Weather is great these days, dry and pretty warm. So when I found some time this evening I decide to take out the Moots to try out its new Continental Mountain King tyres and join the KBC MTB club on their weekly outing. I have been going through a rough patch with my desktop PC these last few days. The thing doesn't want to work for more than 5 to 10 minutes before crashing with the Blue Screen of Death. I need to process the pictures I made at Houffalize (410 pictures / 4.5Gb) and this is taking me forever now. Furthermore I needed to use an old PC to set up an internet connection to keep in contact with the world. Email and blog, uploading GPS and Polar files , uploading pictures.. try it on a Pentium II with a clock speed of 266Mhz and 64Mb of RAM memory. Its a drag I can tell you. So I'm considering getting me a new PC - a notebook for its portability - but I need to make sure it can handle graphical work and heavy picture processing.
So when I rode out it felt good to free my mind and leave all those modern-man troubles behind for a while.

The KBC guys were plentiful and after an initial ride into Meerdael forest I was asked to guide the ride into the finer parts of the big forest. I asked them if they wanted to do some climbing and they didn't mind. So climb we did. The Moots felt smooth and the tyres gave me enormous grip and security both uphill, in turns and on the downhills. I chose some of the finer sections in the Sint Joris Weert and Nethen side of the forest and the heightmeters accumulated fast. I am sure all had a very good workout. Near the end I guided them back on the road towards the starting point in Heverlee and turned in. Looks like my front tyre is losing air slowly - need to keep an eye on that before going to the Ardennes this weekend. The Mountain Kings are of the Pro-tection kind so I didn't think they would flatten on the first outing. But whatever the cause, the loss of air is slow. Perhaps I will just put in a new inner tyre to be sure. Need to see if the loss of air continues over the next few days.

Ride Stats : 38K and 385 heightmeters in 2h02mins

3257/30195

07-05-2009, 23:34 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today was RACE DAY. Got up early, had a very elaborate breakfast and then went to the Press Office to get the World Cup Elite Men and Women entry lists and also the results from saturdays' races. Met a couple of acquaintances from mountainbike.be and also saw Fons Moors and Christophe Meurice from O2 Bikers in the well-filled Press Centre.
I decided to concentrate my efforts on the big downhill/uphill near the Gare des Pompiers in the Rue de La Roche but first I went to the start area to take some stills of the Women before they got underway fro their 3 lap race.  Actually this means 3 and a half laps because they do a short start loop and then a full 3 laps. This amounts to around 25K of tough Houffa racing . When the women were underway I followed Marga Fullana's trainer to the area I had chosen for my pictures. Seemed like Marga was on a roll because she rode in the lead from start to finish. Catherine Pendrel of Canada took second place and China's Ren Chenqyuan took third. Some good performances also of Italian girl Eva Lechner Lisi Osl of Austria. For Full results please consult the UCI website or www.canadiancycling.com which usually offers very good coverage and picture stories.
As for the Men, we had to wait for a couple of hours between the two races but in the meantime I had a look at the Trials area where Kenny Beleay was participating in a demonstration contest. Amazing the feats these riders accomplish on their bikes.
I moved back up the hill for the start of the Mens' race and saw a great race. The Men had to do 5 full laps and the start lap which should amount to 40K of racing. I saw Julien Absalon take a well-earned victory . Belgians' Roel Paulissen took 10th place but the winner of the day must surely be Filip Meirhaeghe.

He rode his last World Cup race today, on the circuit that brought him glory in 2000 and thanked his fans by pulling some nice wheelies and greeting them as he passed us. Thanks Filip for the fine years you gave us.

04-05-2009, 19:26 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Another sunny morning saw me ride out just before 10am. Even though the sun was out the first entry into the forest still felt chilly. I decided to do route #6, which is relatively new - new enough not to figure on the map I got from Houffa Bike a couple of years ago. The route starts out along de Rue de La Roche, together with red routes numbers 3 and 4, and the blue number 2. After a couple of climbs and descents the number 6 veers to the right to descent towards the river Ourthe. A very nasty descent as well, wet rocks and a lot of mud along the river. I didn't ride it. Then it crosses the river Ourthe by means of a wooden bridge, and follows the road to La Roche for a brief moment before turning into a great singletrail that turns away to the right and is very steep at its start. It follows the tarmac road for a while - high above it - before turning sharply to the right for a long, steep and steady climb up to the plateau. It then redescents towards a river. As it turns out this is the same descent as the number 2 track uses as a climb. So better be careful, there are bikers ahead. After crossing the river and then taking to the right alongside it, the trail unavoidably has to ascent again. Very steep at first, then a technical passage with roots and rocks - only the best will ride here - and then it continues to climb towards the plateau. A steep descent, a little tarmac section and the track is joined by the number 2. Number 6 goes towards the Tier des Nutons where it meets the XC trails. Here I had to be very convincing towards the official before he agreed I could ride the trail for a short while. Just enough to take me towards the start of the 4X where I could descent towards the road. Some 21K and almost 550 heightmeters. Not bad , the number 6 is certainly the best choice for anyone just having time enough to do one route when in Houffalize.

