Up at 2am for work, back into my bed at 7am and then around 11 I was up for good. Left home at noon for an easy recovery ride in a warm and dry breeze accentuating a very hot and broody day. I went for a loop that took me to Bierbeek and Meldert first. Met Maris and Marco Polo just before Meldert. Marco had a flat tyre and this gave me an opportunity to stop and chat with them for a while. We have been saying 'Hi' whilst crossing our path for months now and this was actually the first time we actually talked. It struck me that carbon can be beautiful, especially when it is the building block of a top-end Colnago frame.
Leaving them I rode along towards La Bruyere and Beauvechain. Hamme Mille was next and the sun became shrouded by clouds when I entered Nethen. The wind had become very noticeable now and I decided to do an extra loop from Sint Joris Weert to Neerijse, then following the road to Egenhoven and Heverlee before returning to Blanden via the Naamsesteenweg. Had a good relaxing ride and even though this last week saw me riding more than 500K I still felt rather good. I plan to taper down in the next week to allow my body to recuperate some more from the last couple of kilometre-heavy weeks.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 51K and 260/285 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h57mins

8415/72355

21-08-2011, 14:50 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

The weather was sunny and calm today, so a good opportunity to have another long ride. I set out for Kessel Lo to reach the Vaart. I followed that canal towards Mechelen and Battel where I switched to the Zenne and followed that along the Zennegat to reach Klein-Willebroek and Boom. There were lots of bikers on the tarmac road next to the water and I quite enjoyed the ride. At a relaxing yet steady pace I was at my furthest point in 1h50mins. I paused for a snack and took some pictures of the World War 2 Sherman Firefly tank that stands next to the water in Klein Willebroek.

Turning back towards Heppen, Battel and Mechelen I had a slight breeze in my back which helped me along nicely. Reaching the Vaartkom in Leuven I followed the Ridderstraat and the Goudbloemstraat and in doing so rode straight through the city to reach the Tervuursepoort. Left on the Celestijnenlaan and I was near Arenberg. A little loop through Oud-Heverlee and to the Zoete Waters brought the total distance nicely towards a 100K.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 100.5K and 205/260 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h46mins

8364/72070

20-08-2011, 15:34 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Yesterday evening saw the passing of an enormously active thunderstorm in our regions. It turned pitch black around 6pm and then it rained with an intensity like I have never seen before. It was impossible to see further than 50 yards due to the heavy rain, which was swept along by fierce bursts of wind. At a pop festival in Kiewit, near Hasselt, 5 people died because one of the big tents collapsed due to this storm.
Today I rode out and it immediately became clear that the damage was enormous. Broken branches, fallen trees, lots of 'stuff' on the bikepaths and on the roads. In the lower areas the roads had been flooded by sand and mud. In Leefdaal I had to turn around because the fire brigade was still cleaning the road. I rode out at a leisurely pace, not expecting to do more than 40 or 50K.
But it turned out to be one of those rides where I just added more loops as I rode along. Starting over Heverlee, Egenhoven and then making my way into Leefdaal, where I had to turn around and follow another road to arrive in Neerijse. Here I followed the Sint Jan Bergsteenweg until I reached Huldenberg. Taking a little loop over Eizer I made my way into Hoeilaart. From Hoeilaart I rode towards Maleizen and Rosieres, and then through Tombeek towards Wavre. From the Ottenburg plains into Basse Wavre and then to Dion Le Mont and Gistoux. From Gistoux I climbed up towards Longueville and then down through Heze and Grez. From Grez I rode to Bossut and Hamme Mille. Another loop to finish off the ride took me to Nethen, Sint Joris Weert and Sint Agatha Rode. The river Dyle was almost filled to the point of overflowing. Some big trees had fallen into the river. Back to Sint Joris Weert and then to the Zoete Waters. Here also the ponds were filled to the brim and some big trees had toppled into the water by the force of the water and wind. After 4 hours of riding I was pleased to see 3 digits on my kilometer counter.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 101K and 765/805 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 4h01mins

8264/71810

19-08-2011, 20:28 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Nice warm weather, mostly sunny and a breeze from the north. Great for cycling so I rode out for a long ride. Starting out over Haasrode and Bierbeek and making my way towards Opvelp and Beauvechain. From Beauvechain I had to take an umleitung and I got stuck behind a big harvester for a while. After a while I could pass it and was on my way to La Bruyere and Pietrebais. Following the N92 southbound I passed Incourt and then took a left towards Opprebais. Riding onwards to reach Chaumont I then took a right again and was on the long climb out towards Longueville. From Longeuville I looped back to Incourt and then took the N92 back towards Happeau and Pietrebais. Taking the same roads whence I came but now in the opposite direction I rode from Opvelp - where there was an accident between two cars on the crossroads with the road from Bierbeek to Meldert - towards Neervelp and then took left to reach Bremt. From Bremt I rode through the Builoog to reach Bierbeek. This is a narrow road and I had to stop and move into the grass on the side of the road when a harvester came from the opposite direction. Of course he had seen me and there was no harm done. But it is quite scary to see it come around a blind corner all of a sudden.
From Builoog to Bierbeek and then to the Haasrode Industrie park for a quick lap before riding to Haasrode and Blanden to finish off a nice and relaxing ride. My average heartrate of 106bpm can testify that I did take it easy today.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 81.5K and 505/560 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h06mins

8163/71005 

17-08-2011, 18:55 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Skies looked friendly today, some warm sunshine and not too much wind. So I settled on an easy recovery ride along the Leuvense Vaart. Riding all the way to Mechelen and then back again. When I arrived home the skies were closing up but it did not look like it would rain. 25 degrees C on average and with and average heartrate of 112bpm for 27kph I was pleased and convinced that my pace was well within recovery ranges.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 68K and 150/195 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h31mins

8082/70445

16-08-2011, 19:49 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Dry and sunny weather at last. It looked like it would remain so for the entire day so I was smiling when I rode out for a long ride. Riding through Bierbeek and Willebringen towards Kumtich, Oorbeek and Hoegaarden. Here, I joined the Ravel which took me nicely towards Jodoigne, Eghezee and ultimately Namur. I ventered into Namur on a double bike-path until I reached the railway station and the bikepath seemed to stop. At that point I had exactly 60K on my counter. So I turned around and started the 7K long climb out of Namur Saint Servais towards Daussoulx. The wind was blowing in my back and I could make good speed on the Ravel which more or less goes downhill until it reaches Eghezee. After Eghezee there is a slight bump in the landscape, with the Hottomont tomb on my left, and after that it is more or less downhill until you reach Hoegaarden again. The wind did shift until it seemed to be blowing from my right during the descent.
From Hoegaarden, I had to face the wind up front, but since it was sunny and the breeze was warm I did not mind. What I did not like was the fool that sprayed me when I was wading through a big puddle on my bike. He rode through it at speed which resulted in me and my bike getting wet. I did consider for a short while riding after him and pushing him in the scenery but I could convince myself he wasn't worth getting upset about. My clothes would dry and my bike would be clean after passing a rag over it. When I was on my last descent,  into Blanden , I got stung by - I think - a wasp. It collided at 40kph against my left ear and remained there for a few seconds. Long enough to sting, the pain was sharp and acute. Ouch. Since I don't recall being allergic to wasp venom I will have to wait until the pain goes away and hope there is no excessive swelling.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 121.5K and 635/675 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 4h33mins

8014/70250

15-08-2011, 16:09 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf