 |
|
|
| Tales from the Woods |
|
|
| 25-06-2008 |
 Mixed Bloso |
Started out on the Blue Meerdael Bloso route. In Sint Joris Weert I followed the arrows connecting the Meerdael to the Overijse Bloso's and in Sint Agatha Rode I got on the Red Overijse route. An extra descent and an extra climb in the Sint Agatha Rode Bos and then the usual trickery of this fine route. At the little chapel next to the Sint Agatha Rode bos I had a little snack before making my way back towards the Meerdael Forest.Arriving in Sint Joris Weert again I continued on the Blue route, switching over to the Red one after the climb alongside the Savenel wall in Nethen. I passed two bikers here who were catching their breath after the Savenel climb. Making a little detour towards the Warande ponds I added another little climb before crossing the Naamsesteenweg and climbing up into Hamme Mille. I had another snack and saw the two bikers on the climb just before I started riding again. The wind was blowing in my back when I speeded through the fields towards Bierbeek. Obviously, when I climbed through the fields back towards the Meerdael Forest, it was blowing from right in front of me. At the beginning and at the end of this section I stopped to take a picture. After that the remainder of the Red route only brought one surprise, a nice mudtrap I didn't spot on time and which brought me to a full stop. The little track parallel to the Naamsesteenweg was still pretty wet and you had to cross from one side to the other to stay dry. It provided some fun. Back on the Blue I only had to do a few more kilometers. The weather was not as gloriously sunny as yesterday but still pretty warm and with a noticeable wind blowing from westerly directions.Ride Stats : 62.5K and 710 heightmeters in 3h06mins4817/45115
25-06-2008, 18:47 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
|
|
|
|
|
| 24-06-2008 |
| Lost in Chastre |
Took an extra day off work today and it turned out to be a mighty fine day. The sun was out so I couldn't resist getting on my bike for a Long Slow Distance ride. I set out following the Maleizen Tour from Archennes over Chaumont Gistoux and up to Corbais. There I saw some other arrowing pointing towards Walhain Saint Paul, so I followed that. After a while the arrowing was gone so I had to play it by ear. I dropped into Chastre and was looking at the sun's position to judge which way I had to go. Of course, roads are not in a straight direction and before long, I had the feeling I was riding too much south of the line Gembloux-Wavre. I seemed to be turning around between Cortil-Noirmont, Gentinnes and Chastre, with no idea how to make it to either get to Court-Saint-Etienne or Mont-Saint-Guibert, from which I know my way home.  
24-06-2008, 16:41 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
|
|
|
|
|
| 22-06-2008 |
| Rando des Coquelicots |
With thunderstorms forecast early in the afternoon - and also with yesterdays' ride in my legs - my original plan to ride in Lustin was set aside. I had noticed that this weekend also offered the Rando des Coquelicots in Chaumont Gistoux. A nice little ride in an area of Brabant Walloon I know very well and like very much. 6am saw me rise and ride the Moots towards the start. A nice 20K ride which should warm me up quite nicely for the Rando des Coquelicots. Temps already are around 17 degrees C so it's going to be a hot day.The Ride:
At a little before 8am I take the start in the Centre Sportif A. Docquier in Chaumont Gistoux. The organisors are still the same from a few years back when I last did this ride. The distances offered are 15, 30 and 45K . Naturally I go for the longest distance and pay 4 entry. I am the first biker on the track and enjoy the quiet and lonely tracks. We pass along some pastures where the wheels in the wet grass spray my frame , making dust and grass stick to it. I remember the track more or less from past attendencies so I am not too bothered with the sparse arrowing. At one point there is no arrow at all. I take to the right and at the next crossing I see the marker again. I can imagine a lot of people turning around in circles here. A succession of nice little tracks - but some fieldroads, cobbles and tarmac as well - brings me in Vieuxsart and on towards Dion le Mont and Dion le Val. The 30K splits off from the 45K and a little further, some 17K into the ride, a first rest stop awaits me. The people there - an elderly couple - are surprised to see me so soon and there is a real banquet waiting for me. Bananas, oranges, cake, chocolate wafers, water and Acquarius. The lady who mans the reststop wants me to taste it all. Her husband was briefly away adding an extra arrow to the crossroads just before the rest stop, at my request. I also mention to him the missing arrow near Vieuxsart. With my tummy a lot fuller than before I say my byebyes and get along with the ride.
It is getting hotter by the minute, but the sun is hiding most of the time behind shifting clouds. No sign of thunderstorms yet although in the west the skies look darker. The ride now turns towards Grez Doiceau with some nice little passages and a long sandy climb out of Cocrou up towards Longueville. But we are not there yet as the ride turns left into the fields for a long loop before entering Longueville. A well known passage along a singletrail between two fields grabs my attention. Fortunately it is dry here, the only bother is the high grass that clutters my gearing. A steep climb exiting a forest passage and I get ejected back into the fields before entering Longueville and passing the Chapelle du Cheneau. A wellknown passage in and around Bonlez follows with a tricky wet downhill on cobbles taken full speed. I am passed by a greying biker who makes a lot of speed in the downhills. I try to follow him but can only get a little closer during the uphills. He is the first biker I see and we arrive at the second reststop, some 40K into the ride. The 30 and 15K distances have joined us as well. Me and Mr Fast leave together and decide to ride the last 8K together. We ride into the Bois de Glabais and instead of taking to the left - as they did last time - they go straight up into a track that makes we think we are in the Ardennes. We ride through a riverbed with rocks and a lots of water. It goes uphill as well and it takes a lot of work to keep the bike rolling. This passage really is amazing and on its own makes this ride worth the while. We now ride towards Chaumont along another field passage and then have the choice of entering by road or taking the hollow road leading down towards the start. Obviously we opt for the offroad alternative and get presented deep gullies - and I mean DEEP - where we have to dismount for a few meters because of the slippery conditions. After a while things get dryer and meandering from left to right, in and out of gullies or trying to stay on top of them, we make our way down towards the start. I cannot comment on the bikewash facilities and/or showers since I did not use them. I talk a little more and it turns out he is a member of the Pietrebais organisation. I might have guessed he knew these trails by the way he attacked the downhills.
I ride back home along the first part of the 15K trail and making my way through the Bois de L'Etoile towards Heze and Grez-Doiceau. No thunderstorm in sight.
The Lowdown:
What I liked:
+ a great riverbed uphill passage in the Bois de Glabais
+ the rest of the region, also very beautiful
+ well-stocked rest zones - lots of choices
+ very friendly people at the rest stops
+ only 4 for this feast
What I did not like:
- no emergency numbers provided
- arrowing was sparse and inconsistent, at times simply lacking
- no danger signs at road crossings
Synopsis:
Trails were dry and speed was fast most of the time. Not too difficult but with some nice passages along singletrails between fields and especially the long climb into the riverbed in the Bois de Glabais. This was a first-class section where I assume a lot of lesser bikers would be on foot. They offer a good ride, not taking in everything the area has to offer but still providing a good sampling of the area.The Bare Facts:
Profile of the Ride
Some pictures (taken by Schijfrem)
Ride Stats :
Rando des Coquelicots: 48K and 550 heightmeters
total distance today :
90K and 980 heightmeters in 4h30minsHill Factor of the Rando des Coquelicots: 11.54665/43700
22-06-2008, 18:01 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
|
|
|
|
|
| 21-06-2008 |
| Adeps Route Limelette |
Today I rode over to Ottignies and its Bois des Reves to try and follow the marked Adeps route that passes there. I rode over there with my bike, the weather was promised to be dry and warm. Took me some 31K getting there and when I reached the Bois des Reves entry I immediately set out on the Adeps route. The markings are new, big red Adeps/Bloso arrows with sometimes a number on them. Unfortunately, as I was about to find out, some vandals already removed some of the plaques from their poles. First you get a nice long climb around the Bois des Reves, followed by a great downhill. The trail then turns towards Louvain-la-Neuves urban jungle but the markings are all there and there are some nice little passages, among them a steep climb on cobbles that will set many afoot. Lots of tarmac here and it really takes quite a while before I get some dirt under my tyres. I pass the LLN Golf Course on some hardpack that lets me up the speed. A descent into the Bois de Lauzelle but again there seems to be no other option than a tarmac descent. On the left and right of the descent I spot some singletrails - pity they don't use those. When I emerge out of the forest into Limelette, I go straight down instead of turning to the left into the Rue Charles Dubois. About 500 metres further I realise my mistake and have to climb back up again. At this point the arrows are missing. I take a picture of the crossroads so that others may learn from my mistake and plunge into Limelette via the rue Charles Dubois. Its a 10 percent slope and I'm down there fast. Another bit of urban jungle, taking good care to spot the arrows and I leave the city to emerge into a series of field roads. The tracks are nice and dry and I can make good speed here, even though there is always a slope. From time to time a bit of cobbles are thrown in to make things interesting and at one point the arrows point me straight into a field. The trail turn counterclockwise around Ceroux-Mousty before crossing this little village - with a nice grassy Place Communale that gives a lot of shade due to the trees planted around it. After Ceroux another great track awaits me as I plunge into a hollow road. Some gullies here and they are wet.. after a while the hollow road deepens and yes, I've reached the circuits mudhole. Staying on the edge of the deep muddy gullies I try to bike it, but I am forced to walk a few times. Near the end of the trail a dog tries to outrun me. I'm faster.
I'm back in Ottignies now and some more tarmac brings me to the Bois de Reves entrance again. When I check my Polar I see that the red route was 29K long .Minus 1 K because of the extra downhill/uphill when I went straight in Limelette leaves 28K . There are some 320 heightmeters in it. Lots of tarmac, some nice passages as well but few and far apart. Still, some nice views from the plateau and except for the urban passages very quiet roads and tracks. Obviously I do the little Bois des Reves loop which adds some 3k and 90 heightmeters to the total. It would be a shame to miss it when you want to do this loop.
Riding back home I loop over Chaumont Gistoux to check out the starting place for tomorrows' Rando des Coquelicots" which I plan to ride. I insert some offroad passages going from Longueville towards Pietrebais and just as I am 500 metres from home I hear something rattling against my back wheel and upon arriving home I have a flat tyre. Talk about being lucky..
Some pictures taken along the way
Ride Stats: 99.5K and 1030 heightmeters in 5h01mins
4576/42720
21-06-2008, 20:36 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
|
|
|
|
|
| 17-06-2008 |
| The year of the snail |
Has anyone noticed how many snails there are crawling around this year?? Its amazing, the forest seems to be filled with them. The wet intermezzos coupled to steamy hot days tends to really make them flourish. Its difficult not to kill at least a couple of them each ride. And they stick to your frame - they do.Anyways, I set out for an evening singletrack ride along my Secret Meerdael loop today. The goal was to ride for two hours and see how far I got. Well, I got about 35K far. The first bit is not too hilly, only a Hill Factor of 10 or thereabouts, but its all twisty and turning trails. They were pretty dry with the occasional slippery patch and still som mud in the deep forest, but traction was rather good. I had to float my bike over some deep mud from time to time but when I emerged out of the forest next to a field the bike was still pretty clean. Saw a donkey family with the youngster very cute and not shy at all. 
17-06-2008, 23:01 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
|
|
|
|
|
| 15-06-2008 |
| Overijse BLOSOs and then some Meerdael |
The weather forecast called for rain this Sunday but when I woke up there was no cloud in sight. Around 11am I set out to ride up to Sint Agatha Rode in order to do the Overijse BLOSO routes. These are some 34K long and yield around 480 heightmeters. I set out on the loop in the reverse direction and quite quickly I noticed quite a few bikers who were doing the loop in the right direction. I had to inject a few extra climbs of course - mainly around Ottenburg where there is one climb that is next to impossible to ride in the reverse direction of the BLOSO loop - the downhill on the Red loop with the steps for those who know the loops.
So instead I added another steep but manageable climb, a tricky and very slippery descent back to the field and then the climb that the BLOSO route also follows back up towards Ottenburg where I rejoined the BLOSO route in my chosen direction.
The tracks were a bit wetter than yesterday but only slippery in the shade of the forest. Still, the Overijse route is quite a handful with some steep descents and climbs. The one out of Overijse was made with great effort on my lowest speed. But I made it. The sun on my skin felt good but I could notice more clouds gathering as the minutes passed by. Next to Hoeilaart I stopped at the field where some beautiful Brabander horses were standing. Two of them with fowl.I ate a powerbar and made some pictures. The fowls were a bit scared of me but their moms didn't mind being fed some grass. Perhaps the fowls were too young to already eat grass. I got on my way - keeping in mind the dark clouds I spotted at the horizon - along a tricky downhill with deep gullies that nearly did me in. But somehow I managed to keep the rubber side down and finish the remainder of the loop. A little bit of exploring in the Sint Agatha Rode forest and I was off towards Meerdael. I still had some time so I set out on the Blue Meerdael BLOSO loop from Sint Joris Weert. A couple of uphills later I was next to the Naamsesteenweg and I incorporated another loop close to the Dikke Eik - where I spotted some interesting woodcarvings. The wind was blowing fiercely now and just before the first drops began to fall I was home. A very good ride, very relaxed pace and still a good average speed.Ride Stats : 61K and 820 heightmeters in 3h33mins4376/40840
15-06-2008, 17:53 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
|
|
|
|
|
| 14-06-2008 |
| Rain rain stay away |
It looked like it would rain all morning but when the sun peeped through the clouds I decided to take my chances and do a local ride. Nothing more local than the Meerdael BLOSO routes so I tackled those. The trails were pretty dry, except for some muddy puddles which were easily avoided, in most cases. I had mounted my fenders so I didn't care either way. At one point I even began changing my mind about attending an organised ride tomorrow. It didn't look THAT bad so why not? But when I exited the forest I saw a big dark cloud looming and all I could think of from that moment on was to make enough speed to make it home dry. Well, I almost succeeded. I had lost some time when my front fender decided to break free on a tough downhill. Probably due to the shocks. I tried to attach it again - it is some kind of eccentric thing that attaches to the inside of the fork tube - but failed to make it stick. So into my backpack it went and I rode on without a front fender. When I arrived on the last bit of the trails it started to rain very gently but then the gentle drizzle changed into a downpour. Luckily at that point I only had about 2K to ride. Made it just a bit wet but before things really got torrential.Ride Stats : 55.5K and 510 heightmeters in 2h48mins4315/40020
14-06-2008, 15:35 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
|
|
|
|
|
| 10-06-2008 |
| Ravel |
A couple of days of nice warm weather so I couldn't resist taking a day off from work to do a long LSD ride. I set out over Bierbeek, Meldert and Hoegaarden towards the Ravel No2 Hoegaarden-Namur. This is an old train track that has been closed and instead there is a tarmac road for bikers and hikers. The slope is very gradual and at the end it drops nicely into Namur. It was warm and I took it very easy, keeping my heartrate around the 110bpm mark to stay on the edge of the fat-burning processes. Not that I have any fat to burn but that way you can literally ride for hours . In Namur I took a little break to eat a powerbar.Returning the same way the road is generally downhill but there was a noticeable wind blowing from the North so that kinda evened out the effort needed. A little over 5 hours riding time brought me back home. I just read in the paper that our "National Pride" , Tom Boonen, has been caught sniffing the white powder, cocaine. I hope they punish him - if not only to make him see that he is not above the law . It looks like he can't get his private life under control. Making a lot of money obviously the lure of drugs and other vices - he was caught speeding at 180 where 90 is allowed - is great. He would do better focussing on his biking. As far as I'm concerned Quick Step should fire him for this. Lesser drivers have been fired for lesser causes. I hope he recovers from this and doesn't turn into another VDB or Pantani. Ride Stats : 120K and 600 heightmeters in 5h03mins4210/39050
10-06-2008, 16:44 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
|
|
|
|
|
| 07-06-2008 |
| Hagelandse Chrono |
The 8th edition of the Hagelandse chronorit would certainly be an edition to remember. It had been raining for 3 days in a row and obviously we were expecting a lot of mud. Even though during the race the rain halted and tracks dried out a bit towards the end, it was indeed a mudfest extraordinaire.Going to Langdorp this saturday morning was a little victory on my inner demons. I am not really a mud-adept but I was so keen to go I just got in my car and rode over there. The Ride:
Got a nice T-shirt and .5 back on my pre-inscription fee when I showed them my UCI licence at the Inscription. It was still drizzling when I prepared my bike - mudfenders and all - and rode up to the starter. Starting is on an individual basis so this means there is no crowd at the start but the faster riders are on your heels pretty soon. But there were only chrono riders on the track and all went very well. No fuss about passing, you just move over when you can and the faster guy - or girl - passes, usually muttering some thanks. The organized rides (distances of 20 and 40K offered) are for tomorrow. Very nice of the organising team to let the racerabbits run amongst themselves. The first loop took us towards the famous Bosberg, with around 5K of singletracks and steep uphills and descents showing us just about every trail on that mountain. It is sandy here and traction was still good. Coming back towards the start along the river Demer brought us the first really heavy mudsections. The upper layer - wet grass and clay - was very slippery and soon all gearing was covered in grime. No use oiling your chain, it was washed off in less than a couple of K's. My fenders kept me safe from flying mud but obviously the rest of the bike got covered pretty fast. I had mounted a JImmy up front and an NBX Lite in the back. Not bad but on the really slippery trails they were hopelessly looking for traction. After 11K we arrived back near the start and those who wanted could get something to drink at the first reststop. After this there would be 3 more rest stops. Spread evenly at 33K, 45K and 65K into the ride they provided us with all a marathon biker needs. Some yummy chocolate cake - full of fast sugars - and you could get a new drinking bottle, filled with energy drink or water. Great system this, and just one of the little niceties which show this organisation is pretty well honed and tuned to the needs of the biker. The ride was pretty straightforward, a repetition of steep climbs - usually only 20 to 30 heightmeters in one go - and sometimes very tricky descents. I recognized some names - Walenbos, Wijngaardberg - but basically every time we went into a forest the light faded - it was still raining lightly at this point - and things got slippery . I had to walk a couple of uphills, and also some downhills at this point.
Around the 42K mark I lost control of my bike - on a flat section in a field - and went into a deep gully which was running alongside the road. I went over the bars and landed on my hands and chest. Ouch. Nothing hurt but it kinda took the wind out of me for a while. I also needed a little time to become confident in my tyres again after that fall. Some 4 hours into the ride the rain stopped and gradually the trails became less slippery - drying out a bit or perhaps a change of soil. There still were many deep puddles but I didn't mind those. I had my Sealskinz on and riding through the puddles cleaned my drivetrain a bit which provoked less noise from my chain running over the dirty chainrings and cogs. I began to push a little harder on the pedals now, and made all climbs except the really steep ones. Also on the downhills things went better, except for the really freaky ones. My braking power wasn't what it used to be and it was difficult to control the bike with the brakes gripping on some parts of my rim and slipping on other parts. It provides wheelstalling and that is not something you want on a slippery floor. At certain points during the ride there were controls - people who put a marking on your race number to prove you had been there. A missing marker at the end means disqualification, obviously.The arrowing was sparse but very adequate. Little neon-yellow plastic arrows held by rubber strings. Very green as well, no tape, staples or nails needed. The only times I overran a turn was when it was into such a narrow track you barely saw it. The singletracks were amazing, especially on the Bosberg and also during the last 12K of the ride. Sweeping through the forest, demanding your full attention. The drop into Aarschot I remembered from earlier editions and I knew the last 2.5K was along a fast track on the Demer borders. Tired but very satisfied I made the end with some 5 and a half hours on my Polar. There was a bit of a queue for the bikewash which was well-stocked for usual days with 6 lances (3 of them high pressure) but when the ride is this muddy perhaps a few more would have made for a faster development here.
One more thing about the times necessary to get a Gold, Silver or Bronze brevet. They seemed unrealistic considering the meteorological circumstances. As it stands, only 2 riders got a Gold . I feel the organisation should have upped the times, taking into account the difficult circumstances.
The Lowdown:
What I liked:
+ the region, very beautiful.
+ well honed and experienced organisation.
+ well stocked rest zones - they had drink bottles with Energy drink so you could leave yours.
+danger signs at road crossings and some downhills
+ organisation provided emergency numbers
+ sparse but adequate and very visible arrowing
+ friendly people at the rest stops
What I did not like:
- the abundance of mud.. but what can you do?
- unrealistic target times for Gold, Silver and Bronze brevets, considering the weather conditions.
- only 6 hoses at the bike rinse.. with all the mud people were queueing and getting cold...
Synopsis:
I met a lot of old acquaintances, which was nice. Girls and boys - you know who you are - thanks for saying hello to me and taking some time to chat up, it really felt good. The ride for me was very satisfying, I hate mud and me making it and actually starting here was a small victory on myself. This whole ride was a battle with oneself - resisting the urge to turn in and surrender. Every person who made it is a bit of a hero. I have done this chrono 4 times now and I love the Hageland. But today it was not served by the meteorological conditions. Still, I made it and I am happy. The organisation gets the thumbs up - very honed and almost professional. The Bare Facts:
Profile of the Ride
Organisers website
Results (Zip File)
Picture gallery (Paul Helsen)
Movies of the ride by Fons Moors : Part 1 + Part 2 + Part3
Ride Stats : 85K and 975 heightmeters in 5h24minsHill Factor : 11.54044/38120
07-06-2008, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
|
|
|
|
|
| 05-06-2008 |
| We Will Ride! |
It rained heavily the whole day, and I was not exactly looking forward to ride in the forest this evening, but at least when we started out - there were 4 of us including me - at 7pm with the KBC MTB club, it had stopped raining. I mounted my fenders and set out to guide the guys around some challenging singletrack into Meerdaelwoud. The pace was slow, the floor was wet and roots and puddles were demanding our attention whilst trying to keep the rubber side down. The leaveswe brushed were heavy with water - adding to the overall wetness - and the tracks were closing in on us . The forest reminded me of a rainforest; wet and damp and some fog forming under the darkening canopy. I was following parts of my Meerdael Loop but in the reverse direction. We passed along the Dikke Eik and crossed the Naamsesteenweg just before the Hamme Mille border. Now the terrain was becoming more hilly but I was trying to avoid the really steep stuff because the muddy track made it difficult enough as it was. Some downhills were very technical and the ever changing conditions - wet,dry,mud,sand,roots,gullies,fallen trees - gave us a real technical workout. At some parts I was amazed how little mud there was - most of it probably washed away to the sides of the trail - but here and there a little bog demanded our highest concentration. Dropping into Nethen - nice steep downhill - I wondered for a while to take the long hollow "jungle" track upwards to the plateau but when Freaky tried to ride the first part of it, and got stuck, we decided to take the chicken way around.
05-06-2008, 22:09 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
|
|
|
|
|
| 03-06-2008 |
| eyes in my back |
|
Couldn't resist the sunshine so i set out around 7pm for an easy recovery ride. Temps wer low twenties so not too bad and the sky was free from menacing clouds. Sometimes you need eyes in your back because I got nearly run over by a car.. someone was trying to cut it short between me and him when trying to pass me the same time as a car from the other side of the road. I felt the sigh of his mirror against my side but luckily he didn't hit me. He was also lucky that he didn't have to stop anywhere soon, I was out for his blood . When I rode in there was a huge black cloud following me and a rainbow also indicated rainfall.
Ride Stats: 33K and 205 heightmeters in 1h25mins
3927/36785
03-06-2008, 21:06 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
|
|
|
|
|
| 02-06-2008 |
| Secret Meerdael Loup |
Had a day off from work today and I decided to check out part 2 of my Secret Meerdael Loop. Those who know or have ridden it with me as a guide know its a toughie. So I took it very easy and relaxed . The trails were pretty overgrown and I had to remove a branch here and there as well. I left my mud fenders on the bike, because it had rained a little bit during the night . The weather was sunny and warm . I took the time to stop and take some pictures to wet your appetite. If you feel like joining me on these trails don't be afraid to contact me. The only thing I ask is to leave your GPS at home. The trails were moist but not overly so, and my Jimmy/NBX Lite combination found traction most of the time. The only time I had to get off of my bike was on a very steep climb in Nethen were I kinda fell asleep and my front wheel collided with the gully border. I was right awake afterwards and tried to be a little more concentrated the rest of the ride. Some of the downhills were very nasty and because I was with the Litespeed I was at the limit of my V-brake powers trying to brake at the end of them. But I had no troubles, in some downhills, speed is your friend. I was pretty tired but very satisfied near the end of the ride. The weather was rather hot with 25 degrees and it was rather broody with thunderstorms building up. By the look of the clouds it would seem that this time we will not escape them.Ride Stats : 39k and 665 heightmeters in 2h54mins3893/36580
02-06-2008, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
|
|
|
|
|
| 01-06-2008 |
| Easy ride |
|
No rain or thunderstorms in sight, instead nice and sunny weather even though the humidity was a bit high. So I rode out for an easy ride. Legs felt good and the roads I chose were not too difficult. Riding over Bierbeek, Meldert, Hoegaarden and then a little bit of Ravel route before heading towards Sart Mélin, one of the most beautiful villages in Brabant Walloon (or so they claim). Little detour to check out my favorite donkeys in Pietrebais but they were nowhere to be seen. Only the stallion was there, mother and son were missing. I headed back towards Hamme Mille and across the Meerdael forest to complete a good recovery ride.
Ride Stats : 52K and 355 heightmeters in 2h16mins
3854/35915
01-06-2008, 17:04 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
|
|
|
|
|
| 31-05-2008 |
| Accro Bike 52K again |
Today I had an appointment with Guna to ride either the 42K or 52K version of the Accro Bike. The Accro is one of my favorite rides in my neighborhood so after only having been there last week I didn't mind going back there again at all. I met up with Guna just before Wavre and we rode to the Bois des Neulettes to enter the trails there. On our way I passed near the Golf terrain to incorporate a little bit of offroad. The narrow trail was overgrown and Guna got a wake up call when she landed on the floor, luckily not doing any harm to herself or her bike. The trails were moist in the shaded areas and the climb taking us out of the terrain was impossible, very steep and no grip for our tyres. A little bit of tarmac in and out of Basse-Wavre and soon we were at the 2 chapels of the Bois des Neulettes. For a detailed description of the Accro Bike trails and a map I refer you to my BLOG entry of the 24th of May.
The first steep climb in the Bois du Tour proved too much for us, too wet and offering no grip. But the rest of the trails were great and - the occasional puddle notwithstanding - rather dry. I had expected them to be a lot muddier. Oh well, can't complain, the track is difficult enough without mud . Some of the downhills were demanding our full attention and I was pleasantly surprised when Guna followed me on what I consider to be the trickiest of them all. Descending into the Bois de Glabais with my wheels slipping and sliding from one gully into the other, whilst trying to avoid the rubble, stones and pieces of wood . We followed the little rivulet at the bottom, instead of opting for a way around it as I did last week, and even though it was a lot wetter here there was no real difficulty or too much mud.
The continuing succession of climbing and descending makes this a real tough ride. I had warned Guna because from experience I know some people start out too fast on these tracks only to fade away by the end of the ride. But I think we kept a good speed, allowing us to enjoy the trails to the fullest without overly exerting ourselves.
The amazing landscapes - sometimes one would think to be in the Ardennes - make this a ride you enjoy even though your legs are being squeezed out with every climb. We stopped to have a little snack at regular intervals , eating and drinking is of paramount importance on long rides like these. Not to my surprise Guna chose to do the 52K version, and since I had cancelled my Ardennes ride for tomorrow I didn't mind doing the longer version today as well.
The weather was amazingly good. It had rained considerably last week but this saturday it stayed dry. It was warm with temps over 20 degrees C and even though some menacing clouds made me fear for rain at one point, the clouds later dissipated and left the warm sun to shine down on us again near the end of the ride. Only trouble was that our supply of drink was running out. So on our way back towards Overijse we stopped in Basse Wavre to fill up at the local store. Me I chose for a Coca Cola (giving me a boost of energy) , Guna went for water and something to eat. We split near Tombeek and I had to fill up again in Sint Agatha Rode - another coke. On my way home I stopped to admire a young fowl - it couldn't have been more than a week old. Arriving at home I felt tired but very pleased with my day. I believe Guna will have biked around 140K today - very impressive !
Ride Stats : 110.5K and 1285 heightmeters in 6h33mins
3802/35560
31-05-2008, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Gastenboek./.Guestbook |
Druk op onderstaande knop om een berichtje achter te laten in mijn Gastenboek. /
Press the button below to write in my Guestbook.
|
| Email Me |
Press the button to send me a mail
|
|
|
|
