Yesterday saw another couple of hours of snowfall to add around 5 cm to the already thick carpet. The temperature was -2 degrees when I rode out and almost immediately I noticed the snow was not of the same quality as it was last saturday. It was 8 degrees warmer and the snow was a lot stickier. I decided to try to do the Blue and Red Meerdael BLOSO trails. Riding in the snow demands a lot of attention. You can either try to ride in the virgin snow, which is good but you have to beware of what lies beneath it. Or you can ride on the tracks laid down by jeeps, tractors and cars. Which is nice as long as your wheels are on those tracks. If you stray next to them, the difference in traction makes your wheels whoosh away. Very quick reactions are needed. In short, concentration needs to be high. Especially the downhill towards Nethen was very tricky, with its deep ruts and gullies. There was one biker trail I could more or less follow but even then I had to stop a couple of times because I got caught in a deep gully or my wheel just moved sideways. The uphills were easier, but also sometimes more difficult because of the deep snow. I stopped frequently to take some pictures. In the fields between Valduc and Bierbeek the snow was blown up by the wind and it was difficult negotiating the snow-dunes. Even in the tractor trails, my wheels just sank into the snow forcing me to a standstill and I had to walk some short sections. Near the end of the ride it began to snow a little bit, and it seems there is a lot of clouds over France which are heading our way. So it could be that the snow could last for a couple of days longer.

Ride Stats : 41.5K and 475/545 heightmeters in 3h29mins. 0 degrees C average temp

9503/99225