I had time for another trail so I chose the number 2. Its start was well-known to me, since it follows the number 6 I just did, and the number 3 we did yesterday. A long grueling climb in the sun before joining the plateau. It then calmed down a bit, with trails ondulating up an down but not going to deep to create any problems. But , as the trail veers away from the red number 3 and 4, which take towards the east, the number 2 veers to the west and descents along a very nice track down towards the river Ourthe. Then the long climb follows - climb I descended earlier doing the number 6. 100 heightmeters later I decided to take a break and have something to eat. The trail moves towards Taverneux, where there still was some climbing to do, some on narrow tracks between fields, before dropping into Houffalize.

After the race I took out my D2X to check it out whilst taking some pictures from the Juniors Men and Women World Cup. These pictures will be put online later in my Houffalize picture album.

Ride Stats : 50K and 1130/1106 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h30mins

3219/29810

02-05-2009, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today I had an appointment with a friend from Latvia. She rode over to Houffalize from Brussels and we met up at the Ol'Fosse d'Outh on what looked to become a nice sunny day. The plan was to bike for around 3 hours so I started out on route Number 3. This is a quite difficult route with some nice steep climbs and descents. The first couple of climbs are very steep , and the sun was already out in full force as we were straining on the smallest gears to make the climb. This being my first Ardennes ride I was pleased to be here but also cautious because I had to re-learn a couple of old skills, like riding over roc and roots. Also, the descents demand a lot more concentrating and the uphills are 25-minute affairs instead of the quick 5-10 minute uphills I was used to in my own region. After a while the route joins the number 4 route and things even out a little. My friend had become quite a bit stronger in both uphills and downhills since we last met up for a ride and I was pleased to see that she was enjoying the beautiful landscapes our Ardennes have to offer.

After a while we came to the route number 5 and we decided to follow that back to Houffalize , adding 15K to our ride. The number 5 keeps ondulating nicely up and down the valleys and with some singletracks here and there was also demanding of our technical skills. Near the end the constant succesion of hills became to take their toll, the legs were starting to feel it !
The tracks weren't exactly what you would call 'dry' but then no ride in the Ardennes ever is. But on the whole things worked out very well, all mud holes were contourable and except for one spot near the end we could ride everything. When we dropped back into Houffalize we went over to the Press area for me to pick up my press card for the World Cup Event. After the ride we strolled along in Houffalize and enjoyed the nice sunshine even more.

We took a good long look at the 4X track, amazing ourselves with the ease with which these guys take all the jumps. It looks easy, but it certainly is not. She also wanted to look at the Ol' Fosse d'Outhe descent and the one at the Caserne des Pompiers. The new section over the roots near the hotel Ol' Fosse d'Outh will certainly see it share of accidents during the races. From watching the training sessions, only the best riders will be able to ride this section during the race. The rest will have to walk. Thanks to G. for being around, I had a great ride and we spent some quality time together after the ride. Pity she couldn't be here this sunday, it would certainly have been a great experience for her to see the real MTB pros in action.

Ride Stats : 48K and 915/835 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h19mins

3169/28680

01-05-2009, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Riding up to Houffalize this afternoon to stay there for the long Mountainbike World Cup weekend. The weather was dry, not too warm but fine nevertheless. Arriving at the Ol Fosse d'Outh hotel around 4.30 pm I had ample time to check in and go out for a little ride. A quiet 'mise en jambes' as the French would call it. Although quiet and easy is not exactly what one would expect around Houffalize. The World Cup circus had landed and the first training sessions, both for XC and 4X were under way. On the road to La Roche the riders dropping down the 4X track jumped over the tarmac to a finish. I had to walk my bike around the finishing area to be able to continue my road towards La Roche. The long climb into Mormont and to the plateau behind it were taken relaxed, on a low gear to save my legs. On the plateau I turned left towards Nisramont. A downhill took me back to the river Ourthe.

