With thunderstorms forecast early in the afternoon - and also with yesterdays' ride in my legs - my original plan to ride in Lustin was set aside. I had noticed that this weekend also offered the Rando des Coquelicots in Chaumont Gistoux. A nice little ride in an area of Brabant Walloon I know very well and like very much. 6am saw me rise and ride the Moots towards the start. A nice 20K ride which should warm me up quite nicely for the Rando des Coquelicots. Temps already are around 17 degrees C so it's going to be a hot day.
The Ride:
At a little before 8am I take the start in the Centre Sportif A. Docquier in Chaumont Gistoux. The organisors are still the same from a few years back when I last did this ride. The distances offered are 15, 30 and 45K . Naturally I go for the longest distance and pay 4 entry. I am the first biker on the track and enjoy the quiet and lonely tracks. We pass along some pastures where the wheels in the wet grass spray my frame , making dust and grass stick to it. I remember the track more or less from past attendencies so I am not too bothered with the sparse arrowing. At one point there is no arrow at all. I take to the right and at the next crossing I see the marker again. I can imagine a lot of people turning around in circles here. A succession of nice little tracks - but some fieldroads, cobbles and tarmac as well - brings me in Vieuxsart and on towards Dion le Mont and Dion le Val. The 30K splits off from the 45K and a little further, some 17K into the ride, a first rest stop awaits me. The people there - an elderly couple - are surprised to see me so soon and there is a real banquet waiting for me. Bananas, oranges, cake, chocolate wafers, water and Acquarius. The lady who mans the reststop wants me to taste it all. Her husband was briefly away adding an extra arrow to the crossroads just before the rest stop, at my request. I also mention to him the missing arrow near Vieuxsart. With my tummy a lot fuller than before I say my byebyes and get along with the ride.
It is getting hotter by the minute, but the sun is hiding most of the time behind shifting clouds. No sign of thunderstorms yet although in the west the skies look darker. The ride now turns towards Grez Doiceau with some nice little passages and a long sandy climb out of Cocrou up towards Longueville. But we are not there yet as the ride turns left into the fields for a long loop before entering Longueville. A well known passage along a singletrail between two fields grabs my attention. Fortunately it is dry here, the only bother is the high grass that clutters my gearing. A steep climb exiting a forest passage and I get ejected back into the fields before entering Longueville and passing the Chapelle du Cheneau. A wellknown passage in and around Bonlez follows with a tricky wet downhill on cobbles taken full speed. I am passed by a greying biker who makes a lot of speed in the downhills. I try to follow him but can only get a little closer during the uphills. He is the first biker I see and we arrive at the second reststop, some 40K into the ride. The 30 and 15K distances have joined us as well. Me and Mr Fast leave together and decide to ride the last 8K together. We ride into the Bois de Glabais and instead of taking to the left - as they did last time - they go straight up into a track that makes we think we are in the Ardennes. We ride through a riverbed with rocks and a lots of water. It goes uphill as well and it takes a lot of work to keep the bike rolling. This passage really is amazing and on its own makes this ride worth the while. We now ride towards Chaumont along another field passage and then have the choice of entering by road or taking the hollow road leading down towards the start. Obviously we opt for the offroad alternative and get presented deep gullies - and I mean DEEP - where we have to dismount for a few meters because of the slippery conditions. After a while things get dryer and meandering from left to right, in and out of gullies or trying to stay on top of them, we make our way down towards the start. I cannot comment on the bikewash facilities and/or showers since I did not use them. I talk a little more and it turns out he is a member of the Pietrebais organisation. I might have guessed he knew these trails by the way he attacked the downhills. I ride back home along the first part of the 15K trail and making my way through the Bois de L'Etoile towards Heze and Grez-Doiceau. No thunderstorm in sight.
The Lowdown:
What I liked: + a great riverbed uphill passage in the Bois de Glabais + the rest of the region, also very beautiful + well-stocked rest zones - lots of choices + very friendly people at the rest stops + only 4 for this feast
What I did not like: - no emergency numbers provided - arrowing was sparse and inconsistent, at times simply lacking - no danger signs at road crossings
Synopsis:
Trails were dry and speed was fast most of the time. Not too difficult but with some nice passages along singletrails between fields and especially the long climb into the riverbed in the Bois de Glabais. This was a first-class section where I assume a lot of lesser bikers would be on foot. They offer a good ride, not taking in everything the area has to offer but still providing a good sampling of the area.
Ride Stats : Rando des Coquelicots: 48K and 550 heightmeters total distance today : 90K and 980 heightmeters in 4h30mins Hill Factor of the Rando des Coquelicots: 11.5
4665/43700
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