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Sun was shining today and beckoning me out for a ride. With 30cm of snow I already knew that the plan would be simple. Only take roads where there were already trails drawn by jeeps or tractors. Riding up to the Kluis I quickly noticed the amount of snow on the trails was really huge. The jeep tracks were the only way where you could keep the bike rolling. Big tyres or not, getting though a layer of snow of a foot or more is simply not possible. Or at least not for hours on end. I had a little plan to do my climbing loop behind the Kluis but when I got there I quickly learned that the only way you stood any chance of getting through that snow was riding downhill.
       
I then decided to ride towards Nethen and try some of the small backroads. Passing over the Beaumont Hill I had my first glance of ice on the tracks. Due to the steepness of the hill I was forced to walk. I came to the big road between Pecrot and Nethen which was completely deserted except of some walkers with sledges and the occasional 4x4. Dropping down into Nethen along the big road gave me some time to relax. I climbed up the Ruelle du Curé a couple of times before I rode through Nethen to have a look at the Tienne Vincent and the Bruyere du Wez. Took the Bruyere first and it was really tough getting up because of the 17% slope and the icy on the tracks. Dropping down the offroad track into the Rue du Tienne Binard was a real kicker. Letting the bike find its way on the top section, having to avoid a fallen treebranch and then into the Tienne itself trying to stay away from the icy patches. Riding up the Tienne Vincent was easier. As far as you can call an 18% slope easy of course. The tarmac was visible through the snow on the tracks drawn by the cars. Obviously they had usd salt here. Back down through the Tienne Binard and I decided to ride towards the other side of Nethen again to do another couple of climbs up the Beaumont Hill. The second one, following the Rue du Bois Brulé was too much to ride. There was only a single jeep track and the steepness forced me to a standstill, having to walk the last section.
     
Oh well, I can accept defeat. From the Rue de Beaumont back down to Nethen along the Rue de Pecrot. Then up the Tienne Vincent one more time this time riding straight towards the La Trace forestry and into the Meerdael Forest. The road down towards the Naamse Steenweg was very icy in the tracks. I had some narrow escapes but managed to keep the big rubber tyres on the track. I followed the Naamse Steenweg out of the forest and back home. Had a good but very demanding ride. Both mentally and physically my forces were drained by the constant demand to be alert and the sheer difficulty of riding a bike through these conditions.
Again , I was very impressed with the Sandman although at time I wished the 3.8 Surly Larry tyres would have had a but more knobs. The Larry is a compromise tyre that performs great in most circumstances except the really bad ones demanding extra traction. Perhaps an Endomorph would have been more suited for this deep snow conditions.
Ride Stats : 29.5K and 410 heightmeters (Garmin) in 2h27mins
8986/99445
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