With a forecast of showers and the sky already filling with clouds I decided to do a shorter ride today. So I picked up where I left off after doing the second part of my Secret Meerdael loop and rode the third and final part of it today. The tracks were still perfect and this part also takes me to the Beaumont forest and then down towards the Rue de la Marbaise in Pecrot. Here there is a lot of climbing to be had and I also follow a very narrow and overgrown track between 2 fields that is on the 'Balade des Murs' starting in Nethen. I then ride towards the Kluis area where I had to witness a blatant infraction on the law when 2 cars where parked near the Hertebron, a well where people come to tap water from. I quickly snapped a picture and had to restrain myself form walking towards them and ask why they did not obey the law.

Instead I set forth on my route which led me back home with a nice ride in my legs. The pace was OK in view of the many climbs that still had to be conquered and I felt surprisingly good throughout the ride. When I arrived home it started to rain and it looks like there will be thunderstorms later in the afternoon. But as I'm writing this I already see the sun appearing again.

Ride Stats : 24.5K and 320/405 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h37mins

4137/44275

06-06-2010, 13:39 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

High time I got Mr.Merlin out of his winter sleep and put him to use on some trail. What better trail to start out on than the Nandrin ones? Indeed, the weather was sunny and it seemed like it was going to be a hot day. A little wind was blowing when I arrived at the town square of Nandrin. I have known these trails for more than 10 years and after all this time I still look forward to riding them. I usually combine 2 marked trails - the White and the Red - for a distance of around 45K. Throughout the years I have found some extra challenges to this already tough ride and today I was going to try out some new stuff as well. This ride is not really an Ardennes ride, it sits in between pure Ardennes and the hills of , say , Brabant Walloon. The hills are longer, higher and sometimes steeper than in Brabant Walloon but not as long and high as in the real Ardennes. Still, it is an excellent training track or just plain beautiful, especially after a period of dry weather.

Don't bother riding these trails if you don't have the trail map or a GPS with the track on it. The arrowing has faded away over the years, no one bothers to replace them and the trail map cannot be found any more. I got my copy in 1999 or thereabouts and the shop where I bought it no longer exists. So there you go. Good thing I like to share trails. You can find todays GPS track at the end of this blog entry. Either copy the track on a map or if you are lucky enough to own a GPS, just download it and upload it to your device.
The tracks were amazingly dry today. I always am a little weary when I ride here. There are a couple of places where mud can be an issue. But not today. The trails were fast and the Merlin was speeding down the long downhills like a silver bullet. Groaning through the gears when another uphill announced itself, with the sun burning a hole in the back of my helmet. Good thing the track nicely alternates between forest and field. When I reached the valley of the Ruisseau du Neufmoulin the trails really become among the most beautiful I have seen in Belgium. This little secluded valley offers a multitude of trails, all going up - or down - a 120m slope. Today I tried another loop, first slaving my way up the slope on a very steep track, then turning to the north until I reached a downhill I discovered last year. Then I had to walk because I was going uphill and the trail is really difficult, with stones, ruts and horses hooves aplenty. But riding downwards it become do-able. When I reached the bottom I had to include a short stretch of tarmac before disappearing again into the deep forest. Following the rivers edge I arrived at the bottom of the climb the red route usually takes. I took some time to eat and drink, I would need it for the upcoming climb!

Steep, rocky and long. I love this climb. The Merlin offers good traction and I had good legs so it really went well. I then turned towards the south and instead of going up to the rocks I decided to ride down a walkers trail, steep and twisty. But what fun to be able to control the bike with the brakes and take the twisty path all the way down to the rivers' edge again. From here I followed the red trail again, the legs were tiring nicely and I still had 3 major climbs to do. Steep and narrow tracks along the edge of some fields for the first 2 climbs, and then a long rocky track through a forest for the last climb of the day. Arriving in Scry all that is left is a bit of tarmac connecting to a track that leads nicely back into Nandrin. I included some pictures with this writing, but if you want to find some more, or just want to read about my past adventures on these trails , just enter 'Nandrin' in the search window of my blog. That should turn up some tales from years past. 


Ride Stats : 50K and 885/910 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h57mins

4113/43870

05-06-2010, 18:08 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Super weather this evening so why not take the weekly KBC MTB club ride into the field tracks of Brabant Walloon ?  We started out in Haasrode and rode through the Meerdael Forest towards Bierbeek and then on field tracks onwards to Beauvechain, L'Ecluse and the Ferme de Wahenge. Here awaited a very technical passage along a deeply carved track. It took a lot of mastery to ride on top of the berms between the deep ruts. Some guys found an easier alternative along the field parallel to the trail. We then reached La Bruyere and the edge of Melin. Crossing the road to Jodoigne and then connecting to Pietrebais where I took them for a little loop in and out of a little forest in Longueville.

The distance started to make itself feel in the muscles by now and from time to time we had to pause to allow every biker to catch up. A long downhill brought us into Cocrou which we left after crossing the N240. Another long climb into the Bois de Linsmeau and we were on the plains again. I checked my GPS to find the quickest track towards Guertechain. Here I crossed the N25 and we made our way into Les Claines. A last couple of K's through Valduc leading the group back into Meerdael Forest. When we neared Haasrode I bid them goodbye and rode back home. They were fine to find their way back into the centre of Haasrode.

Ride Stats : 45,5K and 405/465 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h22mins

4062/42960

Today I wanted to tackle the second part of my Secret Meerdael Loop. This starts where the Naamsesteenweg crosses the Warandedreef and needless to say, the amount of hills are multiple in this region. Add to that that I take full advantage of every nook and cranny in this - the southern part of Meerdael Forest - and loop around like some crazy bee around a pot of honey.
The trails were still moist but at least it was dry and even though the skies were covered, there had been some sunshine during the day, drying things up just a little more than yesterday.
I had a great ride, my legs felt fine and even the steepest of hills didn't have me wanting for smaller gears. There are also a couple of hairy descents but the Moots is equipped with some excellent disc brakes. Furthemore, the confidence in the Continental Mountain Kings is great. I only had to look out for a couple of mud traps which not only can stop you faster than you can blink, but they also may wash out your wheels when taken at an angle. But all went well , I felt in control of the bike throughout the entire ride. When I passed near the Savenel wall I spotted a little roedeer in a grassy field. It paused long enough for me to take my camera out and snap it. When I moved along the trail it jumped graciously over the fence and disappeared in the dark forest.

After an hour and a half I decided to ride in, leaving the last part for another day. It could have been my imagination but at one point I thought I heard a distant rumble of thunder. The forecast for the rest of the week and the weekend calls for progressively better weather.

Ride Stats : 25K and 425/470 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h42mins

4017/42495

01-06-2010, 18:57 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today didn't see a lot of sunshine. Instead the clouds covered the skies but it didn't rain, or at least not a lot. I decided to take the Moots out for a reconnoitre of my Secret Meerdael Loop. The first part to be more specific. This part is more or less one big singletrack interspersed by some bigger trails to interconnect the party bits. I did however notice to my dismay that the forestry had been busy felling trees on my favorite tracks. So from time to time I had to climb over a lot of fallen trees . Not much fun I can tell you. But the parts that were free of trees were perfectly ride-able. It was a bit moist from sundays' rain but in all that didn't bother me too much. Instead, it offered a bit of cushioning and was a welcome relief from the hard trails from the last couple of weeks.

When the trail came to the Naamsesteenweg near Hamme Mille I decided to call it a day and ride home along that Naamsesteenweg. With a little more than an hour and a half on the trails I had a good workout and my legs felt strong on the many uphills and on the twisting trails, accelerating out of corners or after a slower bit. Lets hope the rains subside and the trails dry out just a little bit more, that would make them perfect. The wind was strong but nearly not noticed in the forest and the average temperature was a cold 14 degrees C.

Ride Stats : 27,5K and 280/340 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h38mins

3992/42025

31-05-2010, 18:44 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf