The weather was great today so I took the Moots out for a discovery ride into Brabant Walloon. On these rides I just let myself be guided by my instinct and my GPS. I take roads I would normally not take, and try out trails I didn't do before or I want to discover again. Sometimes this means turning back, sometimes you get an 'aha' moment when you can connect two roads you didn't know could be connected. Sometimes the trails are overgrown very badly and care has to be taken not to get caught in some undergrown rut . But that makes it even more fun. I made more or less a loop, starting out along Tourinnes-la-Grosse and then crossing over towards Pietrebais and Longueville. Here I discovered the Accro Bike trails which I followed briefly, opting instead for lesser-known alternatives to connect with Chaumont Gistoux. Following the river "Train" along a small track meandering above it into Bonlez. Here I had to walk a couple of meters because the track was wet. A steep and narrow path brought me to the bigger roads again. Next I had to do some funky stuff and even pass through someones' garden because the Golf Course of Bercuit cuts off some trails. Putting up 'Chemin Prive' signs everywhere but when you ride on the road does connect. Or sometimes it doesn't and you have to improvise. But I made it into Grez Doiceau and Biez just fine, adding a couple of steep heightmeters before making my way to Gottechain and crossing over towards Bossut. Some of the trails in Biez were pretty much overgrown and I was the first biker to pass here in quite a while. A real Big Bad Wolf trail and the way I like them. Riding towards Nethen I chose to do the 'lianen' downhill which was great but for one serious mudhole. Pity because here you really have to hold on to the trees to save yourself from a mudbath. I rode into Meerdael forest for a last couple of easy cooldown kilometers along bigger forest roads.

Ride Stats : 60k and 635/646 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h17mins

4496/43270

23-06-2009, 20:59 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Just when I was getting ready to ride out, a bit before noon, some kind of thunderstorm passed by with a lot of rain and even some hail. OK, no ride now, maybe later.
Around 6pm I went out into the forest for the complete BLOSO trails of Meerdael. In the beginning I had a bit of wet roads but when I rode further away from the Naamsesteenweg things got dryer. Then riding towards the Naamsesteenweg again - in Heverleebos that was - things got wetter again. Once I passed over towards Korbeek Dyle on the green trail the trails became dry. Great, and I made good speed. Upon crossing over towards the Red I neared the Naamsesteenweg again and indeed, things got wet again. Seems like there was a band some 500-750 metres east and west of the North-South axis the Naamsesteenweg forms though Meerdael Forest, where it had rained considerably more than in the rest of the forest. When I rode along the Hamme Mille plains all of a sudden the road was blocked by a broad puddle. Damn. Entering the forest again, the trails were wet and my bike got dirty. Oh well, I just put the hammer down and before long I was again on some dryer trails riding into Bierbeek and back into Mollendaal forest . But nearing the Naamsesteenweg again, on the last part of the red loop, things gor messy again. A bit further, after changing from red to blue, I was on dry trails again. The last bit in Heverlee forest upon reaching the green trail again, was a little wetter once more. But obviously the sun was out and even though it was quite chilly - with an average temperature throughout the ride of a mere 16 degrees C, I wasn't feeling cold, thanks to my Odlo windstopper underwear, very handy in these situations. I had an average of almost 21kph which - in view of the circumstances and the ride I did yesterday - was pretty good.

Ride Stats  : 55K and 480/551 (Polar/Garmin) in 2h39mins

4436/42635  

21-06-2009, 22:32 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today I had a rendez-vous with Frank, a friend who does provide me with everything that is PC-connected. He wanted to do a short ride in Meerdael and I agreed to take him along on what I call a perimeter ride. This is a ride along the edges of the forest. I had this ride as a course in my GPS from last winter and added a couple of tracks I normally don't do in winter to spice things up a bit. Frank is a very fast rider and I had to urge him to calm down quite a bit. He rides a beautiful Turner full suspension bike. One of the perks of being the guide is that the guidee has to wait at every turn, and it was good for me to up the pace a bit . When I ride alone I usually settle into a pace I can ride for hours. I look around a lot and stop frequently to take some pictures. Frank is quite a bit faster than me - he is also 18 years younger - and he always seems to ride in chrono-mode. Even though today was an easy ride for him, he made me stress my muscles more than I usually do. And it felt OK to do so. When we had completed the ride I went on for another hour to cool down and rode towards the edge of Hamme Mille , into the fields of Tourinnes and on towards Bierbeek and Haasrode, taking in a couple of K's of the "Engel" walking track, which I believe is sheduled for tomorrow.

Ride Stats : 55.5K and 555/603 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h50mins

4381/42155

20-06-2009, 16:01 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today the weather was nice and warm, ideal for a ride in the late afternoon. After last saturdays' ride I felt like I suffered from a heatstroke. The whole Sunday I had a headache and by Monday morning it was bad enough to keep me in bed. I had forgotten to apply sunscreen and even though the sun was veiled, the UV rays must have reached my skin because I saw red on my arms and legs. Stupid mistake.
So today, even though it was 5.30pm when I rode out, I did apply my usual factor 20 sunscreen. I rode through Meerdael forest and clambered up the Smeysberg with the Moots before dropping down into Huldenberg and riding up to Overijse where I had a meeting with Guna. She was fresh out of the Raid des Hautes Fagnes, where she completed the 90K. It was her toughest ride ever and I can understand that. I never rode the RDHF but I warned her it was a toughie. But she went on a rode it. Amazing, and my helmet goes off to her. Well done !
But today we were doing the Overijse BLOSO's and the pace was gentle but firm. I have done them azillion times but each time I am enjoying the succession of short climbs and descents, a great was to train some interval. Some of the climbs are quite tricky and one should never take the downhills for granted. They surprise you every time. After heavy rains gulleys are formed , branches are dropped on the trail and here and there a bit of mud spiced things up a bit more. But we managed all of them very well, and I was once more surprised by the progress Guna had made in both uphill speed and downhill prowess. And then she didn't even have her full suspension bike with her, but even with the hardtail with v-brakes she is fast . The trails were great, dry for the most part except for the downhill in the Bois de Laurensart which had a bit of mud in some of the hollow road sections.
When we split up I returned towards Huldenberg and did the offroad climb starting at the mill at Neerijse. A quick dash into Meerdael forest with the offroad climb out of Sint Joris Weert in the opposite direction of the BLOSO route, where I passed a couple of bikers. In all a good quality midweek ride.

Ride Stats : 61K and 701 heightmeters (Garmin) in 3h25mins

4326/41600

17-06-2009, 22:07 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

13-06-2009, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today the sun was back, at last. After 3 days of rain - sometimes heavy - I was keen to ride out again. I didn't want to go out too long though, just a quick dash to feel the legs. The wind was blowing fiercely from the west , so I chose my loop carefully to avoid it as much as possible. As was to be expected, my legs felt good after 3 days of rest. Good thing because last week was a big one with over 300K and 3650 heightmeters.
On the PC front I could at last begin to work with my new desktop PC, a Quad Core speed monster with 4Gigs of RAM and running XP Pro. I still need to get my Polar interface to work though. Since the new PC doesn't have any COM ports, only USB connections, I got a RS232-USB converter but the thing doesn't seem to work. Or at least my Polar software doesn't use it. A mans' work is never done it seems, and nothing in IT is easy.

Ride Stats : 21K and 120/139 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 51mins

4151/40340

11-06-2009, 19:52 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

The forecast for today was again talking of rain so I decided to stay close to home once more. Why not do the 65K organised ride of the Zoenk once more? Good idea, lets do that. I had the track from a friend so with the GPS there is no great difficulty in following it. For a more complete description of the track and a trail map I refer to my blog entry of the 22nd of March. You can find it by entering 'Zoenk' in the 'Zoeken in Blog' field on this page and then click on 'Zoeken'.
Today I added an extra climb in Nethen, dropping down from the fields into Nethen and then riding the famous lianenklim. I had expected it to be in almost perfect trail condition and indeed it was. There was only one spot where I needed to lift my bike over a mudhole made worse by quad and motorcycle violence. The skies were threatening with rain when I entered Gastuche, the farthest point of the ride, but except for a few scattered drops it stayed dry thoughout the entire ride. When I am typing this it has just started raining . So I can't complain , the gods were on my side today. I noticed I already passed the 40000 heightmeter mark this year, which illustrates my emphasis on mountainbike ride quality instead of quantity.
I only made a couple of pictures during todays' ride , which I will post here for you lot to enjoy. Thanks for reading this and see you on the trails.

