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| Tales from the Woods |
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| 10-01-2008 |
 Windy intermezzo |
I went out with the Hilset today. The Tune Sixpack bracket bearings have been changed, as well as the crank puller bolts (titanium instead of alu now) and all seems to be running very smoothly . A lot of wind so I kept it short and only got in a hours' ride. The weather was clement with an average temp of 10 degrees C and dry but windy conditions.
I'm close to getting myself a new GSM. I'm thinking about the Sony Ericsson K850i which incorporates a 5 megapixel Sony camera, up to 4GB of memory, an MP3 and radio as well as a cellular phone. 3 in 1 so to speak. I am still hesitant because of the rather steep pricing but if you see the specs it doesn't look too expensive.
The girl? Angela Gossow, someone with a tremendous voice.
Ride Stats : 24K and 175 heightmeters in 1h01min137/1520
10-01-2008, 17:47 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 06-01-2008 |
| Taking it easy |
The sun was out today after a rainy intermezzo yesterday and tonight. No way I was going to go offroad, the fields looked like flooded wastelands and I knew what the forest was going to be like from last fridays' ride. So I settled for a nice and easy ride along the roads of Heverlee, Sint Joris Weert and Hamme Mille, enjoying the sun and just being out there. I was still using the Litespeed because my Hilset is in at ABC Fietsen for a bracket bearing change. I plan to go and get it next week.Ride Stats : 26K and 205 heightmeters in 1h17mins88/965
06-01-2008, 13:45 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 04-01-2008 |
| Around Meerdael Forest |
After yesterdays' icy rain and todays milder temperatures I was expecting the forest trails to be a mixture from muddy topsoil and some drier patches under the trees. I decided to put on some fenders on my bike which makes it look ugly - at least to some - but is quite effective in keeping mud and grime from my face and most of my clothes. Obviously when I rode out this evening I put on my helmet light because the night was falling rapidly.
My ride took me around Meerdael Forest, staying as close to the forest rim as possible. I started out in the direction of Blanden , then moved on towards Bierbeek , Hamme Mille and Nethen, where the terrain became more hilly and this also made the up- and downhills a lot trickier because of the slippery topsoil. I stopped at the Dikke Eik - the forests' biggest tree - to make a little picture and noticed when I walked around it how wet this section of the forest was.
The uphill leading out of the valley where the Dikke Eik stands was particularly slippery and demanded my utmost concentration and technical prowess to make it. I saw some horses had been skating here as well, their hooves leaving long stripy imprints in the mud. After Hamme Mille I came in the Nethen area where some more technical stuff made for a very good technical workout. The light was already fading rapidly when I reached the little well next to the Hetraie camping site. I had a little drink and time to take another snapshot.
Another picture was taken and I moved on towards Sint Joris Weert where things became a little easier. After almost 28K I was back in Blanden, having completely circled the Meerdaelbos section of Meerdael Forest. I left out the Kouterbos and Heverleebos sections - it was getting late and I didn't want to overdo my ride either. It was only when I got home that I saw the extent of mud on my bike.
I can only hope it starts freezing again as soon as possible but the forecast calls for rain tomorrow. With 4 degrees C the temperature was very cozy today, the workout on the bike and the shelter the forest provides from the wind made it a pleasant ride.
Ride Stats : 27.5K and 350 heightmeters in 1h49mins
61.5/760
04-01-2008, 18:42 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 01-01-2008 |
| New Years Ride |
Allrighty then, it's 2008 and we are all still alive and kicking. A new year - some new hopes, some new dreams - I hope all your dreams come true and your wishes become reality. But most important, let's wish each other the best of health for the new year. There is nothing more important than that. Today had me ride over to Sint Agatha Rode to interconnect with the '2 Valleien' BLOSO routes of Overijse. I chose to do the red route, which is the most technical of the three. The mud was less prominent than yesterday, probably due to the low temps and the fact that it hasn't rained for 2 days. Had quite a good ride - still high heartrates though - with some challenging uphills and tricky downhills due to the slippery clay, roots and dropoffs. The weather was a dry and misty affair with an average temperature of 5 degrees C throughout the ride.Ride Stats : 34K and 410 heightmeters in 2h02mins
34/410
01-01-2008, 14:31 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 26-12-2007 |
| Peaceful ride |
Yesterday saw me at the dinner table with my family to enjoy a good meal. Strangely enough during the night my nose, which was almost free of mucus these last few days, tended to fill up again. I am at a loss as to what is causing this. Have I contracted yet another infection or is this the last upsurge of the cold I had last week? Looks like almost everyone is down with some respiratory disease these days. I think most people at work are sniffing and coughing and also at the dinner table yesterday I think most people had a cold. Small wonder if one can escape all those viruses then. It seems like an impossible task short of living in a plastic bag .
Yet, I had planned a short ride today so I set out for a quick dash on the rollers. I am building down on the antibiotics, switched from 3 tablets a day to 2 a couple of days ago . They seem to have done their job but are of not much use anymore. From today on I will only take one a day for the remainder of the package.
Christmas has come and gone, like it does every year. A time of peace it seems. I hope all the good intentions last a bit longer than the digestion of the Christmas turkey.
Ride Stats : 11.7K in 30mins
10122/88505
26-12-2007, 12:22 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 16-12-2007 |
| Antibiotics |
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For those of you who are wondering why I am not accumulating lots of K's in this splendid weather, I must explain that I went to the doctor last Friday and she prescribed me some heavy antibiotics. My nose cold kept me even off of the rollers the last couple of days. I'm feeling more tired than anything, not really sick, and I don't even have a fever. But still the word is to take the drugs and kill the little buggers in my nose before I even think about riding out.
So a lot more grinning and bearing going on, especially with the marvelous weather outside. It's most certainly not as bad as in the cartoon above, but it surely feels that way.
16-12-2007, 12:13 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 09-12-2007 |
| Boring stuff |
Another
safety ride today, nice and easy on the rollers waiting for my cold to
subside. Heartrate is way too high, possibly due to the codeine I have
to take to battle my cough. Not easy to find the motivation in such
circumstances but I always manage to squeeze out another hour. Hope the
weather gets to freezing temps real quick so that the outside air
becomes dryer and less filled with germs.
Ride Stats : 23K in 1h01mins
10063/88505
09-12-2007, 18:39 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 07-12-2007 |
| Hey Stoopid |
No, I'm not addressing you dear reader, but I'm quoting the title of the Alice Cooper Album that has been in my MP3 player for a while now. As a hardrock and especially guitar man I can appreciate the cast Alice gathered around him to record this little gem: Stevie Vai, Joe Satriani, Vinnie Moore, Stef Burns and Slash. Nikki Sixx and Micky Mars were contacted to play the bass on a few tracks. It even features Ozzy Osbourne on one of the tracks. This is really a great album. Check it out here. Nuff said, this morning I went to the doctor to assure myself that my dry cough was not some pneumonia slmbering as I experienced a few years ago. But she could find nothing more disturbing than a mild infection of the upper airways. Enough to keep me inside but surely not enough to keep me from the rollers and another 30K in the warm vault of the cellar.Ride Stats : 30K in 1h19mins100040/88505
07-12-2007, 18:45 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 04-12-2007 |
| titanium bikes are made of aluminum |
Had a good laugh today when I read an article that appeared in Mountainbike Plus, a Dutch MTB rag that I am subscribed too. They were testing a couple of hardtail bikes made from different materials, one of them a was titanium Cube.In the foreword of the article, the venerable Jurgen Groenwals writes (I translated obviously ) "Titanium (an aluminum alloy with some titanium and vanadium added) is a.. blablabla"Good thing I sat down because I would certainly have tilted backwards in amazement. I quickly turned to the main article to find out that Mr.Groenwals was indeed convinced that titanium is actually an aluminum alloy.. he states :"Cube uses the socalled 3,5/2 (sic) alloy, which means 94.5% aluminum, 3% titanium and 2.5% vanadium.., blahblahblah"Well, he got the vanadium right. Obviously I wrote a mail to the redaction telling them about this mishap and demanded a correction in the next issue. I couldn't resist posting my mail on a few forums as well. Mountainbike Plus, which has some very good articles and is made by some very competent people, has earned a big Minus here. I mean, I almost take this as a personal insult! How can anyone that is supposed to be 'in the know' as pertains to bikes and stuff, make such an error. Furthermore I am quite sure Mr. Groenwals has read some of my stuff on titanium. I can only assume he was in some kind of stupor when he was writing the article. Errors are human, but this is not an error, he really is convinced that what he was writing is correct.Perhaps I should inform him that the Cube frames are made by Rewel, an Italian firm and from the pictures I saw from pre-producton bikes it must be said, Rewel has made a bit of a shambles from the welds. Let's hope the production frames are up to their usual standard, which is good to very good as far as welds are concerned.
Oh well, for the rest not much going on, another day, another ride on the rollers. I was still a bit frothing from the mouth when I got on them but managed to calm down considerably during the ride. No doubt helped by the soothing voice of Anastasia. Another big chunk in my book as well so I am happy considering the fact that I would rather be riding out. The weather is bad and from the forecast it is going to get worse , lots of rain and high temperatures, no frost or calmer weather in sight.
Ride Stats : 23K in 1h01mins
9986/88505
04-12-2007, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 30-11-2007 |
| Marcia Baila |
Today I stopped a bit earlier at work - well, I took half a day off really - to be able to do a longer ride in the afternoon, without any lights. The weather was very windy and the backroads were covered with mud and grime and some light rain didn't help things. My bike got dirty . But with an average temperature of 8 degrees C at least the wind didn't feel cold. The narrow roads I prefer following were quite a challenge, the dirt making them slippery and the only time they were dry was at the parts that were exposed to the fierce wind. Needless to say, half of the time I got a good workout, the other half I could relax a bit with the wind in my back or blowing from the sides. But I loved every minute of it!
Ride Stats : 51K and 415 heightmeters in 2h18mins
9940/88505
I want to dedicate this little ride to the memory of Frederic Chichin , guitar player of the French rock formation Les Rita Mitsouko. He died november 28th after a short but fatal disease. I have always liked their music, and I also am quite fond of the singer, Catherine Ringer, for her looks as well as for her way of life (just check out her Wikipedia file and you will understand what I mean. This lady has balls !
 
30-11-2007, 16:33 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 27-11-2007 |
| Nightride |
I changed the saddle on my Hilset yesterday. The Tune Speedneedle won't stay put, it keeps sliding backwards. Don't know what caused it, it has been fine for the last 3 years and now all of a sudden it starts moving? Weird, anyway, saddles that don't stay where they are supposed to stay cause muscles pains and therefore must go. I had an SLR lying around and I mounted that instead. It's a bit heavier than the Tune and also a bit more comfy although I love the Speedneedle. It doesn't look like much but it really is a great saddle, at least for my bottom.Went out again, put my light-helmet on to try out the position of the 20W Lumicycle torch. It was raining (felt like snow) ever so slightly but I wasn't feeling cold at all. It's always a bit weird when you are out in the night for the first time. Anyway, this is what the helmet looks like:
You have to adapt to the tunnel vision and especially to the lights of the cars coming your way, blinding you and causing a momentary lapse of vision. With the helmet light at least I can give them a good flash when they get too annoying. Ride Stats : 28.5K and 175 heightmeters in 1h13mins9857/87845
27-11-2007, 18:33 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 25-11-2007 |
| Compulsory biking |
The whole day I was telling myself I would not ride today. No need for it since I had a good ride yesterday and could rest today in order to be fresh tomorrow for another week. But after seeing the cyclocross guys riding through mire and muck I felt I had to ride myself. As if I had to earn the right to look at them by doing something myself. Strange ways I know.SO I grabbed my book and got on my rollers for an hours' easy recovery, legs feeling good and hardly stressed because I just tagged along at a low intensity, enjoying another chapter in what turns out to be a masterpiece in the already highly esteemed Thomas Covenant series by Stephen R.Donaldson : Fatal Revenant . I also prepared my bikes for the upcoming winter. Changed the chain and middle chainring of the Litespeed and attached the Lumicyle HID to the Hilset. I also put the 20Watt Halogen Lumicycle light on my helmet. I want to try this configuration out during the upcoming road nightrides.I also need to change the Dura Ace cassette in the rear because ever since I put on a new chain it keeps skipping teeth in some of the gears. Ride Stats : 23K in 1h01min9829/87670
25-11-2007, 21:09 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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