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| Tales from the Woods |
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| 18-11-2006 |
 Some bad, some good |
I had been asked to lead a group on a ride today going from Theux towards the Signal de Botrange (highest point of Belgium) and back again. Something that is known as 'The Longest Downhill' and a ride I have been refining for a few years now to yield some 65K and 1000 heightmeters .
The weather looked bad and I wasn't too eager to go out. So I tried contacting the organisers but got no reply. I drove to Theux (one-hour drive) to check out who would show up, and possibly propose a shorter ride to them, only to find NO-ONE at all at the rendez-vous point.
Pretty pissed off I was, it was raining and with about 5 degrees at the start I didn't even want to contemplate doing a ride over there all alone. Back home I drove (another hour lost). I got a call from one of the organisors saying 'the other guy' was handling the mountainbike event , but up till now the 'other guy' hasn't returned my SMS'es. If he worked for me he would be surely fired !
So, since I was all geared up and upon reaching Leuven came into dryer weather, I decided to ride into the Meerdaelwoud and do the first and third part of my Secret Meerdael Loop. I got my little Sony camera with me to take some piccies and set off. And what a great ride I had. Sure, it was muddy but my waterproof socks and pants stopped all wetness and cold from bothering me. The sun was shining now and I got some great shots of toadstools and some nice forest colors too. The ride was very tiring physically and that added to the mental strain from the debacle this morning has me now rather tired. And I still have to wash my bike, but that is something I will not forget.
I'm still waiting for a call from Mr.Organisor and I figure he owes me 2 hours of my life and some 16 litres of fuel.
The Ride Stats : 42K and 550 heightmeters in 2h50 minutes
18-11-2006, 15:58 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 14-11-2006 |
| RollerBoy |
Yep, another wet and windy evening, autumn really is settling in now. Only good thing is that the temperature is amazingly high, 13 degrees C this evening. Still I decided to stay in and ride an hour on the rollers. Hopefully tomorrow it will stay dry and I will be able to ride out.
Ride Stats : 25K in 1h01 minutes
14-11-2006, 18:35 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 12-11-2006 |
| Archennes |
The Ride:Yesterday was measly and rainy so the planned ride in Ottenburg fell into the water for me. I heard today only 250 bikers turned up . This must have been a disaster for the organisers but that is one of the risks you face when organizing an outdoor activity in November.
Today then, and I was keen to get on my bike, the weather looked good, it had only rained sparsely since yesterday afternoon and the start at Archennes was only 12k from my home. Let's GOStarted very late (11.30am) so no crowd at all. The organisation, "la 2ieme Boucle des 5 Rivieres" , was in the hands of a local school, helped by some members of my club, the Blancs Gilets. No discount for licensees so I had to fork over 4 for the 40K distance. Prices varied from 1 to 4 Euros corresponding to distances between 10 and 40K.Took a pic of the map, got on my bike and off I went.
It started out fairly easy going up towards Les Monts and the outskirts of Wavre and Grez-Doiceau. A very wet downhill leading from the Bercuit golf circuit down towards Bayarmont and Morsain , were I greeted the earth with my right hip . Having put on Nokian NBX Lite tyres which are not at their best when things get really muddy and sticky I was fearing the worse.
But my fears were premature since the rest of the ride was as good as dry, one or two puddles notwithstanding.
The ride hooked up with the Accro Bike after passing through Grez-Doiceau and followed this hilly track for quite a while. Since this is one of my favorite training areas I was enjoying the ride, but secretly hoping they would soon leave the Accro and find their own trail.
Not far from Cocrou, on the Longue Tienne, awaited a first rest stop, some 16K into the ride. Even though I left very late, there was still plenty of stuff to eat and drink, they even had a bottle of Martini, which I politely declined. Some good sports drink and a couple of chocolate cookies filled up what little hunger I had and I drove on.
After Cocrou the ride left the "Accro Bike" area and after passing the busy road to Jodoigne a long uphill on cobbles brought us in the Bois de Linsmeau, were a nice fast, rocky and rooty downhill followed.
Another uphill and then a nice little 40K-only-loop with a very steep ascent along a field into Gottechain.
The wind was blowing fiercely into my face as I went down towards Guertechain and after crossing the Wavre-Hamme Mille road I came onto the second rest stop, 26K out.
Met Nicolas Casteels there, who was riding a tandem together with Manu, owner of Moving Bike. I got some hot soup here which really warmed me up nicely after the cold wind. Upon leaving I took the wrong direction but quickly found out (no more arrows) so I turned back and took the right split (the one going left) this time.
Dropping into Nethen via the famous "jungle downhill" which was a piece of cake today, only a big puddle near the end. Back up again and this would be my ordeal for the next couple of K's . Up and down, up and down, every now and then with my face into the wind. I saw Nicolas and Manu in the distance and made an effort to rejoin them, which I did just before Pecrot.
They went downhill with the speed of a train, and after I passed them in one of the uphills, they came thundering by me again in the following downhill. Big brakes and of course the advantage of quite a bit of weight made them go really fast here. But then came a nasty singletrack uphill, leading up to the last rest stop.
In the beginning of that uphill they were riding before me but had to bail out at the steepest bit , leaving me stranded as well. Nicolas gave me a good push though and I managed to ride the whole thing. Had to wait quite a bit at the third rest stop (which only had a very limited amount of food left) but this gave me the chance to chat up with Eric Anris, co-organiser of this ride and himself organising the 'For Your Pleasure' ride in Pecrot on the 3rd of December.
Make a note of this, because that is a great ride coming up in just 2 weeks ' time !!
After this stop, the ride ondulated up and down some more, going over La Malaise where I found some muddy patches along the "La Hocaille" sandpit. We then dropped into Archennes to finish the ride after some 44K (closer to 42K because I made a little detour after the 2nd rest stop)
Met up with Sandrine and Atef from BigM just before the finish area. There was only one hose to wash the bikes with, which was OK in these conditions but there really should be at least 3 or 4 hoses.
Ride Stats : 44K and 660 heightmeters The Lowdown:What I liked:
+ great area
+ arrowing was without fault
+ distance splits were very well marked, before AND after the split
+ well stocked rest stops, and 3 of them on the 40K
+ danger markers at the really dangerous spots/downhills
+ disaster number was handed out at inscription and was also on every arrow
What I did not like:
- this ride was too short, a 50K distance would be nice.
- only one hose at the bike wash.
Synopsis:
A great ride, providing distances for each level from 10K to 40K. Perhaps a longer distances for the real bikers would have been a bonus. The rest stops were well stocked and even for the late starters there was plenty of food and some soup and/or sports drinks in lots of flavors.The arrowing was without fault, I only took a wrong turn once, after the second rest stop, but that was my fault.
The Bare Facts:Ride Profile : CLICKMap of the Ride : CLICK
Some pictures taken by Schijfrem : CLICK
12-11-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 06-11-2006 |
| The smell of fresh beets |
Oh yes, NIGHTRIDE time again. Today, or rather, this evening was the first one for me this autumn . Started out easy on the road to check out the state of my lights and get used to the rhythm of riding in the dark, with just the white cone of your light to guide you , once again.
It felt great to be out in the dark; the loneliness, the inherent danger, the quiet, the 40 watt HID beam blinding car drivers, the smell of freshly harvested beets when passing the fields where the machines were still working to get them out of the ground, the pang in my stomach from the sugary smell of the beets, reminding me I hadn't eaten for 6 hour, the crispness of the onsetting night, the waning full moon playing hide and seek behind some sparse clouds.
Yes, it felt great to be out again in the dark.
Ride Stats : 32K and 200 heightmeters in 1h21mins. Average temperature : 7 degrees C
06-11-2006, 21:33 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 05-11-2006 |
| Dyleland |
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Today I wanted a relatively easy, mixed ride so I took off on the Dylelandroute, riding through the Heverleebos towards Egenhoven and further on to Leefdaal and Neerijse. At the top of the Smeysberg and one hour out, I turned around and rode the exact same route I came by, in reverse. On the way out I had a strong wind against me but riding back that same wind became my friend, pushing the speed up and making me 8 minutes faster during the loop back. Took out the Moots and I'm glad I did.
Ride Stats: 38.7k and 370 heightmeters in 1h52mins.
05-11-2006, 13:19 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| Out and about part 2 |
Another picture from todays walk. This little brown cow wasn't afraid of the Big Bad Wolf.Well, not until I started snapping a picture of her ...
05-11-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 04-11-2006 |
| Double |
Yes, the weather is great this morning so I'm off to the Tervuren ponds to try my new lens. Great stuff but I made some beginner mistakes which left me with only a few good pics. Oh well, we live to learn, even after 15 years of photography. Made some great close up shot of Nile Geese, but with my trusty 180mm prime instead of the new one. Back home upon seeing the results I went into the garden to check out some settings and got it right after all. Hope to find time and sunlight to get out in the Meerdael forest tomorrow to learn some more about this new lens.What I've seen already is that it is sharp as hell with the nicest "bokey" I ever saw on any Nikon lens. Period.
Back in time to get on my bike. It was around 10° C when I left and the sun was still out. Lot of wind too and it felt cold. I set out on the 'Ludo Dierckxens', an arrowed route I discovered last summer. This loops over Bierbeek, Beauvechain, La Bruyere, Happeau, Incourt all the way to Chaumont Gistoux. Then it goes towards Wavre, Dion Le Mont, Grez Doiceau and Archennes. I decided to do an extra loop up towards Ottenburg and back over Terlanen and Sint Joris Weert. Legs felt great and the wind piped down considerable during the ride too.
Ride Stats: 71K and 520 heightmeters in 3h02mins
04-11-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 03-11-2006 |
| Out and about again |
Left work at 2pm to be able to ride in daylight. I was very keen to go out because of this weeks' work shedule and my hip that was still bruised I had only been able to get on the rollers on wednesday. So I was eager.
Took the 30K road BLOSO and decided to ride it in reverse. It was clouded and near the end of the ride some light drizzle fell. Average temperature was 9 degrees so long pants and long sleeves were in order.
Had a good ride, relaxed, overall heartrate a bit high but that is possibly due to the unregular work shedules this week and the fact that I hadn't been properly on a bike since last sunday.
Tomorrow I hope to be able to try out a new lens I bought today. It gets very good reviews so I'm eager to see what gives.
I can only hope for some sunlight.
Stats for todays' ride : 32K and 220 heightmeters in 1h20 minutes
03-11-2006, 21:22 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 29-10-2006 |
| Bierbeek Meerdael 2000 TT |
Rise and shine , it's 6am and I have to leave at first light, or even just before that time, to ride to the start of the Bierbeek TT, organized by the Meerdael 2000 team. I help the organisation and as usual I get to pre-ride and check the longest distance, making sure no arrows are missing.I leave at 7.15 am with two other riders who very quickly take one of the shortest routes, leaving me on my own to ride through the awakening forest. I was not very awake myself because I manage to fall off only 250 metres from my home, a root hidden under some autumn leaves tripped my front wheel. I fall on my left hip but besides some pain there doesn't seem to be much damage done. Will be stiff next morning though. Still, no time to get stiff now, I ride on and the movement of my legs keeps the blood flowing. It is amazingly warm this morning, 16° C , and I begin to sweat a little bit under my long pants and long sleeves. Still , having to stop frequently to put back an arrow that seems to have developed legs during the night, I am glad I have some protection from the wind that blows quite happily from the west.
After about one hours drive I am back at the shorter loops and pass some bikers that have either left very early or are riding the loop without inscription. Oh well, it's a common road, not private, so they have every right to be here. I don't have the guts nor the glory to try and climb the very steep section after the first rest stop and walk with my bike until halfway up. Then I mount the bike and grind my way up the steep reminder of this short climb. There will be a long queue forming here later on., that much is obvious. At Nethen there is a whole sections with missing arrows, and I have a bit of work to make sure the riders won't get lost here. After some 28K the track leaves the forest to go out in the fields of Hamme Mille , gently meandering up and down. The second rest stop has the Red Bull girls waiting.. The blonde one, whom I recognize from last years rides , comes over and hands me a Red Bull. I ask her to pour it directly into my bottle and she does so, adding "This will up your taurine levels for the next 3 hours". I smile and tell her I won't be biking for the next 3 hours.. She replies "No problem, when you are at home, you will still be very vital". I look at her from behind my shades and think to myself that I feel very vital right here and right now , just looking at her .. She looks back and seems to understand what I am thinking . Smiling from ear to ear I get back on my bike and set off to tackle the last 20K of the ride. Some faster riders pass me now and I'm always pleased when that happens. I up the speed and soon leave them behind. Then a really fast one comes along and I have a hard task keeping him in my sights. He is very strong on the uphills and my hip gives out a pang of protest so I stop the chase and let him ride. The arrowing is perfect now, I am on the smaller extra loops now and they have been checked by other guys. Just after 10am I am back at the start. Judging by the amount of cars that are parked along the roads, this is gonna be a succes for the organisers. Someone tells me they already have 1200 inscriptions with still 30 minutes to go. I take my bike over to the bikewash area and clean the little bit of mud that clung to it. Overall , the ride was fast, with a nice section in Meerdael and Heverlee forest. A few muddy patches but only 2 where riding though them couldn't be avoided. Ride stats : 66K and 615 heightmeters.Some pictures taken before and during the ride
29-10-2006, 20:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 28-10-2006 |
| LIght and shadow |
Damn, damn damn. Just as I had planned in a morning taking some wildlife photographs , the one thing absolutely necessary to take good photographs; photos ie light, is absent.
This morning woke me up in dark and gloomy weather and not the october sunshine I had hoped for. What a contrast with yesterdays' sunny bliss. But then I had to work, moping behind the glass about opportunities lost. Life's a bitch, sometimes.
Even some light rain so taking the bike out is no option either. I still hope it will clear out this afternoon and maybe then I can go out with my camera after all, but for the biking part I will have to make do with the rollers, again.
So I got on the rollers around 11am , which today felt like a compulsory ride, not something I was looking forward to. Armed with Alanis Morissette, Nightwish and KMFDM tunes on the MP3 player and enjoying Robert E.Howards "Black Colossus" I let myself drift away into the rhythmic sounds in my ear with the rollers' noises droning far in the background.
I did not feel particularly well throughout the ride, sweating more than usual and even though my average heartrate was just over my aerobic treshold I did not feel the release of the endorphins this time.
Stats: 37K in 91 minutes
28-10-2006, 13:48 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 27-10-2006 |
| On the rollers again |
Today I received some very sad news which left a profound impact on my state of mind and will do so for some time to come.
What I usually do when I feel sad is to get on my bike and ride to clear or order my thoughts. This evening I did not feel like going out so I stayed indoors and did an hours' ride on the rollers.
Stats: 27k in 61 minutes
27-10-2006, 19:10 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 26-10-2006 |
| On the road again |
Even though it was still windy this evening, it was dry so I decided to go out for a quick spin, making a 28K loop on the road adding 195 heightmeters to my total. Took it easy and was only bothered by the erratic behaviour of my Polar transmitter. Seeing a heartrate of 42bpm one second and 120 a few seconds later is not really funny. I have had this problem for a few months now and I think my belt is ready for the dumpster.
Stats : 28K and 195 heightmeters in 1h10 minutes.
26-10-2006, 11:49 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 24-10-2006 |
| Roller time |
Another stormy and wet evening so back on the rollers I went. This time I did 50 minutes , adding a gear each 10 minutes, and cooling down for 2 minutes afterwards.Legs felt good and my average heartrate was 113 bpm, which was 6 bpm lower than yesterday even though today's rhythm and average speed were higher. I recovered well it would seem.
Stats : 23K in 52 minutes.
24-10-2006, 20:25 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 23-10-2006 |
| Roller time |
Weather was unstable and it was dark when I arrived home so I decided to go for a quick spin on the rollers.
Started real easy and upped a gear every 10 minutes. After 30 mins I really started to get a good feeling in my legs so I decided to add another 6 minutes listening to my favorite Roxette tunes on the MP3 player.
Stats : 15K in 36 minutes.
23-10-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 22-10-2006 |
| Accro Bike 2006 |
Today I did not ride myself, but helped my club, the Blanc Gilets, with the organisation of their annual Accro Bike mountainbike race.
This is a 32K race starting in Hèze near Grez-Doiceau , this time it consisted of two 16K laps.
Due to the marvelous weather the tracks were dry, something we do not experience a lot in this period of the year.
I had my camera with me but because I had to stop traffic I could only use one hand to make the pics. Still I'm pretty pleased with the results.
Click on the picture next to the text to watch the gallery
22-10-2006, 18:24 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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