I had been thinking about riding towards Dongelberg and have a closer look at the castle. Today I deciced I should give it a try. I rode out with the intention of riding towards Dongelberg using as much as possible the offroad trails. Obviously Beauvechain airport is in the way of a straight line towards Dongelberg so I had to use a little bit of tarmac getting around it. When I reached Happeau I had to turn back because of an extremely muddy track through a hollow road in the fields. Getting my tyres wet so I looked for another option to move further to the south. My aim was the big water tower and I knew that Dongelberg was situated in the valley just beyond it. I arrived in Dongelberg but was disappointed to find the castle grounds were closed for one reason or another. Riding around it I discovered a spot where I could take a picture of it through some shrubberies.

Moving onward my next goal was to arrive home without getting wet. There was rain forecast and I rode towards the water tower and the past the ferme d'Happeau to reach Pietrebais.

From Pietrebais I was again forced to use a bit of tarmac making my way towards Nodebais and Tourinnes-la-grosse. From here I quickly found access to Meerdael Forest when the first drops started to fall. It was a good ride and my legs felt OK after yesterdays ride. Of course there was some fatigue but the only real trouble I had today was with the muddy sections in the Brabant Walloon fields and the wind that blew noticeably stronger than yesterday during the first part of my ride.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 42K and 420 heightmeters (Garmin) in 2h13mins

1542/14975

04-03-2012, 14:18 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Weather forecast for today looked splendid. Calm weather with temperatures above 10 degrees C and maybe some sun peeping through the clouds in the afternoon. I rode out with the Litespeed Obed for an ambitious ride this early in the season. My plan was to ride through Meerdael Forest and Margijs Forest towards Duisburg where I would enter the Sonian Forest. Making my way to the Avenue Dubois I picke din on the Nero Bloso route. Following the meandering singletrail along the Avenue was great fun. When I reached the railroad singletrail it turned out to be rather muddy but I managed to get through without too much damage. The Belgian railroad is working on the tracks and the BLOSO had to be slightly rerouted in this area. The next of the trails were very good. Some of the singletrack sections now had multiple singletracks leading parallel to each other, but still good fun to do. When I arrived at the end of the last singletrack I stopped for a bite to eat and to take some pictures.

Riding onwards for the last stretch from the Nero route, which by the way runs completely in the Flemish section of the Sonian Forest. I rode back home along the same trails whence I came, only taking a slightly different track at 2 or 3 occasions. I felt tired but very elated to have completed this near-4 hour ride. The bike did fine but I really need to change the bearings of the Race Face bottom bracket. It is developing more play each and every ride.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 77K and 860 heightmeters (Garmin) in 3h57mins

1500/14555

03-03-2012, 15:29 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Calm weather today. With an average temperature of 8 degrees C, no wind to speak of and dry conditions I was set for a longer offroad ride. I decided on the track of last years Haasrode organised ride. Riding the base loop is around 36K and about 2 hours. This suited me fine. The forest trails were almost dry and the only obstacles were deep ruts made by the big tractors pulling out the trees in the ongoing exploitation of the forest. I made good speed and soon was out of Meerdael Forest for a loop through the open area towards Gottechain. The little loop taking me down and upwards again was too wet to ride . I had to walk a couple of meters. Unfortunately, clasping my rear brake made me lose one of the brakepads, thus leaving me with no rear brake. I only noticed that on the following downhill. Losing you rear brake is not THAT big a deal, but nevertheless my stopping power was comprimized.

01-03-2012, 19:34 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Warm but misty and cloudy this evening. No wind to speak of but I preferred riding in the forest anyway. I started out in Heverleebos for a mixture of smaller tracks and bigger forest roads. Riding towards the Zoete Waters where I crossed over into the Kouterbos and Meerdaalbos. Following the Bloso for a while which brought me to Sint Joris Weert and Nethen. The trails were fine, no mud and only a slight layer of moisture in the exposed parts where the fine mist could reach the forest floor. I rode all the way to Mollendaalbos before returning along the forest edge in Blanden. Since the Lupine light was on for quite a while now I avoided the smaller trails near the end.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats: 34K and 355 heightmeters (Garmin) in 1h47mins

1382/13205

28-02-2012, 20:14 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf

Windy this afternoon so I decided to ride into the relative shelter of the forest. The trails were great, just a little bit moist but no puddles or other wet spots. I tried out some of the smaller singletracks but there are still a lot of exploitation works going on and there is a lot of small and bigger timber blocking the trails. I tried to follow the GR track crossing through from east to west but from time to time I added an extra loop to check out the condition of a trail. I stopped at the Dikke Eik for a picture.

From Mollendaal forest I crossed into Meerdael Forest for a hilly section. It took some getting used to the steep sections but I quickly found a good rhythm in the climbing. The downhills were enjoyed to the max with good grip and a squealing front brake. near the end I was zooming along quite well on the big ring. The race face bottom bracket needs new bearings, I have around 2-4mm play and I begin to notice it when I pedal. The trouble is that it is not easy to find replacement bearings for these old square tapered axles. Filip Sport is looking for them.

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 27K and 360 heightmeters (Garmin) in 1h29mins

1348/12850

27-02-2012, 19:24 geschreven door Big Bad Wolf