, Lord Fouls' Bane as food for my brain and a lot of girls singing in my ear. Lets keep our fingers crossed that tomorrow things will dry out and I can get out for a change.
I had a bit of a sour grape moment when I read today how many of the Co2 pollution is caused by planes and ships.. typical of the government to fine the car drivers and leave the big culprits to pollute as if nothing was wrong . Why? Because it takes balls to take on the ships and planes and make them pollute less. And balls and politics don't mix, or at least not for long.
Things like that make me wanna sit down in a corner and weep , weep out of frustration and helplessness.
Ride Stats : 37K in 1h33mins
2257/16265
21-03-2007, 22:06 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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