When I rode out it was almost dry but I would soon notice a strong wind was blowing from the southwest. There were a few drops of rain flying though and the forecast was for more rain during the day. I set out on the Haasrode tour and I wanted to do a complete lap of it today. My legs felt good and well recuperated. When I arrived in Willebringen I would get a first real taste of the force of the wind but it still was only raining very lightly and with the track twisting and turning all the time I only had the wind in my face very shortly. But after when I arrived at the furthest point of the route, the geosite  in Hoegaarden, the long ride back in mainly western directions was about to begin. I took the big road to Meldert and the rain was getting more intense. With the wind in my left side I suffered to keep the bike riding in a straight line. It was really blowing fiercely. From Meldert I rode towards l'Ecluse and after l'Ecluse I had the wind full in my face for a long period of time, making my way towards Beauvechain. The streets were getting wetter too but my Goretex jacket kept me warm and dry. Its long back panel also kept the water from my buttocks. Obviously I was wearing my Sealskinz so my feet stayed dry as well. With temperatures around 11 degrees I did'nt feel too uncomfortable with the rain. Climbing from the 1st Wing Airbase towards high Pietrebais the full force of wind and rain had me digging very deep but I tried to keep my heartbeat in the higher LSD ranges. Around 145-150bpm maximum.
Dropping down towards Cocrou I could relax a bit. The rain was a bit less but when I was leaving Cocrou it started to rain harder again. I decided to do an extra climb towards the church of Biez, very slippery on wet cobbles. Took a picture from the bike and the backdrop looking out over Grez-Doiceau.

The ride down towards Grez was tricky, steep and with wet cobbles so I didn't let the speed go too high, controlling my descent with both brakes , pushing the bike in front of me, leaning back over my rear wheel. From Grez I rode over Archennes towards Pecrot. Here I saw the bikers coming in from todays' mountainbike ride. They looked very muddy ! But I wasn't exactly dry and clean either. A last couple of climbs took me out of Pecrot and into Nethen. Past Sint Joris Weert and then into the Weertse Dreef the wind was at last blowing in my back and I could relax a bit whilst driving the last couple of kilometers towards my home.

Ride Stats : 70K and 620/685 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h19mins

9151/95085

06-12-2009, 17:02 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Something that I wanted to do for a while now but which was always postponed because if the weather is great I'd rather go biking and if the weather is really bad it's too far and hazardous a drive. Returning to the Oosterschelde, in the province of Zeeland, the Netherlands.
I have spent many a fine day here when I was still deepsea diving. We would dive on the change of the tide and spend the 6 hours in between just relaxing or enjoying the local horeca. I have been wanting to go back and do a long bike-ride there but obviously this should be done in the summer. Now there is too much wind and today also a lot of rain riding up to Wemeldinge and coming back over Goes. The Antwerpen circular drive was very treacherous with a very wet tarmac and a lot of cars going all over the place all at once.
Riding up the 125K distance I just put the car on cruise-control because I wanted to save fuel. Not sure if I could tank in the Netherlands I also didn't go to the Oosterscheldebrug or Neeltje Jans. A couple of highlights I also want to include in my bike ride should it ever happen.
For now I drove towards Wemeldinge and stopped at a location called 'the tettekes' . Here there were only a couple of cars - all Belgian licence plates - and I saw some divers exiting the water. The tide was low.

I took a couple of pictures and rode on along the levee road towards Wilheminadorp and the nearby diving spot 'Goessche Sas'. No divers here except for a couple of Dutch people who looked like they might go in the water later. The rain had stopped so I took a couple of minutes to look out over the expanse of the Oosterschelde, an estuary formed by blocking the sea entrance by means of huge waterworks. In early days it was one of two mouths of the Scheldt river. This river now enters the Northsea through the Westerschelde mouth. The entire region of the Oosterschelde has been made a National Park in 2002 and is known for its diving and delicious mussels. I rode back with the feeling that I must return here soon , fully fueled, and ride the extra distance towards the Oosterscheldebrug and the Neeltje Jans waterworks. 

