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| Tales from the Woods |
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| 29-12-2006 |
 Chain antics |
Was home just in time for a 1h30 ride in the forest before dark. Took the Litespeed and I noticed that the shifting was not as crisp as it used to be. I am running my chain on borrowed time, checking it with a chain tool revealed that it is over and out. Back home I replaced the chain with the Hilset one, which has another 2 or 3 offroad rides in it (I hope) and the Hilset got a new Rohloff chain. This should be sufficient for another year at least.
It was not too cold, in fact I averaged 7 degrees C during the ride which took me from the start of tomorrow's organised ride in Blanden over parts of the Red, Blue and Green BLOSO routes. I was unable to complete the whole 45K because of the falling darkness which forced me to take a shortcut. I am in two minds about what to do tomorrow. There is a Rode Lintjes ride going from Theux upwards to the Signal de Botrange and back again , a trajectory very well known to me since I was at its inception a few years ago. But the chain might not last the whole ride which yields 60K and some 1100 heightmeters.
Since the group might be large, I fear the tempo will also be too slow for me. I like to ride my own tempo, if I ride too slow I get cold and cramped , especially this time of year. On the other hand, it might very well be that the Ardennes are the only area without rain tomorrow, the prediction is for moderate to heavy rain over the coastal and middle areas of Belgium, and only some drizzle later in the day in the higher eastern regions. Oh well, I will decide tomorrow.
Ride Stats : 30K and 245 heightmeters in 1h27
29-12-2006, 18:33 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 27-12-2006 |
| Paris |
Aargh, I had Paris Hilton on my MP3 player today whilst turning my rounds on the rollers. As most of you will know, she does not sing, she just kinda whispers in a husky voice over some nice musical arrangement. Well, she is loaded so she can buy nice arrangements. I really pity her, she looks kinda sexy (she does, click the pic if you dare - don't if you really hate her ) but being who she is, she will never be taken serious. I suppose she doesn't care either. At least I hope she doesn't.
Boring stuff those roller workouts, and Paris whispering in my ear just how "sexy" and "screwed" she was and how she was "gonna get me" really didn't help pass the time any quicker. Oh well, its a test of endurance in more ways than one I guess.
Ride Stats : 25K in 1h
27-12-2006, 18:51 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 26-12-2006 |
| 2 Valleys |
I looked at the outside thermometer this morning and it showed zero degrees C. Hmm, winter is here after all. Ok, need some thicker gloves but I'm out there, no matter what. Low temps never bother me that much. Ok it is cold for the first half hour or so but then the internal heater is on and things level out for an hour or two. The colder the weather , the shorter the ride becomes of course, I may be somewhat crazy but not stupid.I wanted to do the Overijse BLOSO routes today, commonly known as the "2 Valley Route". For those who are unfamiliar with them, they yield around 34K and 500 heightmeters, there are a couple of moderately tricky downhills that require a better than average mastery of the bike and some of the climbs can be called technical and steep. I like to do these routes every now and then, mostly in conjunction with the Meerdael routes, which brings the counters on a nice 110K and around a 1000 heightmeters. But those rides are for the warmer times, today I just did the Overijse trails, biking to Sint Agatha Rode and joining the Red route there, then lap all three routes and return over Sint Joris Weert and Meerdael.The mud was thick, slighty frozen and where it stuck to my bike it froze. The windchill factor was responsible for an average ride temperature of -1 degree C. There was a little breeze blowing from the East but alltogether it was very nice weather, a little cold but great for biking. Found some time to take a few pictures, click on the small pic next to this article for one of them.
Ride Stats : 54.5K and 630 heightmeters in 2h51mins
26-12-2006, 18:25 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 23-12-2006 |
| Sibir |
Today I rode in the Meerdaelwoud. I did the 3 BLOSO routes, but in the opposite direction. Quite a few bikers on the trails and also lots of walkers in the forest. I noticed to my joy that the arrow that had been missing since before this summer, has been replaced, so my mails to BLOSO have had effect. I guess it was just a matter of finding the right person.Good ride I had, the tracks were damp but never wet so my tyres of choice, the Nokian NBX Lite, was an excellent choice. Made some pics of big paddos (check pictures next to this article) and of course also of the new arrow on the red route. On average I had a temperature of 3 degrees C but the cold wind from north-eastern origin made it feel a lot colder. Someone left the Siberian freezer-door open I guess.Ride Stats : 55.5K and 495 heightmeters in 2h48mins
Oh, by the way, I passed the 12000K mark for 2006 today, my yearly aim is to be at a 1000K/month so that aim has been reached.
23-12-2006, 19:14 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 17-12-2006 |
| Ride the Red one |
Yesterday evening I had to work, and work did not work out too well , Murphy was around it seemed, so I was only home at 3am this morning. Very tired and couldn't get out of bed to meet with the gentle people of BigM who had planned a special ride in my home forest, Meerdaalwoud. Sorry guys, but I hope you had a great ride nevertheless.
I decided to leave around noon (having gotten out of bed at 11am) and do the old trusty Red Bloso Road route, with some extra bits to spice it up a bit and to add a few K's . I felt good despite the long day yesterday and really had a good ride. Found a new interesting bit of cobbles as an alternative for the Moskesberg, although the new bit is also very steep at one point. It was dry although the roads, and especially the backroads were still wet and slippery with mud and leaves.
The "Car Decision" had also been made, click on the small icon next to this report to check out a nice picture of the Mazda MPS 3 in red trim. Thats the one for me.
Ride Stats : 60K and 550 heightmeters in 2h41mins
17-12-2006, 16:46 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 15-12-2006 |
| Darkness |
I have been very cheerful today, collegues at work noticed me singing songs and humming to myself. I guess this is due to the fact that I have finally decided what car to get, or at least I'm 95% sure it will be the Mazda 3 MPS . Tomorrow I am invited to do a short test-drive with it , then all that needs to be decided is the color. No options on the list so that is easy. Either I go for another red one and then I will have to wait 5 months, or I go for the one they have in stock (one of 5 in Belgium) and then it will be Cosmic Blue, a nice mica color that makes this exclusive car a little less conspicuous, more sobre looking.
I will know more tomorrow when I actually see the car in its Cosmic Blue trim in daylight. Need to take some pics.As for the biking, I forgot to charge my batteries after my last ride so I only had for about 2 hours of light. And indeed, near the end of the ride the light began to grow dimmer. Since most of the routes I take are shrouded in complete darkness I had to reach a populated area as soon as possible, switch off the light to save some time, and switch it back on for the last stretch through Meerdael Forest. I just made it, even my back light faded out and left me in complete darkness about one K short of my home. They eyes adjust quickly even to minimal light but nevertheless I was glad to be home. Ride stats : 47.5K and 375 heightmeters in 2h0615-12-2006, 20:01 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 13-12-2006 |
| Climb-it |
I love to climb. I have always been good at riding uphill and while this is probably something that is heredetary I also feel that I have to train specifically on hte uphills to become even stronger, or at least remain at a certain level. Lots of mountainbikers I know hate the uphills. They enjoy riding downhill, riding twisty singletrack or with the wind in their hair, preferably blowing from behind.
Me I also like all those things but I also like the uphills. I embrace them, seek them out , make them my friend, and it works out between us.
Today saw me riding a particularly steep uphill in nearby Nethen, 11 times over. With a small flat recovery stretch followed by a quick downhill, the little tour was just 1.5 km long. Good thing the wind was blowing me upwards, my legs were screaming for mercy when I added 1 climb to the planned 10. Always try to do just a little more and surprise yourself, you can do it.
Ride Stats: 40K and 535 heightmeters in 2h00
13-12-2006, 22:24 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 12-12-2006 |
| Out in the Night again |
I've been having a lot on my mind lately, looking for a new car, having trouble with my digital camera and stuff like that. So I was glad to be able to go out riding in the night and clear my head or arrange my thoughts on certain subjects.
My camera has been giving me trouble with one lens, in that it won't focus on infinity. Strange thing is, it has been completely checked, recalibrated and maintenanced by Nikon and when I got it back it still behaved the same. So I'm figuring it must be the lens. I sent both camera AND lens back to Nikon Tech, I hope they figure it out. This stuff is worth several thousands of Euros so I expect it to work flawlessly in any circumstance.
As for the car, I'm checking out a shortlist of very powerful cars and my current favorite is the Mazda MPS 3 , but the Astra OPC, Leon Cupra, Megane RS Turbo or Focus St are not out of the picture yet.
Oh well, the ride went well, some cold wind blowing but overall temperature was 6 degrees C so very manageable. I made a loop over Bierbeek, Meldert , L'Ecluse, Beauvechain, Hamme Mille, Nethen, the Zoete Waters and Heverlee.
Ride Stats : 50K and 345 heightmeters in 2h19mins
12-12-2006, 23:24 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 09-12-2006 |
| Knokke Rode Lintjes Tocht |
It had been a while since I last saw the sea. Must be when I was in Cap Griz Nez a few years ago, for another Rode Lintjes Tocht. Not abnormal , the sea is not really where you expect a MOUNTAIN biker, or a wolf for that matter, to be. Still I can immensely enjoy the sight, sound , taste and smell of the sea. I've always felt a strange connection to the water, from long before I was a deepsea diver, the diving only strengthened the bonding.But that is another story, it even seems like another life at times.Lets concentrate on today. I got up at 6 and after a long drive arrived in Knokke where Peter DB , another member of the mountainbike society known as the 'Rode Lintjes' had given rendez-vous for a ride at the coastal regions of Belgium and nearby Holland.
4 more members where at the Natienlaan where the start was to be; Philip R, Kris B, Peter L and Gunther D. It was a mere 5 degrees C but the skies were clear when we set off. The moon was still in the western corner while the sun was trying to pierce its rays through some stray clouds at the eastern horizon. Peter led us through the awaking outskirts of Knokke into the "Koningsbos" . This was a forest area with lots of twisty sandy singletrack, ondulating up and down, the trails covered with wet leaves and the occasional root . The uphills were no problem with my 9kg bike (I chose the Hilset because of its lightness and lack of suspension making it an ideal bike for the beach) but I had to dismount a few times on some steep downhill. Having no suspension is not all its cracked up to be when the going gets though.
Still I enjoyed every bit of this amazing forest, all the twisting and turning left my head spinning and also got my heartrate into gear.. Peter led us towards the North Sea dike next, and after some picture-taking session in front of some horny looking surfer statue (Philip did the honors but Peter DB and myself also took along a small camera so we should have a lot of nice pictures) we took onto the beach.
It was a first for me, and I quickly learned that the closer to the water, the better the ride is. I did not fear the salty water, after all titanium doesn't corrode, so I stayed close to the still-receding sea. Every now and then it was as if someone was pulling on the brakes when we came into some softer sand. Our tyre tracks were sweating salty water out of the sand while we rode to the north ,the wind pushing us gently along.
Every now and then we encountered some deeper sand and there the trick was to either let some pressure out of your tyre or shift to a lighter speed and make the best of it. Sometimes it worked, sometimes you had to push like hell while only burying your tyres deeper into the sand. Good training, I can tell you !
When we arrived at 'Het Zwin' we took left into the dunes to round this Natural Bird Reserve . In the dunes I quickly learned that 'Green is your friend'.. Green meaning every bit of grass, moss or other vegetation where the sand was less loose and this meant the difference between riding and walking. Great stuff here, each one of us looking to stay as long a possible on the bike, sometimes having to dismount but quickly finding a more stable underground and biking along. After riding on the remnants of the Atlantikwall and past the entrance to 'Het Zwin' we arrived in Cadzand, the Netherlands, province of Zeeland. Here we once again took to the beach for another stretch of sand. Here the sand was alltogether of better quality, less loose. We passed a Nude Beach, pity it was too cold, and rode all the way to Breskens where we had a lunch break next to a Lighthouse.
After the break we had to think about getting back. The way back would be along trails on the top of the dike, with the wind now blowing into our faces. I felt strong so I took the lead along with Peter DB and Philip. The sun was out but the temperature was around 8 degrees C which made the ride back rather chilly. We had to hold back though because Peter L was having problems with the high tempo, dropping behind more than once. Along the way back, Peter DB had another few nice singletracks up his sleeve. All the while we could enjoy the view of the Schelde, the Sea , the birds which were a LOT quicker than we were (better CX I guess) while avoiding bikes and walkers . We arrived back in Knokke, a last bit of trail along the golf course and we were back at the start.
Ride Stats : 69K in 4h23 and 240 heightmeters (yes yes ! )
Pictures :
BigBadWolf
Philip R
Peter DB
09-12-2006, 19:31 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 06-12-2006 |
| Rollerboy |
Another ride on the rollers today. Just idling along and loosing up the muscles. I'm feeling the effect of the flu injection so I only stayed on an hour.
Ride Stats : 25K and 1h
06-12-2006, 19:59 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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| 05-12-2006 |
| Rollers again |
Lousy weather and not really wanting to ride outside due to a flu injection I got today, found me on the rollers again. Just idling along really but good to keep the wheels in motion.
Ayumi kept me company again .
Ride Stats: 20K in 47mins
05-12-2006, 22:42 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf
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