This morning saw some light drizzle but during the day things cleared out and what was even more important, the temperatures were around 10 degrees C when I took the Litespeed out for a spin. I couldn't resist going offroad, the trail conditions were just perfect. I rode towards Gastuche and then made my way up and down the many hills , passing crest after crest. I passed more or less in Wavre, Dion Valmont, Grez Doiceau, Cocrou and Gottechain. The Nokian NBX Lites in 2.2 were ideally suited for this kind of terrain. I never felt I lacked traction and even at the few spots were there was just a smudge of mud, the tyres didn't falter. I am still waiting for a replacement jockey wheel for my rear derailler but it didn't bother me during the ride. The gear shifts are as crisp and smooth as I have come to expect from Shimano XTR. For all the years I've been using it I have never been disappointed by the craftmanship and practicality of Shimano's top offering in offroad apparel. My oldest XTR gear dates from 1999, and it is still working like it should. This certainly warrants the higher pricing of the series. 

I had a great ride, riding relaxed and fully enjoying the warm temperatures and the lack of wind. You can really feel that spring is near. The birds are singing a different tune and the air somehow smells different. I already was making plans for a first ride in Nandrin but I believe that there is still more mud at those regions. The snow has been slow in the melting at the higher regions and this week it will surely melt everywhere, leaving behind a big muddy mess. So unless I get signals that the trails are as good over there as they are here, I think I will stay in our region for a little while longer.

Ride Stats : 44,5K and 570/590 heightmeters in 2h34mins

1824/18560