05-12-2009, 14:48 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today was pretty wet and halfway through the afternoon I began to dispair about being able to ride out this evening. But around 5.30pm the skies were clear and the roads began to dry out. So I slapped on the Lumicycle Led System 3 and rode out. I wanted to do some more climbing today, and started out on almost the same route than the one I took last wednesday. When I arrived in Ottenburg I added another climb back to this town and then set out for Terlanen with the dreaded Moskesberg followed by 2 climbs on the Smeysberg ridge. From there I rode towards Neerijse for a loop with another couple of climbs taking me towards Leefdaal but not quite. When I turned on the small tarmac road through the fields towards Leuven I saw Selene appearing from behind the clouds. She was just past full but still shone bright enough to lighten my path before me. The wind was blowing in my back and the soft white light of my Lumi coupled with the bright moonlight made navigating easy. I felt intensely happy during that moment. Another drop into, and climb out of, Bertem and then towards Egenhoven and the Arenberg castle. From there I rode through Heverlee and towards the paratroopers barracks. Then next to the Mollendaal Expressroad, through the two tunnels and into Blanden for a final stretch before reaching my home again. The average temperature was 5 degrees C but I didn't feel cold, just satisfied with my ride. The Lumicycles' battery was far from empty but I'm guessing it will need a couple of hours to be fully reloaded.

Ride Stats : 62K and 740/795 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3hrs

9080/94400

04-12-2009, 21:33 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

I started around 3pm this afternoon so I could enjoy an hour or so of light before darkness fell and my light was needed. I wanted to do some heightmeters so I looped towards Nethen and Pecrot, taking in some hills left and right. In Archennes I turned towards Ottenburg but then took the climb on the narrow tarmac road to the left. Somehow I managed to get a flat in my front tyre during the uphill. I couldn't find the hole so I put in my last reserve tyre. The other one still needs to be fixxed from my flat last week in Meerdael Forest. I better do that as soon as possible because next time I will have to walk.
From Ottenburg I dropped down towards Terlanen and then took the steep Moskesberg upwards. Back down and then I went in the direction of the Smeysberg for two climbs of that ridge. Over Sint Joris Weert where I climbed up the very steep Speelbergstraat, rode down the Hollestraat towards the Leuvensestraat, climbed up the Heidestraat to turn left on the Oude Nethensebaan. Another left down the Kasteelstraat towards the Leuvensestraat again. I followed that road until I reached Heverlee. Then I returned to Blanden over the Industriepark and through the biking tunnels along the Meerdaalbos laan.
I knew the full moon was out today but unfortunately it was clouded with some light showers and a stiff southeastern wind that made it feel colder than the 6 degrees C it actually was.

Ride Stats : 50.5k and 595/640 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h20mins

9018/93605

02-12-2009, 18:37 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today the weather was great. A bit cold in the morning but sunny and most of all dry and not a lot of wind. I rode out in the afternoon and picked up on the Ludo Dierckxsens route in La Bruyere. The bike felt great, the new crankset was day to night compared to the Tune. Stiff and running ever so smoothly. Lets hope it keeps on doing so.
The streets were dry and the heightmeters accumulated nicely when I rode towards Chaumont Gistoux and Dion Valmont. When I arrived in Archennes I met Roger who was also doing a road ride. The offroad is pretty wet - understatement - so the only reasonable option is staying on the streets and do some long distance there. I added a couple of extra climbs in Archennes and moving up towards Bossut before crossing La Malaise to pick up with the LD again in Pecrot. Next I looped back over Nethen, Sint Joris Weert and the Weertsedreef for a nice distance and a good ride.

Ride Stats : 62.5K and 510/590 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h53mins

8968/92965

30-11-2009, 21:29 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf