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| Tales from the Woods |
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| 12-04-2008 |
 Latvia |
 Today I wanted to do a long ride, so I contacted someone whom I had been wanting to meet up with for quite a while now, and asked her if she fancied joining me for a few loops through the Sonian Forest. She did and we met up at the Trois Fontaines area. I had a bit of a scare before the ride because when I checked out my Moots the damping adjustment knob on my Fox fork didn't work. It got stuck in the slowest return position. Hmmm, call to Filip Sport and yes, I could ride over and have it looked at. So I was a bit more stressed than usual and barely made it on time. My biking companion was originally from Latvia - one of the Baltic states - and I must say, she is a pretty strong rider. It was her first serious ride out on a new - very beautiful and well equipped - Trek Ex 9.0 full suspension bike and that took some getting used to, but she impressed me in a positive way both in the technical sections as on her physical stamina. When I checked our average over the combined loops - the BigM beginner loop and the Nero BLOSO loop - we were around the 21kph mark which isn't bad at all.
The trails were wonderful, almost completely dry and the sun was warm on my skin when it broke trough the clouds. On the way over I felt that the wind was blowing quite hard but once in the forest we could enjoy windfree conditions for most of the ride. I think we both had a good workout and I want to thank her for her pleasant company. I'm sure we will get together for more rides later this year.
Ride Stats : 100K and 820 heightmeters in 4h50mins
2331/1816012-04-2008, 18:06 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 06-04-2008 |
| Volderke |
I had to take a few days of rest because I suffered an allergic reaction to 'something' I ingested last weekend. That was a blessing for my overall fitness level since it allowed my legs - and the rest of my body - to recover completely. After a few days on Cetrizine I felt sleepy but nevertheless I was wide awake when I set out for a ride which would take me on the same roads as last wednesday, but in the reverse direction. I felt immediately that my legs felt strong and so during the ride I made very good progress. I did an extra little loop and somehow managed to stay ahead of some menacing clouds. The temperature was around 8 degrees C but the wind was quite cold from northwesterly directions.A few hours before I witnessed Stijn Devolder win Flanders biggest road race, the Tour the Flandres, in a majestic way. I also saw a very good Tom Boonen, which looks promising for next weekends' Paris-Roubaix, a race that even appeals more to me. This is probably due to the fact that I competed twice in the Paris - Roubaix VTT, an offroad version taking place just before the main event. Ride Stats : 37K and 320 heightmeters in 1h31mins2142/16675
06-04-2008, 19:05 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 22-03-2008 |
| Murmurs |
Its been a while since I participated in the LCMT, a 4-day 400K offroad bike event in the Belgian Ardennes. Last week someone raised my interest to participate again . They have a new formula now, allowing 2 bikers to form a team , their common time being clocked during certain parts of the ride, so the element of competition is there as well. It would certainly give me some incentive to enter , otherwise I would not bother. The formula is certainly pleasing and if I would yet find a partner I might still consider entering the LCMT - or another event of the same envergure - again. Today saw a more quiet period on the weather front. It was not too warm, with 5 degrees C and a northerly wind that was blowing , but the sun came out and it stayed dry long enough to allow for a ride outside. Today is also the first big one-day racing event in cycling with the Saint Joseph classic Milan - San Remo. I look forward to the grande finale, hope that a Belgian will clinch the ride (Boonen, Gilbert ) but my favorite trio is still Oscarito Freire , Alessandro Petacchi and Philippo Pozzato. Ride Stats : 41K and 295 heightmeters in 1h45mins1824/14395
22-03-2008, 14:18 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 20-03-2008 |
| Taking it easy |
Outside it is cold, wet and windy. The Easter weekend has a promise of cold days, a northerly wind and hail, sleet and snow. Hopefully there will be a quiet gap to allow some outside biking, but it is not looking good.So another ride on the rollers this evening. Started a new book, my Bruna 1975 edition of the SF classic "2001 - A Space Odyssey". I lost count of the amount of times I read these, and I always enjoy seeing Stanley Kubricks visionary masterpiece, on which the book - written by Arthur C.Clarke - is based. Had a quiet ride enjoying my usual Nightwish mix on the MP3 player.Ride Stats : 29K in 1h22mins1759/14100
20-03-2008, 20:22 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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