Ride Stats : 65.5K and 830/875 heightmeters(Polar/Garmin) in 3h38mins

4130/40220

07-06-2009, 14:56 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

The weather was uncertain for the Ardennes, possibilities of rain, so I decided to stay home and do a bit of exploring along the Overijse '2 Valleys' BLOSO route. This route basically interconnects the valley of the river Lane to the valley of the river Ijse. A nice route as well, with some tecnical bits and a trail that keeps ondulating up and down, in and out of the valleys of the aformentioned rivers. Obviously, with a little bit of terrain knowledge and a good GPS it is not difficult to construct a more 'manly' version of this track. Adding a couple of loops to take in a couple of extra climbs, singletracks or descents quickly turns this ride into a real challenge. The bike performed well, flawless actually and my legs were good as well. So basically I had a great ride. The sun did come out every now and then but the average temperature was a measly 16 degrees C.

When I returned towards Meerdael forest I added another little loop into this forest, meeting two roedeer along the way. The tracks were dry and dusty and the wind was blowing quite noticeably from the north.

Ride Stats : 64K and 915/975 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h40mins

4065/39390

06-06-2009, 14:48 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Felt rested today so I decided to take the Moots out on a spin along my Meerdael Loop. I decided on the last part of it, riding it in the opposite direction. This makes for a completely different loop, turning all the climbs into descents and vice versa. Needless to say, the loop was pretty intense heightmeter-wise but I rode it very relaxed and with an easy pace. The tracks were very dry and it feels like a bit of rain wouldn't hurt the forest. Lets just hope it doesn't rain too much because when it rains in Belgium it usually tends to be overdone. I had a new rear shifter cable mounted by Filip Sport the other day and the shifting was flawless now. If the weather says relatively calm during the next few days I might venture towards the Ardennes again during the weekend.

Ride Stats: 27.5K and 435/445 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h50mins

4000/38475

04-06-2009, 19:26 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

It took the sun a little while before she broke through the clouds but around noon I took off for an easy recovery ride. My legs didn't feel too bad after last weekend but I chose not to overdo it, and enjoy the beautiful Brabant Walloon landscapes. An F16 from nearby 1St Wing Airbase was doing all kinds of movements in the sky - probably training for the upcoming show of the 21st of July, Belgian National Independence Day - and I stopped a while to look in awe to the grace and power of the aircraft. The sound was deafening at times .

02-06-2009, 22:10 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

I wanted to do a long ride today, so I chose to ride the Merlin to 7 Fontaines in Dworp, where I could start a roadbook I found on utagawa.com. This roadbook looked promising with 36K and 749 heightmeters in the Hallerbos and Braine-Le-Chateau area. From past experiences I knew the Hallerbos could provide a lot of heightmeters on a short distance but I was a bit sceptical on the total. Well, lets find out shall we?
Riding towards the Hallerbos from Meerdael can roughly be divided into 3 sections, the first being the ride towards Duisburg and the entry of the Sonian Forest, the second being the ride through the Sonian forest and the third part the ride through Sint Genesius Rode and Dworp towards the lakes of the 7 Fontaines area. When I arrived I switched my Edge 705 to course mode and set out along the roadbook. The first couple of K's were very familiar of earlier rides I've done here. Riding around the lake and then entering a small singletrack which leads along the edge of a field towards a long climb into the Hallerbos. Reaching the Hallerbos I had a bit of difficulty with the GPS not being able to follow the course anymore. The track passes twice at this area, perhaps that was the reason. Oh well, I could still see the track on my map so I continued following that. A nice ondulating passage in the forest and some steep descents and ascents before leaving the forest to cross the R0 highway. The track than follows a bit of tarmac before turning into a nice singletrack zooming down into the outskirts of Braine Le Chateau.
 

01-06-2009, 20:54 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

It looked like another sunny day this morning but instead of going offroad again I opted for a recovery ride on the streets. So I took the Hilset out for a spin along the Haasrode Tour. This is a marked route from a couple of years ago that meanders gently over Haasrode, Bierbeek, Neervelp, Willebringen, Oirbeel and Hoksem towards the Hoegaarden region. Here it goes further towards l'Ecluse , Beauvechain and Pietrebais. Before arriving at Pietrebais I opted to ride home because I didn't want to ride more today.

I took my time along the way to take some pictures of the Sint Katharina Chapel in Hauthem, in the neighborhood of Hoegaarden and the Starfighter F104 which stands on display in front of the 1st Wing Airbase in Beauvechain. I also came across a strange and dangerous situation in the Haasrode Research park area. A pole in the middle of the biking lane, surely that is asking for troubles.

Ride Stats : 53.5K and 395/388 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h26mins

3819/36570

31-05-2009, 14:36 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

When rising I found the sun out, and a beautiful day was announcing itself. Temperatures in the low 20-ies and a stiff breeze to keep things from getting too hot. Great day for a ride.
So I rode the red Mazda to Harzé, a little town not far from Aywaille, in the province of Liege in our Belgian Ardennes. An hour later I was setting up the Merlin for the start of the roadbook I was going to ride. I got it from the O2 Bikers website. Upon checking the trace and given the beautiful area, I didn't hesitate to select this ride for a closer inspection. Directly from the beginning, the tone was set. A steep singletrack leading away from Harze. I had to select the small ring in front, it wouldn't be the last time today, to cope with the hill. My heartrate went up in the 140-ies , the bike's suspension was moving gently beneath me, life was good. A short rest on some flatter terrain upon reaching the top of the ascent, and then the trail disappeared into a dark forest. Upon reaching the Bois du Pouhon the drop downhill in the dense forest was a technical one, to the point of being unrideable at certain stages. Too many rocks, mud and some water flowing on the track forced me to walk for a couple of times. When the descent got better I rode again, and emerged at the St Anne's chapel near a small town called Paradis. A very steep and long ascent on tarmac brought me back to the 400 metre mark and into another forest. I was nearing the E25 which I undercrossed by means of a dark and flooded tunnel. The bike got a good wash and the first couple of braking sections had my front brake squealing. When the forest cleared out I could see the Ambleve valley to the right of me, with the green hills on the other side reminding me of some great rides starting in Theux and leading down into the Ninglinspo valley.
But today I was on the other side of the Ambleve and a big downhill was slowly announcing itself. Some sections were very ride-able but others were dark, wet and muddy. During the last parts of the descent I follow a little rivulet, the Fagne Naze which leads me to the borders of the river Ambleve.

Here I am at the lowest point of todays ride - 183metres - and this means one thing, I have got to climb! And what a climb it is . After having taken a wrong turn into a private forest - GPS reception is very bad in these narrow valleys - I find the right track which will lead me back up the hill. A long climb with more than 200 heightmeters in one go. Not too steep so the chain can remain on the middle ring while I enjoy the soft sounds of the forest - some small rivers babbling to my right, every now and then I hear some animals making noises while they run away from me - and the sound of my tyres on the rocky road. Upon reaching the top I follow some tarmac for a while which is a welcome recuperation point. Then the road becomes a track again and I zoom downhill into the Bois d'Aywaille. A sharp turn to the left and I am on a trail that is also used in the O2 Bikers roadbook of Nonceveux, which I did last year. The thought of combining these two roadbooks crosses my mind. But with 75K and more than 2000 heightmeters that will be quite a challenge. Perhaps something for the Summer or the beginning of Autumn.

For now I have to remain vigilant because after undercrossing the N25 again, yes, though another dark and wet tunnel, the track becomes technical again with a rocky downhill into Kin. A small girl on a bike joins me when I ride though this small village before turning away into a steep singletrack that leads me along a barbed-wired field. The track is very difficult with roots and rocks and the thought of the barbed wire on my left makes it more difficult still. But i make it and the next forest awaits me. A great passage with a downhill into La Bordai that makes me happy I got the Merlin for this ride. Rocks, ruts and the occasional puddle keep things interesting. After a 180 to the left the trails goes upwards again along a small track, so small that the nettles have a feast on my legs and arms. Ouch. Another river crossing and I'm getting a glimpse of Harze to the left. After a last bit of forest track I come upon tarmac which leads me back to the starting point.
This was a great ride, some bits were very (too! ) technical and there are some tarmac passages which do come handy because they allow some recuperation. There is water everywhere in these areas and I wouldn't recommend these trails after a heavy downpour. It has been a couple of days since the last rain but I could still see a lot of mud and puddles. Most of them can be avoided but at times you have to walk a small section. Especially the downhill leading towards the Chapelle St Anne will be too much for most of us mere mortals. The risk of falling when attempting to ride it is great. The trails moves in and out of forests all the time but the sun can burn here, so take precautions when riding these trails in spring or summer. A full suspension bike is to be recommended but of course a hardtail will also do the job , it will put more strain on its rider though. I didn't really feel tired after this ride and I contribute this for the biggest part to my Merlin Works 4.0 bike which just seems to float over the trails.

Ride Stats : 40,5K and 910/920 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h50mins

Hill Factor : 22,7
GPS track on Motionbased : CLICK

3766/36175

30-05-2009, 20:19 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Got out of bed and with the sun out my mind was quickly made up. I would ride to Wavre for the 7th edition of the 'Randonnee de l'Athenee', which is organised by one of the local schools. I know from past experiences that this is a great ride. And this year I was set to do the 55K. With the 18K distance between my home and the start this would yield me around 90K of biking. More than enough for this mere mortal.

The Ride

Paid 4€ at the start, whilst my bike was being kept in the bike park, safe . The start of the ride was quite a blast for the legs. After a couple of K's to get out of Wavre city the first climb led us up a long, at times very steep hollow road. The first bikers were on foot, I just put it on the 26 in front and gritted my teeth. I would ride this hill. And so I did, and the next one, which, after a quick descent led us back up the same hill again. Already a first split from the other distances - 15, 30 and 40 - for this second hill. Yes, the fools that chose the longest distance would have something to talk about. Bois de l'Avocht, Bois du Mont, Bois du Menil, in and out of forest and shade the trail took us to the south of Wavre towards neighbouring Limal. There another extra loop took the 55K towards Profondsart and Roffesart. The tracks were beautiful, sometimes singletrails, small tracks between fields, hills too steep to ride, fast downhills, we got it all. And I was loving it. I found a good rhythm after an initial gasp for air and my legs that were protesting against another beating. I have been riding every day for the last 3 days, with my thursday trip to Polleur as a highlight and I could feel my legs were not very fresh. But mind was put over matter and I rode on. I was looking for the first reststop which came after 20K or so, perhaps a bit sooner might have been nice. There was enough to drink, with water and something which tasted like grenadine, and also fruit - bananas, oranges - and some cookies to eat. Drinking was most important because it was really hot in the fields. After the first reststop we had a nice venture into the Bois de Rixensart as we slowly made our way towards Rosieres. Luckily they left out the Bois des Templiers this year. I had been there on a ride a few years ago and it was muddy hell. So far I didn't see a single puddle - and it DID rain last night - so I was quite happy with the trail conditions. A field passage through Champles brought us to a tunnel under the N257. I could see that the bottom of the tunnel was a mud-trap, so I decided to ride over the N257 - very illegal, I see red - which kept my tires dry. The track now turned over "Le Ry" towards the golf course of le "Chateau du Bavette". A passage over private roads with a great downhill zooming next to the greens , then a sharp turn to the left and ... walking up an unsurmountable hill, both due to its steepness as to the wet stones that were forming the path. I saw a figure of 27% later on my GPS. For those interested the GPX track can be downloaded from Motionbased - see below.

The ride now turned towards the north-east of Wavre, the Ottenburg region , but not before we had a 2nd rest stop, along the Bois de Laurensart in the neighborhood of Basse Wavre. The passage through the Bois de Laurensart up the hill towards De Tomme usually is a very wet one, but it was almost completely ride-able today. If you didn't mind going through the puddles you could ride it all the way. At De Tomme the 55 had another extra loop with a downhill going against the Red Overijse route, down into the field and then back up again through the hollow road leading towards the plains. Another steep downhill into the Bois de Laurensart and we joined the 40K again for a drop into Gastuche. Next to Grez Doiceau here so the tracks were very familiar to me. A nice passage through Dion Le Val with a long steady climb up towards the N25, followed by a drop down towards Dion again for the 55K riders. Another long uphill into the "Bois des Neulettes" and we were nearly home. At the end we passed through Basse-Wavre and next to the Racing Jet de Wavre football stadium for an urban intermezzo through narrow paths, leading us back towards the start. The distance was quite a bit more then the announced 55K but I don't think anyone really minded. This was a great ride, on a warm sunny day, along some of the finest paths in the Wavre region. Thanks guys.
At the athenee I met up with the lovely Estér from BigM for a nice little chat before heading home. Was nice to meet you again E. Say hi to Iván for me.

The Lowdown:

What I liked:
+ Great trails, with attention to lesser visited tracks
+ the region and the use they made of what is offered
+ dangerous downhills and road crossings well marked
+ distance splits well marked - before AND after the split
+ arrowing sufficient and very noticeable
+ all this for only 4€
+ emergency number on cards handed out at start
+ bike park with surveillance


What I did not like:
- only 2 rest zones, a 3rd on the 55K would have been welcome.
- rest zones might have been a bit better stocked although offered food and drink was fine.


Ride Stats : 94K and 1155/1201 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 5h3mins30secs
Wavre TT : 57K and 917 heightmeters (Garmin)

GPS Track on Motionbased : CLICK
Map :


3725/35265

24-05-2009, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Another sunny day and I was out on my bike for a ride along the 50K Bloso route that starts in Heverlee, next to the sports centre. A lot of climbing in this route but I was going to take it easy and enjoy the sun . The wind was still blowing fiercely out of south-easterly corners but it didn't bother me that much today. In Sint Joris Weert I crossed a couple of mountainbikers and they asked me if I had a pump with me. Of course I always do and they were glad because one of them got a tyre that was losing air slowly. Turns out he was of the same village as me and he recognized me - or rather my bike - from the mountainbike.be forum. Small world. I continued my ride and noted the language border had been marked on the road when leaving Sint Joris Weert and entering Nethen.

Quickly a picture was taken and I continued along Sint Agatha Rode, Ottenburg, Terlanen, Leefdaal, Neerijse and Heverlee for a quiet ride with a good amount of heightmeters. Stopped every once in a while to take some pictures.

Ride Stats : 54K and 500/503 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h20mins

3631/34110

23-05-2009, 14:59 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

22-05-2009, 20:12 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

After having ridden the excellent - technical, beautiful scenery, masses of heightmeters - O2 Bikers roadbook of Nonceveux last year, I kept my eye open for similar pearls . When I saw the Polleur roadbook in the April 2009 issue I didn't have to think twice. I wanted to ride it, asap. I know the region between Remouchamps, Banneux, Verviers, Theux and Spa pretty well and I haven't been disappointed when riding there. The area is very beautiful, the valleys are deep and lush with big forests and fields vying for every bikers' attention. The region is also very Ardennesque, with rocks and roots galore and a plethora of steep and technical ascents/descents.  Furthermore, this roadbook descents towards the river Hoegne, known to me from my Longest Downhill adventures. And recently also by riding the Verviers World marathon Championship tracks. In short, I wanted to go. The weather forecast called for dry weather but with increasing thunderstorm possibilities in the late afternoon. After having checked Meteox this morning and seeing not a menacing cloud within a couple of 100 kilometers I rode my car to Polleur.
Around 10am I parked the red Mazda in front of the librairie de Polleur, straight across the church. This church is a bit special, I already mentioned this in my Verviers blog entry, but for those who are new here, just check out the rotation in the roof.
After 15 minutes I was on my bike and already riding uphill. The track quickly descents towards Neufmarteau where I meet the river Hoegne. The trails are wet, this added a couple of points on the difficulty scale. It is utopic to expect an Ardennes ride to be dry, but the less water the better. They call this area 'l'Ardenne Bleu', and I'm sure the Blue stands for water. I asked the locals and they said they had a big thunderstorm 2 days ago. Ceci explique Cela.. This explains that.
The first couple of climbs have me looking for a good rhythm. I have stopped taking the Aerius hayfever pills last week and I'm not feeling too well. Still, I'm persistent I might not need them anymore. We'll see. The tracks are difficult, wet, rocky, steep and demanding . Yip, thats the way I like them. My pace is slow but I'm enjoying every minute of it. Slowly I crawl out of the forest for a bit of field before descending towards Surister. Then a long drop back towards the river Hoegne. Tricky and the wet rocks demand the utmost of my concentration. But I am determined to ride it all and amazingly, I make it.

Into Royompré and then a beautiful singletrack ondulating high above the Hoegne towards the Croupets du Moulin. A tough one, wet and rooty and the drop on the left doesn't look very forgiving. A fallen tree has me climb over it, bike in hand. Another long climb leads me through the Bois de Rassouster. Dropping back towards Royompré, crossing the N629 and I have to walk the first couple of meters of the following climb. Too rocky, too wet. After a while I leave the forest and follow a narrow singletrack towards Les Bansions. When I arrive on a bigger trail I take some time to eat. The next couple of kilometers are a bit easier along the Bois des Gattes but with a nasty descent - rocky and wet - at Le Sarpey before reaching Polleur again. Here the trail merges with the Red Theux route and climbs into the majestic Bois de Staneu. The trail crosses deep under the E42 bridge and then follows a track parallel to the Red route. This track is the most difficult of the day, actually riding in a rivulet, its bed riddled with rocks. The Moots has to work hard here, and its rider even harder, the wheels keep slipping, bumping against rocks, process is slow but steady. This bike was made for this. The trail then descents towards the road leading from Polleur to Theux, but just before reaching it you have to take a sharp left and brace yourself. A steep climb follows. I made it but it cost me a lot of energy. Then follows a wet section, lots of puddles, as the trail remains on the same heightline for a while . It drops back down again, turns to the left again and the biggest baddest of climbs follows. I admit, I didn't make it this time. I did when riding the Red last year with the Merlin, but the trail was dry then. It was wet now and the big rocks make every mistake a bad one. About halfway to the top my rear wheel slipped and I didn't have the strength or speed to correct it. OK, walk this way. After a while the slope became less steep and I could ride on. The trail is then dropping for the last time towards the road heading to Theux. Normally the roadbook follows this tarmac road into Theux but I decided to add another climb following the Red route upwards towards Rainonfosse. Then I zoom back down into Theux.

Next target was the Chateau de Franchimont. I had spotted it already a couple of times when riding in the Bois de Staneu but now I was at the bottom of the climb leading up to it. You have 2 options, one is 1350 metres long , the other 350 metres. No points for guessing which one I took. The hill was short and steep. 32% to be precise. Luckily it was also dry so I made it without too much difficulty. After having stopped to take some pictures I started on the last 7 kilometres leading me towards the top of the Thier de Polleur, a 26% drop into the town of Polleur where I had to be careful one last time before reaching the end of the roadbook.

A great ride, tough on its own with lots of difficult climbs, nasty descents and technical sections. Even tougher today because of the wet rocks and scattered mud.  Beautiful views though and very rewarding for the biker that takes up the glove.

Ride Stats : 36K and 790/820 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h38mins

Hill Factor: 22
GPS Track on Motionbased : CLICK

3550/33405

21-05-2009, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

17-05-2009, 21:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

It was dry but cloudy and a lot of wind was blowing from westerly directions when I rode out this saturday morning. I wanted to follow some yellow arrows on blue fields which I saw earlier this week so I set out through the Weertse Dreef to catch up with them in Sint Joris Weert. As soon as I got out of Meerdael Forest I noticed the strength of the wind and I was thinking this ride might get tougher than I had anticipated. The trail went over Nethen towards Hamme Mille and Beauvechain and then turned towards La Bruyere and moved up into the direction of Pietrebais. In the plains next to the Beauvechain Military Airspace the wind blew straight into my face.I also noticed that the clouds in the direction of Leuven were getting darker very fast. When I arrived at the crossroads between the N51 and the N91 I decided to abandon my arrows and head back to Hamme Mille.

From there I added another loop back over Nethen , Sint Joris Weert and past the Zoete Waters towards Oud-Heverlee and Heverlee to finish in a light drizzle. With just a little more than 2 hours I wasn't completely satisfied with the ride but in the given circumstances I think I did OK.

Ride Stats : 48.5K and 305/291 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h05mins

3465/32320

16-05-2009, 15:27 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today rain was forecast so I  was surprised that it stayed dry until 4pm wgen I decided to ride out for a quick dash along the Meerdael BLOSO routes. I started out on the Moots and commenced my ride with the Green route. There was a faint hint of dark clouds on the western horizon. I had seen on meteox.be that there was intense rain over Brussels but thought I would be safe for at least a couple of hours before things could get dangerous over here. And indeed things were going fine during the first bit of the ride - tracks were dry or slightly moist at the worst and my legs felt rather surprisingly good after yesterdays' fast ride - when all of a sudden - an hour into the ride -  I noticed I couldn't shift on the big ring in front. Uh-oh, whazzup ? I stopped to check, half expecting a branch or small stone to block the passage of the derailleur cage, when I noticed that the XTR cable had split in half, thereby losing a lot of its tension.

This was the cause that I could only shift on the middle and small ring. Fearing that the thing might snap completely  I aborted the ride and headed home. I can't complain about this cable , its been on the bike since its inception, in 2003, making this its 6th year !
When I arrived home I noticed big clouds gathering over Brussels and Leuven, so in a way it was a lucky snap. A bit later a thunderstorm arrived and things got wet outside very quickly.


Ride Stats : 23.5K and 155 heightmeters in 1h06mins

3416/32015

14-05-2009, 19:24 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf