Big Bad Log

It rained heavily the whole day, and I was not exactly looking forward to ride in the forest this evening, but at least when we started out - there were 4 of us including me - at 7pm with the KBC MTB club, it had stopped raining. I mounted my fenders and set out to guide the guys around some challenging singletrack into Meerdaelwoud. The pace was slow, the floor was wet and roots and puddles were demanding our attention whilst trying to keep the rubber side down. The leaveswe brushed were heavy with water - adding to the overall wetness - and the tracks were closing in on us . The forest reminded me of a rainforest; wet and damp and some fog forming under the darkening canopy. I was following parts of my Meerdael Loop but in the reverse direction. We passed along the Dikke Eik and crossed the Naamsesteenweg just before the Hamme Mille border. Now the terrain was becoming more hilly but I was trying to avoid the really steep stuff because the muddy track made it difficult enough as it was. Some downhills were very technical and the ever changing conditions - wet,dry,mud,sand,roots,gullies,fallen trees - gave us a real technical workout. At some parts I was amazed how little mud there was - most of it probably washed away to the sides of the trail - but here and there a little bog demanded our highest concentration. Dropping into Nethen - nice steep downhill - I wondered for a while to take the long hollow "jungle" track upwards to the plateau but when Freaky tried to ride the first part of it, and got stuck, we decided to take the chicken way around.

I knew another hollow-road climb which was free of mud but was turned out to be completely washed out. Full with rocks, stones, tiles, pieces of wood and housing bricks - making it one of the most technically rewarding climbs I've done for a while. You really had to coax your bike up and over all the obstacles, through deep gullies or trying to remain riding on the border doing your best not to slip into the rift that was carved out by the water. Great stuff ! When we came into the fields the climb became less streep but the mud formed a slippery clay layer that had us zipping from left to right. Trying not to pedal too powerful to keep our wheels from spinning out we slowly made it to the top. By that time our wheels had turned into full slicks. Luckily some deep puddles on the road leading us over the plateau took care of all the excess clay. Downhill into Nethen again and we headed back into the forest for a last tricky bit upwards from the Savenel area. From the top of that climb we decided to head back to the start, opting for broader roads and tracks. The light was fading as well - it never was much to begin with because of the cloudy sky and heavy leaf coverage in the forest - and I was glad when we arrived out of the forest into Haasrode again. I think we all had a very good workout on our bikes, technique training included. Lets hope the next few days brings us a bit less rain so the weekend rides are less tough.

Ride Stats : 31.5K and 360 heightmeters in 2h01mins

3958/37145

06-06-2008, 10:46 geschreven door Freaky