Big Bad Log

The weather has been quiet these last days. Not a lot of wind and so the leaves are not falling as quickly as during other years. This means that the dying leaves give the trees very beautiful colors. Today I set out for a long offroad ride. I took off towards Heverleebos first and then looped around Oud-Heverlee towards Korbeek Dyle where I first met the river Dyle. I stopped frequently to take some pictures. I wanted to go more or less into the direction of Ottenburg so I chose my trails accordingly. My GPS gave me the opportunity to check out some unknown roads without fear of getting lost. On one occasion - just west of Loonbeek I had to loop back because the road ended all of a sudden into a field. The trails were heavy with some mud in the lower areas but with good traction everywhere. My grippy green Michelin front tyre saved me from washing out on more than one occasion. I headed for the Smeysberg region next, and then made my way through the beautiful Lane valley and into the Rode Bos.

When I finally reached Ottenburg I followed the Overijse BLOSO trails for a while, intermittently adding some extra sections. I dropped down towards Gastuche where I found the road next to the railroad to be blocked by road works. Bummer but no problem, I decided to add a bit of Accro Bike region to my ride and set towards the outskirts of Wavre and looped over Dion Valmont. I then followed a bit of the 2008 MX marathon track up to the N25 again and through a singletrack descending back towards Dion Valmont. I then followed the last kilometers of the Accro Bike towards Grez Doiceau. All the time obviously the climbs and descents were following each other mercilessly and I wasn't surprised I had quite a lot of heightmeters at the end. From Grez I headed towards Archennes where a steep climb took me up the Bossut plateau. I then headed for Les Claines and into the Meerdael Forest. The trails here were completely covered with leaves, making it very tricky in the descents because you didn't see what was lurking beneath the multicolored tapestry. I didn't look for any more challenges - my stamina was seriously waning at this point and settled for a straight path through the forest and back home.
I hope the pictures I took bring a bit of autumn to all those who didn't have the chance to go out today. I provide a map so you are able to follow my tracks.

On a bike note, I am less and less pleased with the behaviour of my 2001 SID SL. It performs harsh and leaves with me with sore arms and neck. I have had it serviced a while back but that didn't improve it a lot. Furthermore its sloppy stiffness bothers me more and more - as compared to my other bikes that have much stiffer forks . To top it off, the fork arms are starting to wear out and are scratched. I think I will have to dig into my pocket for a new fork. At this point I think I will get my Moots YBB a 2009 SID WC and transfer the Moots' Fox RLT80 to my Litespeed. This because the 2009 SID WC range doesn't come with v-brake studs. The Moots will lose a few 100 grams and the Litespeed will gain a few, but will also gain some stability because of the stiffer fork.

Ride Stats : 65K and 840/858 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h59mins
Ride Map:

8859/87100