After more than a week off from biking - due to a cold that first wouldn't break through and then wouldn't go away - I was eager to get out today. The 11th of November is a holiday in Belgium - in remembrance of the end of World War I - Armistice Day or Remembrance Day as its also called.
My Moots has been getting its yearly maintenance and the Hilset is at Filip Sport to receive a new crankset. The Merlin is having its yearly winter slumber so I was only left with the Litespeed to choose from. But that is no problem, this bike is very well suited for both on- and offroad riding. Because I was still on the mend from that cold I chose not to ride offroad but instead opted for an easy road ride taking me, not surprisingly, to the Ottenburg area. When I arrived at the start of the organised ride I couldn't help but notice that the attendance wasn't mindblowing. This could have been due to the condition of the forest and field tracks - wet - or perhaps also to the fact that there was a ride in Rotselaar. Not too far away not to be concurrent. I most certainly would not have been caused by the current weather, it was 9 degrees C and dry or the beauty of the region. You would be hard pressed to organise a BAD TT in Ottenburg. The area is just great for offroad pleasure.

But not for me , not today. I have ridden the Ottenburg ride a couple of times already and I don't think there is any road they take I haven't ridden before. They do change their trace from time to time, but most of the highlights are the same each and every year. Since I have the Garmin Edge 705 I tend to go to organised rides even less than before. The ones I do go to are special to me for one reason or another. When I looped back over Terlanen and Sint Agatha Rode I came across the Ottenburg organised rides' bikers several times. They were all rather muddy but seemed to enjoy the ride. So did I.

Ride Stats : 38.5K and 345/360 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h52mins

8569/88535