I left the Nisramont barrage for another day and continued on the other border of the Ourthe for the climb back out of its valley. When I reached the little village of Nisramont I had 18K and already a solid 280 heightmeters on my counters. So I turned my bike around and continued along the same way I had come, back towards Houffalize. The 4X had finished and I only encountered some XC riders, taking an easy training session on the road, some alone, some in groups of up to 20 bikers. Back I the hotel I changed my bikes' wheels for the knobby kind, since I am planning an offroad ride tomorrow. I will try to combine 2 of the marked routes.This little report was typed on the Ol'Fosse d'Outh rent-a-pc internet connection. Not sure if I will be able to use it again tomorrow. This evening all is pretty quiet here but I'm guessing it will become more hectic by tomorrow. Signing off.... 

Ride Stats : 37.5K and 475/508 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h45mins

3121/27765

30-04-2009, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

26-04-2009, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Rain forecast for tomorrow so I had to make the best of today. I set out for another ride along the Meerdael BLOSO routes, this time in the right direction and with the Moots YBB. From the onset I noticed that my tire pressure was a bit too much but it took me until 30K into the ride to lower it a bit. The Magura Durin SL was at 60psi but I decided to lower it to 50psi for the next ride because it felt a bit harsh and did not use more than 6cm of it travel, which - with the big bumps I subjected it too, seemed a bit too little. I include some pictures, taken from the same angles as the ones of the Litespeed 2 days ago. The XTR rear derailleur on my Moots is the oldest I have in use. It's a medium cage low normal one from 1999, so its indeed 10 years old. And in case you were wondering its still going like a charm. So is the XTR crankset, which also dates from 1999 when I mounted it on my CAAD4. Its using its 3rd Bottom Bracket now but for the rest its still going strong. The fork obviously is a new one I purchased this year.

The ride took me along the BLOSO routes but I made a detour to check out the Dikke Eik and try to locate the tall tree in its vicinity. I came close and I know now exactly where it stands on the GPS map. One of these days I will walk over and try to take some pictures. For now it eluded me but it offered me an extra - slow - loop in and around the edge of Meerdael forest. Nevertheless the legs felt good and I had a very good ride, except for the tyres which felt harsh but I fixxed that some 25K from the end. I immediately felt the difference, the comfort was a lot better and the bike felt less springy. I think the tyre pressure in the 2.2 Nobby Nic in front and the 2.2 Nokian NBX Lite in the rear must have been around 2 bars, which seems like not a lot in theory but in practice I feel best with tyre pressures around 2 bars. They offer good grip without becoming too vulnerable to snakebites. On smaller tyres I would be more hesitant to drop the pressure that low but on 2.2 inchers 2 bars is fine. I received a pair of Continental Mountain Kings today (the 2.2 Protec versions) which I will try out soon. I have heard a lot of good things about these tyres.

Ride Stats : 57.5K and 545/559 heightmeters in 2h40mins

3053/26935

24-04-2009, 21:13 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today I wanted to ride in the forest and I chose to do the 3 Meerdael BLOSO routes, but in the reverse direction. Starting out with the Red, then the Blue and finish with the Green. I mounted bigger tyres on my Litespeed this time - 2.2 inch Big Jims - and the comfort was a lot better.  I will switch to my summer bikes - the Moots and the Merlin - soon except when the conditions are really muddy. The Fox fork on the Litespeed was a good move. The fork is a lot stiffer than the 2001 SID SL and makes the Litespeed follow exactly the track it is sent in. The lateral stiffness also pays when negotiating tight turns in singletrails. After 5 or 6 years on this bike I am amazed that the Goldtec chainrings are still going strong. I only use the 46 and 26 tooth items - the 36 tooth did not match well with the 12-34 cassette I prefer to use - but still, after all these years, these rings have served me well and have payed themselves back longtime already. The XTR rear derailleur almost packed it in a few days ago when it met a bicycle spoke that somehow managed to wring itself between its cage and the rear wheel. Any lesser derailleur would have been destroyed but the XTR just demanded a little re-adjusting and its good to go for another 9 years.

The forest trails today were mostly dry though and hard and I made good speed. I stopped earlier on to try some stuff with my camera, which resulted in a couple of nearly-standing-still self portraits and some failures as well. 10 seconds is not a lot in which to strike a pose. When I passed on the fields in Hamme Mille I made another picture of the tall tree standing out in the valley where the Dikke Eik stands. I wasn't convinced that this was the Dikke Eik, since I noticed earlier this year that this tree isn't really much higher than the rest of the oaks around it. When I passed the forestry house and I noticed the Forester and his family sitting outside - enjoying the early evening sunshine - I decided to ask him about the tree. Turned out my suspiscion was correct. The tall tree is in fact some kind of poplar tree , that stands 5 to 10 metres higher than the surrounding oaks. This tree is situated some 50 metres from the Dikke Eik. He also mentioned the latin name of the tall tree - I think he called it populus tremula but it might have been another populus alltogether - and told me the Dikke Eik - which is an oak - is guessed to be between 300 and 350 years old and it got struck by lightning at least once in its long life. Below is a picture I took of it today, you can see another picture I took earlier this year HERE

After those words of wisdom I continued my ride. I got a very good average speed without going high in heartrate which usually means my condition is getting to be good. The legs felt good as well even though I did fall - over a molehill hidden in some tall grass whilst almost standing still - but with no ill effects. Near the end of the ride , on the flatter Green trails - I could keep my chain on the big ring most of the time. Here are a couple of pictures taken during the ride.

Ride Stats : 53.5K and 495/501 heightmeters in 2h33mins

2996/26390

22-04-2009, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

When O2 Bikers, the Belgian mountain bike magazine published their roadbook starting in Grez Doiceau, I was eager to try it out. And I did on several occasions, the last time on January the 31st. I liked it from the start, only a couple of sections were really bad when it was wet. But I also understood that with only 36K in length and about 600 heightmeters, it begged me to more manly version of it, especially with my knowledge of the area around Grez-Doiceau and Chaumont Gistoux.
So when MissJuJu asked me to lead a ride in the area I started to work with Garmin Mapsource to elaborate on the basic O2 Bikers loop and add 'a couple' of climbs and other interesting sections. The plan was to ride this loop on Easter Monday but I was not fit on that day so it had to wait. Until today.
This would give me a good opportunity to check out the loop and see if it would stick. Well, it did, It proved to be pretty spicey and I was glad to see Grez Doiceau  again at the end of 3h39mins of relentless tracks and trails. The trails were fine, except for a few areas which were a bit muddy, I especially remember two steep climbs where my skinny Nobby Nics 1.8s had all the trouble in the world to find traction. But they did and I made both climbs. One section is too steep to ride, and I am looking for an alternative but haven't found any consistent one up till now. In the end I had nearly 56K on the loop and a nice 910 heighmeters. If I feel naughty I might add another climb near the end to make it an even 1000 but we'll see how the conditions will be. I took a lot of pictures along the way to convey some of the beauty of the spring landscapes and the trails I was riding on today. Hope you enjoy them.

Ride Stats : 79K and 1090/1090 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 04h34mins

2942/25895

20-04-2009, 18:52 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

After a day of continuous rain this morning saw a drenched landscape wake up under fog and temperatures around 10 degrees C. There was no more rain forecast - at least not for this part of Belgium - so I decided to ride out for a long road ride. I started following some arrows that passed in front of my house and they led me through Meerdael Forest, Sint Joris Weert, Neerijse and Leefdaal towards Vossem. Here they seemed to end. I rode through the Tervuren park, its ponds still under a shroud of mist but the sun was making an effort to pierce through the low-clouds layer. Rode on towards Hoeilaart and from there towards Maleizen. I was on a relatively slow pace but I couldn't resist incorporating some climbs along the way. Especially around Hoeilaart and later when I descended into Genval I was being served with steep tarmac sections. When I reached the Lac de Genval the sun came through the clouds and the temperatures began to rise a couple of degrees. Climbing towards Rixensart and dropping down into Rosieres I rode towards Tombeek and the Wavre industrial parc Noir Epine. Then the track lead me into Ottenburg , Eerken and Pecrot before reaching Nethen and Hamme Mille to complete my ride. The legs felt surprisingly good on the climbs and with the sun coming out it was a nice ride with a surprisingly high amount of heightmeters.

Ride Stats : 77K and 730/746 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h27mins

2863/24805

18-04-2009, 15:54 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Had to wait for a thunderstorm to blow past meerdael forest, only a few drops falling - OK it was more than a few drops but with temps in the low 20 degrees C after it stopped rained things dried out very quickly. First I didn't want to go out, preparing my Crossmax SL wheel to be examined by the wheel doctor - think it will be terminal though - but then I said to myself ; what the heck, get your bum in gear and go out there. Tomorrow rain is forecast and now the trails are still perfect.
So out I went. I rode to where I left my Secret Meerdael Loop yesterday and got on with the remaining third of that 65K/1000 heightmeters extravaganza. Climbing constantly over ridges and dropping down on the other side again this is one tough loop. I found another loop I could add when I rode around the Beaumont hill in Pecrot. Great, another 50 heightmeters . I saw some menacing clouds again but couldn't hear any rumble of distant thunder so I rode on. Near the end of the ride things got serious when it started raining and thunder and lightning caught up with me. I managed to get out of the forest before the real thunderstorm was over it but just like two hours before, it didn't really strike Meerdael forest, just moved around it.  The last kilometer it was raining though so I got a bit wet. Another 400 heightmeters added under my belt with a slightly longer distance than yesterday. Saw some roedeer again, life can be good. I was lucky to have my GPS with me when I was on a new track which turned out to be a cul-de-sac. On my GPS I saw a road parallel to the one I was on, I only needed to cross a little ravine. All went well, even though the forest was filled with fallen trees due to heavy forestry works. One advantage of having a light bike is that is easy to carry around. Keep the rubber side down.

Ride Stats : 25.5K and 395/413 heightmeters in 1h41mins

2787/24075

15-04-2009, 20:57 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

This evening saw a warm and sunny climate so I felt like riding into Meerdael forest and just do some easy riding and climbing along my Secret Meerdael loop. The forest this time of year is at its most accessible. There isn't any foliage in the trees yet so the light that reaches the forest floor is unfiltered, clear and bright, exposing myriads of white flowers and all details of the forest to the watchful eye. The topography of terrain is easily overviewed , no leaves on the various brushes either and I spotted several roedeer during my ride. I did the second third of my loop - the intense climbing part between the Warande and the climb along the Savenel wall. When I reached that wall I heard the distant rumble of thunder and I decided to call it a day. The sun - which shone brightly during the first hour of the ride - had been obscured by clouds for quite a while and the clouds were getting distinctly more dark and menacing. Nevertheless I got a solid 400 heightmeters in without having to strain myself. I just shifted on the granny gear in front and pedalled easy during the multitude of climbs. The downhills were a joy because the trails were perfectly dry and offering good grip both in the corners and during the steep downhill sections. What a beautiful way to enjoy mountainbiking.

Ride Stats : 23.5K and 400/409 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h31mins

2761/23680

14-04-2009, 20:26 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Normally I would have been on Accro Bike trails today but yesterday I had a bit of a sore feeling in my lower back so I thought it best not to risk anything. This morning I felt nothing of the expected soreness so against 11am I decided to ride out anyway. Nothing too easy but also nothing too difficult. So the Overijse Bloso's come to mind. Obviously I wouldn't ride them in the normal direction but decided to ride them in the counterdirection of the arrows. There was a big manifestation in Meerdael involving horses and carriages so the Weertse Dreef was closed for all traffic except cyclists, walkers and horses. Great, that is the way it should remain. This road is used by a lot of people to sneak from Wavre to the Haasrode industry area, and it is not made for that. I would be pleased if they closed it up for all motorised traffic once and for all.

In and around Ottenburg there were a lot of walkers about which made me choose some other trails from time to time. I felt OK but keeping in mind what I felt yesterday I did not seek the extreme challenges today. Nevertheless I ended up all of the steep climbs , both off and on the Overijse trail , and having no trouble at all .
Well , that is not exactly correct because my rear derailleur gave me some trouble. When passing a couple of walkers I had to seek the border of the trail and there I picked up an old and rusty bicycle spoke. This lodged itself solid between the cage of my rear derailleur and my wheel. Causing the chain to jump and as I would notice later, also caused a dent in the wheel and when shifting to the biggest ring on the cassette my chain would jump over the ring and lodge itself between the cassette and the spokes. NOT a good thing. I tried fiddling a bit with the derailleur arm - which must have had a thud - but in the end decided not to use the upper gear, instead changing to the small ring in front more often. Since the rear derailleur also was uneasy on the smaller cassette cogs I added a bit of tension to the cable and that seemed to help. Also shifting up to the biggest cog went without a problem after that. The only thing I needed to do was to loosen my v-brake a bit because of the dent in the rear wheel. I need to get that wheel checked this week.
Other than that the ride was fine. Around noon the sun broke through and the temperatures became a pleasant 17 degrees C. The trails were surprisingly dry around Overijse and only when I returned towards Meerdael Forest did I see some more mud puddles. Obviously still remnants of last fridays' thunderstorm.

Ride Stats : 57K and 780/745 heightmeters in 3h07mins

2738/23280

13-04-2009, 16:06 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Yesterday evening we got a thunderstorm but this morning things looked sunny again. Except for the east where there were still dark clouds gathering. I wanted to do an easy recovery ride so I chose the Haasrode Tour which took me along Haasrode, Willebringen, Hoksem and Oirbeek towards Hoegaarden. Coming back over L'Ecluse and La Bruyere I chose the shortcut over Beauvechain and Hamme Mille. The wind was less fierce than yesterday and from time to time a couple of raindrops fell. But the sun was still there and the temperatures were in the 20 degrees C range. From Hamme Mille I added another loop over Nethen and Sint Joris Weert to get back home along the Zoete Waters. The legs felt tired but I did not force anything. Average heartrate was low.

Ride Stats : 60K and 420/412 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h39mins

2681/22500

11-04-2009, 15:38 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Great weather this morning, the sun was shining and the wind was blowing from south-easterly directions chasing the temperatures into the low 20 degrees C. I wanted to do a long slow ride and decided to start out in the direction of Maleizen and see if I could find my way towards Waterloo. I had been there once before by bike, a couple of years ago whilst doing the Braine Adeps routes. We got caught by a thunderstorm at the end of the ride and my guide chose to ride back towards La Hulpe and Maleizen. The wind was blowing quite fiercely and I was suffering during this first bit of the ride. The traffic between Maleizen and La Hulpe was rather heavy and the road was on the narrow side, not offering the relative safety of a bikepath. I kept following the direction of Waterloo and after a while I saw the Lions' Butte sticking out on the horizon. Getting there proved to be quite an ordeal because I had to cross a couple of big roads. Fortunately there were seperate bikepaths but finding them wasn't always easy. Near the Waterloo museum I took a little rest and some pictures.

In my mind I had a plan to ride towards Halle from here. So I followed the direction of Rode Saint Genèse and later Hal. The busy but straight road to the north was a relief because the wind was now blowing in my back. I couldn't resist riding towards Sept Fontaines and do a little loop into Hallerbos. I figured the bluebells would be in bloom and I wasn't wrong. Indeed they were, and by the looks of it they had already had their prime. Still the smell and looks of the blue flowers growing between the trees brought back happy memories from years past. In the time BigM was still alive we used to ride over here with the group during this time of the year. Now there hasn't been any initiative at all in this direction. Which is a pity because it is a great area to ride in and it offers lots of fun for every category of biker - from the mere beginner to the more advanced. Again I couldn't resist taking a couple of snapshots.

Riding back towards the Sonian Forest I grazed Tervuren to make my way towards Leefdaal. Here I turned into the wind again. This time it hurt even more because I began to feel the exhaustion from the long ride. At the end I had an even 100 kilometers and an amazing 820 heightmeters. I felt tired but happy nevertheless to have made this ride.

Ride Stats : 100K and 820/822 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 4h29mins
Ride Map :


2621/22080

10-04-2009, 18:19 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today we went into Heverleebos with the KBC MTB group. Starting out towards Korbeek Dyle, along some narrow tracks towards the rive Dyle and then into the Doode Beemde. It had rained a bit last night but the Beemde was surprisingly dry. Some nice tracks here getting us into Sint Joris Weert where we face the entry into the big Meerdael forest. This seemed to have suffered a bit more rain since it was muddy here and there. The group was keeping together well and we managed to avoid the worst areas . When we left the forest I decided to cut it short and head home. The others continued back into Heverlee forest and towards the start at the Heverlee caserne.

Ride Stats : 26K and 150/161 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h24mins

2521/21260

09-04-2009, 20:31 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

My neck and lower back felt still stiff from last saturdays' ride but given the fact that the weather forecast for the next days is not a pretty one I decided to go out this evening. The weather was great with nearly 20 degrees C as I rode out on the Moots. What a joy to ride on a bike that has suspension on the two wheels. Even in the offroad I felt blessed to be able to ride such a great bike. Everything on the Moots is so smooth, the XTR shifters work almost telepathically. I only have to think about changing gears and hops - presto, it's done. And then to think that the rear derailleur is 10 years old. It is in fact the XTR that was mounted on my Cannondale in 1999. Just goes to show that good equipment goes a long way. The new Magura Durin SL front fork also turns out to be a very good investment. It is superstiff laterally - in fact I cannot detect any sideways movement at all. This makes the steering hyperexact and the bike just goes where you point it. The YBB rear suspension just gives a smoothing out of the terrain, its as if you are riding with a superbig rear tyre.

 
  

I took off at an easy pace along the Green Meerdael BLOSO route, along Heverleebos and down to Korbeek Dyle. Had some fun on the twisty trails next to the E40. The big puddles are nearly dried up and steering around them , using the off-cambers and other ruts was very easy with this bike. When I arrived back into Heverleebos I couldn't resist doing some extra singetrails  - some of them forbidden but since I only use them once or twice a year and because the forestry had been using them to haul wood out of the forest , leaving far worse scars than my tiny tyres would ever do. No harm done and before long I was back on allowed trails, looping into the Kouterbos and finishing off back into Heverleebos, Vaalbeek and Blanden. I did an extra loop going over the Wijngaerdberg and along the cemetery near Haasrode to finish with a last loop into Meerdael forest. Had a very relaxing ride and yet my average was not bad. But blame that on the bike.

Ride Stats : 29K and 235/238 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h25mins

2495/21110

06-04-2009, 19:35 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Left home at 6am to arrive in Ninove around 7. Long car queue already coming from the E40 but all cars were guided very well towards a parking space . Riding to the start of the 140K Tour de Flandres for amateurs , the sky was clouded and it wasn't more than 10 degrees. Also a chilly wind out of westerly directions would interfere with the ride during the first part. Its a tradition this ride takes place one day before the PRO's ride this heavy and demanding race over Flanders backroads.  An easy warmup session getting from Ninove to Sint Lievens Essen were we would join the official Tour de Flandres circuit. The first real hill would appear about 35K into the ride, Sint Blasius Boekels'  own Molenberg. I took my time to stop and take some pictures on the first couple of hills. The hills in the Tour de Flandres aren't very long, but at times they are very steep and some of them, like the Molenberg , the Oude Kwaremont ,the Paterberg, the Taaienberg, the Koppenberg , the Bosberg and the Geraardsbergen wall, are on cobbles. This makes it not easy to find a good rhythm during the climb. There are also some very long cobble sections on the flat , or faux-plat, like the Lippehovestraat , the dreaded Mater section, long and at times irregular with a lot of thrown water bottles - some together with the bottle holder - demonstrating that some bikes either offer no comfort at all or their riders use very light and brittle material. My Hilset performed well, but the lack of front suspension and the use of carbon in handlebar and front fork made this the harshest ride ever for me in the Tour de Flandres. The back of the bike  offered more comfort  - given the stiff and light SL wheels and my 2.0 Marathon Supreme tyres pumped to 2.5 bar. The titanium frame did its best and later in the ride I actually began to feel more comfortable in my hands as well. Perhaps they were just more numbed. Good thing I mounted a 12-34 XTR cassette in the back, which only had me shift to my 22 in front at two occasions. On the 22% section of the Koppenberg and also out of precaution because of the slow riding speeds caused by the crowds on the Geraardsbergen wall. Amazingly I could ride each and every hill. Usually the crowds clutter the road but this year I either was very lucky or the walking riders just were more friendly, letting those that still wanted to ride just enough space to pass. The section between Oudenaarde, where we received a large and plentyful rest stop, and Kluisbergen was new. Instead of taking the busy road they took a parallel bike path, on tarmac, following the trajectory of an old railroad.  The long cobbly Oude Kwaremont climb - nearly 2.2kms - was the first of a very difficult triplet. With the Patersberg not long after that, my GPS gave 18% as the highest inclination on this one, and then the "Beast of Melden" , the world famous Koppenberg which is listed as being 22% at its steepest section. My GPS only reached 18% for this one but it sure was steeper than the Patersberg. After that, there are still more than 10 hills. Some were on tarmac, like the very steep Berendries or the Valkenberg, some are on cobbles like the Muur in Geraardsbergen and the Bosberg which is usually where the descision falls during the race on sunday.
The second rest stop at the Brandweer in Brakel was a very crowded affair, we had to queue for about 15 minutes. This is because all of the distances the Tour the Flandres for amateurs offers, 75, 140 and 260K come together here. Still, it was very well stocked and the drive-by fashion to collect your food and drink was better than leaving your bike somewhere unattended to go and get your grub. From here on, the biking crowds became even more populated. And not with the strongest bikers I must say. This nearly caused a standstill at the Geraardsbergen Wall but luckily I managed to slip between two walking bikers. The Bosberg is a hill that I like so I could ride really strong on that one. By now I began to feel the toll of the many kilometers and obviously the numerous short and steep hills. I did eat and drink well but as I would see later on my Polar, having used more than 5500 kilocalories takes its toll. I was glad to see the end, this was only my second 100+ ride of the year, and probably the longest I will do  this year as well.
The bike performed well, except for the Mavic Crossmax SL rear axis which is again showing signs of play so that the cassette moves around a bit . This causes some vibration and noise when freewheeling . I had this a couple of years ago as well, and it means getting a new axis. This is the Achilles heel of all Mavic wheels I'm afraid. For the rest, no problems and in all a good riding time, taking into account the 15 minutes walking session in Brakel.Still the organisation had everything very well covered. Lots of police and volunteers to guide the - reportedly - 19000! bikers over the busy roads. I'm sure a lot of car drivers might have felt a bit frustrated that not they, but the bikers, were king of the road for one day in Flanders. Also, as I said before, the rest stops were stocked to the brim with lots of food and drink, pity the crowds are getting so big, especially at the 2nd rest stop in Brakel, that long queues formed. Not a easy task to conceive a better way to give this huge amount of bikers food, drink and their control stamp though. Now all thats left is for a Belgian to win "Vlaanderens Mooiste" tomorrow.

Pictures taken during the ride:



Ride Stats : 149K and 1490/1507 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 6h30mins
Map of the Ride:


2466/20875

04-04-2009, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

This evening saw the first weekly ride of the KBC Mountainbike club in 2009. We meet every thursday at 6.30pm near the Sporthal in Heverlee and do a  mountainbike ride varying from 1h30 to 2hours or more. This evening we were with 10 riders, which is not bad for a first outing. Obviously the nice weather - it was still 18 degrees C when we started - lured all of us out of hibernation and had us gather together  anticipating a good ride. We had the privilege of doing a new loop the bikers from Meerdael 2000 are conceiving in partnership with the Movin'Bike bike fair which will take place in October 2009 in the Brabanthallen . This loop will ultimately be used for an organised ride on the 11th of October if all goes well. The loop will concentrate on the areas to the northeast of Leuven, instead of the regular Meerdael 2000 ride - which will take place on October 25th - which concentrates on the Meerdael area located south of Louvain but also goes towards Brabant Walloon  and even all the way south towards Grez Doiceau.
But today we were in for a very nice ride, taking us along narrow and winding bits of singletrack, from Heverlee towards Korbeek Lo and then up and over the crest towards Kessel Lo and Linden. Here we were riding into the area known as Hoog Linden, with some nice undulating passages in the forest. The trails were excellent, dry and fast. A couple of nice winding singletracks , some surprisingly steep climbs and ditto descents. Before long we arrived at the Chartreuzebos were we climbed again before descending towards Linden . Crossing the Diestsesteenweg and we were on a narrow tarmac road taking us  up and then down and up again on a very nice passage into another bit of forest . We arrived at the road connecting Kessel Lo with Pellenberg. Here we rode left towards Pellenberg but after a couple of hundred meters we took a sharp right and then descended along a very tricky track in a hollow road.

Zooming all the way down to a road the led us towards Lovenjoel where we crossed the Tiensesteenweg . We then rode on dirt roads for a couple of kilometers leading us through the fields towards Bierbeek and the Brabanthal. Here I split of from the main group to ride directly home. The sun was already under the horizon and I arrived home just when the last bits of light were disappearing into the dark. Very nice ride , fast but still manageable. The group was very homogenous and we didn't have to wait for very long at the top of the steepest climbs.  Thanks to Joel and Frank for offering us a great thursday evening ride.

Ride Stats : 41.5K and 390/403 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h5mins

2317/19385

02-04-2009, 22:47 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Another sunny day and even though there was a cold wind blowing from the north, I didn't mind riding out. Considering the wind I decided to do a leisurely ride in Heverleebos and Meerdaelwoud. Setting out fairly easy into Heverleebos and the gradually turning into Meerdaelwoud where the height differences became more important and the technicality of the tracks grew. I took my time to look around - even more than I usually do - and take some pictures. There were quite a few occasional mountainbikers - easily recognized by their lack of helmet - and runners in the forest.
 

           

The forest tracks were mostly dry and the forest looked clean and clear. There were a lot of white flowers blooming in the wetter areas. I did some challenging uphills near Nethen and also some tracks I didn't do in a long time. Small singletrails which were either going very steeply upwards or dropping down along steps downhill. The Fox RLT on my Litespeed gave me confidence and also the necessary rigidity to tackle them all without looking back. I decided not to ride too long because I have an offroad session with the KBC mountainbike club tomorrow - the first this year - and need to save my strength also for this saturdays Tour de Flandres ride. Instead I thoroughly enjoyed the warm sunrays in the sheltered areas of the forest and took my time to explore every nook and cranny along the way.

Ride Stats : 31K and 455/461 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h54mins 

2276/18995

01-04-2009, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf