Today I wanted to do a fun ride with my Litespeed Obed and I had an idea in mind that would bring me towards the Margijsbos for some exploring and climbing. I rode out just past 10AM and the temperature was around 2 degrees C. The sun was out though so I expected it to warm up a bit during the riding. Starting out in the Kouterbos and making my way to Sint Joris Weert where I crossed the Dyle valley to reach the slopes of the ridge between the valleys of the river Dyle and the river Ijse. I could feel my legs were still recovering from yesterdays' ride so I took it easy on the climbs. Upon reaching the top of the ridge I set about doing every possible climb and descent I could reasonably find in the Margijsbos. The small tracks were wet with dew and treacherous during the downhills. They also did not offer much traction on the ascents so I had to take care to find the perfect track. Big fun of course since I love to climb and explore new tracks. Often I had to turn back because a track that looked promising at first ended in the private property or appeared to have been overgrown. But I did find some new trails that connected me to the next uphill or downhill. I also came accross one trail that had been closed before - and the "private property" markings were still there - but where the community had hung a notice saying that walkers and bikers had a right of passage here. In case of complaints or trouble they even mentioned calling the police.

A good development, there have been a lot of bridleways that have been unlawfully privatized in the past, and the community is now reinstating them as valuable passage-ways. Upon reaching the outer edge of Huldenberg, and the edge of the Margijsbos, I decided to ride back towards Sint-Joris-Weert and add another couple of climbs into Meerdael Forest. It turned out that I still had a lot left in my legs because I added quite a bit of heightmeters in my home forest to the already impressive amount I made in the Margijsbos. The sun was out in full november splendour now and the forest was shining bright and colorful. I stopped to take a picture before tackling the long climb along the Savenel estate wall.

In the end I had a great ride, with lots of fun trails and with an moderate pace and average heartrate that was only 115 bpm. So an easy ride despite all the climbing. The average temperature was a mere 6 degrees Celcius but that was more than enough with the right amount of clothing. During this week I passed the 12000K mark for this year, which makes me very happy because that is usually the amount of kilometers I set out as a goal for a years' riding. Having passed the 100000 heightmeter mark a while ago I have reached both of my cycling goals already for this year.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 42K and 635/705 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h41mins

12070/105505

20-11-2011, 14:31 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Cold but sunny this morning so around 10AM I rode out towards Lovenjoel to pick up on the Lubbeek Bloso routes. I was on the Green route which turned out to be the main loop, with the Blue and Red routes adding two extra loops, respectively to the east and the west of the main loop. Before long I came upon the Blue loop which rides all the way to Binkom. Nothing really special here, lots of small tarmac roads with the occasional offroad or semi-offroad track breaking the boredom. I was more concerned with passing cars than with the intricacies of the trail. Entering Binkom the church lies dominantly before you on a hill.

19-11-2011, 17:01 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Getting home quite late from work I rode out around 4.30PM. This meant I had around 30 minutes to complete a lap of my 8K training circuit in the Mollendaalbos before the light in the sky went out.
I had devised a plan to ride 3 big laps consisting of the 8K lap I usually do , and a 7K lap that cuts off a bit from the 8K lap, not passing through Blanden . It connects to the 8K lap at the end of the Alex Vermaelenstraat , just before the first of the steep climbs
So that makes 3 laps of 15K, give or take  a couple of 100 metres. The forest was dryer than it was yesterday and I got a good look at the trails before darkness fell and I had to lighten up my Lupine Tesla. With an average temperature of 8 degrees C it was a lot warmer than yesterday.
There were a lot of noises in the forest, mostly from owls chasing unseen prey. People sometimes ask me if I am not scared to ride in the forest at night. But I don't believe there is anything in there that can hurt me. Sure, there are a lot of noises and with a vivid imagination you can see all kinds of shapes shifting just beyond the beam of light that is projected in front of you.
But the real dangers are elsewhere. I could fall or I could get a flat tyre or a mechanical failure. My light could fail as well. The Lupine is intelligent in that it cuts the intensity of the beam when the battery powers down. I started out on its brightest setting and after it had turned itself down a notch , about one hour and a half after it was lit, I switched it on the lowest setting. This still allows for good speed but I cannot see that far ahead so going downhill fast is a bit of a risk. But by then I have seen all there is to be seen on the trail from previous passages. Branches don't move by themselves and I follow the same line almost automatically.
Still at the end of my last lap I could hear something jam into my rear derailleur. I tried to  remove it by back-pedaling but it seemed like it didn't want to move. When I stopped and felt my way around I noticed the derailler was pointing in the wrong direction, backwards instead of forwards. It must have hit a branch or something. I put it back in the right position and was able to complete the ride.
I need to have it looked at though because it looks like the tension on the lower hinge is gone. It passes all the gears and there is no play. It is an XTR after all , it can take some abuse and this particular one has been in service on this bike for more than 10 years.  
Anyway, the ride was a pleasant one and I will clean the bike tomorrow before taking it to Filip Sport to have the derailleur checked.  

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 47K and 465/525 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h37mins

11953/104025

17-11-2011, 21:38 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Today I wanted to do a recovery ride so I mounted my Lupine Tesla and rode into Mollendaalbos for a couple of laps of my 8.5K loop. Incorporating 90 heightmeters this is an ideal loop to do when needing a ride that is neither easy or tough. Incorporating two steep but short climbs, two long singletrack sections, a long descent and a recovery stretch on tarmac and fieldroads before entering Mollendaalbos again for another lap. The evening fell fast and so did the temperature. I decided to do only 2 laps because I could feel the cold seeping in through my clothing. The next time I need to wear another layer to feel comfortable when the temperature drops beneath 5 degrees C, especially in the open the cold was crisp. Tried out my new pair of Bloc goggles,the have a clear lens that gives a better view when riding with lights.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 19K and 165/185 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h00mins

11906/103500

16-11-2011, 17:52 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Had a day off from work today and I was looking to do a long offroad ride to enjoy the dry november weather. The night saw the first freezing temperatures and when I rode out around 11AM the temperature was still a fresh 3 degrees C.
The plan was to connect over the road to the place where the Holsbeek BLOSO routes come closest to the church of Linden. So I rode 15K through Korbeek Lo and Linden and met up with the route near the place they call the "bed of Napoleon". Legend has it Napoleon Bonaparte slept here during one of his outings in our country.
Starting the track on my Garmin Edge 705 and I was off on the Blue track of the Pynnock routes , as they are also called. Nice descent to start with and the route meanders to Kortrijk-Dutsel. Some field roads, some backtracks and the occasional singletrack. Going gently up and down I am now on the Red route and in the neighborhood of Sint-Pieters-Rode. A lot of field roads here and also some tarmac. I see a nice hill to the east but the route does not seem to be concerned with climbing and it turns back to the north.

15-11-2011, 00:00 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf