Big Bad Log

Wow, bright and sunny skies this morning. The KBC MTB club sent me a message yesterday if I wanted to come along for a recon of the far loop of our annual organised ride. Since it had been raining a lot and I prefer getting muddy close to home I decided to go with them, see how far we got and add some extra training effort afterwards. The 52K loop was the one we set out for. This year we will do our loop in the reverse direction, which makes for quite a change. Fast downhills become tough uphills and some of the trickier uphills now become tricky downhill sections. We were with quite a bunch and the pace was reasonably high. Yves, the track builder, showed us some interesting alternatives around Longueville and after about 2h45 they decided to call it a day and head for the Sports Complex in Haasrode. The trails had been wet but always manageable. Some parts a bit muddier than other but never too bad.

I still had a bit left so I when we reached Hamme Mille I decided to do some extra loops in and around the Meerdaelwoud. So I said my goodbyes and continued on my own. When dropping into Bierbeek via a hollow road I managed to flatten my front tyre whilst crossing a muddy section. Thats my first offroad flat this year. Put in another inner tyre, got my turbopump out and I was away in 10 minutes. My goal was initially to ride 60K but then I decided to make it an even 1000 heightmeters which meant I had to do a good part of my Meerdael Loop. Had to stop at the Hertebron to refill my drinking bottle. The cool water was very refreshing. By now, there were some clouds gathering and I wouldn't be surprised if it rained later this afternoon.
The Moots' crank was making creaky noises again - Filip Sport is looking for a replacement XTR bracket- but for the rest the bike performed as usual, flawlessly. The extra braking power - as opposed to the V-brakes on my Litespeed - is a blessing when you are getting more tired. Also, the Fox fork is a LOT stiffer than the SID on the Litespeed, which makes for very precise cornering and no twisting when taking tight turns on singletrails. Tomorrow is my birthday - and I'm going to treat myself to a rest day - and I would like to go to Nandrin this week. The weather forecast calls for rain from wednesday evening on, so I have either thursday or wednesday to do Nandrin. After that I would love to go to Theux - either with the Moots when it remains wet, or with the Merlin which I'm aching to try out for further rides before the big rides in August arrive.

6.30pm : After a good rinsing, cleaning and general checkout the YBB is ready for its next ride. I cannot stress the importance of regularly cleaning your bike. Not after every ride, obviously , but most certainly after a muddy and/or heavy ride. Cleaning the bike helps to discover eventual problems. Also, a clean bike is much more fun to ride with - for as long as it stays clean of course. I also fixed the flat tyre, and put the spare one back in my backpack.

Ride Stats : 83K and 1030 heightmeters in 4h30mins

5590/52900