Today saw another warm and dry day, much needed after yesterday evenings' downpour. I anticipated on the weather forecast for this weekend by riding out and trying to get a solid ride in. I started out in Mollendaalbos and gradually made my way towards Bierbeek and into the fields that led me towards Tourinnes La Grosse and further on to Nodebais. From Nodebais I rode towards Gottechain and Cocrou, climbing up to the Grande Sarte where I followed the rode that took me to the edge of Longueville and the Chapelle du Cheneau. Here I decided to ride into the Bois de Glabais for a little technical and climbing section. Down into Morsaint and then following the singletrail upwards to Biez. Down another singletrack and I was in Grez where some festivities were taking place. The sun was dropping down fast and the cloudy skies made for an early dusk so I quickly made my way to Bossut and then past the Ferme du Grand Royal into Les Claines. Following the Naamsesteenweg for a while and the over the bridge towards the Margrietendreef for a last stretch of forest, taking me nicely into Blanden. I had a good ride, a fair amount of heightmeters and the satisfaction of beating the weekend weather.

27-04-2012, 21:29 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

After two more days of april showers and generally cold and windy weather, today saw the arrival of southern wind, higher temperatures and what looks to be a dry spell. Could be just a breather but when I saw the opportunity I rode out with the Hilset into Meerdael Forest for a quick dash along the Blue Bloso route. The trails were wetter than last monday but the strong wind was drying them out fast. The trees were groaning under the galeforce and when I came to the Blue/Red split I decided to follow on the  Red Bloso but since I was pressed for time I did not complete the entire loop. Felt good to be out there again after 2 days of counting raindrops.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 21K and 320 heightmeters (Garmin) in 1h08mins

2884/29665

26-04-2012, 16:01 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

One of those days. The whole day it stayed dry and after work it started to rain lightly. Lightly is not enough to stop me and I rode into Meerdael Forest for an easy recovery ride on the Hilset BBW. The trails were dry when I started out, the few drops that were falling were not enough to change them into slippery tracks so I was lucky to be able to complete my short ride without too much problems. I incorporated a couple of loops in Mollendaal forest before making my way to the other side of the N25 for a perimeter ride along the edge , passing the Kluis and crossing the Weertse Dreef before returning to Blanden along the forest edge again. When I got home I gave the bike a quick cleaning job with bucket and brush, concentrating on getting the chain and driveline clean.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 24.5k and 305 heightmeters (Garmin) in 1h18mins

2863/29345

23-04-2012, 20:39 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Life as a cyclist is harsh these days. We are experiencing normal April weather with showers, wind and general not-too-high temperatures. When I woke up the sun was shining but a couple of minutes later some beautiful cloud formation was releasing some rain, hurried on by a strong western wind.
I decided the forest would be the only sensible option and I left with my Hilset equipped with fenders and myself dressed in a goretex rain jacket. Just to be on the safe side.
The forest trails were moist bit not muddy so the Mollendaal trails suited me fine. I did one of my winter loops, crisscrossing Mollendaal forest . Only in the valleys there were a couple of short muddy sections where the forestry machinery had passed and left deep tracks. But the Hilset flew through them without much effort. I was lucky enough to remain dry for most of my ride, only during the last couple of kilometers there were some drops falling.

The temperatures were around 9 degrees C on average which felt cold with the wind reaching through the forest cover. I did manage to get in a good ride with an average heartrate of only 120bpm which was all I needed for a good recovery ride.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 28K and 340 heightmeters (Garmin) in 1h33mins

2839/29040

21-04-2012, 13:35 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

After a couple of days of April showers and cold and windy weather, today looked a lot better . The weekly KBC MTB club rendez-vous saw around 15 riders at the start. We quickly split up in two groups with me leading the fast group. I felt a little lazy at the start but when I got going the pace picked up. First through Heverleebos and then into the Kouterbos and Meerdael Forest. A climbing session at the Nethen valley was to follow . The forest trails were dry and the rainfall from the last days was barely noticeable. Some steep and varied hills and descents had the gears a-grinding and the guys a-groaning. The heightmeters were accumulating and the harsh ride of the non-suspension Hilset was taking its toll on the descents. Looping back towards Mollendaal forest and the speed was now well and truemy rising when we rode through Blanden and Vaalbeek into Heverleebos ance again. A very good workout after 3 days of supercompensation.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 43K and 495 heightmeters (Garmin) in 2h06mins

2811/28700

19-04-2012, 21:12 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Quite a cold night and when riding out around 9.30am it was still rather cold. There was also a nasty wind blowing so I decided to stay in or close to the forest as much as possible. The logical thing to do is a perimeter ride. Starting out clockwise from Blanden I had the northern wind in my face straightaway. But the forest offered solace as I turned east and south. I had a bit of a fright when my rear wheel started making the typical Mavic noise. When idling the rear hub starts to vibrate. This is my oldest Mavic Crossmax - the original first issue from 1999 and the only one that has survived so far - and I am a bit surprised it took that long for it to start. I hope new bearings will solve the issue but thinking about my crossmax II and III hubs that totalled after having the same problems I'm not too optimistic.
After a while it stopped making the noise so it did not bother me too much. I will have Filip Sport look at it when I go to collect my Obed and Moots YBB front wheel. The Obed is also not quite running. It is more and more proving to be difficult to find bearings for the Race Face taperlock square axis. Filip is doing what he can and I am also looking. Its not only the bearings but also the cups that need to be changed.
Anyway, I finished my ride today and when I got home I washed up and started following the womens' race at the Houffalize XC World Cup on Extreme.com telecast.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 34K and 325 heightmeters (Garmin) in 1h41mins

2768/28205

15-04-2012, 12:23 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Cool but sunny. That was what I woke up to this morning. It had rained quite a bit last evening so I decided for a road ride. The Heverlee road bloso came to mind. A 50K ride with quite some hills in it. The wind was blowing from the north and became quite a nuisance at times. During the ride the sun started to play hide and seek and I was glad I wore a windbreaker because it was not very warm.
Arriving in Terlanen, just before tackling the infamous Moskesstraat, I halted to take a couple of rural pictures. One of the river Lane and another one of an old tractor that looked quite charming in the April sunshine

Moving on at an easy LSD pace and battling against the wind on my way from Leefdaal to Heverlee. Once past the Arenberg castle the wind was - at last - blowing in my back for the last stretch towards Blanden. Nevertheless I had a great ride.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 55K and 565 heightmeters (Garmin) in 2h30mins

2734/27880

14-04-2012, 14:36 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Took a day off from work and it paid off since the weather was a lot better than the last 2 days. No more gales and showers, instead a little bit of sunshine and dry weather. I decided to ride out for the 3 Meerdael Bloso rides.
Starting on the green in Blanden I quickly found out that the trails were rather good. I had expected some mud but it looks like the months' drought had the trails dried out to the point where they can take in a lot of water. The ride went well. I enjoyed the technical bits where this bike demands a lot more skills to steer it through. No suspension, no room for error. In the uphills I take advantage of its light weight but in the downhills care has to be taken not to have the handlebar kicked out of your hands.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 56K and 560 heightmeters (Garmin) in 2h42mins

2679/27315

13-04-2012, 13:56 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

When the promised rain didn't seem to come - a couple of drops in the morning notwithstanding - I decided to take the Hilset out into the Meerdael Forest for a climbing session. There was a bit of drizzle in the air and the wind was blowing from the west. Felt not too cold though.
The trails were semi-wet and when I started the climbing I was amazed at the traction the Hutchinson Python Air offered on the wet surface. With the Schwalbe Rocket Ron and Racing Ralph, tyres that have bigger knobs than the Python, I always have the wheel slipping when on these uphills. Not so with the Python. I had to really pull down the hammer to make them skip, and then only over wet roots. Good points again. In the downhills I was careful because of the lack of real braking power and the fact that I was not confident in the Pythons as being grippy enough on slick trails. I shouldn't have worried. Of course they do not grip like Continentals Mountain King but they offered a certain comfort cushion. Careful traject choice was necessary - I am on a non-suspension bike don't forget - but all went well. Even the steepest downhills were taken - slowly but surely. I can see this tyre mounted on some of my "real" mountain bikes as well. Especially on the rear wheel. In front nothing beats the Mountain King.

When I was finished I was enjoyed with the 500 heightmeters on my Garmin. The ride that had started with light drizzle became wetter near the end when a light rain set in.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 24K and 505 heightmeters (Garmin) in 1h41mins

2624/26755

09-04-2012, 15:57 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

After seeing Tom Boonen win his fourth Paris-Roubaix I decided to make the most of what looks to be the last of the dry days. The weather forecast calls for rain every day next week. I didn't want to put in too much of an effort so I settled for a mixed ride, with a lot of cobbles to get the Paris-Roubaix feeling. If you see the average speed of Boonen - 43.5kph over a distance of 265km - and you put that besides my MAX speed today - also 43.5kph - it is for sure an amazing performance. With this fourth win he comes into the hall of fame , right next to Mr. Paris-Roubaix, Roger De Vlaeminck himself.
Me, I setlled for an easy ride and riding from Bierbeek over de Zwarten Hoek for 2.5K of cobbles, then down into Beauvechain and taking a right towards Tourinnes-La-Grosse where I took a left into Nodebais. Here I rode past the little chapelle Vandevelde and along a field track to reach Grez Doiceau. From Grez I made my way towards Archennes, Pecrot and Nethen.
Riding out of Pecrot I spotted this sign, warning car drivers for the migration of frogs.

08-04-2012, 19:40 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

A little bit of rain fell last night and this morning. The clouds were prominent but every now and then the sun was peeping through fro a short while. The wind was blowing cold from the north. I decided to do an easy ride in the forest and set out on a combination of my secret meerdael loops and the trails I discovered last winter. The forestry works were still going on and a lot of the beautiful narrows trails have been changed into big boulevards of broken wood and deep gullies by the forestry machines. It is a bit ironic to see the 'do not disturb' signs at the start of many a trail that has been ripped open and lies there like a festering wound, waiting for time to heal it back into the beautiful trail it once was.
Another phenomenon is that the forestry leaves a lot of fallen trees where they have fallen over the trails, thus making it impossible to ride them. Having to dismount is very frustrating and breaks the rhythm.

I did however persist and rode the trails anyway. On other places the tracks had been cleaned of fallen debris and trees so on the whole it evens out. I was still feeling yesterdays' ride in my legs so on the whole I was taking it very easy , trying to enjoy the forest and the meandering little trails through it.

I noticed some arrows and upon inspection they belonged to the VLI - Vlaamse Liga Paardensport. So they are organising rides for horses as well nowadays. No problem, as long as they stay on their alloted trails. Nothing but a couple of dozens horses to mess up a good trail and make one wish he was riding on the cobbles of Paris Roubaix instead.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 26K and 365 heightmeters (Garmin) in 1h35mins

2558/25900

07-04-2012, 17:08 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Bank holiday today so I had a day off from work. The front tyre of my Moots YBB suddenly decided to refuse to hold any more air, so that means I either put in an inner tyre or I take it to Filip Sport for a No Tubes refill. I decided to go for the latter option which meant I had to take out the BBW again for what was going to turn unto quite a solid mixed ride.
Starting out at an easy pace following the Haasrode Tour towards Bierbeek, Neervelp, Willebringen, Kumtich, Hoksem and Hoegaarden. When I passed the Goudberg Geosite I decided to ride towards the Ravel 2 and then following the cobbles past St Remy Geest until I reached Jodoigne.
From Jodoigne it wasn't very far from Dongelberg. I crossed the N91 , rode through Incourt and then took a left towards Opprebais. Here I followed a narrow tarmac road that is mainly used to water off the surrounding fields. I have been here before and then this road was a stream with 20cm of water flowing through it. Today, due to the drought that has been going on for almost a month, there was nothing but nice but rough tarmac under my wheels. I resisted the urge to ride into Maleves-Sainte-Marie-Wastinnes, turning to the right towards Chaumont Gistoux instead. The wind, cold and from the north, was blowing into my face now and it was a good thing I dressed for the occasion. Even though it was sunny it was rather cold. Stopping at the church for a bite to eat.

Riding onwards I quickly passed Gistoux and then made my way through the beautiful Train valley into Bonlez and onwards to Grez Doiceau. From Grez I crossed the N25 and climbed towards Bossut. Riding through La Malaise and a bit of offroad taking me to Rue de Pecrot and into Nethen. From here I closed my loop riding past Sint Joris Weert, the Zoete Waters and Vaalbeek. When I reached Blanden the nice weather made me decide to add another loop towards La Chasse and then past the Commonwealth Cemetery back towards Blanden. A nice solid ride at an easy pace.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 85K and 680 heightmeters (Garmin) in 3h47mins

2531/25535

06-04-2012, 15:54 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

This evening saw the first KBC MTB club ride of the new season. There was a good gathering with 10 or more men and 3 women at the start at 6.30pm at the Heverlee Sports Center. The first couple of kilometers were at a leisurely pace and then the decision was made to split the group up in a fast and not-so-fast group. Most men and all of the women chose to ride in the latter group and that left only six of us in the fast group. I took the lead as the guide and we started out on the fast broad trails of Heverlee forest. After a while I made for the Zoete Waters were we crossed over into the Kouterbos and a couple of kilometers later we were in the Meerdael Forest. The pace was fast and the dry roads made for an excellent ride. In the Meerdael forest we sampled some long steady climbs, nothing too steep or difficult. About an hour and 15 minutes into the ride I looped back towards Blanden and through Vaalbeek into Heverleebos. Darkness was falling and the overcast weather wasn't helping. With an average speed of 22 kph overall I was very pleased with the training stimulus this ride offered. Riding in a group is always more challenging than riding alone. With an average temperature of 7 degrees C it wasn't exactly warm.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 40.5K and 310 heightmeters (Garmin) in 1h51mins

2446/24855

05-04-2012, 20:48 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Good news yesterday. After a month and a half in transit between Hampshire, MA and Blanden, Belgium, the Moots Psychlo-X finally cleared customs. I could go and pick it up today. Which I obviously did.
When I arrived home from the Postal office I first wanted to ride out towards Filip Sport. Checking how my wheels and Obed were coming along. Turned out the No Tubes wheels were ready, the 1992 XTR hub received a new Mavic rim and spokes, but the bearings of the race face crankset in the Litespeed Obed were still not in place. No worries, I plan to pick up the wheels tomorrow. I also discussed the upcoming Psychlo-X buildup with Filip. I bounced some ideas off of him and we would have a meeting later this spring to go over the final build.
The weather was great, with 15 degrees C average temperature and almost no wind. I felt good and the ride went well and uneventful.
When I got home I was curious to have a look at the frame. It was exactly as specified. A quick weigh revealed that it was not too heavy for a 54cm frame . It is a cyclocross frame after all. 1675g with incorporated seat collar, disc-prepared adjustable dropout sliders and a thick chain guard from Salsa. A good base to build up a minus 8 kilogram bike.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 50.5K and 425 heightmeters (Garmin) in 2h09mins

2406/24545

03-04-2012, 20:21 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

After seeing Tom Boonen clinch his 3rd Ronde Van Vlaanderen victory I was motivated to ride out in the late afternoon. The sun was still out and during the first part of this mixed ride that took me through Mollenfaalbos to Mollendaal, Beauvechain, Sclimpre towards Melin I had the win nicely in my back on the mix of cobbles and dusty field roads. Turning to Lathuy and then arriving in Dongelberg where I switched onto tarmac for a trip to Jodoigne. Here I had some difficulty finding my way towards Saint-Marie-Geest. 2 roads were blocked but the third one proved to be a good one. Offroad again and before long I was in Sainte-Marie-Geest and on the Ravel 2 which took me into Hoegaarden.
From here I began noticing the wind as I turned towards the north. Riding through Oorbeek and Kumtich and then turning to the northwest until I reached Willebringen and Neervelp. From there another stretch in northern direction brought me into Bremt where I turned west for a last stretch to Bierbeek , Haasrode and into Blanden. Good ride .

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 60K and 500 heightmeters (Garmin) in 2h37mins

2355/24120

01-04-2012, 20:41 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Grey and relatively cold weather but at least it was dry. Added a layer of clothing and rode out on the Hilset BBW for a perimeter ride around Meerdael Forest. Starting out towards Haasrode and Bremberg and then making my way towards Valduc and Nethen. Upon crossing the Naamsesteenweg and just before the hilly section in Nethen I came upon my friend Johan and Roger, who were also doing a ride in and around Meerdael Forest. The wind was keeping us all into or near the shelter of the trees. We exchanged some information and went our seperate ways. I continued and before long I was in Nethen and riding into Sint Joris Weert. Nearing the Zoete Waters where I stopped for a moment to take some pictures of the re-erected giant toadstool in one of the ponds.

Into Heverlee bos now and I continued to Oud-Heverlee and Heverlee, where I crossed the Naamsesteenweg for a loop past the War Cemetery and into Blanden. Crossing the Naamsesteenweg again and then finishing off my ride along the Prosperdreef and into Blanden. Just another little loop before calling it a day. The ride went fine, sursprisingle hilly despite my efforts to remain on the bigger roads I was lured from time to time into taking one of the many smaller tracks.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 41K and 505 heightmeters (Garmin) in 2h13mins

2295/23620

31-03-2012, 14:54 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

The weather took a turn yesterday and today and when I took the BBW out late in the afternoon the temperature was just 10 degrees C. Contrast that with the 19 degrees C from wednesday and add a fresh northwesterly wind and cloud cover and you realize fast that we are only late March.
I decided to try the Mollendaal parcours I devised last winter. The trails were dry and fast but also bonehard on the Hilset with no suspension except for the inherent qualities of its titanium frame and what little comfort Hutchinson Python Air tyres inflated to 2.5 bars have to offer.
But the steering was crisp and my form was good enough to keep the pace high notwithstanding the lack of comfort. The efficiency was also influenced by the lack of traction on the climbs. But at least the loud clinging sound was gone. Yesterday I tightened the Mavic Crossmax wheels' bearings.

The ride went well and when I came out of the forest near the end I was glad I did not have the wind in my face. The forecast calls for a little rain tomorrow and the colder  - normal - temperatures will remain for the next couple of days.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 27K and 325 heightmeters (Garmin) in 1h20min

2254/23115

30-03-2012, 19:46 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

The dry warm weather keeps on going so as soon as I got home from work I was on my bike and aout and about riding again to Sint Agatha Rode and the entry into the Overijse trails. The Green and Blue were my tracks of choice today and soon I was in Terlanen grinding the gears on the Moskesstraat. The bike was still making a lot of noise and I began to suspect it coming from my 1999 Mavic Crossmax rear wheel. I was to be proven right when I grabbed the wheel and moved it from left to right. Bingo, the same kind of sounds and some play on the bearings. Once you know where a noise is originating from it doesn't seem to bother anymore. I made good speed and enjoyed the dry trails, the sunny warm evening and the bike that was zooming along under me, from time to time making a lot of noise. When I came into Terlanen I stopped to tale some pictures of the big Bilande farm. Now privately owned.

28-03-2012, 20:22 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Another beautiful sunny day and when I got home from work I decided to ride out on the Hilset BBW. I rode through Meerdael forest towards SInt Agatha Rode where I picked in on the Red Overijse Bloso. This is the toughest of the 3 Bloso routes and incorporates a fair bit of climbs. Before long I was grinding though the gears on one of the steep uphills. The bike is making some cling and clang noises that seem to be originating from the bottom bracket area. Still, when I stop pedalling it keeps making the same noises. I have checked all the usual screws but to no avail. Anyway, on with the ride. I found out today that the Hutchinson Python also has some disadvantages. During hard braking in the downhills it tends not to offer a lot of stopping power. This may be due to the lack of big knobs. On one particular downhill, the steppy one at the end of the Losweg out of Ottenburg, I really had to take care because the lack of suspension doesn't give one a lot of margin for error.
But before long I was grinding up the hill again, accompanied by the now familiar noises of my bike. Before dropping down into Florival I took some time to eat a Cliff bar , enjoying the sun in my face.

Another couple of hills and I was back at the point where I had injected myself on the Bloso track. From Sint Agatha Rode towards Sint Joris Weert.
Here I had an unfortunate accident involving a young girl. I was riding uphill towards the Kluis when the girl suddenly emerged from behind a car that was slowly riding downhill. I had no time to avoid her, not even time to reach for my brakes. My bike was stopped by my front wheel shafing against the inner legs. She bit back the pain and ran towards the car. The woman driver must have been either her mother or the mother of a friend. I stopped and looked at the woman but there was nothing much I could do. Fortunately I was riding uphill so my speed must have been no more than 10-12kph but still I pity the poor girl.
Riding on towards The Kluis and then along the Paddenpoel on the Denteneerpad. I stopped to look at some weird looking trees and took some pictures.

Riding on towards the Weertse Dreef and for a last loop with a strong uphill section where I really put down the power. Legs felt strong today despite this being the fourth ride in a row. Good workout with some good power sections uphill.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 36.5K and 475 heightmeters (Garmin) in 1h43mins

2177/22220

27-03-2012, 20:12 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

A well-aimed day off at work . Another sunny day promised and I was out around 11 AM for a long recovery ride on the Hilset Big Bad Wolf. My aim was to ride towards Eghezee and I chose to do so riding first along the N25 through Hamme Mille and then taking a left on the N91 and further along another left onto the N240 towards Jodoigne. Here I injected myself on the Ravel 2 and followed that towards Eghezee. The wind was blowing noticeably from my left and I imagined I would be bothered by it on the way back. I was to be proven right. In Eghezee I took a right turn onto the N91. In Noville-sur-Mehaigne I took another right to join the Ravel 2 again. A little bit further I rode towards the Ottomont burial mount and stopped to take a couple of pictures.

Further on to the N91 again and then in Geest-Gerompont-Petit-Rosieres I took a left onto the Ravel coming from Perwez. With the wind in my face I rode to catch up with the Ravel 2 again and returned towards Jodoigne. The wind was blowing from my right front end and was bothersome. Even though most of the road was downhill it felt like I was going slightly uphill all the time. In Jodoigne I circled towards the Grand Place to check out the twisted church and capture it with my Galaxy S2.

I decided to check if the castle gates in Dongelberg would be open but once again I was disappointed and had to settle from a snapshot from outside the domain. 3 white dogs were barking as I positioned myself to have a good vintage point for a picture.

Riding back towards the N240 over Lathuy I again tasted the full dryness of the northeasterly wind. I was glad to be able to take a left turn on the N240 but the last stretch over the fields of Beauvechain airport were also difficult and partly against the wind. Once in Hamme Mille I was saved by the presence of Meerdael Forest and could complete my ride relatively calmly.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 82K and 535 heightmeters (Garmin) in 3h31mins

2141/21745

26-03-2012, 16:10 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf