05-10-2007, 17:03 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

04-10-2007, 16:31 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

02-10-2007, 14:08 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

30-09-2007, 13:46 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

29-09-2007, 15:38 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

28-09-2007, 14:36 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

27-09-2007, 14:27 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

26-09-2007, 12:36 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

25-09-2007, 14:04 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

24-09-2007, 12:57 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

23-09-2007, 15:54 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Fine weather this morning so I decided to ride to Theux and take a shot at the Longest Uphill, linking Theux with the Signal de Botrange which , at 692 metres of altitude, is Belgiums' highest point. I started out at the Chateau de Franchimont, as usual, but decided to follow the Green Adeps Loop first, which took me towards Polleur and then up into the majestic Bois de Staneu. A quick downhill took me to the other side of that forest and there I caught up with the trail leading towards de Golf de Spa and my regular route towards the Signal. I was with the Moots and was a bit curious how the Nokian NBX Lite tyres would perform in the Ardennes, which are of course rocky, wet and with steep climbs and descents. Had no worries whatsoever with my tyres except a flat caused by a thorn just before I reached the Signal de Botrange. I only had to grab the map 2 or 3 times to make sure I was taking the right road (usually when I was on tarmac - I tend to remember the offroad bits quite well) and the extra starter loop made for a longer uphill, and almost a 1000 heightmeters before I reached the Signal de Botrange. The trails were astonishingly dry. When I arrived at the Vecquee, I tried a new path, which took me down again over a very technical and rocky descent - glad they were dry ! - and then back up towards the bridge over the Hoegne. All this to avoid a privately owned area in the middle of the Hautes Fagnes National Park!
  I encountered a group of some twenty teenagers who looked lost and asked me how to get to Hockai. I pointed them into the right direction, adding to their horror that it would take them at least 10k before they would get there. I am mean I know , but that will teach them walking into the Fagnes without a map. It couldn't have been more than 4 or 5K, so they will be happy in the end. I still had some K's to go myself so I got back on my bike and ascended towards the Signal, the tracks remaining dry and smooth-rolling. Near the end I felt my rear tyre losing air but I made it to the viewpoint overlooking the Fagnes towards neighbouring Germany. There were a lot of tourists around and I was joined by a Forester who was also a keen mountainbiker, so we had something to talk about while he watched me change my inner tyre. He uses kevlar patches to protect his inner tyres but I'm thinking that I will go towards NoTubes. I already have specced NoTubes on my newest bike - the yet-to-be-built Merlin Works 4.0. I complained to the Forester about the lack of waste bins along the routes but he countered that the wildlife destroys them when they smell the food thats been left in them. Good point I reckon.
The descent then. I tried a new track, taking me towards the Croix des Fiances and the Vecquee again. A small track with some very interesting technical challenges. I'm not sure if bikes are allowed though, but I did not see any sign indicating they were not. At one point I had to cross a little stream by foot before having to ride over some plank-bridges that spanned some very wet patches of moor. Along the Vecquee then back towards Hockai and the Hoegne. The Hoegne is the red thread that leads throughout the descent, which obviously is one of the Longest to be experienced in Belgium. The bike was getting wet from time to time because the track crossed the Hoegne, either via a concrete ford or just plain through the little river itself. There is no way you can do a ride in the Ardennes without getting your bike wet, even in the midst of Summer. The bike preformed well and by now I began to feel the kilometers stacking up. Even during the downhill there are still a few uphills bits, not far but they hurt. When I arrived in Polleur again I went back up the hill for a nice little finale adding another 110 heightmeters to my Polar counter.

Ride Stats : 71K and 1120 heightmeters in 4h19mins

8311/78800

22-09-2007, 20:06 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

20-09-2007, 20:40 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

19-09-2007, 20:22 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

18-09-2007, 20:32 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Had a great and somewhat epic ride in the province of Brabant Walloon today. I still felt tired from last friday but decided to go out and get a 4 hour offroad ride in. I took the Moots since this is the bike that lets me relax the most while riding it. I started out in Meerdael forest, quickly crossing the language border , more or less following the Meerdael 2000 organised ride trail. Hamme-Mille, Bossut, and then further towards Biez and Longueville. There I could join the Accro Bike trail. I left out the worst bit where the trail is flooded because I did not want to get my bike wet. The trails were great, dry and smooth. I have been using a Nokian NBX Lite 2.2 tyre for the last month and this has proven to be a great performer. The Moots took me up on all the hills, even the impossible ones. I only encountered one stretch of mud when I descended next to the Bercuit Golf Course. I have found an alternative path there, which avoids a forbidden trail right next to the Golf course but the downside is that this new trail is heavily used by horses and it's a real mess in its lower regions where the water gets trapped. Add to that a lot of hooves and you get the picture. Still, I found a little trail through the undergrowth which left me with some thorn scratches but at least kept me out of the worse mud. I more or less did the complete Accro Bike except one loop of 5K or so, as I already explained above. At the finish I dropped back down towards Wavre and crossed the busy N25.

After that I made my way over to Archennes, with a nice climb onto the Bossut plain and then drop towards Nethen where I finished off with a hilly bit of my Meerdael loop. I was very tired but also very elated when I got home.

Ride Stats : 78K and 1060 heightmeters in 4h11mins

8128/76560

16-09-2007, 16:24 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

I would like to end on a sad note, multiple Duathlon World Champion, Belgian Benny Vansteelant , died in hospital this morning.

He was severely injured when during a training ride his bike was hit by a car. He sustained multiple bone fractures and internal injuries to the spleen, the lungs  and the heart. He was operated on successfully, taken out of the ICU yesterday and bound to fully recover when early this morning his condition worsened and he was found dead around 6.45am in his bed in the Roeselare hospital .He shall be severely missed. My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

14-09-2007, 18:25 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

13-09-2007, 19:32 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

 
I have decided to go for the Dt Swiss XR 1540 wheelset, which is light, easy on the maintenance and very well made. I would like to run notubes on this bike and I will probably mount another saddle as well.  I'm not sure yet about the color of the seatpost, I might opt for a black one but am inclined to go for a silver Thomson . I just have to see how both colors present themselves on the bike. Shifting as well as the crankset  will of course be buttersmooth Shimano XTR  and the brakes will be the new Hope Mono Mini Pro's with Shimano XTR rotors. The Rock Shox Reba World Cup seems a logical choice and its white color looks good against the titanium. The rest of the buildup can be viewed on the list above.
ABG already provided me with a Merlin Works race jersey and vest, a nice gesture for sure.

On the biking front : After a few days of rest I will ride out again tomorrow, starting easy on the road.

12-09-2007, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

08-09-2007, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf