Sunny weather this morning but with a stiff northeasterly breeze it was not very warm except when you were in the sun and sheltered from the wind. I decided to do the 3 Meerdael Bloso's . The Merlin was setup with a bit more pressure in the tyres - Nobby Nic 2.2 - so they wouldn't give as much in corners on hardpack. With 2 bars or less these tires have a tendency to roll which makes cornering on hard soils a bit spooky at times. But with the extra pressure that spooky feeling was gone.
There was a lot of activity on the trails today. The Week of the Forest has started and also the fine weather must have drawn out a lot of people. I was maintaining a good tempo which made for some scary moments when people forgot they were in Belgium and took the left side of the road in corners. Thank God for disc brakes and quick reactions. My legs felt good and I was able to keep the pace high. On the climbs I was backing off a bit to keep the heartrate low. Some bikers passed me, but I also passed some other bikers. Mainly in the downhills where the Merlin is at ease. The leaves are starting to fall and this nearly got me into trouble when my front wheel washed away on a hidden boulder. But I could keep the rubber side down with a quick reaction .

When the kilometers moved under my wheels, the temperatures became more friendly but with an average temperature of 14 degrees I was glad to have long sleeves all over.A good warm bath and a stretching session for my leg, pelvis and lower back muscles completed this fine training session.

Ride Stats : 55K and 485/540 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h39mins

7456/79295

Time to really test my legs after a couple of weeks of building up the workload. SO today I set off for a strenuous ride on one of my favorite trails. The Accro Bike , starting in Grez Doiceau , the Accro Bike is a track I have been riding so many times I can ride it with my eyes closed. The 56K version has around 800 heightmeters and consists of a big loop clockwise through Biez, Cocrou, Pietrebais, Longueville, Chaumont, Bonlez, Dion Valmont, Wavre and Doiceau. To this basic loop I have added a couple of extra loops, mostly descents and climbs, to spice things up. As it stands now, the track you see below will have close to 900 heightmeters, whilst losing a kilometre of distance.
Riding from Miradal to Grez, I have ample time to warm up and I take a picture when I cross the river Train in Archennes. From there it is only a couple of kilometers to Grez, where the track starts at the Grand Place near the Church.

The weather is fine, around 20 degrees C and a little breeze from the southeast. On the Merlin again today so the challenges that the track throws at me are easily digested by the bike. At Biez, to reach the church, I cut a corner whilst taking a small track along the field instead of going the long way around on cobbles. This already saves me 500 meters and it yields a technical climb towards the church. I pause here and enjoy the beautiful horizon from this viewpoint. A picture is taken and I move on.
In Cocrou I cut another corner, not going to the bottom of the descent , instead cutting to the right after the long sandy descent and starting immediately on a climb into the forest. In Pietrebais I have added an extra climb and the descent along a small singletrack is a tricky one. Gullies covered under grass. A nightmare for most bikers. You don't see the edges of the gully and when your wheel touches those edges you need all your skill to keep the bike moving. Love it !

In the Bois de Glabais I make sure I take in every climb there is, dropping down into the Gorge des Loups, climbing back out of it, down into another valley, and taking a special track with a very steep ascent to avoid the sandy road most bikers take. Upon completing that climb, there is a small tarmac road taking me towards Pietrebais. Here you can relax a bit . There is much more to come.

Another succession of climbs and descents in and around Chaumont as the trail moves towards Inchebroux for one of the longest climbs. I begin to feel my legs but my heartrate us still fine. Having a bite to eat at the end of the climb before descending towards Bonlez. Here I can throw away my powerbar wrapper into the bin next to the church. There is a loud noise of playing children as I pass the church. It must be around their noon break. I continue towards Dion Valmont and have to walk a couple of times during the descent in the Bois des Gottes. Some trees have fallen and they don't bother clearing up the trails around here. Pity because that descent is a nice and tecnhical one I love to -try - to ride. In and through Dion valmont for a long and steady ascent towards the 2 Chapels in Wavre. I undercross the N25 and find myself walking again on the steep uphill that brings me back towards the N25.
Moving towards Doiceau now with another ascent back towards the N25, followed by a singletrack parallel to that highway and a long fast descent that ultimately brings me to the Avenue Comte Gérard d'Ursel. Having crossed that, a little track between houses brings me to a trail that has me climbing again towards the Golf de Bercuit. One downhill to go and another climb, a very steep one, brings me back into Grez-Doiceau. A last downhill - mind the gullies ! - and I'm back where I started. It took me nearly 4 hours to round the 55K course. When I look at the heightmeters on my Garmin I see that I already am past the 1000m mark. It feels like that in my legs as well.
The bike has saved me from a lot of hardship, the rear suspension - provided by Elssworth for Merlin - works like a charm and the added comfort keeps the body happy and the heartrates relatively low.

I ride home over Gottechain where I wrestle myself up a very steep singletrack . Over Hamme Mille and into the Valduc grounds I reach the forestry and make my way home through the Groendreef and the Eleanordreef. A mighty fine ride but I am nevertheless pleased to be home. It has been quite a test for my body and fitness and it remains to be seen how well I will recuperate in the next couple of days.

Ride Stats : 81K and 1200/1245 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 4h55mins

7400/78755

08-10-2010, 20:32 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Just heard the sad news that mountainbiker Gerry Werckx is dead at the age of 39. He decided to step out of this life. To me, my first memory of him dates of 2002, when I was helping at the Inscriptions at the 2nd Hagelandse chrono. Gerry arrived there very late and in a hurry. He inscribed, had a leak against a hedge, got on his bike and won the race with more than a minute on the second rider.
I didn't see much of him since then but friends of his were always saying he was happy and good-humoured. More the sadder to hear of this news.
My thoughts go out to his family and loved ones. May he find peace.
[foto copyright MTB Lily]

07-10-2010, 14:25 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

I felt a bit tired from yesterdays' ride but the calm weather beckoned me to go out. With the Litespeed having a wobbly crank and with the Moots still without wheels, I was forced to grab the Merlin. Forced is a big word since this may well be my best bike. It is certainly the bike I love to ride in the Ardennes, on the most difficult and technical trails in Belgium. Riding it in meerdael forest is a slight case of overbombing, but the added comfort and control the full suspension offers - in the climbs and during the downhills -  makes that on average I am around 1 to 1.5kph faster on any given trail. I have to add that this bike is about as light as my Litespeed, even a smidgeon lighter that the Moots, that also helps of course.
Following the trail from last saturday on my Garmin I noticed the trail conditions were better, the trails having dried up  during the last couple of days. This made for good traction. The Merlin floated over all the obstacles, even with my tired legs I was a lot faster than I normally am on these trails.

On the 2 technical downhills, I was in full control thanks to the performant brakes and I could even try out some new lines. The bike took it all. In the Nethen section, I managed to split my chain . My bad, I shifted too late upon entering a little mud pool and the chain just cracked in two. I was lucky that it happened on the exact spot of the chain lock. So all I had to do was connect the lock again and I was on my way. What are the chances of that, I wonder?

Zooming down the hill near the Kluis I only had to touch the brakes lightly - more due to caution than out of need - to correct my trajectory over a gully. When I arrived at the Zoete Waters I added a little loop in Heverlee Bos to bring me back home.
Read an article in this months Velo Vert about how full suspension bikes perform better than hardtails. I can only agree with their findings. For the same power input you go faster on a fully suspended bike than on a hardtail. And all that while enjoying the added comfort and keeping the heart rate lower.

Ride Stats : 29K and 440/480 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h46mins

7320/77510

Today I wanted to do a 3 hour ride. This meant some careful planning of the roads I was going to follow. I decided to start out over Haasrode , Bierbeek and Meldert to make my way to Hoegaarden. Here I got on the Ravel towards Namur past Jodoigne until I came on the trails of the Trace du Loup, the 1W ride, around Huppaye. To the right towards Lathuy and down into the valley to reach Dongelberg. Struggling up the slope after crossing the Govertange river I was marvelling at the views. The sun was playing hide and seek the whole time, and some dark clouds nicely contrasted with the earth colors.

Still following the 1W ride In came in Melin and then made my way towards the outskirts of La Bruyere. Following the N91 until I could cut to the right and reached Nodebais. From Nodebais I came into Tourinnes and then Hamme Mille. A little detour adding some time and kilometers . From Hamme Mille I decided to add another loop, going straight towards Nethen and then in Sint Joris Weert taking the Weertse Dreef back home.
I had a fine ride, the southeasterly wind was blowing warm air which made the average temperature a balmy 18 degrees C. Not to be scoffed at in the beginning of October. Legs felt stiff at the start but were fine throughout the ride. I did some elaborate 2-minute stretches coming out of my hot post-ride bath to put some stress on the tendons . I feel they have become rather stiff after my antibiotics stint. Possibly also due to the fact that I didn't ride - or stretch - for the first week into Lyme's disease.

Ride Stats : 69K and 445/580 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h06mins

7291/77030