Big Bad Log

The 8th edition of the Hagelandse chronorit would certainly be an edition to remember. It had been raining for 3 days in a row and obviously we were expecting a lot of mud. Even though during the race the rain halted and tracks dried out a bit towards the end, it was indeed a mudfest extraordinaire.
Going to Langdorp this saturday morning was a little victory on my inner demons. I am not really a mud-adept but I was so keen to go I just got in my car and rode over there.

The Ride:

Got a nice T-shirt and .5 back on my pre-inscription fee when I showed them my UCI licence at the Inscription. It was still drizzling when I prepared my bike - mudfenders and all - and rode up to the starter. Starting is on an individual basis so this means there is no crowd at the start but the faster riders are on your heels pretty soon. But there were only chrono riders on the track and all went very well. No fuss about passing, you just move over when you can and the faster guy - or girl - passes, usually muttering some thanks. The organized rides (distances of 20 and 40K offered) are for tomorrow. Very nice of the organising team to let the racerabbits run amongst themselves.
The first loop took us towards the famous Bosberg, with around 5K of singletracks and steep uphills and descents showing us just about every trail on that mountain. It is sandy here and traction was still good. Coming back towards the start along the river Demer brought us the first really heavy mudsections. The upper layer - wet grass and clay - was very slippery and soon all gearing was covered in grime. No use oiling your chain, it was washed off in less than a couple of K's. My fenders kept me safe from flying mud but obviously the rest of the bike got covered pretty fast. I had mounted a JImmy up front and an NBX Lite in the back. Not bad but on the really slippery trails they were hopelessly looking for traction. After 11K we arrived back near the start and those who wanted could get something to drink at the first reststop. After this there would be 3 more rest stops. Spread evenly at 33K, 45K and 65K into the ride they provided us with all a marathon biker needs. Some yummy chocolate cake - full of fast sugars - and you could get a new drinking bottle, filled with energy drink or water. Great system this, and just one of the little niceties which show this organisation is pretty well honed and tuned to the needs of the biker.
The ride was pretty straightforward, a repetition of steep climbs - usually only 20 to 30 heightmeters in one go - and sometimes very tricky descents. I recognized some names - Walenbos, Wijngaardberg - but basically every time we went into a forest the light faded - it was still raining lightly at this point - and things got slippery . I had to walk a couple of uphills, and also some downhills at this point.

Around the 42K mark I lost control of my bike - on a flat section in a field - and went into a deep gully which was running alongside the road. I went over the bars and landed on my hands and chest. Ouch. Nothing hurt but it kinda took the wind out of me for a while. I also needed a little time to become confident in my tyres again after that fall. Some 4 hours into the ride the rain stopped and gradually the trails became less slippery - drying out a bit or perhaps a change of soil. There still were many deep puddles but I didn't mind those. I had my Sealskinz on and riding through the puddles cleaned my drivetrain a bit which provoked less noise from my chain running over the dirty chainrings and cogs. I began to push a little harder on the pedals now, and made all climbs except the really steep ones. Also on the downhills things went better, except for the really freaky ones. My braking power wasn't what it used to be and it was difficult to control the bike with the brakes gripping on some parts of my rim and slipping on other parts. It provides wheelstalling and that is not something you want on a slippery floor. At certain points during the ride there were controls - people who put a marking on your race number to prove you had been there. A missing marker at the end means disqualification, obviously.
The arrowing was sparse but very adequate. Little neon-yellow plastic arrows held by rubber strings. Very green as well, no tape, staples or nails needed. The only times I overran a turn was when it was into such a narrow track you barely saw it. The singletracks were amazing, especially on the Bosberg and also during the last 12K of the ride. Sweeping through the forest, demanding your full attention. The drop into Aarschot I remembered from earlier editions and I knew the last 2.5K was along a fast track on the Demer borders. Tired but very satisfied I made the end with some 5 and a half hours on my Polar. There was a bit of a queue for the bikewash which was well-stocked for usual days with 6 lances (3 of them high pressure) but when the ride is this muddy perhaps a few more would have made for a faster development here.
One more thing about the times necessary to get a Gold, Silver or Bronze brevet. They seemed unrealistic considering the meteorological circumstances. As it stands, only 2 riders got a Gold . I feel the organisation should have upped the times, taking into account the difficult circumstances.

The Lowdown:

What I liked:
+ the region, very beautiful.
+ well honed and experienced organisation.
+ well stocked rest zones - they had drink bottles with Energy drink so you could leave yours.
+danger signs at road crossings and some downhills
+ organisation provided emergency numbers
+ sparse but adequate and very visible arrowing
+ friendly people at the rest stops

What I did not like:
- the abundance of mud.. but what can you do?
- unrealistic target times for Gold, Silver and Bronze brevets, considering the weather conditions.
- only 6 hoses at the bike rinse.. with all the mud people were queueing and getting cold...

Synopsis:

I met a lot of old acquaintances, which was nice. Girls and boys - you know who you are - thanks for saying hello to me and taking some time to chat up, it really felt good. The ride for me was very satisfying, I hate mud and me making it and actually starting here was a small victory on myself. This whole ride was a battle with oneself - resisting the urge to turn in and surrender. Every person who made it is a bit of a hero. I have done this chrono 4 times now and I love the Hageland. But today it was not served by the meteorological conditions. Still, I made it and I am happy. The organisation gets the thumbs up - very honed and almost professional.

The Bare Facts:

Profile of the Ride
Organisers website
Results (Zip File)

Picture gallery (Paul Helsen)
Movies of the ride by Fons Moors : Part 1 + Part 2 + Part3

Ride Stats :
85K and 975 heightmeters in 5h24mins
Hill Factor :
11.5

4044/38120