Took a day off from work today hoping to get a long ride in. The forecast called for temperatures around freezing point and some winter showers. When I rode out through Meerdael forest towards Grez Doiceau it was 2 degrees C and the skies were menacing but it was dry. My plan was to do the O2 Bikers roadbook that starts next to the church in Grez Doiceau. In Meerdael forest the trails were almost dry and there was some powdery snow lying here and there. So far so good.
When I was climbing up towards Bossut it started to rain however. I quickly noticed that it simply wasn't cold enough for the roads to be frozen. So the top soil was a slippery kind of muddy soap. I was wondering at this point if I should go through with my planned ride. The bike was already covered in mud and it wouldn't get any better.
But when I arrived in Grez I started on the roadbook , I would see how things went , if in need I could always abort the ride and head home. I left out a very muddy bit coming out of Grez opting for tarmac instead. When I disappeared into the forest it had stopped raining. I stopped to whipe my glasses clear of the disturbing little droplets. I needed to see where I was going. The trails were treacherous. Here and there it was muddy, at other places the ground was still frozen and solid. Tracks conditions were constantly changing. As long as i was climbing or descending it wasn't so bad. But on level ground the water would remain standing on the frozen underground, making for a very slippery and loose clay that would cover me and the bike even going at very low speeds. But I continued along the trail. Near Dion I left out another difficult section taking a long climb on a road instead. A dobermann was taxing me as I rode by. It was walking loose - laws seem to be different on the other side of the language border - and I was trying to think what I would do if it decided to have a go at me. But the dog lost interest pretty soon and I paddled along. Down towards Bonlez where I left out a little section along the river Train. This is muddy even in summer so I wasn't really interested to find out how it would be today.

Another precipitation, this time hail or light snow. The roads got a bit whiter, but remained soft and slippery. At some points I had to be careful because some of the puddles were iced and sometimes the ice was thick enough not to break making my wheels slip. Also the sections on cobbles were interesting. Good for the technique and I rode along. When I neared Heze I came to another patch of field roads that were very - VERY - muddy. I already decided to skip a section descending into a muddy valley where I had passed a couple of times before last year, and had to walk because of the deep ruts and tracks made by forestry machinery. I followed a parallel road that would lead me nicely towards Pietrebais. But the road was very bad, and it took a while before I was in Pietrebais. Then the next section announced itself. A little track along the river Pietrebais and then a nice climb up towards the fields again. Down towards Cocrou and then further along towards Gottechain. I added an extra climb and tricky descent before making my way towards Grez again, closing the loop. It had started to rain again, and the last 12K riding from Grez back home, I tried to stay on tarmac as much as possible. When I got home I gave the bike a good rincing. In all I had a good ride. I was pleased that I had persisted and rode the loop instead of cutting short and riding home. It was a pity it wasn't 3 or 4 degrees colder, the trails were very muddy today making the ride tougher than I wanted it to be. Still, with an average heartrate of 127bpm I didn't strain myself unnecessary, making this a good solid long slow distance ride. Just the kind of ride I needed.

Ride Stats : 58K and 730/830 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h52mins

678/7510