Big Bad Log

This ride is a part of the "Challenge du Gileppe et Hautes Fagnes" , a series of rides in and around the Hautes Fagnes area in Belgium. It is their 18th year so I expect the organisation to be very well honed by now. The weather has been clement since friday so most of the mud should be gone. But, since this is an Ardennes ride, one must always expect some wetness, if not mud then surely from passing through rivers. Lets go ride and find out.
The Ride:
Sunny morning, temps around 14 degrees at the start in Sart lez Spa, a little town not far from Theux and Spa.. names like bells in every mountainbikers' ears for sure. I pay 3.5 for the longest distance, which is announced to be 50K. There are also distances of 16, 28 and 38K on offer. The 50K has 3 rest stops (ravito's ) . The Moots is all cleaned up from the Tellin outing and ready to go. I start out pretty easy along a nice downhill singletrack which takes us to a point I remember from my Longest Uphill ride. It would not be the last time I see familiar landscapes. Immediately follows a steep and technical uphill taking us towards Sart and later Le Wayau. We cross the E42 and then the road towards Cokaifagne.. a nice little downhill stretch towards the little river Hoegne follows.. yeah, this is where the fun starts. We follow the river upstream for a bit until we turn left and a long uphill takes us through the forest towards the 400m marker. Down again it goes, the legs are awake by now and I have good control over the bike. Now follows a climb which takes us more or less into the fagnes. Some parts are very technical with rocks and roots, others very steep. I drop the chain on the 26 in front and grit it out. At this stage my legs are not yet in full force but I can find a good rhythm and the climb goes well. The 500m heightline is reached a first time. We drop down again towards the river Hoegne and I make a picture of a nice little bridge spanning it. After that a little tarmac uphill before dropping onto an old railroad track (minus the track ) A bit too technical this bit and I decide to walk it. Then it goes along the track more or less downwards until we find the first rest stop some 18K into the ride. Lots of stuff to eat and only water to drink. Oh well, water is best anyways. The arrowing up to now has been more than sufficient, a little sparse at times using chalk and/or red arrows on white background. Very visible and well-placed. Not troubles at all following the right track. At times they really use very narrow tracks and you DO have to be careful to not miss a little track going left or right into the forest. Nice .
After the first rest stop follows a long climb which takes us to the ceiling for today.. 550metres. From then on its downhill most of the time for a long stretch which ultimately takes us to Nivéze.. where we find our second rest stop . The chateau is looking down on us.. inviting. Yes, we go all the way up there. A great technical section, steep uphill, singletrack winding up with roots, rocks and ruts trying to stop our forward movement. Great, I love the Moots here, it takes care of all the obstacles with ease, only demanding me to put it in the right gear and point it where I want to go.

The terrain is changing now, the uphills are shorter and we pass through the fields from time to time. The maythorns have not yet been pruned but I notice a lot of bikers standing next to a flat wheel nevertheless. It takes a bit of luck, but also som knowledge of where to ride to avoid the thorns. After Nivéze we ride to the north passing, but not entering, the Bois de Staneu. The tracks remain challenging from time to time, with some recuperation sections in between. After a tricky downhill we arrive at the 3rd ravito. A last time to stock up on calories before attacking a nice steep rocky uphill.. my wheel is slipping on the moist rocks but I manage to keep on riding. A quick downhill followed by what must be the steepest uphill so far. I nearly made it.. nearly because at the last stage the sheer steepness of the hill combined by the wet soil made my wheel slip and brought me to a standstill.. merde.. Oh well.. On a very nice singletrack I hear someone behind me asking if he can pass.. I tell him to wait since it is not a race. Mm, he is not pleased and tries to pass me on the right - next to the abyss. He touches my wheel and has to abandon his maneuvre. He is really pissed now and again asks me to pass. I again answer him I don't intend to let him pass since this is not a race. He starts calling me names and passes me riding up the slope on my left. He gives me a thump whilst passing me and powers away, still calling me a "Sale Flamint". I wonder how he guessed that

A bit further I see him repeat the same show with the next couple of bikers - a father and his son - this is one popular guy for sure !
There are others behind me but they don't insist on passing where they really can't/shouldn't and wait for an opportunity when the track becomes wider and/or less technical. I put him out of my mind to further enjoy my ride, silently hoping he will be standing with a flat wheel or something next to the road.. but no such luck. The ride now comes closer to Sart again and a lot of bikers from the shorter distances join us. You can tell by their lack of power on the uphills and lesser technical skills. I don't mind, I am patient and await my time to pass them. They all enjoy their ride and why should I bother them? A little later I am back at the starting area in a baking sun. Very pleased with the ride. The bike is not too dirty so I just put it in the MPS and after taking a nice hot shower I leave for home.

The Lowdown:
What I liked:
+ great technical passages and long climbs
+ steep climbs, roots , rocks and ruts galore.
+ arrowing sparse but sufficient
+ 3.5 is cheap
+ 3 well-stocked ravitos on the 50K
+ hot showers
+ friendly people at rest stops/inscription

What I did not like:
- one asshole on a singletrack
- a few guys without helmets - still
- some tarmac sections could be avoided

Synopsis: Great ride. For sure, the ride can be divided in two sections. The first half consisted of long steep climbs going up from the river Hoegne into the fagnes and down again. After the first reststop another killer climb follows. All is intersected with some nice little technical tracks. The second bit is less hilly, meaning the climbs are shorter but surely not less steep. Some passages through fields allow the muscles to recuperate a bit. Up till the end there are still technical tracks so better stay awake, there is a trap after every corner. Great stuff for your bike-control. The sunny weather added to the overall cheerness of this ride and I'm sure it was a hit for the organisation. With next weeks' Ardennes Trophy coming up a good rehearsal ride in this great area of the Ardennes.

The Bare Facts:
Profile of the Ride
Pics of the 50K taken by Schijfrem.

Ride Stats :
51.8K and 1030 heightmeters in 3h08mins
Hill Factor :
19.88

2943/25120