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Tales from the Woods |
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14-07-2009 |
50 |
Well, thats it then, the first 4 decennia of my life have passed. I turn 50 today, hooray !! My life has been well-filled, mostly by very time- and effort-consuming hobbies, and I'm glad to have done what I already did. That being said, the toll of the years is also notice-able. The speed and acceleration have once been better, but the long haul effort is becoming more and more my thing. Strange how the sands of time tend to slip faster when you are getting older, and another feeling is that for every thing you learn, there a 2 things you seem to forget. But, musn't complain, still alive and kicking.
14-07-2009, 10:50 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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13-07-2009 |
Marathon trails revisited |
For the last day of the 4th decennium of my life I wanted to do something special. And the fact that the riders in the Tour had a rest day also allowed me to stay away longer than I normally would. I took the Moots out and rode towards Pecrot, where the start lies of the 2008 Belgian MTB Marathon Championships. I know the track quite well because I was one of the people who conceived and changed it , leading up to the championship. But still it was almost a year ago since I last rode it, in part or as a whole, so I wanted to try and do the complete lap today. The weatherforecast was good, partly clouded, no rain and temps between 20 and 25 degrees C. That meant wearing long trousers wouldn't feel too warm. I applied a good spraying of Deet 40 and got on my way. The ride leading up to Pecrot already yielded me 118 heightmeters but things were getting serious pretty quick after I started out on the Championship trail itself. The GPS track is available on Motionbased. I will add a link at the end of this article.
Describing the track completely would take too long so I will only give some highlights. The first part is pretty intense turning around in Nethen before moving towards Bossut . After crossing the N252 there follows a part that is more oriented towards field roads, and the big ring can go on a lot. After that, the track drops towards Pietrebais where another intense section follows, with really narrow - and sometimes dangerous - tracks ondulating up and down. Then its in the fields again towards Longueville. At the chapel you are around the halfway point and things get intense once again with some steep climbs and zooming descents leading in and out of the forest and towards Biez. Then I ride into Grez Doiceau for the first time, and a loop leading towards Dion Valmont introduces a lot of cobbles and some more climbing - again. You will be glad to see Grez Doiceau again but the last part is also pretty hefty. Climbing towards Gottechain you will remember my words. Then a bit of field road takes you towards Bossut and then down into Archennes. The most difficult climb of the lot - very sandy - had me walking, as usual and there are a couple more to follow before I am near Pecrot again for a final loop, following the first 4K of the track again before finishing at the end of the Ruelle du Curee. The figures showed 91.5K and 1361 heightmeters. Not bad at any rate. I then rode back home, not before stopping at the well near the camping La Hetraie to drink some cool water. The ride has been difficult - due to the warmth and the difficult tracks - but I am glad I did it. The grand total of the day way a surprising 124K and nearly 1450 heightmeters.
Ride Stats : 117K and 1435/1479 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 6h42mins
GPS track on Motionbased : CLICK
5087/49350
13-07-2009, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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12-07-2009 |
What a difference a day makes |
Today saw a lot of clouds and some rain in the morning but come noon the sun started to peak through the clouds and the wind - which was blowing quite noticeably - came from southern directions, upping the temperatures to the lower 20ies. So I took advantage to get a quick recovery ride in while things were looking good. Nothing fancy, just a ride 'around the block' .
Ride Stats : 27,5K and 195/244 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h13mins
4970/47915
12-07-2009, 13:34 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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11-07-2009 |
Summer you said.? |
You must be joking, right? Yesterday it was 17 degrees and it is raining intermittently as I sat out for what I hope to be a medium lenght recovery ride. I'm dressed as if it is autumn. Long sleeved and with 2 layers of underwear.
Great, its mid-july, this must be Belgium. One week ago - it seems like ages ago already - we had 30 degrees C and didn't know where to crawl to escape the heat. Now I am gald to see a watery sun piercing through as I had to take shelter in a bus stop in Ottenburg when the light drizzle changed into medium drizzle. The roads are wet when I ride on and so is my back and bottom and my face from the drops my tyres send in the air. Looks like another dark cloud looming so I make haste and not 10 minutes after I arrive home another shower hits the streets.
Ride Stats : 44K and 345/369 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h59mins
4942/47720
11-07-2009, 13:30 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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08-07-2009 |
Climbing in the rain |
Well today it didn't look like we would see any extended period of sunshine. I wanted to ride out and decided to do a climbing session on a track I use frequently when I want to put some stress on my legs. Let me take you through it. The loop forms roughly a figure 8 .
The first climb starts just past the "Kluis" in Sint Joris Weert, it follows the same track as the Meerdael BLOSO does - I think its the Blue trail here - going upwards on an average slope of 13% through a very nice valley. There are more or less 40 heightmeters to be gained and the climb gets tougher near the end. The end is also rooty and since it was wet care had to be taking not to let the tyres slip. But the excellent Continental Mountain Kings in 2.2 version are great on these kinds of trails.
The forest trails would soon become even wetter because not long after reaching the first downhill it started to rain slightly. This downhill is a tricky one, starting out on a singletrack and becoming steeper and brutal near the end. The last bit is also very rooty with steps , so care has to be taking when and how long you apply the brakes. Near the end is a turn to the right , with some more slippery roots, giving way to a sandy track I follow to the right along the camping 'la Hetraie'.
At the end of the track I turn to the left, riding straight through the camping towards the tarmac road between Sint Joris Weert and Nethen. I follow this road for a couple of hundred meters - the only spot where you can relax a bit on this loop - before turning 90 degrees left again, into a really small trail positioned between two entry roads. People who know the area will know the spot. The first bit is very steep with some roots, 16% for a short while. Then it mellows out a bit, crosses another trail, steepens again and continues on up the slope , with roots making it more difficult. Near the end the slope lessens , giving way to a big forest road.
I go straight on this forest road for a quick downhill towards the BLOSO trail, where I start the loop anew. Each of these loops is about 2400 metres long and counts 76 to 80 heightmeters spread over 2 climbs.
Today I did this loop 10 times. I had to stop quite a few times because of a shower breaking through. Luckily the forest is dense here so I could take shelter under the foliage while the shower faded. Two laps from the end the trails were already pretty dry again, before another shower made them wet and slippery again. I returned home along the Kluis, stopping briefly to take a picture of the Bosprotter. I had a good but tough workout today.
Ride Stats : 36.5K and 820/830 heightmeters in 2h30mins
4898/47375
08-07-2009, 19:54 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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07-07-2009 |
Blowing in the wind |
To take my mind off from recent and serious PC problems - yes, my new desktop PC is having difficulties, it keeps rebooting itself for no obvious reason. Sometimes it's working for a couple of hours, before crashing and failing to start up, even in safe mode. Generally this is making me very angry at technology and computers. Hell I'm on holiday and holidays should be a time to relax right? Not cursing and swearing at technology that fails for no apparent reason. Good thing I invested in a good laptop - a Hewlett Packard HDX 16 - initially to have a backup. But the way things are going, the backup is becoming fast my main PC. Only snag with the laptop is that I cannot read my Polar S710i data - not having the USB Polar interface and my Belkin USB/RS232 converter is not supported by Windows Vista 64 . Ah the intricacies of the computer world.
The weather was still uncertain, with big dark clouds and sunny periods alternating on the rhythm of a strong westerly breeze. The breeze has some advantages as well, it keeps the insects away and also provides clearer air. A couple of times during the ride I fell some droplets but in all I was lucky. I also was lucky in avoiding a head-on collision with two youths that were riding in the opposite direction on the bikepath. I was going downhill around a corner - at the Lindenboom in Bierbeek for those that know they area - with no visibility. I usually graze my brakes here and then all of a sudden they were before me, riding in my direction . Heavy braking followed from all of us , thank god they split each to one side of the bikepath and I managed to plant myself in between them, without touching either of them. They seemed pretty shaken and impressed so I spared them a thunderspeech, just letting them know they might consider riding on the right way of the street . I completed my ride along Opvelp, Beauvechain, Tourinnes and Hamme Mille. I risked riding around Nethen and Sint Joris Weert as well, even though a big dark cloud loomed over Sint Agatha Rode - and finished my ride over the Zoete Waters. Not a single drop fell.
Ride Stats : 33.5K and 195/240 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h32mins
4862/46555
07-07-2009, 14:15 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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06-07-2009 |
Recovery needed |
This morning when I woke up and got out of bed, I didn't feel too bad but from the moment my legs had to support my weight I could feel they still needed recovery. First I didn't want to ride out, and most certainly not when against noon dark clouds were obscuring the sun. But then, whilst watching the riders in the Tour de France idling along I suddenly got the urge to get on my bike as well. For an easy recovery ride of course. This went well, even though there was a fierce wind blowing and the sun wasn't always there to warm me up. After yesterday evenings' thunderstorms the temperatures have dropped considerably and with the sun behind the clouds and the cold wind it didn't feel too comfortable.
Ride Stats : 28.5K and 195/175 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h21mins
4828/46360
06-07-2009, 17:27 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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05-07-2009 |
17th Meerdael Classic |
Left home at 7am to ride the short distance to the start of the Meerdael Classic, 17th edition. This traditionally takes place at the Football terrain of the 'Zwarte Duivels' in Oud-Heverlee. The weather forecast for today called for initial sunshine but during the day clouds would gather with possible heavy thunderstorms in the afternoon. So there was no time to waste. 100K is never an easy task, and after forking over 9 Euros (10 Euros minus 1 Euro because I am licenced) I rode into the Meerdael Forest , eager to see how my legs would feel and if they would go the distance. The Ride:
The first couple of kilometers went easy, ondulating through Heverleebos, crossing over into Meerdael Forest and then crossing the Naamsesteenweg via the Ecoduct at the Weertsedreef crossing. No long after that I left the forest and was thrown into the fields near Tourinnes for a loop that took us towards Beauvechain. My legs didn't feel very strong and I found myself shifting on the small ring at each uphill, wanting to save the little strength I had. Hmm, was I really going for 100K when I already felt like stopping after 15K? The sun was slowly rising but temps were still in the lower 20ies. In the forest it was damp and during the day the atmosphere would become heavy with thunderstorm warmth. The loop curved back towards Nodebais and was quite pleasant this year. Care had been taken to avoid tarmac as much as possible and the dry field roads were dust-ridden and allowed for easy pedalling. In Hamme Mille we crossed the Naamsesteenweg again for a loop towards Nethen. Here the 100K was going for an extra loop with a couple of steep hills and downhills. We also got our first rest stop around 20K into the ride. As usual, a lot of stuff to eat and drink and some lovely ladies manning the stop. There was also an Aquarius stand but I couldn't help wondering that this might be more useful a little later in the ride. From the rest stop we were lead back down towards Nethen and were joining the other distances for the famous 'lianenklim'. This was perfectly ride-able. Last week there was still one spot with a deep puddle, but the puddle was nearly gone today, which allowed me to ride the entire uphill. Great ! Some cobbles now as we made our way towards Bossut and then crossed the N252 for a long loop in the fields between Grez-Doiceau and Nodebais. A nice passage along the Beaumont forest and a tricky downhill, and then looping towards Gottechain and having to do a difficult and steep climb along a field. Bit of a classic this one, and obviously the Meerdael Classic couldn't leave it out. It struck me that the trackbuilders were very keen this year to incorporate all known difficulties into their track. Which is great but my legs were still not up to par. I was longing for the second rest stop but I would have to wait until 50K into the ride, after we first dropped into Archennes and looped towards Gastuche. From here, a great section with another tough climb brought us into Ottenburg. A fast descent in the Bois de Laurensart, following the red Overijse BLOSO route, and we were at the second rest stop. Again I took care to drink well and eat a lot of banana. Also some Mars because I needed an energy shot.
Ottenburg, we rode the steps downhill upwards - or rather walked because the thing is steep and today it was also sandy, making it near to impossible to ride. Some nice loops in this region, with a few other climbs. I noticed my legs were feeling stronger and took confidence with every climb. In the Sint Agatha Rode Bos we tackled the 20% climb there and I had no problems to make it. Okay, things were looking up but I was still only 58K into the ride. Next the track converged with the BLOSO trails of Overijse again , making its way towards Huldenberg. We followed the river Yse for a while until we came at the third rest stop - 100K only - which was manned by 3 pretty women who gave me a lot to eat and drink. Pity I forgot to take their picture, but I'm sure someone else will. We were in the neighborhood of the Margijsbos and had to climb the ridge a couple of times. First on tarmac, later on forest tracks with between each ascent a fast and furious descent. Great section here. After this the track looped towards Sint Agatha Rode again for a bit of a breather along flatter roads. After having crossed the river Lasne, we rode towards the river Dyle - which forms the language border here - to arrive in Pecrot but not before having crossed the Petite Marbaise, another little river feeding the river Dyle. Arriving at Florival, some 85k into the ride, we got our fourth and final rest stop. Only 15K to go. And all of them in forest areas. First we were treated to the famous Pecrot Singletrack, with one section too sandy to ride , and then we had to crawl our way up to the ridge. A lot of bikers were looking very tired by now. But I was feeling stronger than in the beginning and middle part of the ride, and instead of bikers passing me I began actually to pass a lot of bikers myself. Marathon man seemed awake. Into Beaumont forest by way of a steep climb on tarmac and then dropping into Nethen. We then made our entry into Meerdael forest again for a final stretch that incorporated a couple of nasty climbs in the Kluis area. When we arrived near Meerdaelhof, a very sandy trail forced me to walk again for a couple of meters. I then crossed from the Kouterbos into Heverleebos again before finishing - fist in the air in a gesture of joy and relief - a the Zwarte Duivels locale where I left a little more than 6 hours ago. Great ride, thanks to the Downhillbikers !
The Lowdown:
What I liked: + Great trails, with attention to lesser visited tracks + the region and the use they made of what is offered + emergency numbers provided and pickup points well marked + dangerous downhills and road crossings well marked + distance splits well marked, before and after the split + arrowing impeccable + 4 well-stocked rest zones - lots of choices + very friendly people at the rest stops + all this for only 9 (10 if you don't have a licence)
What I did not like: - the weather was too hot. But that is not the organisers fault. - spreading of rest stops wasn't optimal. Big gap between 1st and 2dn rest stop
Synopsis:
As usual the Downhill Bikers didn't let us down. Very well thought out ride, with attention to detail and taking in some lesser-known tracks to enjoy the best this region has to offer during an organised ride. The rest stops were filled to the brim with food and drink - and the friendly staff put a smile on my face. Even though the first half of the ride was tougher for me than it should have been - due to my antibiotics cure from last week and also the warmth no doubt - I never forced the issue, kept eating and drinking and managed to find my better form by the end of the ride. The arrowing was impeccable - and I'm sure that at some points the arrowing teams had to frequently replace stolen arrows. This makes me extend a special thanks to them. Good job guys ! At the busiest crossings there were warning signs, the split panels were placed where they should be - before and after the split - and the rest stops were announced 1km beforehand, not a bad idea in this kind of weather. And all this for the humble price of 10 Euro for 100K of intense joy.
The Bare Facts:
Map:
Profile:
GPS track on Motionbased : CLICK
Ride Stats:Meerdael Classic: 100K and 1440 heightmeters total distance today : 109K and 1440 heightmeters (Garmin) in 5h50mins Hill Factor of the Meerdael Classic: 14
4800/46165
05-07-2009, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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04-07-2009 |
Towards Goetsenhoven |
Contrary to all the predictions we didn't get a drop of rain yesterday. So today saw a sunny and dry morning. I wanted to do an easy LSD ride and chose to follow the LF6 - Vlaanderen Stedenroute - towards Goetsenhoven and back again. Just before Hoegaarden I strayed a bit from that route to follow a narrow road over cobbles and even dirtroads to arrive at last near the Hoegaarden centre. Sprayed in Deet40 I was pretty confident that the insects would keep away from me but riding over those narrow trails in my short pants was an unforeseen and unnecessary risk. The sun was getting hidden behind clouds during the ride and when I arrived near Goetsenhoven I saw some rallye cars on the narrow roads. Looks like there is going to be a race here tomorrow - probably the Haspengouw rallye. Saw a beautiful Subaru WRX and also a red Porsche GT2 (or GT3) with a very appropriate license number - 4 S 911. I looped back over Goetsenhoven centre to follow the LF6 in the reverse difection back towards Hoegaarden. Here I followed the trails of the Ludo Dierckxens (LD) arrows which took me back through the fields towards Meldert. From there I looped upon the Haasrode tour to return towards Bierbeek, Haasrode und ultimately Blanden. My legs felt tired and I fear that tomorrows Meerdael Classic might come a week to early. Obviously I am still coping with the side effects of the antibiotics I has to take for my horsefly bite. Even though I suffered no real side-effects - no rash, no bowel troubles, no temperature swings - I did hold up some fluid and felt tired thoughout the cure. The warm weather doesn't help either of course. I will ultimately decide tomorrow morning if I will do the Meerdael Classic or not. Another factor will be the weather. There are again thunderstorms predicted for the next 24 hours.
Ride Stats : 64K and 480/488 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h53mins
4691/44725
04-07-2009, 14:53 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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01-07-2009 |
HOT |
It has been very hot these last couple of days. My leg has been coming back to normal proportions quite fast, due to proper medication and care and today I wanted to ride out, just to be on a bike again. Obviously the antibiotics have left their mark and even though I waited until 7pm to start, it still was almost 28 degrees C with fortunately a little breeze to cool things off. The ride went fine, I applied a 40% DEET solution to my arms and legs and I didn't see any nasty insects around. The next couple of days will remain hot but each day sees more chance of a thunderstorm.
Ride Stats : 24.5K and 140/159 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h3mins
4601/44060
01-07-2009, 20:39 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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29-06-2009 |
Bitten again |
Last thursday when waiting for the other participants to arrive, I got bitten in the right calf. I am not sure what bit me but judging from the ensuing reaction it must have been a Horsefly (Taon in French) or quite possibly a grass spider . People who have been following this blog over the years know that I am allergic to the Horseflys' saliva. That is why I ride with 3/4 or full-length pants in the middle of the summer. Anyways, during the ride I did not experience more than a little red spot where the bit was, I couldn't even see where I had been bitten neither was there any blood running down my leg - which usually is a result of a horsefly bite. The next day however, my lower leg was swelling up and seeing red.
That same evening - friday - I visited my doctor who immediately prescribed me heavy antibiotics and had me start on Aerius antihistamines. The following days the swelling had spread towards my ankle and around my lower leg. But it also looks as if the medications are working, the swelling has subsided from Sunday on and as I am typing this only my ankle is filled with water
So, now you know why I haven't been biking during this sunny weekend. Looks like horsefly season has started and I will take all possible measures not to be stung again. This includes wearing long pants during offroad rides and liberally applying ant-insect spray containing DEET on my legs and arms.
29-06-2009, 12:58 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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26-06-2009 |
Easy Ride |
I was bitten by some insect yesterday, or possibly a spider, and my right calf was swollen and showing signs of an allergic reaction. People who know me know that this is no laughing matter for me so I started treatment at once with anti-histamine pills and I am supposed to see my doctor later today. But I did decide to ride out since the swelling wasn't too bad - yet - this morning. I did an easy road-ride taking me over Egenhoven , Bertem, Leefdaal and Neerijse towards Sint-Agatha-Rode, Sint Joris Weert and Nethen. Over Hamme Mille I completed a short loop. The weather was hot, I already had an average temperature of 27 degrees around 1pm. But there are some clouds gathering and meteox.be is showing thunderstorms in the south-east of Belgium, and they are slowly making their way up north.
Ride Stats : 39k and 245/257 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h44mins
4577/43920
26-06-2009, 15:49 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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21-06-2009 |
Meerdael Summer Solstice ride |
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
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17-06-2009 |
Overijse Bloso's with Guna |
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
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13-06-2009 |
Otto's Mount |
A beautiful sunny morning, so out I went. I had the plan to ride out towards the Ravel in Hoegaarden, follow that until my odometer showed 50K, return and ride back over Meldert towards home. When I passed near the 1st Wing in La Bruyere I noticed a special version of an F16 standing behind the gates. So I stopped to make a picture before riding on along the very beautiful village of Sart Melin and St Remy Geest. A bit further I was on the Ravel and things went easy towards Vedrin. I hit the 250m mark and a bit later in the descent towards Namur I hit the 50K mark. So I turned my bike around and rode back towards Eghezee. On the way I noticed the tumulus in Hottomont and decided to make a little detour to look at it a bit closer and take some pics. The tumulus has been built by the Romans and is suspected to be the last resting place of a Roman General called Otto. Hence the name of the little town - Hottomont , Otto's Mount - it is said. Could be, or maybe not.. the dim and distant past is sometimes filled with a lot of hearsay and twisted stories. What is certain is that there is a tumulus and that I made some pictures of it.
After that I rode on towards Eghezee and later Jodoigne. I followed the ravel until it reached Hoegaarden. Here I had to turn towards Meldert and La Bruyere. The sun was out from time to time, but there were also periods of cloud cover. But I noticed when I got home that my skin had turned red. A good solid ride, but on a low scale of intensity, because I had an average heartrate of 121bpm. I was using the latest Assos trousers and I must say, they kept my bum free of pain and hardship throughout the entire ride. With the price these things are selling for, it better be good.
Ride Stats : 114,5K and 555/559 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 4h54mins
4265/40895
13-06-2009, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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11-06-2009 |
Back on the road again |
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
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