Yesterday saw a real downpour so I was not eager to go offroad this afternoon. Instead I chose for an easy recovery ride along the roads of Heverlee, Bertem, Leefdaal, Korbeek Dyle and from the Zoete Waters another loop towards Sint Joris Weert, Nethen and Hamme Mille. The legs felt OK and appreciated the day off in intensity. I did manage a good average speed nevertheless. The clouds were overcast and there was a mild breeze blowing from the west. But it stayed dry and with temperatures of around 13 degrees C it wasn't really cold either.
But considering we are May it is time for temperatures of 20 degrees and more. The forecast however does look grim for the remainder of the week and even the weekend does look like rainy and cold.
On another note I started preparing my Litespeed Vortex for the summer. I changed the Continental Attack & Force tyres from the old Campagnolo Neutron wheels to my new Stans 340 / Sapim CX Ray / Chris King R45 ceramic wheels. Putting some pressure in the tyres, as well as the tubes on the Campagnolo Hyperon 2 set, and if the sun comes out I will venture out for some mise-en-jambe on the roadbike soon.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 40K and 320 heightmeters (Garmin) in 1h44mins

3157/32140

03-05-2012, 19:40 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today was supposed to be a resting day but when I saw the sun come out and the temperature rose towards 20 degrees C I could not resist taking the BBW out for a road ride. At least that way the intensity would not be too high. Starting out over Hamme Mille and riding towards Lathuy I reached Dongelberg. No access to the castle grounds so I rode on, taking the N91 towards Eghezee. In Geest-Gerompont-Petit-Rosiere , at the intersection with the Ravel coming from Perwez I took a left turn on that Ravel and a little bit further left again on the Ravel 2.
Downhill now until I reached Jodoigne. Further on to Hoegaarden and then I picked up on the arrows marked KLS. Not knowing wat they were I started following them into Meldert. Here I caught up with a couple on road cycles and the woman told me they were on the Haasrode-Huy-Haasrode organised ride. 155K from Haasrode to Huy, and back. A track I would welcome to have, this looks like a fine challenge for a long road ride. We rode together through Opvelp, Bierbeek and then towards Haasrode were our roads parted. 
Had a good ride, the up-pace at the end was a welcome challenge and my average was not bad, considering I was riding a mountainbike. The weather was fine and the little wind that was blowing did not bother me much.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 67K and 425 heightmeters (Garmin) in 2h46mins

3117/31820

01-05-2012, 16:28 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Warm weather this evening so when I got home from work I took the Hilset BBW and ventured into Mollendaal Forest for a quick dash around my winter trail. Adding a climb I normally would not do but since it looked already well dried-out - mainly due to the hight temperatures of yesterday afternoon and today - I took the risk and it turned out OK. The weather felt heavy and it might turn into a thunderstorm later tonight.
But for now I enjoyed good trails and heavy legs. It looks like I need to rest a day to allow my body to recuperate fully.
I was surprised I still was close to a 20kph average. It didn't feel that quick. Stopped once to take a picture of what looks to be a frowning tree. There are a couple of them to be found high in the forest, close to the Mollendaal rift.

Dropping into said rift and climbing out again I arrived near the Bremberg for a last loop alaong Blanden cemetery and back into the forest.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 28K and 365 heightmeters (Garmin) in 1h29mins

3048/31395

30-04-2012, 20:08 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today saw overcast and grey weather. Rain was forecast and lots of it. But since it looked like it wouldn't rain anytime soon I decided to risk riding out. I set forth towards the Sonian forest . Through the Margijsbos into Loonbeek , and then onwards to the Ganzepoel. Taking a left towards the little chapel on the De Limburg Stirum laan. Right onto an offroad bikepath and then right again towards Eizer. I could see the Sonian Forest looming in the distance now. When I reached its border I noticed a red Bloso marker. Not having a definite plan on where to go I decided to follow the markings. They first brought me along a tricky climb and long descent which was very slippery due to the rain from the last couple of days. Making a big loop I had to climb back up to where I entered the forest a whil back. The red markers sent me along a muddy path following the forests' edge. Arriving on a more solid forest trail I ended at the Tervuursesteenweg and there had to take a right towards Duisburg. Some small singletrails between houses and I was in Duisburg itself. Here I managed to lose the trail and following different arrows on a long downhill towards Vossem I stumbled on the red markings once more.  I had to ride up the hill again and then taking a right along a field road. I arrived at the point where Green markers split off from the Red. Following the Red I lost the markings again. Riding back and forth the Mechelsesteenweg I could not perceive any markings so I just rode along until I reached the Tervuursesteenweg again. Riding back into Duisburg I now saw a marker pointing into a small track which ended at the Pachthof Stroeykens. This must be the end of the trail but there was no official BLOSO starting point to be seen. Probably the route is not finished yet, there is no mention of it on the Bloso website either. I continued following the Red past Pachthof Stroeykens and was taken into the fields. It started raining lightly and when I came to the Raffelberg I decided to call it a day and took a right towards the Langestraat. Riding in over Korbeek Dyle I picked in on the Green Meerdael Bloso and followed that through Oud-Heverlee into the Heverleebos. The temperature was Ok with an average of 12 degrees C. Wearing a light rain and windjacket got me through the light rain without trouble. The only thing bothering me near the end was that the rain made the field roads very slippery, and the Hutchinson Pythons were reaching the edge of their grip.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 50.5K and 530 heightmeters (Garmin) in 2h35mins

3021/31030

29-04-2012, 14:21 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Weather forecast called for 90% chance of rain today. They must have gotten their percentages mixed up because it rained a little bit during the night and in the early morning but then it dried out and temperatures riding over 20 degrees C lured me out for a short recovery ride. I didn't want to burn too much calories - still recovering from last evenings' hilly ride - so I set out into Heverleebos along the Green Bloso, more or less. Coming to Korbeek Dyle I followed the river Dyle into the Doode Beemde. There were some puddles here but I still got the fenders on the Hilset so the watersplash didn't bother me. I followed the path along the old railroad path over the bridges. On both sides I could see the partly flooded forest with the trees being left alone. Rotting if they fall over, other trees growing over them. Quite a view and worth a visit.

28-04-2012, 17:54 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

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