Had to wait until today to ride a bike again. My cold was better and riding should help drain my nose and sinusses from the last remainders of the virus. I chose to do a recon of the upcoming Meerdaal 2000 ride  - sunday the 30th of October in Bierbeek - and decided to start out easy with the 45K distance. The weather was cold but clear skies and a breeze from the east. Around 11am the temperature had risen well above 0 so I donned my new Assos Fugu socks and Early Winter gloves. Both turned out to be amazingly suited for the purpose.
The trail was dry and my bike - the Obed - performed well. Only bother was that I could not get my Polar to receive a signal from the speed sensor. Oh, I would have to do without that during this ride. I could still record my heartrate and that was the most important. Upon arriving home I discovered what was wrong - the sensor on the fork had shifted downwards. Probably during the maintenance that it received last week.
Talking of that fork, it performed beautifully.
My heart rate was still rather high during the ride but my legs felt strong . You can check out how the loop goes on the Endomondo link below this entry. The first bit was mellow and going through a very cold Meerdael Forest. When I arrived in Valduc I felt the warmth of the sun and the ride became a lot more comfortable. The wind was noticeable but I was well-protected by multiple layers of clothing.
Entering Gottechain where the split between the 45K and the 2 longer distances of 55 and 65K was, I took to the right into the valley and towards Bossut.

In and around Archennes the track becomes more challenging with a couple of demanding climbs and tricky descents. Afterwards riding towards Pecrot and entering the Meerdael Forest again in Nethen, things mellow out again. By then I began to feel my legs though and the last couple of K's towards the Zoete Waters and up to the Keiberg were done pretty relaxed to spare my legs and avoid going too deep into my reserves.
Arriving home I noticed the average temperature was 8 degrees C, which is not bad on a sunny late October day .

Endomondo track


Ride Stats : 46K and 545/600 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 2h36mins

10980/92750