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| Tales from the Woods |
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| 17-05-2008 |
 2 Valleien Route |
It had rained considerably last night and during part of the day so I mounted mud fenders on the Litespeed and left with waterproof clothing as I rode up to Overijse to meet with Guna. Amazingly enough not a single drop would fall during our ride together. I proposed to do the 2 Valleien route, a marked BLOSO trail with starting points in Overijse, Terlanen and Ottenburg and covering around 36K and some 480 heightmeters. Guna did not do them before so I was curious about her opinion about them. They are rather interesting, with some nice hills, some rather steep and a couple of tricky downhills, especially on the Red route. I was expecting quite a bit of mud but as it turned out only in the forest were a few muddy sections. Some of the downhills proved quite a challenge though because of the wash of water which had carved some gullies . But on the whole the tracks were fine.
 
17-05-2008, 18:55 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 15-05-2008 |
| Waiting for the rain |
Temps were not as high anymore but the wind was also gone. All was quiet in the forest that lay still with held breath as if in wait for the rain. Much needed rain as all is bone-dry. I took the Litespeed and the narrow 2.0 NBX Lite tyres gave me quite a workout as I hobbled over the rooty singletrails of the first part of my secret Meerdael route. About 50 minutes into the ride it started to rain, just enough to feel it but not enough to make me turn towards home just yet. I completed the loop and stopped at the Warande pond for a little while. A stork flew away as I made my way around the little pond.
My bike was covered in debris that stuck to the raindrops while I made my way through the little trails. I didn't feel like riding any more that about 30K so I arrived home in time to avoid the real downpour later in the evening.
Ride Stats : 27K and 285 heightmeters in 1h34mins
3235/28910
15-05-2008, 20:32 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 12-05-2008 |
| Lasne and back again |
This morning when I woke up I noticed my legs were still full from this weekends' rides. So instead of adding another 1000hm+ ride at Ferrieres I decided to take it easy and do an active recovery ride instead.The weather was still great and I set out on my Hilset. The plan was to ride all the way to Lasne, were an organised ride was starting today, have a look around and ride back. Over Terlanen, Tombeek and Rixensart I followed a softly hilly terrain, my heartrate at a safe 105bpm average. In Lasne I made a quick tour around the starting area and the returned over Rixensart and Tombeek to Sint Joris Weert. I stopped to take some pictures of the donkey family there, they were already four. 
12-05-2008, 14:38 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 11-05-2008 |
| 14th Rando La Champetre at Libin |
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Sunday morning, 6.30am. Sun is out, rise and shine. After the 1st of May ride in Tellin , which left me with a dual feeling - one of elation because of the beautiful landscapes, but also a feeling of bitterness because of the unreal muddy conditions making the ride leave a bad memory - I was keen to go to Libin, which is just a few K to the south of Tellin. This would give me the opportunity to ride once more in this magnificent region.
The Ride:
Sunny morning, ride to Libin went fine, cruise control on the MPS set to 130 and hey presto, one hour and 5 minutes later I was in Libin looking for the start. Took some searching but when I found it, I could park within 10 metres from the tent where the inscriptions were held. They offered distances ranging from 15 to 65K. I opted for the longest one and forked over a 5 note. Not far from the tent there was a big barbeque where they were already warming up the cinders for the wild-boar feast which traditionally takes place together with the mountainbike rides and walks being offered by the locals.
I set out with the Moots today and the ride started off taking a little stretch of tarmac which took us out of Libin and up to the E411. There we went offroad for a nice little multitrail section alongside this highway. The first distance split came up and I was not surprised to see the majority take one of the shorter distances. The 55 and 65K loops took us down off the plateau into the forest and along the river Lesse. Some 13K into the ride the first rest stop added a bit of Tesseire+water and some raisins to my energy reserves. We followed the river along a 65K-only stretch which became quite interesting after we crossed over a bridge and returned upstream along a very tricky singletrack ondulating up and down the river bank. Only one passage was too complicated to ride and the rest demanded some concentration and skill. I loved it. When we joined the 55K track again, we entered some kind of wildlife parc and climbed steadily for about 5K and 220 heightmeters until we reached the 450 metres mark. Some nice passages along the way and the trail didn't shy away from passing through the forest proper, little chalk markings leading us from one rock to another. The trail was strewn with timber and little logs, but remained ride-able . We stayed more or less on the plateau, although the trail went up and down continuously. We hooked up with the track of the Tellin ride north of Transinne with a singletrack passage upwards I remembered from last weeks' ride -when it was so muddy we couldn't ride it. This time it was only steep but no problem riding it. When we passed under what looked like a wooden gate I was sure we were on the Tellin trail. A quick downhill later and we were at the second reststop, some 31K into the ride. I had met up with an old acquantance from the "Rode Lintjes" and we rode together for a while, reminiscing. He was still on a bike without suspension which he has owned since 1985 but he told me he had just purchased a full suspension bike. I think he will be mightily surprised by the difference in ride quality and comfort.
After
the second rest stop the trail plunged towards Mirwart where we hooked
up again with the Tellin trail, but we took it in the other direction
this time. Another very nice technical passage took us alongside another river. We contoured Smuid and more or less stayed next to the river. Some very wet passages under the railroad left me with wet feet. I was beginning to wonder at this time if we would make the 1200 heightmeters that were announced. With hills on both sides of us the organisers decided to remain next to the river. Hmm, not good for a heightmeter-junkie like me. But then we left the riverside and started climbing . A wet passage through a stream left me with soggy feet again but with 26 degrees C I didn't mind at all. At the 3rd rest stop, 46K into the ride, I filled up on food and drink and asked the guys if they knew if we were yet to climb a lot. They told me a "big one" was coming up but when I looked at my Polar and saw that I had only 750 heightmeters at this time, I thought it would have to be a VERY big one to yield us 500 heightmeters in the last 18 or so K's. In fact, not long after the 3rd stop, the best climb of the day announced itself. Very steep and over lots of roots, forcing me onto the granny gear for quite some time. We nearly made the 450m mark but just before that the track dropped us down again. Not for long because we started climbing again. I saw the hill to my right and started to grin, yes, this looked good. Indeed we went to the ceiling of the ride, 500 metres over a slowly climbing track, sometimes narrow, sometimes widening up but steadily climbing. We were joined by the shorter distances and after a little descent we went back up again, until some singletrack spat us out at the edge of the forest and overlooking Libin. Great, my legs felt fried but I was elated. The track went into the fields and dropped us nicely into Libin, some 100 metres lower. When I checked my Polar I saw that we only made 62.2K but the last couple of climbs elevated the heightmeters to just over a 1000.
The Lowdown:
What I liked:
+ great region if you love forests
+ arrowing sparse but sufficient
+ some nice technical passages
+ 3 well stocked feed zones, evenly spread over the distance
+ friendly organisors
What I did not like:
- no showers?
- a little less mileage than advocated
- a little less heightmeters than advocated/expected
Synopsis: Great ride. These forests are very beautiful this time of the year with the young green foliage filling up. The sun was hot but because we were in the forest most of the time it didn't bother me. In fact, temps were ideal especially next to the rivers and the coolness which emanates from them. On the 65K I was riding alone most of the time, filling my lungs with pure air and listening to the sounds of the forest. Birds, the crickle-crack of my tyres on the track and the sound of my chain running through the gears were all I could hear. Forest murmurs. The organisation didn't take full advantage of all the hills they had here - or perhaps they were not allowed into areas where the Tellin organisors passed only a week before? Some nice technical passages - this sets it apart from Tellin - and still a reasonable amount of heightmeters. The trailbuilder didn't shy away from passages straight through the forest on virtually non-existent tracks, demanding the utmost concentration. I hit a rock twice with my rear wheel and upon cleaning my bike I saw that one spoke had ripped its nipple. Bummer and not the first time this happens to me with these wheels.
The Bare Facts:
Profile of the Ride
Some pictures taken by Schijfrem
Ride Stats : 62.2km and 1025 heightmeters
Hill Factor : 16.5
3144/28115
11-05-2008, 20:02 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 10-05-2008 |
| Merlin in Wonderland |
This afternoon I had an appointment with Miss Julie in the little village of Deigné. Deigné is situated about halfway between Banneux and Aywaille and not very far from Theux either. Names that ring like bells in every mountainbikers head. Julie knows the trails here pretty much by heart and she set out more or less following the trails the annual organised ride in Deigné offers. We set out on a nice little climb from the start , rocky rooty and rather steep. This was the maiden trip of my Merlin in the Ardennes and it turned out to be quite a trip. We climbed into the fagnes area leading towards Hautregard and Vert Buisson, the tracks were very technical at places with roots, ruts and some rocks protruding and making me very happy to be on a fully and not on a hardtail. At more than one occasion I know I would have come to a full stop using a hardtail, but the Merlin carried me merrily over all the pitfalls the terrain threw at us. Past Vert Buisson we were to descent into what I like to call Wonderland. The slope leading down into the Ambleve valley and where a couple of little rivers cut their way down through some very pittoresque scenery. We first descended along a very rock strewn section and made our way back up on a trail parallel to the river Chefna along some pretty technical trails. At times the track was just too technical and we had to walk. But these were exceptions, most of the time there was a little trail you could - just- ride.
The tracks Julie chose were among the best the region has to offer, mostly singletrails or rock-strewn trails leading upwards with the little river on our right flowing through crevasses and making for quite a wonderful view. But I had to keep my eye on the trail . I hadn't been here before, although I seemed to recognize some trails from the Banneux rides I did a few years ago.
The Merlin Works 4.0 climbs like a goat, the Nobby Nics run at 2.0 bar (I have NoTubes installed) and they found always some traction The suspension did its best to smoothen out the ride over cobble-like rocks. Things shifted under my wheels all the time but this amazing bike just kept on rolling. The XTR drivetrain made it easy to shift up and down, even at low speeds and full tension when the trail suddenly became a LOT steeper and I needed the chain to drop onto the smallest cog in the front. Not one mis-shift. Amazing stuff. Up on the Porallee plateau again and now we were making the descent along the Ninglinspo, with a very nice technical singletrail at the beginning and a full-blast downhill dropping some 250 heightmeters and crossing the little stream a couple of times. Before we arrived at the bottom Julie turned to the right and we were set for another long climb over a difficult and steep trail. Julie is a very good climber and her bike - a Liteville 301 - is particularly well-suited for this kind of terrain. We both own titanium hardtails as well but between you and me, a hardtail is not the bike for this kind of terrain. It would kick like a mule on all the rocks, roots and ruts we had to continually clear. After a long and difficult climb a great downhill followed, taking us around Mainire with a great view over the Valley of the Ambleve. Another climb followed before we dropped down, more or less into Deigné. Just another tricky track with a little rivulet running through it. The weather was great by the way, temps of 26 degrees C and the sun in full blaze made me very happy we did long stretches in the forest. At places where there was no shade many a drop of sweat was shed.Wow, what a great ride this was, even though Julie cut out one loop we nearly had 40K and a whopping 925 heightmeters, yeah, this is one hilly region. And such beautiful scenery , with very technical trails and a real challenge for bikers and bikes around every twist in the trail. I had a great time and I want to thank Julie for making this ride happen. I'm sure we will we back here for some more rides in this wonderful area.Ride Stats : 38.6K and 925 heightmeters in 2h44minsHill Factor : 243082/27090
10-05-2008, 19:08 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 06-05-2008 |
| Merlin Magic |
Temps around 25 degrees made me wait until 6pm before I ventured out on the Merlin Works 4.0. This was my first serious outing on my newest bike and I wanted to test it on the Meerdael Bloso's and do the Red Overijse Bloso to add some climbs. I put 120psi in the Rp3 shock and 110psi in the Rock Shox Reba. I quickly noticed that 120 might be a tad too much but I left it like that during the ride. My legs were still tired from last weeks' 3000 heightmeters but what a blast this ride was. From the outset the light Merlin (it weighs 10.9kg - only 500 grams heavier than my Litespeed and 100grams lighter than my Moots) felt nimble and quick to react. I have to get used to the smaller saddle (a Xesco 240) but the seating position seems to be spot on . The suspension worked like I expected it to do - I have tested a bike like this extensively last August - and the full XTR drivetrain of course performed flawlessly. The kilometers flew by and before I knew it I was tackling one of my umpossible climbs and taking it without any problem whatsoever. The superb traction through the combination of the ICT rear suspension and the Nobby Nic tyres gave even my tired legs no trouble at all with the 20+ percentages. Downhills were a blast. I flew, only lightly grazing the brakes from time to time and taking everything that the track threw at me. Having 10cm of travel is great. The Hope brakes reacted quickly and consistenly, having been well braked in during my first ride a couple of months ago.
The No-tube tyres also made me less worried about risking a flat. After completing the Red Overijse Bloso I returned to the Meerdael forest to add the Blue Bloso and finish with the rest of the Green trail. I was surprised I got 60K when I got home, averaging a low 125bpm heartrate and still having 21.6kph average speed is really very good and a sign that the bike goes fast without me having to put in a lot of effort. Merlin Magic for sure.
Ride Stats : 60k and 615 heightmeters in 2h47 mins
3003/25735
06-05-2008, 22:09 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 04-05-2008 |
| Sart Lez Spa |
This ride is a part of the "Challenge du Gileppe et Hautes Fagnes" , a series of rides in and around the Hautes Fagnes area in Belgium. It is their 18th year so I expect the organisation to be very well honed by now. The weather has been clement since friday so most of the mud should be gone. But, since this is an Ardennes ride, one must always expect some wetness, if not mud then surely from passing through rivers. Lets go ride and find out.The Ride:Sunny morning, temps around 14 degrees at the start in Sart lez Spa, a little town not far from Theux and Spa.. names like bells in every mountainbikers' ears for sure. I pay 3.5 for the longest distance, which is announced to be 50K. There are also distances of 16, 28 and 38K on offer. The 50K has 3 rest stops (ravito's ) . The Moots is all cleaned up from the Tellin outing and ready to go. I start out pretty easy along a nice downhill singletrack which takes us to a point I remember from my Longest Uphill ride. It would not be the last time I see familiar landscapes. Immediately follows a steep and technical uphill taking us towards Sart and later Le Wayau. We cross the E42 and then the road towards Cokaifagne.. a nice little downhill stretch towards the little river Hoegne follows.. yeah, this is where the fun starts. We follow the river upstream for a bit until we turn left and a long uphill takes us through the forest towards the 400m marker. Down again it goes, the legs are awake by now and I have good control over the bike. Now follows a climb which takes us more or less into the fagnes. Some parts are very technical with rocks and roots, others very steep. I drop the chain on the 26 in front and grit it out. At this stage my legs are not yet in full force but I can find a good rhythm and the climb goes well. The 500m heightline is reached a first time. We drop down again towards the river Hoegne and I make a picture of a nice little bridge spanning it. After that a little tarmac uphill before dropping onto an old railroad track (minus the track ) A bit too technical this bit and I decide to walk it. Then it goes along the track more or less downwards until we find the first rest stop some 18K into the ride. Lots of stuff to eat and only water to drink. Oh well, water is best anyways. The arrowing up to now has been more than sufficient, a little sparse at times using chalk and/or red arrows on white background. Very visible and well-placed. Not troubles at all following the right track. At times they really use very narrow tracks and you DO have to be careful to not miss a little track going left or right into the forest. Nice .After the first rest stop follows a long climb which takes us to the ceiling for today.. 550metres. From then on its downhill most of the time for a long stretch which ultimately takes us to Nivéze.. where we find our second rest stop . The chateau is looking down on us.. inviting. Yes, we go all the way up there. A great technical section, steep uphill, singletrack winding up with roots, rocks and ruts trying to stop our forward movement. Great, I love the Moots here, it takes care of all the obstacles with ease, only demanding me to put it in the right gear and point it where I want to go.
The terrain is changing now, the uphills are shorter and we pass through the fields from time to time. The maythorns have not yet been pruned but I notice a lot of bikers standing next to a flat wheel nevertheless. It takes a bit of luck, but also som knowledge of where to ride to avoid the thorns. After Nivéze we ride to the north passing, but not entering, the Bois de Staneu. The tracks remain challenging from time to time, with some recuperation sections in between. After a tricky downhill we arrive at the 3rd ravito. A last time to stock up on calories before attacking a nice steep rocky uphill.. my wheel is slipping on the moist rocks but I manage to keep on riding. A quick downhill followed by what must be the steepest uphill so far. I nearly made it.. nearly because at the last stage the sheer steepness of the hill combined by the wet soil made my wheel slip and brought me to a standstill.. merde.. Oh well.. On a very nice singletrack I hear someone behind me asking if he can pass.. I tell him to wait since it is not a race. Mm, he is not pleased and tries to pass me on the right - next to the abyss. He touches my wheel and has to abandon his maneuvre. He is really pissed now and again asks me to pass. I again answer him I don't intend to let him pass since this is not a race. He starts calling me names and passes me riding up the slope on my left. He gives me a thump whilst passing me and powers away, still calling me a "Sale Flamint". I wonder how he guessed that A bit further I see him repeat the same show with the next couple of bikers - a father and his son - this is one popular guy for sure ! There are others behind me but they don't insist on passing where they really can't/shouldn't and wait for an opportunity when the track becomes wider and/or less technical. I put him out of my mind to further enjoy my ride, silently hoping he will be standing with a flat wheel or something next to the road.. but no such luck. The ride now comes closer to Sart again and a lot of bikers from the shorter distances join us. You can tell by their lack of power on the uphills and lesser technical skills. I don't mind, I am patient and await my time to pass them. They all enjoy their ride and why should I bother them? A little later I am back at the starting area in a baking sun. Very pleased with the ride. The bike is not too dirty so I just put it in the MPS and after taking a nice hot shower I leave for home.The Lowdown:
What I liked:
+ great technical passages and long climbs
+ steep climbs, roots , rocks and ruts galore.
+ arrowing sparse but sufficient+ 3.5 is cheap+ 3 well-stocked ravitos on the 50K+ hot showers+ friendly people at rest stops/inscriptionWhat I did not like:
- one asshole on a singletrack- a few guys without helmets - still
- some tarmac sections could be avoided
Synopsis: Great ride. For sure, the ride can be divided in two sections. The first half consisted of long steep climbs going up from the river Hoegne into the fagnes and down again. After the first reststop another killer climb follows. All is intersected with some nice little technical tracks. The second bit is less hilly, meaning the climbs are shorter but surely not less steep. Some passages through fields allow the muscles to recuperate a bit. Up till the end there are still technical tracks so better stay awake, there is a trap after every corner. Great stuff for your bike-control. The sunny weather added to the overall cheerness of this ride and I'm sure it was a hit for the organisation. With next weeks' Ardennes Trophy coming up a good rehearsal ride in this great area of the Ardennes.
The Bare Facts:
Profile of the Ride
Pics of the 50K taken by Schijfrem.
Ride Stats : 51.8K and 1030 heightmeters in 3h08minsHill Factor : 19.882943/25120
04-05-2008, 19:29 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 03-05-2008 |
| Haasrode Toer |
Another fine day so I set out around 10am for a 3 hour easy ride. My legs were feeling better today and the softly ondulating landscapes around Bierbeek and Tienen brought me to the little chapel in Hauthem where I usually make a stop to climb up the little terrace overseeing Hoegaarden and some other villages. A bronze plaque directs you towards a lot of churches visible in the area around the little chapel.After a few minutes I rode on towards L'Ecluse and further towards La Bruyere. I made a little detour over Happeau to check out my favorite donkeys but they were nowhere to be seen. Further on I passed through Pietrebais and Cocrou towards Grez-Doiceau. Here I decided to call it a day and take a shortcut over Bossut and Hamme-Mille to make it a nice 66K. Ride Stats : 66k and 530 heightmeters in 2h51mins2891/24090
03-05-2008, 19:07 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 01-05-2008 |
| 15th Transforestiere at Tellin |
Tellin, in its 15 years it has build up some kind of myth. A ride that is epic because of the passages through the deep dark forest around Saint Hubert, a ride that has it all and in big proportions. Small attendance, lots of little tracks, lots of climbing, lots of descending, forest as far as the eye sees, green and lush on this traditional first if may ride, Rest zones where the people are friendly and you can get bacon and eggs and liquor, or did you fancy beer on tap?? Tellin has it. I had been here in 2002 for an epic ride of 70k and 1345 heightmeters. The weather was not great then and I remember lots of small tracks meandering straight through the forest. Descents through little rivers, a few river crossings, us getting out of the forest 2 or 3 times to cross a road and disappear again on the other side of said road, like ghosts in the night.. yeah, Tellin has a mythical ring to it.
The Ride:I wanted to experience this ride again so I had made a plan to ride here today, come what may. The last 3 days have seen a lot of rain so even though last weekend was brilliant I was expecting some mud. I had a ride companion, Miss Piggy from B-M-B, who in real life listens to the name of Julie, and she was also eager to give Tellin a try, not having done this ride before. We met around 8.30 at the start. I paid 6 for the 80K inscription and got a pink wrist collar with the emergency numbers on. A little look at the map told me that there where 4 rest stops - roughly one every 15K - for the 80k ride. We set off on mostly dry tracks and even though the sky was clouded it didn't look like it was going to rain. In fact, it did but only during brief moments. The sun was peeping through from time to time and temps where around 7 degrees C. Arrowing was sparse - only using chalk - but proved sufficient under these conditions. After a few k's which allowed us to warm up gently over some mildly ondulating field roads and along some woody crops, things got a bit more serious when the first climb anounced itself. We had seen only a few puddles so where not worried a lot about the conditions in the deep forest for the moment. That would change when the first big climb took us into the forest.. oh looky, its muddy here. Yes, indeed. The track was wet and the tyres had all the trouble in the world to dig in enough to find traction. You had to work really hard to guide the bike through all everything the rough track threw at us. Lots of stones, roots, ruts, rivulets of water either crossing or running along the track. Wow great . The Moots was performing beautifully and even though this was my first Ardennes ride this year, my legs were not too bad at this stage. When we arrived at the top of the long climb , looking forward to a speedy downhill, this turned out to be a real toughie as well. The mud on the track made it very treacherous at speed and at times I felt like a skater losing control. Great bike technique training that is for sure. I had to pull out all the stops sometimes to keep the rubber side down. I'm sure Julie had a few chuckles from time to time when she saw me move on the bike. Thats is, if she was not riding in front of me. Her uphill speed was more than a little better than mine today. Some 15K and a whopping 315 heightmeters into the ride we arrived at the first rest stop. We had exactly ridden one hour. The rest zone was well stocked with all kinds of sugary delights, chocolate, bananas, some green and red drinks and a big frying pan with eggs and bacon.. steaming. They also offered a highly spirited drink for those who felt they needed that. When we asked about what was still waiting they told us it would become less muddy and more hilly. Well, they were right on one account!
Straight away we went on a steep climb and after a tricky downhill we settled down for a very steep and long climb, taking us from 190 metres to 410 metres in a little more than 2.5km.. You do the math. Luckily the track was not too wet on this climb, making me enjoy it a bit more. A little passage on a tarmac road and we disappeared again into the deep forest. The views were beautiful , at times you could see the valleys deep below us, basking in a ray of sun. One time we rode into a pine forest and saw green and lush trees at the edge of it, the sun rendering it an eerie beauty. Oh yes, this is one beautiful ride. But the mud, oh the mud. The tracks now lead us downhill, sometimes fast over some dry-ish roads, sometimes fighting with our bikes and the muddy trails to keep from falling into the mire.
Down and there was the next climb, luckily a stretch of old tarmac road, leading us to the second reststop, some 33K and 730 heightmeters into the ride. Yes, thats a hillfactor of 22. A little less stocked than the previous reststop, no eggs, no bacon, no licquor but still it provided us with sugars and enough to drink. After this reststop, a series of tough climbs proceded to wring every ounce of strength slowly but surely out of my legs. Sometimes the trails were so muddy we had to walk - and I hate to walk - at times the best way to make progress was to ride through the watery puddles, the bottom was less slippery there. I began to think at this moment that at this pace - we were averaging 12.5kph now - the 80K would become a 6hour+ affair. Not to mention that I would be drained completely. Remember , this is my first Ardennes ride and I'm not as strong yet . I sensed Julie was also contemplating taking the 60K instead of the 80K, for the same reasons as it turned out . Some 46K into the ride the mud eased off somewhat, enough to make us ride all of the uphills even though a particularly muddy singletrack had us dismounting again. We dropped down towards Mirwart and the trails became a little more rocky - what a relief. A nice little switchback downhill was intersected, fun. Some 53K and 1050 heightmeters into the ride the third reststop arrived. We asked the people manning it if they could tell us what was still waiting the next 30 or so kilometers. But they did not know. I left Julie to make the decision and she decided - wisely as women do - that we would take the 60k distance. In a way I felt very relieved. The last 17K went very well, the trails continued to be a bit less muddy and me me think a bit about the Vosges. Had we made the wrong decision .. ? No certainly not - on the last big climb of the day I could feel my legs turning to jelly. Luckily most of the climb was on hardpack or tarmac. A blistering downhill - dryer therefore the speeds could go up - and we dropped into Tellin. We had to wait a bit to rinse our bikes. My Moots YBB performed flawlessly - I only had to suffer a few chainsuck moments when dropping the chain on the granny ring too suddenly. I had to get used to a discbrake bike again and mastering the power of those brakes on rocky and muddy undergrounds took a while to get used to again.
We said our goodbyes. I took a hot shower before heading home. I felt tired but in a way very satisfied with the ride. The organisation can hardly be blamed for the wet conditions. The forests are what they are and if you accept to ride this TT you accept to go into them and undergo the conditions they offer.
The Lowdown:
What I liked:
+ the region, very beautiful, almost magical
+ well stocked rest zones - even bacon and eggs and licquor.
+ organisation provided emergency numbers
+ sparse but adequate arrowing, using chalk
+ friendly people at the rest stops
What I did not like:
- the abundance of mud.. but what can you do?
- only 3 hoses at the bike rinse.. although queues where not very long.
Synopsis:
This certainly is one great ride. This year the organisation was let down a bit by the meteorological conditions, making the forest a tough nut to crack. But they offered distances ranging from 16 to 80K, with lots of points where you could choose to call it a day and follow a shorter distance back in. The ride started out easy to allow for muscles to warm up. Once into the forest you only had to take care not to topple into the mud or during one of the numerous rivers crossings. Wearing waterproof socks kept my feet nicely dry. The big forest around Saint Hubert makes one lyrical at times, even in these conditions I was dreaming away from time to time - memories of the Vosges, but also of other rides coming into mind.
The Bare Facts:
Profile of the Ride
Pics of the 45K Ride by Schijfrem
Pics, map and profile of the 80K by Magura
Ride Stats :
60.5K and 1215 heightmeters in 4h38mins
Hill Factor :
20.25
2786/23335
01-05-2008, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 27-04-2008 |
| Hallerbos again |
I decided to ride to Hallerbos again today. The weather was great with the sun out and temps reaching over 21 degrees C. I rode the Hilset this time and made my way towards 3 Fontaines passing in Jezus-Eik and following the bikepath parallel to the highway down towards the Rouge Cloitre area. The Sonia Forest was even greener than yesterday and there were a lot of people out and about - on foot, horseback or bike - enjoying a beautiful sunday . When I reached the edge of the Sonian Forest near the Middle Hut I followed the Zonienwoudlaan towards Halle. Following a - it seems to some Latvian people - romantic little cobble-paved hollow road brings me over towards the drop into 7 Fontaines area. I made my way towards Dworp and then followed a tarmac road into the Hallerbos.
Time for some pictures and a little snack before I turned around and made my way back following the saùe route. This time I had what little wind there was blowing gently in my back and I enjoyed this part of the ride even more. I filled my drinking bottle at the well near the Zoete Waters and headed on home. A good hot bath and then I threw myself in front of the TV watching the Liege-Bastogne-Liege race.Ride Stats : 90k and 790 heightmeters in 3h51mins2726/22120
27-04-2008, 14:49 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 25-04-2008 |
| Hallerbos Bluebell ride |
Met up with G. from Latvia today at 3 Fontaines. Together we rode to the Hallerbos where she was clearly awed by the bluebells in bloom. Yes, they were still in full splendor and with the sun peeping out of the clouds every now and then the blue/purple hues were amazing. But Hallerbos is also a very hilly region and we managed to get a good ride in. It had been a while since I was there and I had to get out the map very often to make sure I didn't miss any of the most beautiful spots. We started out as usual at 7 Fontaines but we chose the 'cobbles from hell' instead of the "muddy blob" to make it up to the hilly crest overlooking Hallerbos. A little bit of tarmac brought us to the Colpain area where we dove into the forest and were surrounded by millions of bluebell flowers amidst the trees, their scent sweet and overwhelming.
From there I was trying to find my way over to the southernmost parts of the forest, with some really steep downhills and tricky uphill sections. Still following more or less the track that "Moster Blond" pieced together during her numerous reconnaisance rides of the area. I really missed her today, the last time I was here was with her and it brings back some sweet memories. But my current company was also very pleasant. G. is a strong rider, and she is quick to learn the technical trickeries of mountainbiking. She also knows by now that my favorite tracks usually go uphill  . Today we rode some 60K and nearly 800 heightmeters together. We said our goodbyes in the Rouge Cloitre area, me thanking her once again for her company and wishing her the very best for the LCMT next week. It will be quite an experience for her I'm sure.Ride Stats : 116K and 1145 heightmeters in 6h09mins2635/21330
25-04-2008, 21:13 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 22-04-2008 |
| Meerdael BLOSO |
Another lovely day with sunshine and temps reaching 20 degrees C. Who can resist going out in such conditions?? My legs felt a little better and I decided to ride out today. I took the Moots on a ride around the Meerdael BLOSO routes, some 55K in total and just shy of 500 heightmeters. After a few hectometers I fiddled a little bit with the pressure in the Fox RLT80 shock, which seemed too soft initially. It just came out of maintenance and its making sloshy sounds on big bumps.. hmmm..I need to keep an eye on that.
I had a good ride, even though I felt a little tired I managed a good average speed , especially considering the fact that I took some extra hills along the way. I rode the trails in the opposite direction , opting for alternative downhills and avoiding one mud-trap along the E40 highway. Although it might have been rideable, the trails were amazingly dry .Ride Stats : 56.5K and 495 heightmeters in 2h35mins2520/20185
22-04-2008, 20:25 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 20-04-2008 |
| Houffalize Worldcup weekend |
Friday April 18th
Unlike other years I decide to leave during the mid-afternoon to arrive in Houffalize around 4.30pm. First I went to the Press Centre but - unlike other years - the organisation had not foreseen anything for the Press until the next day. So I checked in at my hotel - the Ol'Fosse d'Outh - and got my bike ready for a ride before supper. Since I didn't fancy a tough ride I decided to ride the road to La Roche and back again. But don't underestimate this ride.. the wind was out in full force and with a 2K and 3.5K climb it was quite spicy. Furthermore I left my drinking bottles at home so I had to make do without water along the ride. And in La Roche I couldn't even find a beverage machine so all I had was a Power Bar and the dry air. made it home allright and after enjoying supper I settled in for the night
Ride Stats : 55.5K and 560 heightmeters in 2h29mins2463/19690
Saturday April 19th
Damn, it more or less rained the whole day. Not good for biking and with the cloudy skies the light was bad for taking pictures. First I went to the Press Centre to get my Press pass. Met up with some acquaintances of mountainbike.be and I also met Fons who has a great website with lots of pictures and movies . After chatting up with him I decided to check out some of the races and practice my photographic skills a bit , concentrating on the Ol' Fosse d'Outh downhill. Today the amateur races were taking place and there were a lot of accidents - fortunately mostly without much harm. One of the girls came screaming down the hill, no doubt that was her way of conquering her fear . And by god, she made it, brave girl ! The day passed by and the drizzle subsided. I waited for it to clear out but it never did. So my bike stayed inside - no ride for me. Bugger.
Sunday April 20th
World Cup Day ! Got up around 8am , had a good breakfast and headed out to the towns' centre to check the entry lists. After that I browsed through the exposition area where some of the girls were already warming up on the rollers. Later I strolled to the starting area to snap some close-ups. When the girls were shot on their way I made my way to various points around the race, trying to capture the essence of mountainbiking - the suffering, the pain but also the joy and elation after the race. The Womens' podium might very well be the one at the upcoming Olympics. Chengyuan Ren took first place again - she also won last year - followed by World Champion and 2007 World Cup winner Irina Kalentieva of Russia. Third place went to Canadians' Marie-Helene Premont.
After the Womens' victory ceremony I was joined by a dear friend . We kept each other company during the Elite Mens' race, taking some pictures and generally enjoying the awesome super sunny weather and a nice race. It was nice to see Julien Absalon take his first ever win at Houffalize
My picture gallery of the Womens' Race: LINK
Fons Moors' impressions of the World Cup at Houffalize: LINK
20-04-2008, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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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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