Rise and shine , it's 6am and I have to leave at first light, or even just before that time, to ride to the start of the Bierbeek TT, organized by the Meerdael 2000 team. I help the organisation and as usual I get to pre-ride and check the longest distance, making sure no arrows are missing.I leave at 7.15 am with two other riders who very quickly take one of the shortest routes, leaving me on my own to ride through the awakening forest. I was not very awake myself because I manage to fall off only 250 metres from my home, a root hidden under some autumn leaves tripped my front wheel. I fall on my left hip but besides some pain there doesn't seem to be much damage done. Will be stiff next morning though. Still, no time to get stiff now, I ride on and the movement of my legs keeps the blood flowing. It is amazingly warm this morning, 16° C , and I begin to sweat a little bit under my long pants and long sleeves. Still , having to stop frequently to put back an arrow that seems to have developed legs during the night, I am glad I have some protection from the wind that blows quite happily from the west.
After about one hours drive I am back at the shorter loops and pass some bikers that have either left very early or are riding the loop without inscription. Oh well, it's a common road, not private, so they have every right to be here. I don't have the guts nor the glory to try and climb the very steep section after the first rest stop and walk with my bike until halfway up. Then I mount the bike and grind my way up the steep reminder of this short climb. There will be a long queue forming here later on., that much is obvious. At Nethen there is a whole sections with missing arrows, and I have a bit of work to make sure the riders won't get lost here. After some 28K the track leaves the forest to go out in the fields of Hamme Mille , gently meandering up and down. The second rest stop has the Red Bull girls waiting.. The blonde one, whom I recognize from last years rides , comes over and hands me a Red Bull. I ask her to pour it directly into my bottle and she does so, adding "This will up your taurine levels for the next 3 hours". I smile and tell her I won't be biking for the next 3 hours.. She replies "No problem, when you are at home, you will still be very vital". I look at her from behind my shades and think to myself that I feel very vital right here and right now , just looking at her .. She looks back and seems to understand what I am thinking . Smiling from ear to ear I get back on my bike and set off to tackle the last 20K of the ride. Some faster riders pass me now and I'm always pleased when that happens. I up the speed and soon leave them behind. Then a really fast one comes along and I have a hard task keeping him in my sights. He is very strong on the uphills and my hip gives out a pang of protest so I stop the chase and let him ride. The arrowing is perfect now, I am on the smaller extra loops now and they have been checked by other guys. Just after 10am I am back at the start. Judging by the amount of cars that are parked along the roads, this is gonna be a succes for the organisers. Someone tells me they already have 1200 inscriptions with still 30 minutes to go. I take my bike over to the bikewash area and clean the little bit of mud that clung to it. Overall , the ride was fast, with a nice section in Meerdael and Heverlee forest. A few muddy patches but only 2 where riding though them couldn't be avoided. Ride stats : 66K and 615 heightmeters.Some pictures taken before and during the ride
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