Today was the first ride of the KBC MTB club in the new season. There was quite a turnout at the start at the Heverlee Kazerne around 6.30pm. I was to guide the 'faster' group today and soon we were heading with 6 biker guys and 1 biker lady towards the Mollendaal Forest. I chose the same trails I reconnoitered yesterday - with the exception of one loop because the darkness was upon us quicker than anticipated. The group was pretty heterogenous and I could maintain a good pace, ending up with about the same average I had yesterday on my own. The trails were still super even though the wind was still cold and the temperature a measly 5 degrees C on average. We saw 4 roedeer and one buzzard . Near the end of the ride , when I arrived in Blanden, I bid my farewell to the group and left them in capable hands to be guided back to Heverlee.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 33.5K and 400 heightmeters (Garmin) in 1h42mins

3845/10945

04-04-2013, 21:01 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Even though it was still rather cold - 6 degrees C -and there was a mean wind blowing from the East, I could not resist riding out . I started with the Obed and took a succession of parallel trails and paths leading me in a north-south way though most of Mollendaal Forest. The trails were great ; dry and fast and I could maintain a good speed. There were some spots were trees had fallen - or were put - over the trails but I only had to dismount once. I was checking out some of the small tracks near the Mollendaal valley and was pleased to find they were all rideable. I finished early because I had a dental appointment. I am planning to come back to these trails soon though.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 26.5K and 340 heightmeters (Garmin) in 01h22mins

3811/10525

03-04-2013, 18:52 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Even though the sun shone abundantly it was still very cold with a strong wind blowing from the East. I did not want to ride out in those conditions so I settled for the easy ride and stuck to the Tacx Satori. Relaxing after a busy weekend. Low resistance and high revs.

Ride Stats : 48K in 01h06mins

3785/10185

02-04-2013, 20:15 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Fourth day in a row that I was to be cycling outside. Fourth day in a row with sun shining but with an unpleasant and cold north-earsterly wind blowing. I started with the Obed through Meerdael Forest until I reached Valduc. Here I cut to the right towards Les Claines and then rode up to Bossut. Down into Grez and before long I was on the Accro Bike trails. I decide to avoid all dangerous, steep and technical stuff , my intimate knowledge of the terrain allowed me to connect the long climbs and before long I was accumulating the heightmeters. The trails were fine, here and there a bit wet because of the snow that was still melting and the sun that made the frost disappear. Longueville, Gistoux, Wavre, I was glad to be out of the wind into some secluded valley and I gradually became more confident in my bike skills again.

Looping back towards Grez Doiceau I was grinding my teeth on the last long climb towards Bercuit. From Grez I rode back to Bossut and then disappeared into Meerdael Forest again. Out of the wind at last. The last couple of K were a joy with relatively flat terrain and dry forest roads. Alongside the Naamsesteenweg for the last loop into Blanden before I arrived home. Very satisfied with this ride.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 58K and 875 heightmeters (Garmin) in 03h09mins

3737/10185

01-04-2013, 14:37 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today saw another cold start, with the sun peeping through the clouds sparingly. I set out on the Psychlo-X over Vaalbeek and the Zoete Waters towards Sint Joris Weert and Nethen. Following some orange arrows which brought me over Hamme Mille and Tourinnes to Beauvechain. Here I took a left towards La Bruyere. The wind was bothering me and it was a cold wind. Into L'Ecluse and then onwards to Oorbeek along the Waversesteenweg. From Oorbeek things were looking up wind-wise but the climb to Kumtich still had me dig deep. Luckily I was protected from the side by a earthen wall. From Kumtich to Willebringen the wind was more or less in my back and with the sun out I actually felt elated . Over Neervelp and then up to the Bierbeek globe. Down into Bierbeek and alongside Haasrode to the Expressweg which I followed into Blanden.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 51.5K and 430 heightmeters (Garmin) in 02h03mins

As usual these days upon arriving home I got on the Tacx Satori for half an hour of cooling down. Fast revs and low resistance suited my legs fine.

Ride Stats : 22K in 00h31mins

3679/9310

31-03-2013, 14:02 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

This morning I waited a couple of hours more before riding out. Temperatures were above zero by then but there seemed to be more wind than yesterday. And it was blowing from the cold East-North-Eastern corner. I started out along the Weertse Dreef and then rode through Sint Joris Weert and Nethen towards Pecrot. From Pecrot I rode to Archennes and then started the long climb up to Ottenburg. Down into Basse-Wavre - the road was flanked by snow in the left bank - and then another long climb up to the Chaussee De Huy. This big road has a terrible bikepath and ondulates up and down towards the south-east. This meant that the wind was picking on me from the front left side. When I turned towards Maleves I had it full in my face. Through Maleves and Sainte Marie and Wastinnes towards Opprebais. Here I took a right turn, full in the wind again, to reach the N91. I started following this big road towards Pietrebais and ultimately Hamme Mille. The wind was blowing from my right now and I was struggling with it in the exposed areas on the plateau. Dropping into Hamme Mille provided some shelter and following the N25 through Meerdael Forest I also was protected from the wind by the forest. A little loop into Blanden ended this ride. It turned out to be quite a difficult one. My legs did not feel fully recuperated from yesterday and the aftermath of the cold I had last week is still leaving me a bit weaker than I would have liked to be at this stage.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 60K and 600 heightmeters (Garmin) in 02h31mins

Arriving home I added 4mm to my saddle height on the Moots Psychlo-X. The Brooks saddle will give when it becomes broken in, and I already felt like I was sitting a bit too low. Hence the adjustment. Comparing it to my other bikes it looks like it should be OK now.
On to the Hilset next for half an hour of cooldown on the Tacx Satori. The legs felt full but I was able to maintain a good speed and with the resistance on 1 I could keep the revs high.

Ride Stats : 22K in 00h31mins

3605/8880

30-03-2013, 15:05 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Yesterday saw the demise of a brave and joyful companion. Our cat Rambo finally lost the battle against diabetes and old age. He passed on at the age of 19. He was a great cat, always friendly, not a mean bone in his body. He will be sorely missed but it is comforting to think that he is already chasing mice in cat heaven. He weighed more than 6kg in his prime. When he passed away yesterday morning he barely made 3kgs.
Fare thee well, Rambo. You will be in our thoughts forever !

29-03-2013, 12:12 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

This evening I was home late due to a party at work. But I wanted to  do a ride so I got on the Tacx Satori for an hour of sustained effort. The last 10 minutes were done at resistance 2, the rest on resistance one. Legs felt Ok but they needed a little stretching when I go out of the hot tub after the training.

Ride Stats : 46K in 01h01mins

3469/8050

27-03-2013, 21:15 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

26-03-2013, 18:47 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Last week my newly acquired used car - the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX - was at Wax-it.be for a detailing job. They scrubbed, cleaned and protected the paint, cleaned the engine bay, the wheels, revitalized the interior and coated the front glass with a nanocoating that should allow me to ride through the rain without using the wipers. At the end it nearly looked like a new car. Some pictures of the finished car can be seen on their Flickr account.

Riding it to and from Oudenaarde proved to be quite an experience. The cars exhaust note -  a 3" Milltek - is not something that is easily disguised. It emits a low growl at normal paces, swelling to a dangerous level each time you hit the accelerator . Things start happening very fast when that happens, the turbo pressure shoots towards 1.7 bars and the car becomes ballistic. A steady hand and a lot of experience and control is demanded from its driver to keep things on the right side of the law. It's big fun to drive, but you need to be able to remain in control all the time.

I did not ride last week, caught a throat-ache that evolved during the week and also invaded my sinuses. Nothing much but just enough to take away any desire to ride a bike.
By last friday things seemed to be clearing out but I decided to wait until after the weekend .
So today I got on the Tacx Satori to check out my legs and my health. Both turned out to be reasonably good. I could maintain a good speed and did not suffer any short of breath or excessive sweating, things I usually experience after a cold.
I just have to wait now how my body will react and hope to pick up my daily routine of riding a bike. The only thing that can be improved is the weather. This weekend again saw some snow falling and today it was cold and windy.

Ride Stats : 45.5K in 01h01mins

3378/8050

25-03-2013, 19:17 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Time for another ride with the Moots Psychlo-X. Started out early but the wind was already out, blowing hard and cold from the south. I started out riding towards Bierbeek, Meldert and Hoegaarden. Here I got on the Ravel 2 . The wind was now blowing straight into my face, making the ride difficult . The Ravel 2 climbs gradually all the way and I had some difficulty keeping the chain on the big ring. But it is still early in the season so I guess I have to get stronger.
Riding past Jodoigne towards Eghezee the small tarmac road was covered in snow at places, some of it too high to ride through. Around Molenbais-Saint-Pierre I was forced to take a little detour. With a mountainbike I might have tried it, but with this bike and its narrow tyres I did not risk riding through the feet-high piles of snow.

17-03-2013, 14:14 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

This morning saw me driving the Evo IX to Oudenaarde. It has to stay there for a couple of days to undergo a cleaning and detailing job, inside, outside and also the motor compartment will get the once-over. I'm curious to the result. This was my first long ride with this car and it went well. The Milltek exhaust and the shape of the car prevent passsing unnoticed but it all stays within the law. Which is the way it should be of course. The handling and power of this car makes it a toy for experienced drivers. To me the excellent braking and power , coupled with a rail-like handling gives a feeling of safety.

When I got home I decided to ride out. Despite a strong southern wind I opted for a road ride. The offroad being too muddy and wet with the ongoing melting of the snow. Time to get the Moots Psychlo-X out for its first ride. I drove off along the Naamse steenweg , then took the Weertse Dreef towards Sint Joris Weert and took a right turn towards the Zoete Waters. The bike ride sweetly. No surprise, it is brand new and well set-up by Filip Sport. I have to get used to the roadie position but it looks to be the same as my Litespeed Vortex. A little shorter perhaps and I also felt I sat a smidgen too low. But when I measured the pedal-top of saddle distance it was exactly the same as on my Vortex. I will keep it for the time being and get used to the different position as compared to my mountain bike. The 172.5 crank arms may be the cause - I usually prefer 175mm crank arms - or maybe its just that it has been a while since I rode a road bike.
The speed was there, and despite the wind which kept trying to push me over and was a real force to be reckoned with when you turned into it, I kept a good average. The Campagnolo Chorus works perfectly and I felt the CX brakes were pretty good. I heard some horror stories that CX brakes don't brake, they just slow you down. Well, my experience from this first ride is different. They DO brake.

16-03-2013, 16:55 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today saw me in meetings for the entire time at work. Just having 2 coffee breaks and 45 minutes for lunch between intense sessions of brainstorming on strategies and business plans. Truely fried but with a feeling of accomplishment I arrived home and planted myself on the Hilset on the Tacx Satori. I finished an hours worth of fast riding going up to level 4 in resistance. The snow melted further today with temperatures going up to 6 degrees C. Only downside is that the offroad gets drenched with the melting water.

Ride Stats : 44.5K in 01h01mins

3182/7370

15-03-2013, 19:59 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Yet another Tacx Satori ride. This morning saw some new snow flurries but during the day things cleared out and when the sun came through the snow started melting. Not all but it's getting there. Nevertheless the temperatures only reached 3 or 4 degrees C. On the Tacx I pedalled for the best part of an hour. Good workout and I kept the resistance on an easy level 1 to fully aid recuperation.

Ride Stats : 45K in 01h01mins

3135/7370

14-03-2013, 18:56 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

This night saw the passing of the coldest temperatures of this years, reaching -12 degrees C. During the day the March sun managed to lift the temperature over the zero border , all the way up to a full 2 degrees C. The snow was melting but there was still enough to make any ride outside a bit bothersome. So my choice fell again on the Tacx Satori. Working up to resistance 3 throughout the ride I managed to break a good sweat during the hour that I was on the Hilset.

Ride Stats : 44K in 01h01mins

3093/7370

13-03-2013, 18:38 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Last night and this morning through the early afternoon saw the arrival of yet another period of snow and cold temperatures. I stayed home from work and after Teleworking all day I had no other option but to get on the Tacx Satori for an hour of relatively easy cycling. Fast and at low resistance. It looks like the snow will hold until at least the weekend, with temperatures dropping way below zero during the upcoming nights.

Ride Stats : 43K in 01h01mins

3049/7370

12-03-2013, 18:08 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Last week saw temperatures as high as 19 degrees C but when I rode out this morning it was -2 degrees C and there were light snow flurries hurried along on an icy cold northeasterly wind. I decided to stay in the forest as much as possible and went for the 3 Meerdael BLOSO routes. Starting out on the Green, making my way on to the Blue, then tackling the Red , back on the Blue again and finishing my ride on the remainder of the Green. At first the ride was fast, the forest trails were not too wet and seemed a little frozen over. I opted for an alternative route along the E40 and avoided the small, muddy trails as much as possible. Along the Zoete Waters up to the Chapel of Steenbergen and then up the long climb to the Herculesdreef. Into Sint Joris Weert along the Speelbergstraat and straight up to the forest again following the Polderstraat. A couple of extra climbs in the Kluis area and then an alternative route down to the Savenel Wall. Long climb here and when I arrived on the Walendreef things had become a little muddier. Due to forestry works, passing tractors and jeep had left deep ruts and those ruts were filled with mud and water. On to the crossroads with the Red and then following that route past the edge of the forest and down to the Warande Ponds for an extra loop. Crossing the Naamsesteenweg I decided against the long passage in the fields of Valduc and stayed inside the forest perimeter instead. Picking up on the Red trail again at the eastern edge of the forest. Braving the wind that was blowing from the northeast straight into the forest I made my way to the Mollendaal forest, crossing the Sint Joris Weert straat and once again staying inside the forest instead of following the Red trail to Bierbeek. A loop down and up to the Mollendaal cabin and then I decided to follow the Sint Joris Weert straat to the Naamsesteenweg. Crossing over the bridge and following the Naamsesteenweg until I reached the Walendreef. Following past the Prosperdreef that I came to the crossing with the Grez road where I left the Red trail and continued on the Blue once more. My left hand began to lose its feeling in my middle and ringfinger by now and I hurried along into Vaalbeek and on the Green route for a last loop through Heverleebos until I reached the Sapellenbos where I took a right into Blanden. Despite the cold and the wind I had a good, solid ride. The snow flurries became intenser near the end of the ride, making me more cautious on the tarmac and cobble sections . But all went well and I managed to keep the rubber side down.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 55.5K and 615 heightmeters (Garmin) in 02h57mins

Arriving home I changed into less warm gear for a cooldown/Warmup ride on the Tacx Satori. Cooldown for the leg muscles, but warmup for most of the rest of my body. Especially the aforementioned 2 fingers on my left hand were giving me some pain while they recovered from being numbed by the cold. I managed 40 minutes during which time I was able to keep a good pace on low resistance.

Ride Stats : 29.5K in 00h41mins

3006/7370

11-03-2013, 15:23 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

This morning saw some light snow and just-above-zero temperatures. I was not looking forward to riding out in such conditions so I decided to stay indoors and have another workout on the Tacx Satori. Reading and listening to music I upped the resistance to 2 for the latter half of the ride. Legs felt good and I could maintain a good pace.

Ride Stats : 51.5K in 01h11mins

2921/6755

10-03-2013, 13:02 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

This morning had me fix the licence plates on my Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. Should be riding that car very soon. Its very first long trip will take it to Wax-It in Oudenaarde for a thorough detailing job, inside and outside. The car is 6 years old and while it has been maintained rather well it still could do with a good cleaning. Wax-It are professionals and I'm confident that they will restore it to its original shine and luster. Until then it hides in an undergound parking lot.

09-03-2013, 16:20 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

It still was warm today with temperatures just over 15 degrees but when I got home it had already started to rain very lightly. Still needed to recover from yesterdays' ride so my decision to stay inside and train an hour on the Tacx Satori was quickly made.

Ride Stats : 45K in 01h01mins

2824/6755

08-03-2013, 18:57 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf