Great biking weather today. The sun was not to be seen, there was a cloud cover with just a whisper of rain and the temperatures were around 20 degrees Celcius. The wind was blowing strong from the northwest and I decided to take the Moots YBB out for an offroad adventure. First I made my way through Meerdael Forest towards Pecrot where I picked up on the 2010 Meerdael Classic 100K trail. This section I already did a couple of weeks ago and it is an amazing succession of climbs and descents, making for a great track to do some intense training on. The cool weather made it easier for me to find my strength and keep on riding for longer. The first couple of climbs, into the Bois de Laurensart and up to Ottenburg comfirmed my initial feeling that my legs were good. I had 2 Mountain Kings Protection tyres again, having replaced the rear tyre which was slit at several places. This offered me good traction and a confident feeling on the descents. The trails were very treacherous. Due to the thunderstorms of last friday the descents were washed out, opening up deep gaps where you don't expect them, and all kinds of rubble was thrown on the track. But some good reflexes and a great bike kept me on the safe side of sorry . When I reached the secluded little green valley near Florival , I just had to take a picture. The trail is barely visible in the high grass. I wore long trousers and also long sleeves so I didn't have to worry about getting bitten by horseflies. Another advantage of this cooler weather.

From Ottenburg the trail moves towards the Sint Agatha Rode forest, with some very steep section reaching almost 23% . The track here was also washed out and the loose stones made it a tough climb. But I made it. Technique and strong legs coupled to a good bike and great traction , once again. Following the Overijse trail for a while now and then, generally moving towards Terlanen and then up to Huldenberg via a long sandy climb in a hollow road. A bit further another steep climb awaits me, bringing me to a crest and a path between two meadows from where I have a great view of Huldenberg. Pausing for a while to look at the strong horses I also took a couple of pictures of these marvelous animals.

A very nasty descents with all kinds of stones and other rubble and I'm down in Huldenberg where I can relax a bit while the trail follows the border of the river Ijse towards the Margijsbos. Here a cluster of 4 climbs and descents adds a serious amount of heightmeters to my conto. In the meantime my legs also get conveniently sapped of strength. Down towards the Wolfshagen at last and then up again along the Kleine Keistraat and the Grote Keistraat . The long climb brings me back on the Smeysberg and I follow the Nijvelsebaan for a while towards Huldenberg before taking a sharp left into the Koestraat. Down with great speed towards Sint Agatha Rode now. Crossing the Leuvensebaan and following a track near the river Dyle towards La Marbaise. From here I make my way into the Bois de Beaumont and add a hilly section into Meerdael Forest, following some tracks that are in my Secret Meerdael Loop . Up and down the crest overlooking Nethen until I reach the Kluis and decide to start heading home. The heightmeter on my Garmin nears the figure 1000 and I decide that is quite enough for today. Looping back over the Zoete Waters and Vaalbeek I add some more heightmeters and arrive home with a solid 4 hours' ride under my belt.

Ride Stats : 68K and 1030/1110 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h59mins

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