Big Bad Wolf

Theux - Signal de Botrange - Solwaster - Theux

2011-05-30T18:43:00.000+01:00

A perfect day for a long ride in the Ardennes. So I took the Merlin to Theux and the Chateau de Franchimont to have a go at my longest descent.
Arriving in Theux and parking before the Chateau I started out taking the steep downhill into Theux and then the "longest uphill" could start. The weather was promising, with an open sky and a temperature of around 15 degrees C already at 10am. It would remain sunny throughout the ride with tempetures around 20 degrees C.
The first part of this ride consists of climbing towards the highest point of Belgium, the Signal de Botrange. Over the years I have worked out a route that incorporates a lot of offroad stretches without becoming too difficult. On my way up to the Golf de Spa I encountered some bikers that were laying out chalklines. They told me that tomorrow there was a Randonnee at Tiege. That is certainly a good way to discover this region. I would encounter their markings a lot during the ascent and the descent back to Theux.
After a little more than 2 hours of biking I arrived at the Signal. The tracks had been dry and even on the fagnes one could note the effects of the long period of dry weather our country had been suffering during these last couple of months.

I had a snack overlooking the Fagnes towards Germany but moved on when a big group of tourists arrived. All they were interested in was where the fire had been.
Starting the downhill then. This is the most difficult part of this ride. First I had to follow a very beautiful track taking me to the Vecquee. I would consequently follow this ancient trail towards the Hoegne. Here I also noticed how dry everything was. Usually there are always some 'boggy' sections, where you had to move into the forest next of the trail to circumvene mud and water. But now everything had dried up offering good traction and a steady path. The last section was a very rocky descent but the Merlin took me through that without any problems. This might not be the best region to ride a hardtail.
From the Passerelle du Centenaire at the edge of the river Hoegne I followed a path that took me to a little belvedere, a pavillion overlooking the deep valley of the Hoegne

The ensuing downhill along this track was a great one. Crossing little rivulets from time to time and over rocks and stones at other occasions. I arrived at Belleheid where I would change the track on my GPS. I had decided to make a detour to have a look at the Dolmen of Solwaster and the Rochers de Bilisse. I had been there before but this was over 20 years ago. I made a track on Mapsource taking me there and back again. This was a track I now activated on my Garmin Edge 705.
It started by following the GR573 that would bring me to these artefacts. The climb back up the ridge was steep and hurt my legs after the long downhill sections from the Signal. But since it was a GR riding a bike here was challenging. Arriving at the Dolmen and later at the Bilisse rocks, I took some time to take pictures and then started to follow a walking track next to the River Statte.

On the map this had looked fine but it was impossible to ride my bike here for more than a couple of meters at a time. Even walking proved very difficult. Beautiful wild landscape indeed. Rocks and steps, bridges and roots. Oh well, I moved on and at last reached a road where I could get on my bike again. For those who decide to follow the GPS track, I would advise following the GR and climb up the twisty track behind the Rochers de Bilisse. This will save you some 20 minutes of walking .
Riding down towards Solwaster again was great, some really beautiful tracks and a long sweeping downhill to reach the river Hoegne . Following this river I am now back on my usual Theux - Signal de Botrange - Theux track. Arriving at Polleur this means getting back up the slope to arrive in Sassor. I could not resist turning to the right before reaching the road to the Chateau de Franchimont. This meant another uphill but also took me to the steep downhill along the GR route into Theux. But I rode it completely, including the steps at the end dropping me to face the Insitut Saint Roch. Riding back towards the chateau I took the long version of the climb this time instead of the short steep one I took when descending at the start of this ride .

Ride Stats : 70.5K and 1275/1315 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 4h18mins

3358/35765

O2 Bikers Roadbook Ben-Ahin

2010-09-03T19:27:00.001+01:00

Time to get Mr.Merlin out and do some serious biking in the Ardennes. Or, in this case, the gates to the Ardennes, Ben-Ahin which is a suburb of Huy, near the river Meuse. The O2 Bikers roadbook of Ben-Ahin is already an old one, dating from their number 70 issue from June 2001. It is however, a roadbook that received a lot of credit as being tough, both uphill and especially downhill, with the drop from the Tour Joseph back to the town of Huy as being the epitome of downhill tracks in the region. So today, at last, I rode my MPS towards Huy and parked at the parking lot opposite the Hotel du Fort.

The mist that hung over the country was slowly getting dissipated by the sun so things looked good weather-wise. The roadbook promised nearly 900 heightmeters over close to 34K. More was not needed to draw me out and give it a try.
From the start a section of tarmac brings me along the borders of the river Meuse towards the roundabout where a tarmac climb starts. I pass the Chateau of Ben-Ahin - I think thats what the sign said - and then I am riding offroad and getting used to my first couple of kilometers on the Merlin again. The route climbs gently out of the valley and on top of a long climb I am presented with a magnificent view of the river deep below, with some shrouds of mist still hanging over the faraway hills. The trail drops down again and some sharp rocks remind me that I am in the Ardennes and care has to be taken. Below I follow a river upstream until where a multitude of tracks come together on my Garmin screen. I know this is the spot where the trail comes 2 times but I am not sure which direction I should take first. I fumble with the screen and see there is a loop lying ahead of me. I decide to go for that and it takes me onto small singletracks vlimbing more or less all the time. Sometimes a fallen tree blocks the track and getting over it isn't always easy. At one point I make a wrong turn but I can see on my GPS that I will connect to the track again a little bit further. I arrive at Solieres and after some tarmac I drop down on a rooty singletrack into the forest again. Getting my feet wet riding through a little river and then a long steep climb though a hollow road. Steep but just manageable. After a while a tricky downhill brings me into Ben-Ahin where I am taken on a second loop.

This loop starts with a very beautiful but very steep and dangerous downhill. Think in the region of 25% grade, even more. Near the end I am literally sitting on my rear tyre to keep the weight back while I control the speed of the bike. Luckily there are some ground patches between the rocks where I can apply the brakes without risking a washout. I arrive on a tarmac road I follow briefly before entering the forest again. Another climb takes me to a next patch of tarmac and another trails brings me ultimately into Boussale. From there I move towards Andenne, where - at the Col de la Flismes - the track at last veers to the right and brings me back to the river Meuse. Some very nice trails here in the forests.
I follow the river Meuse for a while and if I might give a tip to anyone wanting to ride this track, take advantage of this flat section to recuperate because the climb that will follow is a very nasty one. You follow the Meuse valley until you reach Ben, and there starts a climb that will have you dig deep into your strenght and technical prowess. In fact , you are following what looks to be a little dried-out river and it takes you up along the outskirts of a rocky outcrop. Later when I download the track to my PC I moticed peaks of 24% in this climb. It takes a while before it gets less steep and then brings me back into Ben-Ahin, where I have started this second loop a while ago. Seems like I did the first loop in the reverse direction so I decided to do it again, in the right direction this time. So back to Solieres and back down along the track with the many fallen trees. Back at the junction I am taken to another very steep climb.

There is a sign with 'Pietons Seulement' - pedestrians only - and I'm betting that most will be indeed going on foor here. The climb is steep, and the trails is riddled with rocks making it very difficult to find traction and keeping the wheels spinning. At the top I follow a narrow track taking me through a field with two basculating gates. The trail then turns back into the forest for another drop down the slope. At the end I nearly have to make a 180 turn that brings me on a small singletrail following a river. The trail ascents and after a while it again becomes too steep to ride. So I walk another 100 meters before the slope lessens. The peak grade on this slope shows 38%. No mere mortal can ride that I'm sure. I arrive in Saint Leonard and have to climb some more on tarmac roads before reaching the Tour Joseph.
All that is left now is a 150 meter drop along some switchbacks down towards Huy. This is one difficult downhill. At first there are so many trails and tracks crisscrossing it is very difficult to choose the right one. They are steep and with hairpin turns. At times I just stop the bike and make the turn on foot. After a while some trees block the road. I climb over them and continue. I can see the town 50m below me when all of a sudden the track is blocked to the right. There is a small track leading left and it looks like my only option. At times I am very close to a big abyss to my right , I realize that there is no room for error here. Mind you, the trail is dry, I would not want to do this when the trail is wet. A steep drop brings me to the mouth of a railroad tunnel. I'm nearly there.

Crossing the tunnel and I arrive at a bridge from where I see my car down below on the parking lot. Some steps take me down to the road and I am very happy to have survived this difficult ascent at the end of a very physical ride.

When I look at the numbers on my Polar and Garmin screen I realize that the 900 heightmeters announced were a bit optimistic. certainly so if you take into account I did one 4K loop 2 times,adding perhaps 70 heightmeters to the normal number. Afterwards on the PC the Garmin software gives me 870 heightmeters. And I can live with that. Especially since most of them were very hard-fought, steep height differences. I realized today that I need some more Ardennes rides to get into better form. I have the endurance but it has been a while since I had to tackle long steeps climbs and descents.

Ride Stats : 38,5K and 815/870 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h00mins
Hill Factor : 22.5
O2 Bikers Roadbook Ben-Ahin at EveryTrail

Plan your trips with EveryTrail iPhone Travel Guides

6756/71510

Natuurvrienden TT Haasrode

2010-08-22T13:49:00.002+01:00

When I got out of bed this morning I still felt a bit tired from yesterdays' ride. I didn't have high hopes for my condition today but I had promised to be at the start in Haasrode at 7am so I rode out anyway. After a couple of hellos I rode off with another biker who would accompany me during the first kilometers until the 52 and 62K distance split. Meerdael forest was glistening with dew and the bikes were wet from riding through the grass on our way to the forest. It was warm with 19 degrees C but the forecast called for possible rain later in the day, even thunderstorms in the late afternoon. So the early biker got the worm today.
When my bike companion for half an hour took a left at the 52/62K split I was riding alone through an awakening forest. My job was to control the signage , if needed replace broken or stolen signs and make sure the riders, who could officially start at 7.30am, would not get lost . When the trail is ridden in this direction - counterclockwise on the map - the toughest bit of the ride comes first. A loop with some solid climbs and tricky descents on the Nethen side of the Meerdael forest. The sand in the Savenel area was deep and stuck to my wet bike. The long climb up to the plateau again was immediately followed by a fast descent towards the Kluis. It made my glasses foggy with the contrasting warmth of my body against the crisp forest air. The loop through the Bois de Beaumont led me down the long hollow road towards Nethen. When I was near the end, I saw a rope that had been spanned over the road. There was a festival of some sorts in the fields surrounding the track and the two fields had been connected by ropes. I stopped and had a talk with one of the festival people. I explained him that there was a mountainbike event passing here and that it would be better to remove the ropes. So we did just that.

After this intermezzo I rode on and when I arrived at Nethen I noticed an arrow had been removed at a crucial spot. A left turn . I replaced the arrow so that the bikers would not take the Bruyere de Wez going straight up - an 18% tarmac climb - but instead turned left for a steep offroad climb ending with a small step. A bit more of a challenge for a mountainbiker. I crossed someone from Mountainbike Tour Trips at the top of the climb. He was possibly also confused about the missing arrow. A bit further I descended back towards Nethen and stood at the start of the infamous Lianenklim. There is also an easier track, not through the deep and wet gully but following tarmac, cobbles and a track though the fields instead. I took the easy option. I wasn't sure about the condition of the track in the Lianenklim and I didn't want to be stabbed to death by gnats or even horseflies.

I continued towards and through Bossut and after 20K into the ride I arrived at the first rest stop high up in Gottechain. There still were no bikers here, only members of the organisation. I told them of the missing arrow and advised they sent someone over to re-check. I then rode on, taking a very steep downhill that might make some victims among the 52 and 62K bikers that pass here.

The 42K and other distances split off just after the rest stop so now I was on long-distances-only trails. Into and out of Grez and then crawling up the steep cobble climb to Biez. This is the start of a very intense section in Brabant Walloon, where a lot of heighmeters, some marvelous views and sheer fun are to be had for the mountainbiker. When I arrived at the first rest stop, I already had around 350 heightmeters, but the next section of 15K would easily double that amount. I was still riding alone and was enjoying the first rays of sunshine . The sections in the Forest de Glabais are some of the finest in the area. At times one could imagine being in the Ardennes.
The sun was frequently obscured by clouds but it remained dry. The small grassy track leading down into Pietrebais demanded my full attention. Even though the grass had been mown a couple of days ago, there were still dangers hiding below the greenage. Hidden ruts and even stones can easily topple the unaware biker over. A long climb on tarmac takes me back out of Pietrebais and then downhill again through a forest on a dangerously washed-out track. I drop into Cocrou. Here care has to be taken, the small road to the right is easily overseen. But the signage is OK and only the fast and the furious will miss the turn. For them, we have put some extra signs further down into Cocrou village that will lead them back to the trail, eventually. The long climb through a beautiful hollow forest road from the Fond du Moulin up to the plateau through the Bois de Beausart stresses my legs.

But I also know that this is amongst the last really tough climbs. I am nearing the 2nd rest stop at the edge of the Bois de Linsmeau and here I encounter the first real muddy puddles. But those who are 'in the know' can take a little singletrack that runs parallel to the muddy track. I take a break at the rest stop and have a little chat with the volunteers manning the stop. Thanks has to go to each and every one of them. They also sacrifice their free time to help us organise this ride.
The following downhill is a bit less dangerous than yesterday because the tree that had fallen over the trail has been removed. I also notice that the sandy bit is a little deeper than yesterday. I see my first bikers on the trails when I join the 42K riders coming from the left. From now on I can up my tempo a little bit and play catch-me-if-you-can with the other bikers. Some can catch and pass me , others try but die in my wheel. Life is fun.
The ride now mellows out a bit going though the fields between Gottechain and Tourinnes le Grosse. We cross the language border near Valduc and disappear into Meerdael Forest once again. A loop that takes us from the Walendreef and the Weertse Dreef to Mollendaal, the highest point of the forest, and then down into Bierbeek. A last climb following the De Betstraat hurts because it is long, grassy and difficult. Then I am back at the Haasrode Sports Complex where I started 65K , 3h48mins and over 900 heightmeters earlier. Riding back home I take a couple of backroads and small trails just for the fun of it. I had a good ride today.

Ride Stats : 73K and 930/1020 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h56mins
Stats TT Haasrode : 65K and 935 heightmeters (Garmin)

Track on EveryTrail :

TT Haasrode Natuurvrienden 65K at EveryTrail

Plan your trips with EveryTrail iPhone Travel Guides

6393/68335

18th Meerdael Classic - Oud-Heverlee

2010-07-04T20:11:00.001+01:00

Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. Looks easy when you read this but this years' edition of the Meerdael Classic was not that easy. The weather had been very hot in the days leading up to the weekend , with a 33 degrees day on friday, and I didn't bike offroad since last monday. The fear of getting bitten by horseflies also kept me on the safe side of caution. Yesterday saw a little bit of rain during the day, but that was far from enough to change the dry conditions. This morning it was cool and fresh but it promised to be a good and sunny day.

The Ride :
Got out of bed at 6am and took my time preparing for the start. Around 7.27 I set off, having pre-inscribed I also had a T-shirt coming my way but I decided to pick that up after the ride. The first bit of the ride took us into a cool Heverlee Bos for what may be considered an easy warmup. The trail moves towards Korbeek Dyle, not before following a lesser known track to get to the Natur Natur center. The sun is out but luckily there are also clouds which keep temperatures bearable. Moving towards the Heverleebos again the trail takes us into Vaalbeek and then after 18K we arrive into Meerdael Forest at last.

The track through Meerdael Forest takes me over the Naamsesteenweg and towards Haasrode where a first rest stop awaits us at the Bremberg We are 23K into the ride. Lots to eat and drink but they might have offered something more Sports-people minded than cookies and chocolate bars. There is water and also some sports beverage.

After this welcome break the trail moves towards Bierbeek where we pass the start of one of the Meerdael Bloso trails. We also follow this trail, albeit in the opposite direction, and things are spicing up a bit now with the addition of a climb here and there in the Dikke Eik region. Passing the Naamsesteenweg again the trail now moves towards Nethen where more serious things await us. Starting with a nice singletrack followed by a technical descent into Nethen. A long climb over cobbles takes us up to the plateau but we descend right away back down and then venture into the Lianenklim. A local hotspot which consists of a long and technical uphill through a deep hollow road. Due to the dry conditions it is completely ride-able if you can deal with big sandstones, deep ruts and the occasional log. The trail then moves towards Bossut where a second rest stop is situated. 40K into the ride already. I borrow a pump to add some air to my rear tyre. Good thinking of the organisation to have a pump, chain lube and a small technical toolkit at every rest stop.
Down into Archennes for a first loop which leads us to a sandy uphill. I did not manage it, I believe few did. It takes us up into the La Malaise area where a tricky downhill has many a brake a-squealing. Back up and towards Nethen again after another stony and rutty descent. Having local knowledge of the trails certainly helps because I see a lot of people struggling trying to find the good path to take you down. Back up again through a long hollow road climb that leads us towards Pecrot. Here a first highlight of the Classic follows. Taking the railroad singletrack, followed by a long climb up the crest and then zooming back down along a man-made downhill with lots of berms and whoops. Down in Florival the 100K leaves the 67K for an extra loop.

The track now moves towards a beautiful long uphill along a very deep valley in the Bois de Laurensart. We are ride in file Indienne and it is impossible to pass the slower riders in front of me. I relax and take the moment to look around and gather my strenght. After a short stint on the plateau we drop down a very steep trail and arrive at the Gastuche side of Ottenburg. Slowly riding back up again between field and forest and we are set for a bit of fun next to Ottenburg. First a very small track leads me down to another track which takes me into a deep and lush valley. Covered with grass and surrounded by forest on 3 sides. A very beautiful spot. Here we meet the Red Overijse Bloso and they decided to take the next-to-impossible climb up the crest. They might have just followed the red and take the less steep climb instead. But no time to fret, we drop down again and I have to really dig deep to make the short steep uphill that follows. Crossing the road from Florival to Ottenburg for yet another climb. Crossing the road from Sint Agatha Rode to Ottenburg and down the tricky Oliestraat. I see a biker with a flat tyre. Careful here. Then follows the steepest climb of the day when we grind our way up the steep slope of Sint Agatha Rode Bos . I make it, lots of people don't. Crossing the road from Sint Agatha Rode to Ottenburg again, we did a loop , and a little further awaits the 3rd rest stop.

I meet someone I know from years back when he was still with the Blancs Gilets. We ride some time together but he is too strong so I let him move away. The sun is out more now, and when I ride up the Zavelstraat that takes us close to Huldenberg I begin to feel my legs. Obviously they could not leave out one of the trickiest uphills on the Overijse trails. I make this one as well. Kudos go to the Moots .
Down into Huldenberg again and then the trail follows the river Ijse for a while . A well - deserved break.
But not for long because now another highlight of this ride is upon us. They takes us into the Margijsbos and up the Smeyberg crest for no less than 5 climbs and downhills. Somewhere along those climbs we pass the 1000 heightmeters mark. Some nice singletrails here and they take advantage of every opportunity to make this 100K loop worthwhile. When we arrive in Sint Agatha Rode at last we get another easy bit before entering Marbaise and discovering the 4th rest stop.

Here the Red Bull girls are waiting for us. Pity their beverage doesn't do full justice to their looks. Its what Red Bull calls cola but besides it being cold it doesn't taste like much. I add it to what is left in my drinking bottle and move along for the last 12K or so. The trail now takes us back to Nethen where we enter Meerdael Forest again and have to tackle another couple of climbs. The zooming downhills now demand full concentration. With the strength fading from the legs, I tend to let things hang out a bit on the downhills. Not a good idea when they are dusty and full of ruts. Dipping into Sint Joris Weert for a little bit and then moving towards Meerdaelhof where a sign tells us what we already knew.

Only a couple of K to go now, before we reach the football field of the Zwarte Duivels, where I started some 6 hours ago for what proved to be one of the more difficult Meerdael Classics I have ridden. These are the facts as they appeared on my instruments after the ride.

When I got home I discovered I had been very lucky today. I had felt a bump with every turn of my rear wheel but I couldn't pinpoint its source. I thought it must have been because of my wheel being out of true. But then I saw this
. Scary to say the least. When you consider all the stones, lugs, cobbles, gravel and other nasties I have been riding over today its a small miracle that tyre didn't burst.

The Lowdown :
Not much can be added. Once again the Downhill Bikers have offered us a great ride. There were some new sections this year and - judging from the facts and the feeling in my legs - they made the ride more hilly. The organisers never fail to make the most of this region, without overdoing it. A subtle difference. Some new tracks - at leats for me - and several sections on the 100K distance that make this ride worth its while. This is the 18th version and of course this organisation is hard to fail. I might say they are nearly flawless.
If I am pressed to find a minus point I could say that they might consider adding some food that is more apt for Sports use. Cookies and chocolate bars only offer fast sugars, not the much needed slow ones.

What I liked :

+Great Trails, with attention to lesser visited tracks
+Arrowing was more than adequate and sufficient
+4 rest stops on the 100K
+Good signage before and after every split.
+Plenty of water and some sports bevarage, also Red Bull (+girls ! ) at the last rest-stop.
+Bananas and oranges are OK for Sports .
+Well organised bike-park with easy system to collect your bike afterwards

What I did not like:
-not enough variety in food offerings. Cookies and chocolate are not exactly energy food for Sports.

Ride Stats : 114K and 1380/1525 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 6h14mins
TT Stats : 100K and 1490 heightmeters (Garmin)
Hill factor : 14,9

4952/52690

Hallerbos Extra Vaganza

2010-04-17T17:47:00.002+01:00

Every now and then I do something crazy. One of those things is riding long distances offroad on a mountainbike. Today was the perfect day for an extravagant ride. The plan was simple. Connect the Meerdael Forest to the Sonian Forest, move on towards the Hallerbos and there I would do a 35K/670hm ride I have on GPS. I've done this ride last year on the first of June. Today it was a bit earlier in the year but the weather looked promising and I was eager to find out whether the blue hyacynths would be in bloom. There was someone who would accompany me from the Sonian Forest onwards but at the last moment she cancelled her attendance. So it was a solo ride. And a long one.
I started out over a new track I discovered only last week. First riding to Sint Joris Weert through the Meerdael Forest, then climb up the ridge of the Smeysberg but stay close to Neerijse. From there I could ride towards the Ganspoel and past the Duisburg water towers. I then disappeared into the Sonian Forest to connect in a straight line to Jezus-Eik. From there it's still about a 10K ride to St Genesius Rode and then to Dworp and the 7 Fontaines. After 35K and 1h46 or thereabouts I was at the start of my loop.

The loop first goes around the lakes at the 7 Fontaines and then follows the GR track along the edge of a field. A steep climb up towards the edge of the forest and then back down again to ride up to the forest again. This time I would spend a long time into Hallerbos. I noticed immediately that the bluebells weren't out in full force. I am not sure whether they already bloomed or if I just was a week too early. At any rate there don't seem to be as many of them as in previous years. The white flowers where already in full bloom.

After a couple of trails in the forest I set towards crossing the highway and make my way towards Braine l'Alleud. There were a lot of small singletrails here, sometimes I had to look for them but whomever built the track was surely at home in this area. The track ondulates up and down, sometimes very steep but always fun and surprising. My legs began to feel the kilometers and I paused for a bit to eat. Before long I was at the Leembeek bos where the trailbuilder had incorporated a nice section into the lembeek area.

Crossing the E25 again and I was back in Hallerbos. There were a lot of people around, some walking, some on horseback and others on bikes. Obviously they all were looking for the bluebells. Again they were there, but not as plenty as one would expect. Crossing the last ridge and I am back at the 7 Fontaines. Phew, 73K on the counter, only 35 left to go. Another bit to eat whilst I make some pictures of ducks and tortoises (!) basking in the sun on a tree that has fallen into the water.

The ride back only varies a couple of times from the trails I took getting here. My neck starts to make me feel I'm not 25 anymore but I am more concerned with my GPS. I noticed the battery was nearly dead. Luckily I would make it home but it was a close call. I should have fully loaded it before I left, never trust it to be full. When I drop down the Smeysberg I have to wait for a local road race to pass. After the green flag car I can continue my way towards home. The ride was long and took a lot out of me. But the sun was out the whole day and even though I felt the northeasterly wind from time to time on my way back home, most of the ride I was in forests so it didn't bother me that much. As far as the bluebells are concerned. I could be wrong but I hope they still need a couple of warm days to reach full bloom. I spoke to a guide in the forest and he told me the next week would be prime time for the bluebells. Although he also had to concede the harsh winter took its toll. Like he said it : 'we can't command nature'. So true.

Ride Stats : 110K and 1350/1440 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 6h2mins

2697/26465

2009-12-21T16:48:00.001Z

Saturday Dec 19th : Minus 12.7 degrees C this morning and when I rode out around 11am it still was -10 degrees. The snow was around 10 to 15 cm thick and I decided on a leasurely stroll through Meerdael Forest. The snow quality was good for riding , it was dry and hard. A lot easier to ride through than my last snowy ride, in the beginning of January this year. I stopped frequently to take some pictures, gradually becoming more confident and upping the speed as I rode along. More snow is forecast this weekend so there may be other opportunities for some short rides like this one. I leave you wit a couple of pictures to get you in the mood to go out and enjoy the snow too.

Ride Stats : 17,5K and 175/205 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 1h24mins. -9 degrees C average temp

Theux Signal de Botrange Theux KBC MTB ride

2009-09-19T18:26:00.001+01:00

Warm weather was forecast with only a slight chance of precipitation. A perfect day for a solid Ardennes ride. Meeting up with the KBC MTB club at the Theux railway station around 8.45am and just before 9am we set off on the Longest Downhill. As regular readers know, this is a ride that consists of 2 parts. One part is the uphill from Theux to Signal de Botrange. I have been perfecting this part for a couple of years now to include as much offroad as possible. In the days when the Downhill was published in O2 Bikers - issue #59 to be more precise - the uphill part was as good as ignored. I did publish a first part of what was a long tarmac uphill followed by a roadbook from Le Petit Normand up to the Signal de Botrange in 2001. But I was not satisfied with all the tarmac between Theux and Le Petit Normand, so I set out with 1:15000 scale maps to find a more suitable and mountainbike-worthy uphill. As it stands now I am pretty pleased with the result. Arriving at the Signal de Botrange you have around 750 heightmeters under your belt and have passed some nice singletrail sections on the 32k stretch.
Taking a rest with the group at the restauration/cafe up on the Signal, the figures on my GPS speak for themselves. During the uphill we had split up in 2 groups, each with a rider having my GPS track from 2 days ago on a Garmin Edge. I was leading one of the groups, taking a more leisurely pace upwards. As usual I stopped at the Passerelle Michel Thorez for a snack. Even so we only arrived 10 minutes after the faster group. Hearing the remarks at the table it looked like they liked the uphill bit very much. And the best part was yet to come - the famous "Longest Downhill in Belgium" .

The Longest Downhill is a mixture of everything that make riding a bike offroad in the Ardennes so special. Starting in the Fagnes, we take in quite a bit of doubletrack before arriving at a small track with a river crossing. Then, arriving at the Vecquee, things turn wet and soggy forcing us between the trees to negotiate hundreds of roots. A very stony downhill follows, taking us close to the river Hoegne. Another very difficult downhill, with lots of stones, small rivulets of water and gullies, takes a victim. One flat tyre, from the looks of it a snakebite. Then we zoom down again towards the river Hoegne. A section with a couple of river crossings by wooden bridges, forest tracks interspersed with roots, rocks and small puddles, a little uphill section through a river, a fast singletrail downhill, its all there. During the downhill at one moment the group split up in 2 parts, unfortunately exactly at the spot where I had foreseen a very interesting singletrack. A singletrack out of the 2007 World Championship Marathon circuit in Verviers no less. The second group had taken a right turn where they should have gone left. My fault, I was assuming the group was more closely together. As it stood, I had no option but to leave the singletrack be and take my part of the group after the runaway members. We found them 1.5K further, waiting at the end of an offroad section not far from Neufmarteau.

Near the end, reaching Polleur, there was an option to return by tarmac, as the original O2 bikers version did. But being mountainbikers and - it must be said, the level of fitness and technicality was very good in this group - we all choose for the offroad version, even if this means climbing two more hills - one with an 15% climbing grade. Near the end, the forward running GPS rider misses a turn and we are sent to Theux via a very, very steep downhill ending at the famous steps near the Lycee. Checking my GPS data after the ride, I found it to be a 24% grade at its steepest. Ouch.
I had been looking for this particular downhill for a while now and I'm glad we found it, a lucky accident one might say. It also features in the Ardennes Trophy, a marathon race held every year and starting in nearby La Reid. Here it is an absolute crowd-stopper because of its inherent level of danger.
Arriving in Theux we are offered a bite to eat and drinks to go with that, courtesy of the KBC MTB Club. I hope they all enjoyed our day out - I certainly did. The weather was perfect with 17 degrees up on the Fagnes, nearing 24 degrees when we where back in Theux, some 550 metres lower.

Ride Stats : 66K and 1045/1090 heightmeters in 4h10mins

7201/72725

Theux Signal de Botrange Theux recon

2009-09-17T18:24:00.000+01:00

Since the KBC MTB club changed the date for their annual Ardennes ride from October 3rd to September 19th - meaning NEXT weekend - without first asking my opinion I was forced to take a day off from work to do a recon of the route. Why ? Because I am the guide and as such I need to know if there are any track changes and also because it was a while ago since I last did this route completely. Now, obviously, I am not sad to have a reason to go to Theux and muck about a bit on the trails, but the last time I did this ride - last year in September - I made a bad move on my bike causing my back to get hurt. Of course this was playing in my head and I didn't want the same to happen again.
I contacted my friend Roger to ask him if he would like to come along and I was glad he said yes. It's always safer to not ride alone on these kind of trips. I had manually prepared the GPS track on Mapsource and was set to follow it on the Edge 705. We arrived at the Theux train station at about 10am and quickly after that we were on the move. The weather was grim but dry and with a forecast of clearing skies later in the day.
The KBC MTB club insisted on leaving at the Theux station - me I much more prefer leaving at the Chateau de Franchimont. The extra couple of K's joining the Theux station to the start of the uphill were a bit of a maze into the Theux city back streets. Especially at the local school we were forced to find another track around the school. So I started off on the climb towards the Franchimont Castle. Halfway up there is a track leading down again, dropping us onto a meadow with a 'Private' sign. We could see the track we needed to get to, less than a 100 metres further , so we skipped underneath the barriers and quickly made our way towards the trail. No harm done.
Leaving Theux on the 'Devant Staneu' tarmac street, the climbing begins. Quickly the trail drops back down and re-ascends very steeply to run parallel to the railroad and next to the majestic "Bois de Staneu" for a while. Then I am skipping trails and we were climbing steadily along the Clementine ruisseau towards the Golf de Spa. A bit of tarmac and a nice twisting singletrack leads us towards another trail that Roger enjoyed very much. Me I had been here before but I also love this little singletrack, which goes up and down like a big tobogan with on the right a big dropoff and on the left the forest and the hill going upwards . In Sart another bit of tarmac but quickly we are on a singletrack again. This leads us upwards towards a big road. Crossing this we descend on a forest track towards the real start of the uphill, the "Passerelle Michel Thorez" . This was the exact spot where I hurt my back last year so I was a bit awkward riding here. We stopped to have a little snack and take some pictures.

The track then sets into the fagnes with a long ascend on bad tarmac turning eventually into a gravel road. The sun peeps through the clouds and Roger is thinking about removing a layer of clothing. I am glad he didn't because there are colder climes awaitign us higher up.
A little descent and then the trail meanders upwards towards the Signal de Botrange. At 692 metres this is officially the highest point in Belgium. It took us 2h30 to reach it and we were about 33K into the ride. Taking Roger towards the viewpoint looking out towards Germany, we noticed it was cold - 14 degrees and a cold northerly wind and still a bit misty. Although the sun was making an effort to pierce through the low cloud cover. We had a snack, took some pictures and got underway for the downhill part of the ride.
The downhill is a lot more technical that the uphill. At first it is easy with the big gravel roads, but then I take a little track through the Fagnes towards the Vecquee. Having to cross a little river and riding on some wooden elevated paths we reach the larger Vecquee trail. At some points on the Vecquee there was some water - not mud, but plain water - that forced us into the pine tree forest next to it. Here there were roots making life difficult for our full suspension bikes. But things got even more difficult when we reached the end of the Vecquee and came on a rocky and stony doubletrack leading us towards the Hoegne. Having a full suspension bike turns out to be a blessing here. And things got even more technical when I set onto the downhill towards the little pavillion looking out over the deep Hoegne valley. Rocks, ruts, little rivulets crossing the trail and the plain steepness of the descents made us enjoy these trails to the fullest. This is the real Ardennes stuff. Tough and rough. Quickly we were ejected onto the tarmac track we had followed less than an hour ago upwards. But this time we were speeding down towards the Passerelle Michel Thorez again. Here I turned to the right and we encountered the river Hoegne again, having to cross it several times using small wooden bridges. And between the bridges we followed a foothpath strewn with roots, rocks and small puddles. Again our bikes brought us joy.

At one point I got confused when the GPS reacted too slow to a number of direction changes and we took a wrong turn for about 100 metres. Then I came to my senses and turned around, and so did the GPS. A bit of uphill tarmac, a right turn and we were enjoying the Ardennes again. Track after track, at one point riding into a little river for a short uphill stretch. We came to some kind of chicken garden and again I hesitated and the GPS was too slow deciding where to go. We did a long extra loop. The good thing about navigating with the Edge 705 is that it always gets you back on the track you should be following. But the simple lack of trails made us do an extra 4 or 5K before we were back on the right trail. We were nearing Neufmarteau now and the last stretch of trail along the river Hoegne. In Polleur we had to climb again , and most decidedly so, since we were following a trail that brought us nearly 100 metres higher up the slope. Downhill again - we were on the Red Theux route but riding it in the opposite direction. Arriving in Sassor I take us into a right turn leading towards a steep uphill. Its the last one because after shedding many a droplet of sweat we can see Theux lying below us. Zooming down the downhill we arrive at the road to Verviers again and turn towards the Theux train station and our car.
We were very lucky with the weather. It was around 15 degrees when we started and it remained like that until we were descending again. Temperatures then went up towards 18 degrees and the sun was shining more, bringing us light and warmth. Furthermore the tracks were almost dry with only some water high up in the Fagnes. I really enjoyed the ride and from the grin on Rogers' face I'm pretty sure he enjoyed it too. Afterwards I edited my GPS track so that the KBC MTB club could use it next saturday. I uploaded the un-edited version to my Garmin account. Click on the link below to download it and ride this beautiful trail yourself. Be warned though, it takes a fair bit of fitness , some Ardennes experience and a good bike to enjoy it to the fullest.

Ride Stats : 66k and 1140/1215 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 4h29mins

GPS Track on Garmin Connect : CLICK

7135/71635

Theux Green and Blue and Red and Ninglinspo valley

2009-08-29T19:04:00.000+01:00

Yes, this morning I took my Mazda and drove it to the Franchimont castle in Theux. My plan was to start on the Green, hop over on the Blue and then on the Red. On the Red I would then descent into the Ninglinspo valley, looping over the Blanches Pierres and the Tour Drouet, ascent along the Ninglinspo and then follow the Red again, hop over on the Blue and finish in Theux. At 10am I was ready to roll. It was fresh with only 14 degrees C but at least it promised to be dry. It took a little while to get back into Ardennes mode but once I found my rhythm I found my legs to be better than I expected. The tracks are rocky here, so I took care to add a couple of psi to my tyre pressure. Even with a full suspension bike, and especially on tough circuits like the Theux Adeps routes, a little bit more goes a long way. The tracks were surprisingly dry as I thundered into Polleur where I rejoined the Red route for a little while climbing into the outskirts of the Bois de Staneu. The Red then goes straight while the Green veers to the left for the first long climb of the day. I could do the climb on my middle chainring but after a while I decided it might be better to put it on the little ring in front. Better not tyre my legs unneccessary. Arriving on top I had to follow the tarmac road for a while before coming to the first long descent. A rocky number this one, and I had to change lines quite a few times in order to stay on the bike. But as usual, the Merlin did its magic and inspired me with the confidence needed when doing rides like this one on your own. Into the valley and hopping onto the Blue route for another long climb, back over 300 metres. Another descent and I was on the road to Spa. Crossing it and then disappearing into the forest again for the next - very rocky - climb. After a while you leave the forest and I noticed the sun was shining intermittently, just warming things up a little bit. The cool temperatures were great for my form because I was really feeling strong. Onto the Red route and slowly climbing up to the 400 metre mark.

Just before reaching that I came to the edge of the Ambleve valley. Here I left the Adeps route for a descent into the valley I call dreamland. Descending towards the Blanches Pierres rivulet and on a big forest track making good speed on the 18% slope before arriving at the Tour Drouet, which offers a great view over the Ninglinspo valley. The Ninglinspo is a little river that drops from the plateau down towards the Ambleve river, some 270 metres deeper. I took a break at the Tour Drouet, some 26K into the ride. Having a bite to eat and taking some pictures, I notice som white constructions on the horizon. Strange, they look like big blocks, but what is their purpose? Time will tell for sure.
Deeper down into the valley and I was ready for the long ascent, following the little Ninglinspo river on its trail. Some 3K long and offering a height gain of 250 metres, this is a nice climb and especially today, when it was very dry and offering good traction to my Nobby Nics. I met up with a runner who was a local and was doing a 16K run in and out of this valley. Strong guy! When I arrived at the top I had already decided I would abandon my plan to get back on the Blue and follow that into Theux. I felt good and so I decided to follow the much more difficult Red route. This offers quite a bit more climbs, and some tricky descents, especially the drop into the Forges Thiry is to be treated with respect. As is essentially every descent on the Red route, which has its toughest section near the end.

Near the end I was suffering on the last climb, a very steep number climbing from downtown Theux up towards the Franchimont castle. The slope is between 11 and 18% and even reaches 20% at one point. After 60K in this kind of terrain is a tough cookie. But i managed it and with some relief I saw my red Mazda standing still on the parking lot near the Franchimont castle. This combination of the 3 routes + the descent into the Ambleve valley is a nice ride, not for the meek I hasten to tell, the terrain is not to be underestimated and has surprises around every corner. A good bike and some experience in the Ardennes is a must on these kinds of rides. There are some sections that offer a bit of recuperation but - especially on the red route - most of the time you are either climbing or trying to ride one or the other technical downhill. I nearly lost it when my front wheel washed away over some stones in a corner whilst descending a 14% slope on a double trail field track. The tracks were narrow and extremely rockstrewn and only a quick reflex and possibly a combination of a good bike with good tyres saved me from a trip to the hospital. Things like that tend to happen near the end of the ride, when concentration is a bit less and fatigue is building up. But they might just as well happen in the beginning, when you underestimate the trail and/or overestimate yourself. So be warned, stay safe and keep the rubber side down.

Ride Stats : 63K and 1500/1550 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 4h00mins

GPS Track on Garmin Connect : CLICK

6560/64500

MTB Orienteering Kesselberg 2009

2009-03-21T16:40:00.002Z

I had received an invitation for this mtb orienteering event from one of the organisers of the SLOK 2009 Kesselberg MTB-O. Since I'm always in for something including my mountainbike and furthermore I also love the region I decided to take part in this race. The SLOK had set out 3 parcours - 10, 15 and 20K - in the hilly region around Kessel Lo and Linden. The start was given at the Abbey of Vlierbeek. Nicely situated in a broad valley just southwest of the Kesselberg area. I rode over from home to arrive around 11am at the 'Rozenkrans' pub where the inscriptions were taken. Since it was my first ever orienteering event I wasn't sure what to expect. But at the inscription I was ably explained the basic rules . You get a map with on it several marked and numbered points. You have to get from one point to the other - choosing your own way - and get a mark at each of the points. For that you receive an EMIT chip. This chip records a timemark when you put it in the trasmitter situated on the marking point. At the end of the race, this information is downloaded from your EMIT chip into a computer and you get your result. The one that completes the complete tour in the shortest time, is the winner. Simple, but as with all things, it isn't as easy as it sounds.
After the inscription I followed the markings towards the official start. Here I received my map and the girl explained to me how I should go about putting my EMIT in the marking stations. She already made the first mark so my race was already running when I was still there listening to her explaining me how things worked. I had brought the cardholder I used in the 2000 Coast to Coast Pyrenees so I could put my map there. The EMIT module I could fasten to one of my fingers.
At the inscription they asked for my identity card as a guarantee against the EMIT but I wasn't going to leave that behind. So they had to settle for my UCI licence.
Looking at the map I got underway and I quickly learned that riding fast AND trying to read a map at the same time wasn't easy. Furthermore I had to refold and turn my map all the time - my card holder is only A4 and the map we got was nearly A3 format. The 'real' orienteering guys had some kind of rototable on their handlebar. So they could turn the map to keep the place where they were going to, on top and in the front.

The weather was great, after a cold start the sun shone in truely spring fashion and riding through and around forests was a joy today. In the meantime I had arrived at my first marker and took a few pictures before heading off to the next one. The first couple of markers were relatively easy, but then things got more complicated, with a mixture of big and smaller tracks. You had to find the quickest path, and this was not always the shortest one. The difficulty was that in order to make a good time, you needed to look at the map and make a decision on the trail which you wanted to follow, whilst driving your bike through offroad trails. Sometimes they were easy, but there were also some steep downhills and sections with gullies . Luckily all the tracks were bone-dry. Here lies one of the big challenges of this sport. You obviously need map-reading skills, but you also need fitness and sometimes catlike reactions when your wheel hits a branch at the exact time when you were peering down at your map deciding on your next direction change. When things really got complicated - read, when there were a lot of tracks converging or several forks really close one after the other, I did stop and had a GOOD look at the map. One mistake could set you off in a completely wrong direction. Fortunately I am pretty good at reading a map and I didn't make a single mistake trackwise. Approaching Marker #12 ( see the map below ) I chose a dotted line which looked to lead to marker 12 very nicely, but all of a sudden I couldn't see any more trails, so I clambered up a very steep hill. This must have been my lucky day since I arrived on top at the exact location of the marker. While I was there I saw some other riders arriving from a different direction. Obviously I had taken the more difficult - but shorter - path. The section with markers 14 to 17 was also a very nice one, by now I was getting more confident and during the last section I really got under steam. In the end, connecting all the markers took me almost 37K and 2h02 of riding time.
I am very happy to have done this, its a combination of several skills and it involves riding a bike in nature. The only pity is that there are not that many MTB-O events around in Belgium. Next year this event will be held in my own Meerdael forest and I will look forward to participate to that. In the meantime I will certainly look out for similar events in Belgium, I had a really good time. Thanks to all the people at SLOK for making this event possible and to Jef Boeckx for bringing it to my attention.

Ride Stats : 61.5K and 570/588 (Polar/Garmin) in 3h11mins

MTB-O Stats : 37K and 408 heightmeters in 2h02mins
MTB-O Official result : 2h19mins52secs on 23280m or 6mins/km

MTB-O Map

Garmin Map:

Organisers blog : CLICK
Official results : CLICK

1929/16075

Theux Red route and then some

2008-09-11T22:01:00.002+01:00

Today I rode to Banneux to ride the Red Adeps route of Theux. I always start in Banneux because that way the most difficult parts of the ride are at the start - the Forges de Thiry descent and the climb out of Theux towards Sassore. My plan was to also include a trip into the valley of the Ambleve - Ninglinspo, Chaudiere and Vieux Chera - and do some extra heightmeters there.
I arrived in Banneux around 10.30am. I had to look a bit to find the parking spot I prefer - it is more than a year ago since I last was here and things fade easily. When I left the parking lot I came on the N62 and from there I could easily get on the Red trail. I didn't feel very fit in the beginning of the ride and the Merlin took some getting used to. I suspect I put a little bit too much air in the tyres. The descent into the Forges de Thiry was as I remembered it. Steep with some nice switchbacks and sadly still blocked at a couple of places by fallen trees. I mean, its more than a year ! Can't someone do something about this? Getting around them meant sliding down the steep slope - man and bike. But I arrived safely at the Hoegne borders and before long I was climbing up to the Maison-Bois. I had been here recently on the Verviers marathon WC track recon and it was a lot dryer now. Which suited me fine. The sun was out and it was hot, with a warm wind blowing from the south and thunderstorms forecast later in the day. I was secretly hoping for cloud cover because I forgot to bring some sun cream. The Theux trails are very typical, lots of loose stones, embedded rocks and a lot of thorn bushes next to the trails when they go though the fields. I would have to walk with my bike in my hand on a few occasions because they had been pruning the thorn bushes and left all the fallen branches on the trail. I have NoTubes but still that doesn't mean that I can ride though anything. I found the trail to be better arrowed at some places, but still lacking at others. You still need a map because at some crucial points arrows are missing. The trail going out of Au Fays up to Laboru was wet with big puddles filled with yellow water - I suspect they never dry up - and the track following the E42 demanded a lot of concentration because of deep gullies. In all the times I've ridden the Red this was the first time I came here. I always seemed to have missed this section. But now the arrowing is fine here. A bit later I was dropping down the Tier de Polleur into this nice little town with its twisted church. I had a little bit to eat here before attacking the climbs into the Bois de Staneu.

In this forest I was also treated to a section I've never done before. After the split with the Blue route my map shows the trail dropping towards the road from Theux to Polleur. But just before reaching this busy road I noticed an arrow pointing back up the hill. Yeah, another climb and a steep one - a VERY steep one. The trail then stays on the plateau for a while before dropping down again, and going up again. This time over a track with lots of loose rubble and also over pure bedrock. I was so glad it was reasonably dry and I had a full suspension bike. I made the steep climb and the following downhill was a real bonecrusher. Wow. A nice extra section. Riding though Devant Staneu as usual and then I was preparing for the long climb towards La Reid. Dropping down on tarmac towards Sur Le Thier a funny thing happened. Braking hard on the steep slope I felt my tyre go flat.. just like that. Indeed, the unthinkable had happened. My front tyre - NoTubes and all - had flattened. Hmm, perhaps the heavy braking forced a thorn out of the tyre, I heard the hissing of the air escaping and the fluid could not close the hole. So I had to put in an inner tyre - after peering out 3 other thorns - which went surprisingly easy. I had expected a sticky mess with the NoTubes fluid but it was all but dried up. I think its overdue to be changed. Anyways, after 10 minutes - and a chat with a passing biker who was on the Blue route - I could continue. Towards Banoyard and Vert Buisson I managed to stray from the trail - I'm sure there is a Red arrow pointing to the right which is WRONG.. but thanks to the GPS and the map I could quickly connect back to the trail.
The sun was hiding behind some clouds now and I was thinking about giving the Ninglinspo a miss. But no, this was dreamland and I was here so I had to go . Down following the Ruisseau des Blanches Pierres and the blitzing fast and steep stony track after passing the Point de Vue Drouet. The bike felt good by now - there was a bit less pressure in my front tyre - and I blazed down - but always keeping the speed under control. I managed to squeeze one Pepsi Cola out of the machine at Sedoz and felt a couple of drops of rain while I was eating my second powerbar and sipping my Pepsi. I wanted another drink but the machine wouldn't take my 2€ coins. On the Nonceveux ride I had discovered a steep uphill along the Vieux Chera and I decided to take that again and see where it would take me. As it turned out it took me from 164 to 340 metres before I foudn a way back down towards the Ninglinspo valley. Great, at the point where the Chaudiere drops into the Ninglinspo I could commence the long uphill back to the Porallee at 410 metres. Great , I did nearly 13K in this area and it yielded me 530 heightmeters.. and that distance includes the downhills. Thats a Hill Factor of 40. So all who want to do some climbing - you know where to go. And the downhills are mean as well.

After this intermezzo my legs felt a bit fried and I still had some way to go towards Banneux. Especially the long uphill towards Menobu was hurting. I could see the heightmeters accumulating on my GPS but I knew the trail would mellow out a bit on the uphills. Not on the downhills though, and on one I had to go heavily in the brakes because 4 or 5 big trees where blocking a very steep section. Took a bit of mountaineering to get me past this barrier but after that I was nearly home. With more than 1700 heightmeters accumulated today I had a great but tough ride. And remember, I wasn't feeling my best so I was glad I did make all the climbs and survived the downhills as well. When I arrived at Banneux again even the sun came peeping back though the clouds.

Ride Stats : 72K and 1715/1733 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 4h50mins
Hill Factor : 23.9
Ride Profile :

7905/79865

Dreamland Revisited in Nonceveux

2008-09-05T09:39:00.001+01:00

It was about time I visited the Ardennes again and today I felt like I won the lottery. I rode to Nonceveux , not far from Remouchamps in the Ambleve valley to ride the O2 Bikers roadbook . From the figures it looked like one of their toughest roadbooks ever, both physical (5/5 stars) and technical (4/5 stars) as well as offering almost 1100 heightmeters on a 36K distance. What more does a real biker need?
It starts easy from the little church of Nonceveux, over the river Ambleve and then taking the busy N633 for a couple of 100 metres and then the first offroad climb takes me through a few hairpins up towards the Tilleul des Pendus. The climb is steep and the legs have to get in gear. But I feel fine and the Merlin is in top shape too. I am following the track on my Garmin Edge 705 and I would experience no major problems with that throughout the whole ride. I saved the track in Course format (.crs file) which proves to be THE format the Edge 705 really likes. Only in some of the deep valleys did it hesitate a few moments because satellite reception was not optimal.
That being said, lets continue the ride. A rocky path takes me down towards the N697 which I follow briefly before climbing on a tarmac road towards Pierzay. At the top I turn left into a freshly mown path - brambles and other thorny branches lie scattered over the trail. I am on NoTubes but still I felt like having a flat every moment. But nothing happens, and the trail gets gnarly as it changes into a rocky underground and the downhill gets steeper - better keep concentrated. A few switchbacks and I am at what looks to be an old quarry. The soil is red and there are some puddles here. I follow the little Gergova river upstream before crossing the N697 again. I follow this busy road for a short while before an impossible climb takes me right up a plateau and on to what looks like a Fagnes track. Before long I turn right and head back towards the Tilleul des Pendus. Wow, 10K far and already almost an hour of biking.

A broader track drops me down towards Sedoz where a very steep climb takes me up to meet with one of the many small rivers that drop down from the plateau towards the Ambleve valley. My pace is little more than crawling and it is very dark and damp under the dense tree cover. My GPS loses signal for a few seconds from time to time but I have no trouble following the set track. I cross the little river and cross over towards the Chaudiere valley. This little ruisseau I follow - the little rivulet in a deep valley left of me - down to where it crashes into the Ninglinspo. I have a little bite to eat at this point, enjoying the elfin quality of the little babbling brooks. The climb that follows now - following the Ninglinspo river upstream - is very well known to me. I relax in a comfortable pace and start the 200m vertical ascent. Along the way I cross the little Ninglinspo river several times before making my way away from it towards Blanches Pierres. A fast downhill brings me close to the Tour Drouet and I decide to have a look at this magnificent viewpoint. This means I have to climb back up again around 50 heightmeters to take the rocky road into the Hé des Graviers. Steep sections strewn with rocks take me towards the 370m mark. I have to follow another fagnes road, with wet patches and a lot of roots. The Merlin laughs at these conditions, its suspension working like a charm . In the Bois Bablette a fast downhill takes me to the bords of the Chefna river.

This might easily be one of the most beautiful spots on this ride. The climb with the little river babbling on my right is tough, steep and rocky. Luckily it is reasonably dry. I have been here before but the beauty of the terrain still gets me. At the top I take almost an 180 degree turn to follow the river on its other side down again. This descent is a difficult one. Wet patches, rocks, roots and gullies force me to be very attentive and I enjoy the Merlin again whilst I lead it over the rubble downwards. Two big deer cross my path and scatter themselves with unseen grace down the steep slope towards the Chefna. I stop and watch them in amazement. After a while the track gets broader and I storm down into the Ambleve valley.
Crossing the Ambleve only one more climb awaits me. The first bit is amazing. Pure bedrock and steep steep steep , there are no words for it. I admit I had to walk a few bits. When the dense forest opens up I have an amazing view over the valley and I see the lush green forests on the other side of the Ambleve, where I was less than half an hour ago. At Rondai Fontaine I am sent into what seems to be an off-limits road, there is a sign stating that no entry is permitted. But what can I do but follow my GPS track, right? The track drops down slowly at first, approaching the E25. But then it gets serious - and wet with the first real mud I saw today - and I have to hit the brakes hard from time to time to keep the speed on the safe side of sorry. Just before dropping into Nonceveux it gets downright dangerous when the track turns into some kind of rocky garden.

Wow, what a great ride this was. 36K and indeed a whopping 1100 positive heightmeters - my GPS and Polar agreed on the number for once - and at times the track was indeed very challenging and technical. The climbs were of the steep kind and you need a bike that provides traction over rocks, loose stones, roots and bedrock. A great trail but not for the meek.

Ride Stats : 36K and 1100 heightmeters in 3h3mins
Hill Factor : 30.5
Ride Profile : CLICK
Maps (GPS and NGI) :

7584/75540

Rando des 4 Chateaus

2008-08-16T20:13:00.000+01:00

After a dry thursday it looked like we would have a nice and quiet ride in the sunshine today. When I got into my car at 6.50am the clouds were clear and there were wisps of mist hanging over the land. The river Meuse was breathing some heavy fog when I approached it and crossed the "Pere Pire" bridge in Huy. When I arrived at Stree there were already people getting ready to go. I met up with Geert aka Schijfrem. He also rides a Moots YBB and we decided to ride together as long as possible. I enscribed first and forked over 3.5€ for the 55K distance. There were also rides of 25, 35 and 45K. When I asked at the inscription if they had an emergency number, they replied they did not. Some joker suggested I call 100 in case of trouble. Yeah, that one minus point I honestly did not expect on a ride that carries the Stany Smol tag. Pity.

The Ride:

Geert and I set off for the first couple of K's which plunged us almost immediately into Outrelouxhe. I recognized the trail from my Nandrin rides and knew we were in for a treat. The trail plunged into a rift and then followed a little river into a narrow valley. The dropoff was very steep - I walked it, later I noticed it was a 37% gradient on the GPS track ! - and the singletrail following the river was ondulating up and down just enough to keep the tension on the muscles. Great section. A little later we emerged on tarmac for a short stretch taking us down to the first heavy climb of the day. Over loose rocks and shifting pebbles we worked our way up the slope that approached 19% at places and took us some 100 heightmeters up the plateau. From there we dropped down again - this downhill is well known to me from the Nandrin trails were it has to be conquered uphill - and again care needed to be taken. Heavy rains have seriously deteriorated this track and at times the slope was 21%. Try doing that on loose stones and you get the picture. Very concentrated and a great experience. Below we followed the river again until we were at the lowest point possible in this forest. The Fond d'Oxhe as it is called. Obviously another 100 heightmeter climb was bound to follow. Not as steep as the first one but the trail was very beautiful, with rocks, roots and gullies making it tough to ride. At the top the 45 and 55K distances were splitting off and Geert decided to follow the 45, leaving me alone to continue on the 55K. I made a picture of him before we parted .

The trail now entered some kind of walking trail nicely circling through rock gardens and forest outcrops. We met some walkers here - girls with dogs - and it was nice to notice they were all very friendly. Especially the dogs.
We stayed on the plateau a while and after an hours ride I came to the first ravito. This must have been some 17K into the ride. All distances merged here . There was some water and grenadine drink, cookies, waffles and also someone who was offering high-energy food and drinks of Nutrilite . I had a taste of everything and went on my way. I dropped down the slope again, before following a nice singletrail along the forest edge. On my right I could see the cooling towers of the Tihange nuclear plant. Impressive.

A long climb followed and gradually I was leaving the forest , coming out into the open fields before crossing the N66. A little later and after crossing the N641 there followed some very difficult climbs on rocks, roots and stones where I had to walk several times due to the slope and the wetness of the rocks. Just before Marchin I enjoyed the second rest stop of the day. This time there were some Red Bull girls to sheer us up and offer us some tasty beverage. I declined because I already have Red Bull mixed in my water bottle. But they were nice to look at.
I passed the strangely curved church of Marchin and a tricky downhill - roots, stones, wet rocks - demanded my uttermost concentration to keep the rubber side down. A climb and descent into the field - with some grassy gullies to spice things a little and another steep descent before turning right onto what looked - and felt - like an abandoned railroad track. Nice section but I was glad I had a softtail bike here instead of a hardtail. The ondulating track brought me a few K's further before entering Modave. Here we had to follow some tarmac which led us to the entry gate of the castle grounds. Nice little downhill-uphill section here before I got to the 3rd rest stop of the day, exactly 40k into the ride. A great passage on the castle grounds followed , with a very tricky downhill and a passage through a ford. I didn't notice there was a bridge until I got my feet wet from the splashing water. But the sun was out and with some 20 degrees and no wind I didn't mind getting my feet wet. After Modave the slopes were getting a bit milder and before long I was out in the fields again. I noticed my rear tyre was slowly losing air so I decided to replace the inner tyre. Some stony fieldtracks and field passages giving way to amazingly narrow but very beautiful tracks brought me into Ramelot. Another ravito some 50K into the ride and the last couple of K's consisted of twisting trails into moist forests and a passage over a freshly harvested field. Crossing the N66 not far from Tinlot I knew what was coming. An uphill passage through a hollow road edged with trees but followed by a very wet downhill leading back towards Stree. I took the edge of the field on the left of the track instead of all the puddles and was rewarded by an almost clean bike when we finally made it back to the start.
There Geert was already tasting some fine beer and we shortly exchanged our experiences .

The Lowdown:

What I liked:
+ Great trails, with attention to lesser visited tracks
+ the region and the use they made of what is offered
+ dangerous downhills and road crossings well marked on shared trails for all distances
+ distance splits well marked - before AND after the split
+ arrowing sparse but suffiecient and very noticeable
+ 4 rest zones - fruit, cookies , grenadine and water.
+ Red Bull and Energy Drinks stands.
+ all this for only 3.5€

What I did not like:
- no emergency numbers provided by the organisation
- less heightmeters than announced
- no danger signs on the 55K-only sections

Synopsis:

Obviously the trails were beautiful, in the beginning very tough in the forest section south of Tihange, with some very steep downhills and a couple of 100 heightmeters + climbs, difficult and long. In the end the ride didn't deliver the amount of heightmeters the organisation had promised, but I didn't really mind. We got nearly 1100 heightmeters on the 55K - that turned out to be almost 60K. And the tracks were never boring, instead surprising me all the time with nice finds and great views. A good knowledge of the local tracks leads the organisors to produce one hell of a ride. The arrowing was sparse at times - I missed an arrow twice - but the arrows used were very visible - black on yellow - and you could spot them from far. The distance splits were very well marked - both before and after the split. A minus point would be the fact that on the loops the 55K did seperately from the other loops, there were no danger signs before tricky downhills. They had danger signs on the shared loops with the other distances. Do they think that the 55k riders were all so experienced they didn't need to be warned? I would include the signs the next time.
The 4 rest stops were well stocked, water and grenadine and some cookies, fruit and waffles. Nothing fancy but with some Energy drinks and food at the first, and the Red Bull girls at the second rest stop who can complain? And all this for a mere 3.5€ ? Yes, indeed. I have no idea about the showers and the bike cleaning facilities since I didn't use either of them. I returned home happy and with a few more tracks to possibly include into my Nandrin trails.
The only point that I would suggest the organisers fix urgently , is the lack of emergency numbers. Some of the downhills were really tricky and I saw a lot of people with broken chains and other mechanical problems. Provide an emergency number please.

The Bare Facts:

Profile of the Ride : CLICK
Profile the organisors provided:

Map of the Ride :

Pictures of the ride by Schijfrem : CLICK
[the Moots dude with the long pants is ME]

Ride Stats :
60K and 1090/1145 heightmeters (Polar/Garmin) in 3h46mins
Hill Factor:
18.17

6740/67195

On Championship Trails part II

2008-08-02T21:52:00.000+01:00

Today I had made another appointment with Albert Dumont to ride part II of the Verviers 2007 MTB Marathon World Championships trail. We met up at the Ardennes Outlet centre in Verviers. The weather had been dry and hot these last few days but now some menacing clouds and a stiff breeze made it less warm and in fact better suited for biking. Because the Moots was still at Filip Sport I took the Merlin out today.
From downtown Verviers we first had to make our way up to Heusy and next to Mangombroux to go offroad along the Domaine Militaire in the Bois de Jalhay. Albert was talking about the history of Verviers in its golden age but before long we had to concentrate on the track that was very stony and running uphill all the time - "french flat" Albert calls it . When the track evened out a little bit we were making our way over roots and next to big puddles. After crossing the N679 we had a good view of the dark forests lying in front of us. A fast stony downhill followed by a climb brought us to Surister. The Merlin was already proving its worth. The rear suspension providing more traction in the climbs and also having a 22 chainring in front was a blessing on the very steep hills (I saw many 20%+ gradients on my GPS profile) . And obviously, having 10cm of travel in front and rear was a big bonus in the downhills.
From Surister we had to make our way towards the River Hoegne. The descents were very technical at times and it was a joy to be able to ride them all - when they were not blocked by fallen trees that is. When we crossed the river Hoegne for the first time , we were in for a real treat. A singletrack meandering up and down high above the river brought us to the next crossing. When I ride my "Longest Downhill" I stay close to the Hoegne, but next time I will certainly try to use this singletrack which starts close to the Croupet du Moulin.
At the Croupet du Moulin we disappeared upwards into the Foret Domaniale de Gospinal for a series of tough climbs followed by tricky downhills. The forests were very beautiful but the loops were taking a lot of strenght out of my legs. Still, the pace was right and the bike was giving me more comfort than the Moots could do. When we came back down to the Hoegne at last we had around 22K and just short of 600 heightmeters.
Wow, this was one intense start. From the Hoegne we then made our way to the northeast and into Charneux. Time for a first snack before we arrived in Jalhay a few kilometres later. Not after another downhill followed by another climb of course. The track builder, Léon Hoenders, was in my mind a lot of time. This man not only seems to know all the nicest trails around here, but he also had a bit of a sadistic streak to him. But, obviously, this was not your "average organised ride" trail - with all due respect to those. No, we were on a World Championship trail and this was supposed to be a very tough and taxing ride.

At Jalhay we took a break to stock some food and drink. When we rode out of Jalhay and back to the trail, we had to take shelter because of a light rain shower. Mmm, some of those clouds were dense enough to contain showers. Still, the temperature was around 20 degrees and the shower seemed to be very local. We were lucky.
From Jalhay the trail made its way towards the majestic Westhertogenwald. Instead of the pine trees we would now enter a forest where broad-leaved trees are more common. The Hertogenwald extends over 12000 hectares and contains the Barrage de la Gileppe which we would soon encounter, but not after spending many many a drop of sweat. We were enjoying the majestic splendour of this forest and when we caught our first glimpse of the gigantic lake through the trees it would still elude us for many kilometres to come.
First we had to climb up to the highest point of our route - 456metres - next to the N68 before returning fullspeed into the Trou Malbrouck. Here Albert took me to the fawcett of the Tunnel de la Soor, a 2.5 k long tunnel dug to feed extra water into the Gileppe lake. He also told me about the disaster during its building, taking the lifes of 8 men when they drowned in that pipe during heavy rains. Now the outlet was only producing a trickle of water but after heavy rains the force of the water provides for a 50-metre long geyser. Impressive.
From the Trou Malbrouck the trail would now have us flirting with the Gileppe lake a couple of times, but we would have to climb away from it - and some very steep climbs at that - several times before we finally made it to the barrage. In the forest we also did a very nice singletrack downhill. We paused at the barrage to take some pictures of the famous Lion, looking very stern towards the Northeast.
From the barrage we now made out way up towards to a viewpoint - took a picture there - and then disappeared into the forest once more for another series of climbs and descents taking us through the Bois de Goë and the Bois de Hevremont towards Hevremont. The toughest bits were now behind us but Léon still provided for a few surprises. Some very nice tracks near Brou and some beautiful singletrack that would eventually drop us near the river Vesdre east of Ottomont. Some tracks through Verviers itself, with stairs running up and down to wring the last bits of strenght our of our legs and demand high concentration before we spotted the Ardennes Outlet parking lot and the end of our journey.

Another tough ride. The Hill factor was not as high as the first part, and the ride was less intense but still this is a tough ride. Especially the parts next to the river Hoegne and the Hertogenwald are very demanding - both the uphills and the technicity of some of the downhills - but the beauty of the surroundings make you forget a lot of the suffering. It is impossible to capture all the trails and tracks into writing, you just will have to ride this track to really understand the beauty and the difficulty of it. But be prepared, this is a ride that will take you anywhere between 4 and 6 hours or more to complete - riding time that is !
Thanks to Albert for guiding me around this majestic trails . The Merlin proved to be a great bike - again and we were lucky with the weather - again. Thanks also to Léon Hoenders, the architect of one of the toughest - and certainly most beautiful - trails in Belgium.
My first ride with the Garmin Edge 705 also proved to be a success. I was a bit worried it would jam the workings of my Polar S710 (which the older Garmin Geko did) but I had no trouble with that. Having all the information on one screen was great, and of course looking at the track afterwards provided a lot of information. Another one won over for GPS.

Ride Stats : 70km and 1665 / 1758 heightmeters (Polar / Garmin) in 5h00mins
Ride profile : CLICK
Hill Factor : 23.8

6366/63055

On World Championships Trails

2008-07-25T20:38:00.002+01:00

Today I had made an appointment with Albert Dumont (aka Berthold on some mtb forums) to ride the first part of the 2007 World Championship Marathon trails in Verviers. We decided to meet in the little town of Banneux. Albert knows these trails like the back of his hand and if that should fail he also had a GPS with him. The complete World Championship track is downloadable from the O2 Bikers site. We decided to ride the first - and most intense - part of it.
The weather was great , sunny and luckily also a nice breeze was blowing . The trails conditions would also prove to be very favorable. Dry with only the occasional muddy patch.
From the Banneux church we quickly made our way into the forest on a descent into the Bois de Tancremont. Albert adapted an easy but steady pace which would prove to be ideal during the ride. I knew this was going to be a tough ride and the first downhill plunged me with both tyres into Ardennes reality. Mind where you are going, the trails are beautiful but very treacherous. We quickly dropped from our 300 metres high starting point to a mere 130 metres where we crossed a bridge over one of the many small ruisseaux - little rivers - that feed the river Vesdre. Into the Bois de Tancremont we had to climb all the way back up. The tracks were tricky, and the climbing very steep. Yep, this was going to be a tough ride. After crawling our way up again we crossed the N666 and in Tancremont we had a beautiful overview of the region with Theux and Juslenville among the visible highlights. We were ready for the plunge towards the Forges Thiry although before that we had to conquer a very steep singletrack through some brambles. The track then takes some broader paths than the Red Adeps route of Theux for the descent , but they were steep nevertheless. Albert and his 29er Specialized Stumpjumper seemed to float over all the rocks and roots and through the gullies . All I had to do was try to follow. This kind of track is hard on man and machine and I could hear the Moots groan from time to time. Other than the special sound of my Chris King freewheel and the crickety-crack of my worn out XTR bottom bracket I heard some clangs when a rock was thrown against my spokes or frame. The Moots is a great climber even though the climbs were a tad too steep to be really comfortable even on my 26/34 smallest gear combination. Perhaps a 24 or even a 22 smallest chainring would have been more suitable here. The climb along the ruisseau de Sohan - with some muddy patches as usual - brought us to the Chateau de Sohan. Here we stopped at a stone in memory for the people who were executed by the Germans in WWII. Now there would follow an amazingly beautiful singletrack around the western side of the Bois des Nids d'Aguesses. After that a steep climb on tarmac had me and my bike grunting. The sun was hammering down as well and I was glad to see the top of this hill. We had a little bite to eat and then dropped down again to complete the loop back towards the Chateau de Sohan.

Of course we had to climb again, this time towards the Chateau de Maison-Bois. We could see the valley of the Vesdre now to our left and after a few more thrilling trails we were in Ensival and ready for the drop into Verviers. I wanted to refill my drinking bottle so we took some time to look around for a place where we could buy something to drink. Another snack to keep up our strenght and then we made the connection downwards to the start. This is situated at the Ardennes Outlet Centre . We crossed the river Vesdre and began a long climb on tarmac towards Tribomont. Before long we were back offroad and were following an exciting singletrail on the slopes overlooking the Ruisseau de Fierain. At times we were riding on pure bedrock so I was very happy it was dry. These things can get very slippery when wet. For now they were only very steep and proved to be quite a challenge. I had to walk a couple of times due to the sheer steepness and the roots which were protruding left and right of the track making it very difficult to remain riding upwards. Great challenges. At this time I could also start to feel my legs. During the long downhills they settled into some kind of recovery mode but each time the next climb announced itself the muscles protested and would only yield after a few hundred metres. And the toughest bit was yet to come !
Between Tribomont and Cornesse the track didn't drop as low into the valley thus making it more or less the easier bit of the ride. Take this with a grain of salt though. Even the easy bits are tough here !
Then a downhill towards the Vesdre announced itself and it was "Hail Sweet Mary and Joseph" time. Descending in a narrow gully filled to the brim with loose stony rubble demanded the utmost of my concentration. The bike bounced from left to right over and between the stones, my disc brakes were running hot and dropping for almost 2 kilometres in length this was one hell of a downhill. And, alas, instead of crossing the Vesdre at this point , we had to ride all the way up again. On a very steep, narrow and at times very technical trail. This is one of the best and most difficult climbs of this ride and I enjoyed myself despite the pain and the fatigue in the muscles. At the top of this climb - in Goffontaine - we had to drop down again for some 2 kilometres towards the river Vesdre - again along a very technically challenging trail. Wow, this was mountainbiking in Belgium at its very best ! We had a little break at the bridge over the river Vesdre to look at the last challenge that awaited us. The long climb into the Bois de Fraipont - Albert calls it "BanneuxJoch" - back towards Banneux. This proved to be quite a tough nut to crack and yes, we had a "schiebe' passage as well. The track was very eroded and just too steep to ride at one point, making us push our bikes upwards. 2.5K of climbing squeezed the last bit of strength out of my legs and I was glad when I made out the Chateau de Banneux between the trees .

Well, what can I say, this must have been one of the most intense rides I've done in Belgium. We had 52K in the end but you can easily subtract 3 K from that because we had to ride to and from the trail in Banneux and we did an extra loop in Verviers looking for something to drink. That makes it a 49K/1475hm ride and that is a Hill Factor of 30.
I knew the Theux - Pepinster region was among the most beautiful of Belgium and todays' ride certainly did confirm that. I must thank Albert for his excellent guiding and his thorough knowledge of all the places we passed made it somehow easier for me to remember where we have been . The local flora and fauna also has no secrets for him. Thanks Albert for a great day out !

Ride Stats : 52k and 1475 heightmeters in 4h12mins
Ride Profile : CLICK
Hill Factor : 28.4 for the complete ride, 30 for the trail only

6068/59670

Ronde Van Vlaams Brabant

2008-07-24T21:55:00.001+01:00

Today the "Ronde van Vlaams Brabant" passed right before my door. Time to take the trusty Nikon out and snap some shots while the peloton speeded through. Not easy when they make 50-60kph but at least the little twist into the Lijstersstraat made them slow down a little bit. The weather was glorious - not a cloud in the sky and since it is July it was hot - and a bit windy which was fine. Don't know who won but if you want to know click HERE

In the evening I joined the KBC MTB guys for a quick spin around the basic loop of our annual organised ride. This takes place on August 17th starting from the Sports Centre in Haasrode. It's a great ride so keep this date free. We went rather fast and I could feel my legs protesting. This was due to not having recovered from yesterdays' fast ride. Luckily someone had a flat tyre which allowed for a few moments of rest. I also had to get used to the Litespeed again after having enjoyed the comfortable fastness of the Moots for the last couple of offroad rides.

Ride Stats : 42K and 425 heightmeters in 2h04mins

6016/58195

16th Meerdael Classic

2008-07-06T18:55:00.004+01:00

Left home at 7.10am to ride the short distance to the start of the Meerdael Classic, 16th edition. This traditionally takes place at the Football terrain of the 'Zwarte Duivels' in Oud-Heverlee. I was pre-inscribed for the 100K - the golden distance - so I was prepared for 5 hours of fun and enjoyment on my bike.

The Ride:
At 7.30am I was ready to roll. The track was in the opposite direction from previous years and they also promised some new sections. It started out easy going down towards the Zoete Waters and then ondulating into the Kouterbos towards Sint Joris Weert. Here a nice singletrack section was waiting for us before we made our way towards the Kluis area for a first climb where the chain had to go on the lowest gear. As usual I started out easy to get a good warmup and feel how the legs were. After the climb followed a tricky downhill - on the Blue BLOSO route towards Nethen. We crossed the road and made our way towards the Bois de Beaumont, again via a narrow track, this one between two fields and very demanding because it was slightly offcamber and sported some ruts. Following the railroad track towards Pecrot we were in for a nice treat here. First uphill towards the Chapelle Robert, zoom down into Pecrot and then the famous railroad singletrack was ours to experience. At the end of this track we had to climb all the way up to the plateau again, only to turn twice to the right and come down again, this time via a nice bermed trail the local freeriders use. After this we crossed the railroad down at Florival to make our way towards Ottenburg. Here they surprised me a first time by offering a track roughly following the river Dyle back to Pécrot. It was a little wet here but not muddy. All was very well manageable, surprisingly good even after yesterdays rain. Then we rode in the direction of Sint Agatha Rode for an easier part of the loop taking us all the way to Neerijse. Making our way towards Huldenberg we were offered some nice tracks - some very steep ones as well - taking us up on the Smeysberg. I was just beginning to wonder whether I missed the first rest stop when I spotted a sign telling us it was only 1K away. Great, but after 31K that is a bit on the long side.

From the first reststop we dropped down a sandy road - with danger sign - to make our way into the Sint Agatha Rode bos. First via a nice singletrack between the meadows and later up on another track I didn't do before. Steep, narrow, wet and slippery and with barbed wire at both sides the preferred direction here is uphill. Which we did. We then made our way up to the little Chapel where we turned right - crossed the road towards Ottenburg and made our way down another fast singletrack only to climb steadily back up towards the Kouter. This part was on the Overijse BLOSO routes , but in the reverse direction. After Kouter, the 100K turned right towards the Vetsaart and further on into the Sint Agatha Rode bos again, where a steep downhill crowned a very nice passage through this protected area. Then it was time to make our way towards Ottenburg. A great and very difficult climb - I made it the last time but this time it was too slippery - over stones scattered freely and offering hardly any grip. Steep as well of course. I don't think a lot of people made this. After that we made our way towards the Noir Epine where we turned left again for some field roads taking us back towards Ottenburg where we were treated to a great descent along the BLOSO route - again in the reverse direction - and further along the edge of the field towards the second rest stop.
After this the long climb up towards the Tomme made us quickly digest our food. Great downhill towards Gastuche and back towards Archennes via de Chateau de la Motte. In Archennes the technical climb up the Hézidelle tested us on riding technique uphill. The sand was wet though so it was possible to make the climb without too much trouble. We know made our way towards Bossut for what would turn out to be an easier part of the ride. Less climbing, more field tracks but with still some nice challenges along the way. Amongst others a tricky downhill north of Grez Doiceau and a technical climb over roots leading into the Bois de Linsmeau. Then we looped back towards Bossut to find a thrilling descent over cobbles taking us to the 3rd rest stop just south of Nethen . This one was very crowded - possibly because all distances passed here. I had upped my speed with the passing of the kilometres and was now actively trying to follow faster riders that passed me. This took my average speed up suite nicely. We were now taken back towards the Meerdaelwoud for a passage along the Warande Ponds and after that the crossing of the Naamse Steenweg and a climb up towards Valduc. Here the 100K riders would split off from the lesser distances for a loop taking us more or less around Beauvechain. This also proved to be a loop offering not too many heightmeters, which obviously was good for the average and also clement on the legs for those who were starting to feel the fatigue. At the little Chapel in Nodebais a 4th and last rest stop was offered. Manned by women, this was obviously my favourite. I asked and received some oil for my chain and took a last offering of banana, cookies and sports drink. With a full stomach I set on for the last 16K. The drop into Meerdaelwoud offered another patch which might be called muddy but then we rode back in over the Mollendaaldreef and the Weertsedreef. So no more challenges except for the part in Vaalbeek and an ultimate little loop along some narrower tracks before rejoining the starting area. An Alpro drink was gladly received and I went into the Canteen to collect my T-shirt. The Moots had to wait in the garded bike park for a few minutes.

The Lowdown:
What I liked:
+ Great trails, with attention to lesser visited tracks
+ the region and the use they made of what is offered
+ emergency numbers provided
+ dangerous downhills and road crossings well marked
+ distance splits well marked
+ arrowing impeccable
+ 4 well-stocked rest zones - lots of choices
+ very friendly people at the rest stops
+ free T-shirt when entering the 100K with pre-inscription
+ all this for only 9€ (10€ if you don't have a licence)

What I did not like:
- nothing really except perhaps the section around Beauvechain not providing any challenges

Synopsis:

A very good ride, the first half certainly being more demanding than the latter part. Although this was demanding too, depending on the speed you made. Some very interesting new tracks I learned today. They could have made it tougher if they had descended south of Grez instead of opting for the loop around Beauvechain. But perhaps this would take them too far from the Meerdael area and this IS the Meerdael Classic after all. Arrowing was flawless all along the 100K, splits were very well marked - before AND after the actual split.

The weather was great as well - 18 degrees average temperature, sunny and just a bit of wind on the plateaus coupled with the amazingly rich biking regions we crossed today provided the right ambiance for a great couple of hours on your bike.

The Bare Facts:
Profile of the Ride
Map of the Ride
Organisers Website

Ride Stats :
Meerdael Classic: 100K and 1155 heightmeters
total distance today :
110K and 1245 heightmeters in 5h22mins
Hill Factor of the Meerdael Classic:
11.55

5260/49555

Transfrontiere in Tellin

2008-05-01T18:14:00.003+01:00

Tellin, in its 15 years it has build up some kind of myth. A ride that is epic because of the passages through the deep dark forest around Saint Hubert, a ride that has it all and in big proportions. Small attendance, lots of little tracks, lots of climbing, lots of descending, forest as far as the eye sees, green and lush on this traditional first if may ride, Rest zones where the people are friendly and you can get bacon and eggs and liquor, or did you fancy beer on tap?? Tellin has it. I had been here in 2002 for an epic ride of 70k and 1345 heightmeters. The weather was not great then and I remember lots of small tracks meandering straight through the forest. Descents through little rivers, a few river crossings, us getting out of the forest 2 or 3 times to cross a road and disappear again on the other side of said road, like ghosts in the night.. yeah, Tellin has a mythical ring to it.

The Ride:
I wanted to experience this ride again so I had made plan to ride here today, come what may. The last 3 days have seen a lot of rain so even though last weekend was brilliant I was expecting some mud. I had a ride companion, Miss Piggy from B-M-B, who in real life listens to the name of Julie, and she was also eager to give Tellin a try, not having done this ride before. We met around 8.30 at the start. I paid 6€ for the 80K inscription and got a pink wrist collar with the emergency numbers on. A little look at the map told me that there where 4 rest stops - roughly one every 15K - for the 80k ride. We set off on mostly dry tracks and even though the sky was clouded it didn't look like it was going to rain. In fact, it did but only during brief moments. The sun was peeping through from time to time and temps where around 7 degrees C. Arrowing was sparse - only using chalk - but proved sufficient under these conditions. After a few k's which allowed us to warm up gently over some mildly ondulating field roads and some woody crops, things got a bit more serious when the first climb anounced itself. We had seen few puddles so where not worried a lot about the conditions in the deep forest for the moment. That would change when the first big climb took us into the forest.. oh looky, its muddy here. Yes, indeed. The track was wet and the tyres had all the trouble in the world to dig in enough to find traction. You had to work really hard to guide the bike through all everything the rough track threw at us. Lots of stones, roots, ruts,rivulets of water either crossing or running along the track.; wow great, the Moots was performing beautifully and even though this was my first Ardennes ride this year, my legs were not too bad at this stage. When we arrived at the top, looking forward to a speedy downhill, this turned out to be a real toughie as well. The mud on the track made it very treacherous at speed and I time I felt like a skater losing control. Great bike technique training that is for sure. I had to pull out all the stops sometimes to keep the rubber side down. Some 15K and a whopping 315 heightmeters into the ride we arrived at the first rest stop. We had exactly ridden one hour. The rest zone was well stocked with all kinds of sugary delights and bananas, green and red drinks and a big pan with eggs and bacon.. steaming. They also offered a highly spirited drink for those who felt they needed that.
When we asked about what was still waiting they told us it would become less muddy and more hilly. Well, they were right on one account! Straight away we went on a steep climb and after a while we settled down for a very steep and long climb, taking us from 190 metres to 410 metres in a little more than 2.5km.. You do the math. Luckily the track was not too wet on this climb, making me enjoy it a bit more. A little passage on a tarmac road and we disappeared again into the deep forest. The views were beautiful , at times you could see the valleys deep below us, basking in a ray of sun. One time we rode into a pine forest and saw green and lush trees at the edge of it, the sun rendering it an eerie beauty. Oh yes, this is one beautiful ride. But the mud, oh the mud. The tracks now lead us downhill, sometimes fast over dryer roads, sometimes fighting with our bikes and the muddy trails to keep from falling into the mire.

Down and there was the next climb, luckily a stretch of old tarmac road, leading us to the second reststop, some 33K and 730 heightmeters into the ride. Yes, thats a hillfactor of 22. A little less stocked than the previous reststop, no eggs, no bacon, no liqcuor but still it provided us with sugars and enough to drink. After this reststop, a series of tough climbs proceded to wring every ounce of strength slowly but surely out of my legs. Sometimes the trails were so muddy we had to walk - and I hate to walk - at times the best way to make progress was to ride through the watery puddles, the bottom was less slippery there. I began to think at this moment that at this pace - we were averaging 12.5kph now - the 80K would become a 6hour+ affair. Not to mention that I would be drained completely. Remember , this is my first Ardennes ride and I'm not as strong yet . I sensed Julie was also contemplating taking the 60K instead of the 80K, for the same reasons. Some 46K into the ride the mud eased off somewhat, enough to make us ride all of the uphills even though a particularly muddy singletrack had us dismounting again. We dropped down towards Mirwart and the trails became a little more rocky - what a relief. Some 53K and 1050 heightmeters into the ride the third reststop arrived. We asked the people manning it if they could tell us what was still waiting the next 30 or so kilometers. But they did not know. I left Julie to make the decision and she decided - wisely as women do - that we would take the 60k distance. In a way I felt very relieved. The last 17K went very well, the trails continued to be a bit less muddy and me me think a bit about the Vosges . Had we made the wrong decision .. ? No certainly not - on the last big climb of the day I could feel my legs turning to jelly. Luckily most of the climb was on hardpack or tarmac. A blistering downhill - dryer therefore the speeds could go up - and we dropped into Tellin. We had to wait a bit to rinse our bikes. After that we said our goodbyes. I took a hot shower before heading home. I felt tired but in a way very satisfied with the ride. The organisation can hardly be blamed for the wet conditions. The forests are what they are and if you accept to ride this TT you accept to go into them and undergo the conditions they offer.

The Lowdown:
What I liked:
+ the region, very beautiful, almost magical
+ well stocked rest zones - even bacon and eggs and licquor.
+ organisation provided emergency numbers
+ sparse but adequate arrowing, using chalk
+ friendly people at the rest stops

What I did not like:
- the abundance of mud.. but what can you do?
- only 3 hoses at the bike rinse.. although queues where not very long.

Synopsis:
This certainly is one great ride. This year the organisation was let down a bit by the meteorological conditions, making the forest a tough nut to crack. But they offered distances ranging from 16 to 80K, with lots of points where you could choose to call it a day and follow a shorter distance back in. The ride started out easy to allow for muscles to warm up. Once into the forest you only had to take care not to topple into the mud or during one of the numerous rivers crossings. Wearing waterproof socks kept my feet nicely dry. The big forest around Saint Hubert makes one lyrical at times, even in these conditions I was dreaming away from time to time - memories of the Vosges, but also of other rides coming into mind.

The Bare Facts:
Profile of the Ride

Ride Stats : 60.5K and 1215 heightmeters in 4h38mins

2786/23335

Longest uphill

2007-09-22T18:12:00.000+01:00

Fine weather this morning so I decided to ride to Theux and take a shot at the Longest Uphill, linking Theux with the Signal de Botrange which , at 692 metres of altitude, is Belgiums' highest point. I started out at the Chateau de Franchimont, as usual, but decided to follow the Green Adeps Loop first, which took me towards Polleur and then up into the majestic Bois de Staneu. A quick downhill took me to the other side of that forest and there I caught up with the trail leading towards de Golf de Spa and my regular route towards the Signal. I was with the Moots and was a bit curious how the Nokian NBX Lite tyres would perform in the Ardennes, which are of course rocky, wet and with steep climbs and descents. Had no worries whatsoever with my tyres except a flat caused by a thorn just before I reached the Signal de Botrange. I only had to grab the map 2 or 3 times to make sure I was taking the right road (usually when I was on tarmac - I tend to remember the offroad bits quite well) and the extra starter loop made for a longer uphill, and almost a 1000 heightmeters before I reached the Signal de Botrange. The trails were astonishingly dry. When I arrived at the Vecquee, I tried a new path, which took me down again over a very technical and rocky descent - glad they were dry ! - and then back up towards the bridge over the Hoegne. All this to avoid a privately owned area in the middle of the Hautes Fagnes National Park!

I encountered a group of some twenty teenagers who looked lost and asked me how to get to Hockai. I pointed them into the right direction, adding to their horror that it would take them at least 10k before they would get there. Yeah, I am a mean bastard, but that will teach them walking into the Fagnes without a map. It couldn't have been more than 4 or 5K, so they will be happy in the end.

I still had some K's to go myself so I got back on my bike and ascended towards the Signal, the tracks remaining dry and smooth-rolling. Near the end I felt my rear tyre losing air but I made it to the viewpoint overlooking the Fagnes towards neighbouring Germany. There were a lot of tourists around and I was joined by a Forester who was also a keen mountainbiker, so we had something to talk about while he watched me change my inner tyre. He uses kevlar patches to protect his inner tyres but I'm thinking that I will go towards NoTubes. I already have specced NoTubes on my newest bike - the yet-to-be-built Merlin Works 4.0. I complained to the Forester about the lack of waste bins along the routes in the Fagnes but he countered that the wildlife destroys them when they smell the food thats been left in them. Good point I reckon.
The descent then. I tried a new track, taking me towards the Croix des Fiances and the Vecquee again. A small track with some very interesting technical challenges. I'm not sure if bikes are allowed though, but I did not see any sign indicating they were not. At one point I had to cross a little stream by foot before having to ride over some plank-bridges that spanned some very wet patches of moor.
Along the Vecquee then back towards Hockai and the Hoegne. The Hoegne river is the red thread that leads throughout the descent, which obviously is one of the longest to be experienced in Belgium. The bike was getting wet from time to time because the track crossed the Hoegne, either via a concrete ford or just plain through the little river itself. There is no way you can do a ride in the Ardennes without getting your bike wet, even in the midst of Summer. The bike performed well and by now I began to feel the kilometers stacking up. Even during the downhill there are still a few uphills bits, not far but they hurt. When I arrived in Polleur again I went back up the hill for a nice little finale adding another 110 heightmeters to my Polar counter.

Ride Stats : 71K and 1120 heightmeters in 4h19mins

Raid des Sources

2007-08-14T15:09:00.000+01:00

Rise and shine at 7am. The sun was out and half an hour later I was on my way to Chimay. This is a 1h30 car ride from Leuven. When I neared Couvin the hills were covered in mist. Still, no worries, I was about to embark on a marathon mountainbike raid over 100k so I was not exactly screaming for heat. Only dry weather would suffice because the extra warmth only adds to the exhaustion..

The Ride:

Around 9.30 I was at the inscription where I forked over 12€ and got my number and a little card attached to a lanyard. This card was to be used for punching in the control markers at the feed zones along the ride. There were 5 feed zones evenly spaced out on this distance. Great, so let's go!
I had a possible riding time of 6 hours in mind when I started out, but things would evolve. Read on.
The first kilometers were relatively easy, the track was reasonably dry - small wonder after last thursdays' downpour, so I could settle myself into a nice and comfy pace. We were going through some fields and the sun had dried out the trails here . After a while, I was remeniscing my last outing here some 5 years ago , when all of a sudden the first uphill appeared. Steep and wet in an overgrown hollow road and I was too late to drop my chain on the small ring. So I had to grin and bear it. I made that hill but I would not forget to drop my chain the next time. At the top of the second big climb there was a photographer – I think it was Denis Hardy, the organiser - taking some pictures. I quickly shifted onto the middle ring - looks better on the pics - and tried to look calm and collected.
After crossing the N99 , road that connects Couvin to Chimay, the “real” Raid des Sources was about to begin. We were entering the forests now and the height lines started oscillating between 200 and 350 meters. Things were getting serious quite quickly !
After 13.5k we had a first feed zone and after 25k the second. This was also the place were the 100k split off from the 65k distance. We were at the rivers’ edge here, so instinctively I knew a big climb was following . From here on I would ride relatively alone. Having started late and with most chrono riders going for the 65K distance, this is one of the great advantages of doing the longest distance. The extra loop started with a 27% climb on tarmac (thank God!) out of a village and slowly but surely I creeped into the forests again . At one point I was riding next to a big lake – barrage du Ry de Rome - at 270 metres of altitude. After that, a small trail took me up to the plateau at 330 metres through some damp forest which reminded me of the Vosges. At the plateau the track was following a singletrail for several kilometers on end , green and lush landscapes galore. I had to look constantly for the best passage, since we were crossing mud-holes and little tricklets all the time. There was a fair amount of water and mud here, but due to only 75 people riding the 100K, the trail was not beaten to a pulp and fairly easy ride-able.

Far from easy were the descents, some rather rechnical with wet rocks and roots thus demanding the utmost concentration not to let the speed get up too high. I managed them all very well but I screamed a few times because I thought I lost it. Luckily my bike got me through . The uphills were typical of the Chimay region, steep - usually around 20% - and due to the wet floor pretty difficult to ride. My wheel was slipping all over the place with the sticky mud filling up the gaps between the knobs on the tyres and sometimes I just made the hill, sometimes I didn't and had to walk a few meters. About halfway through this 40k loop we encountered our 3rd feed zone and control point.
I was passed at one point by the eventual winner - Wouter Cleppe - and I was amazed at his speed and seemingly ease with which he was tackling a mean uphill. He rode the 100K in 4h29mins, which is quite amazing. After an amazingly beautiful – but very tough – loop we were back at the barrage where we had about 1.5K of tarmac to relax our muscles a bit. After that, an impossible climb had me walking up a crest and I was back in the rough following some forest trail again meandering through the trees.
With some 65k I was at the 4th feedzone (which was actually the 2nd - I had now completed my extra 40k loop) and I took my time eating and drinking. At this point the mental thing comes in. You realize that you would already have finished had you not chosen the longest distance. With still an average TT distance to go you have to keep your mind firmly on the right track. Furthermore the fatigue was making itself feel and the tracks were now worse due to the many riders having ridden over them. After that 4th feedzone there was a long climb taking us all the way up again. It was very steep at places and along the way I was passed by an enduro motorcycle of the organisation. I had seen him at the rest stop and he replied to my gentle wave with a ‘Bonne Chance’ while he poured on the horsepower and rocketed upwards.. Yeah, I would need some good luck for sure! I was thinking how nice it would be if we could swap our bikes for a while but quickly let go of that tought when a mean downhill was announcing itself.
The relentless succesion of climbs and technical descents were effectively sapping the strenght out of my legs. I saw some riders standing next to the road, they were waiting for the organisation to pick them up – wasted and dead- tired and probably having seriously underestimated the difficulty of 100K in this area. Around 81K into the ride I came to the last feed zone. I had teamed up with a team-mate of Wouter Cleppe and we more or less rode together for a few kilometers. The track wasn’t wide enough to ride next to each other but we managed to talk a bit along the way. The trail was now very muddy. Tough conditions due to the fact that all the distances had passed over this trail, effectively munching it into a brown splashy pulp. A few sections were really really bad, and I had to jump around from dry side to dry side to keep my feet out of the muck - the gullies were too deep to ride . Luckily we were sent onto some bigger forest tracks as well, so we could recuperate a bit between muddy patches.. This nearly was ‘Trop is teveel’ – too much of a good thing. Some 10K before the finish we came back onto field roads and the trails were dry now. I was feeling elated and actually found some hidden strength and started accelerating , enjoying the small tracks between the barbed wires. The last couple of K’s were on tarmac, having me zoom along at 30kph. After 6h36 of riding time and 6h57 actual time I was clocked off at the finish. Taking some pictures along the way and splashing out at the feed zones takes some time of course.

Got a nice finisher T-shirt and a one-litre bottle of Chimay. Rinsed my bike and got a shower before heading home again. It was 6.30pm when I arrived – tired but satisfied after a very long day.

The Lowdown:
What I liked :

- Arrowing was flawless, both red paint markings on the floor/tarmac as arrows yellow/black panels.

- Plenty of feed zones , evenly spaced along the distance.

- Feed zones were well stocked with food and drink and friendly people.

- Great trails !

- Bike-wash was sufficient at 4.30pm.

- Shower facilities first-class.

- Danger signs at the really tricky descents and at the road crossings.

- Nice to get a t-shirt and a one-litre bottle of Chimay beer.

What I did not like:

- Bike-wash might have been busy before 4.30pm with only 3 jets.

- Damn mud !

- Dangerous passage in Chimay village at the end of the ride.

Synopsis:

Clearly a very professional and well-honed organiser and team, with the 15th edition this year they clearly know their fantastic – but unfortunately slightly underestimated - region and make the best of it, lacing together a 100k trail is no mean feat. Trails are tough and singularly beautiful , a combination most mountainbikers will appreciate. Succession of sometimes very steep climbs and sometimes rather technical descents and kilometers of singletrack , 80% through forest – must be mountainbiker heaven. I did ask the organisers to consider moving their ride back to the 15th of August though, as it has been for all these years. That date has become a landmark in the calender so why change it?

The area of Chimay – Viroinval – Eau Blanche and Eau Noire - is a bit underestimated I feel and not well known to the mountainbikers in Belgium. The valleys are not as deep as in some parts of the Ardennes but the region is well compared to Houffalize . It offers a lot of trails – I saw several marked routes along the way – and as I already said, the hills are steep - to be compared with La Roche perhaps - and offer between 100 to 150 meters of vertical ascent in one go. But what really makes this area shine is the amount of singletrails – credit has to go to Denis Hardy and his team for lacing them all together – some next to the rivers , meandering up and down with lots of roots and rocks making them very technical at times. I particularly remember a trail near Bruly-sur-Pesche where I had to walk quite a few times due to the technicality of the track. Of course the rain had made it a lot wetter than it usually is. The only drawback this region has is that is not along any of the major highways in Belgium, which means that getting there by car is not evident.

Some pictures..

The Bare Facts : Ride Stats : 100K and 1650 heightmeters in 6h36mins Hill Factor : 16.5 Mud factor : high
Organisers' Website : CLICK
Ride Profile : CLICK

Results Marathon 100k :

Video Footage from the ride: CLICK (copyright Cédric)

Google Earth Map of the 100k marathon :

7152/66420

Ride The Red

2007-08-04T15:01:00.000+01:00

It was 7.46 am when I turned my car onto route 666 leading towards Banneux and its Catholic Pilgrimage . It struck me that 666 was the last number I would expect in an area like this but I guess someone at the Roads' Department must have had a weird sense of humour. Took me some time to find a suitable parking spot not far from the N62 where I could get on the Red Theux route. This route - which I already did before - has the reputation of being one of the toughest in Belgium. I wanted to start real early to beat the heat. The sun was already making it's way up and the morning dew was evaporating quickly when her rays touched the wet grass. I started in Banneux because I wanted to have the toughest bit of the Red route in the beginning of my loop. The great singletrack descent towards the Forges Thiry was sadly not completely ride-able. At least at 4 spots some big tree had fallen over the trail, which meant descending from the bike and getting started again afterwards.

At the bottom of the descent I spotted the signage for next Sunday's UCI Marathon World Championships , which are held at Verviers. They are descending the Forges through an alternative path I believe.

After crossing the busy N690 I could start on one of the many steep and tricky climbs the Red Theux is famous for. The Championship track follows the Red trail for a while until they enter some private property and I had to take a right turn. After a while of going up and down, mostly through forests but also some little stretches of tarmac and lastly descending into Theux itself I was on the very steep climb which follows the Rue de Chawieumont out of Theux and up to the road leading towards the Franchimont castle. This is where the route I was on officially starts. At one point I had to walk because I was not prepared to push that hard in the beginning of the ride. When the steepest - middle - bit was over I got on my bike again. There was a family - Man, Woman, Child - taking a rest at the top of that climb and they knew exactly what I meant when I passed my hand across my throat. We shared a laugh and I was back on my way.
This is a real killer climb, especially since it is near the end of the route and it wrings the last ounces of power out of your legs. But smart as I am, I had this one near the beginning - relatively speaking since I was some 20K into my ride.
When riding towards Sassor I spotted a few bikers before me who were also doing the Red. They just left and were relatively fresh. I missed a turn near Au Fays - I always seem to miss this one - so when I got to the E42 I was in front of them. I stopped for a little snack and they passed me going down into the Thier de Polleur, a very nasty descent. In the next uphill, leading into the lower regions of the Bois de Staneu I passed them. They seemed to be already tired or were maintaining a slow pace. They confirmed me they were doing the Red route and I wondered if they would make it judging by the speed they were going it would take them a while to say the least. But then, each has his or her own pace. Mine was faster than theirs so I continued dropping out of the Staneu Forest onto the road from Polleur to Theux.
After a while I disappeared into the forest again for a steep climb towards the route du Pré des Lis. Down towards the railway track and then a little tarmac passage leading over the busy Spa road and to another rocky ascent parallel to the route de Becco . This was the first ascent which had me shift onto the small ring in front. It would not be the last. The trail then climbs more or less all the way through Hestromont, with a lovely little track leading into a green valley. But beware - the track is rock-strewn and partly overgrown with grass so it is quite dangerous if you misjudge your speed here !

Up towards the "Maquisard Inconnu" monument it now goes, via a large gravel road which leads through le Gros Thier , a nice forest. The height is creeping towards the 350 metres mark as I stop for a little break near the monument. When I leave I notice a strange sound coming from my front wheel and lo and behold, a big thorn has found its way into my tyre. Another break coming up !
I took my time fixing the tyre - must let that adhesive vulcanize - and after a while I could continue towards Banoyard , the 400 metre mark ánd the top of the Ninglinspo valley, a valley which I refer to as Dreamland . I remembered exactly which track to take from the last time I was here . Some 100 metres down I enjoyed the view from the Point de Vue Drouet, this time in full summer and the greens were even more lush. Deep down in the valley I could hear children laugh and yell. Which reminded me that I had to take care, there would be a lot of hikers and families on this saturday, enjoying the marvelous surroundings of the little Chaudiere and Ninglinspo rivers.

I took another little snack at the Point de Vue and got back on my bike for the descent which would drop me some 250 metres towards Sedoz. There - after shortly following the busy N633- I turn to the right and follow the track nr 38 all the way back up again. This is really a climb which any mountainbiker should do. Alternatively over rocks, crossing the little river and just plain steep it winds its way up for about 3-4K and 250 heightmeters. As I expected , I passed a lot of hikers, some of which were cheering me on as I passed them. On top I joined the Red route again which was now staying on the plateau for a while - I did NOT complain and enjoyed putting the big ring on for a change - and then dropped into Jehoster for a technical downhill over rocks and loose stuff which was relatively dry. The rest of the route was muddy at places but a few really deep puddles notwithstanding all was easily ride-able. A long steep climb towards Ménobu and I began to feel the exhaustion by now. I spotted a biker in front of me but then lost him again. When I came out of the Bois Renard - with a great downhill - he was behind me again - a guy in the Discovery shirt riding a Trek. I let him pass and he took a turn off the Red route - so he obviously was not following the same track as I did.

I was almost back in Banneux now and only had to conquer one last muddy passage in a dense forest before joining the N606 which lead me towards the N62 again and into Banneux. My Mazda MPS was still where it was supposed to be and I just put the bike in and drove home. It was almost 2pm by now and the sun was at full blast. Apart from the flat tyre I had no major technical worries and even though I felt tired I was not spent. Already planning another ride here soon.

Ride Stats : 70K and 1565 heightmeters in 4h55mins
Hill Factor : 22.3

Ronde van Vlaams Brabant - Impressions of day 1 and 2

2007-07-26T17:37:00.000+01:00

Got my Nikon D2X and big 300mm F2.8 Nikkor lens out and posted myself at the bottom and later at the top of the GPM of the first stage of the Ronde van Vlaams Brabant. Here are some of the pics I shot. Hope you like them.

Went to the second stage of the Ronde van Vlaams Brabant today, which started and ended in nearby Haasrode. Another opportunity to familiarize myself with the 300mm lens. It was more overcast than yesterday but I still managed to shoot some great pictures along the finish area.

Belgian Cross Country MTB Championships

2007-07-23T18:28:00.000+01:00

Yesterday and today I was at the Belgian National Mountainbike Championships, held in Ottignies Louvain-la-Neuve. I saw some great racing on a very selective track, some 6.2K long with 280 heightmeters each lap.
Our National Cyclocross hero Sven Nys took the title with the Elite Men , before Filip Meirhaeghe who fought the entire race to come back in Svens' wheel, but was not strong enough to do so.

Trek teammates Kristien Nelen and Petra Mermans battled it out in a sprint with Kristin taking the jersey in the Womens' Elite class.

Our own Sebastien Carabin took the title with the Junior men. Hans Urkens and Benny Heylen got the title in the Masters 1 and Masters 2 class and Bjorn Brems had a very convincing victory in the -23 Mens class.

I was a signaller on the race track but nevertheless I managed to take a few pictures, which you can check out HERE.

National XC Championships

2007-07-17T23:14:00.001+01:00

Yesterday and today I helped my club prepare the Belgian CrossCountry Championships which will take place this weekend in the Bois des Reves at Ottignies Louvain-la-Neuve. The circuit is most demanding and will surely reward the most complete mountainbikers with the National Title. The track is 6.25km long and has 280 heightmeters in it. That means that the Elite riders - who have to do 7 laps - will cover some 43K and a stunning 1960 heightmeters. The height profile of one lap can be found HERE, and THIS is a map of the circuit done with Google Earth. All relevant information can be found HERE. I will be around Saturday and Sunday, as a signaleur at the top of a long climb - called "la Piste de Ski". This place is also ideal for me to be taking some pictures. Hope to see you there.

Hautes Vosges Mountainbike trails

2007-06-09T18:56:00.000+01:00

Hautes Vosges Mountainbike trails 03-08 June 2007

I set out with my friend Moster Blond (MB) towards La Bresse , Hautes Vosges in France , where she had rented us a gite from June 2nd to June 9th. We would be riding the multitude of Routes VTT in the area from June 3rd up the June 8th. Since I hadn't been on a real holiday for a couple of years now, I was really looking forward towards this trip. I was not going to be disappointed. I included a brief description of the ride I did during this week to give you an idea what is offered here.

Day 1 La Bresse route Nr 1 + Gerardmer route Nr 2

Started out at the Gite around 9.30. The weather was fine, dry and cloudy but with sunny intervals which would lenghten during the course of the day. The first stretch, on the La Bresse route Nr1 – a blue beginner route- was mainly tarmac. The routes range from Green (très facile) over Blue (facile) and Red (difficile) towards Black (très difficile)
Upon reaching de Col de la Grosse Pierre, via a short interconnection (marked as such) between the La Bresse and Gerardmer routes, we had to follow the busy D486 for a while and we were now on the Gerardmer route Nr2 – a Red route, which is supposed to be more technically challenged. After a while we turned to the right and started on a long climb on gravel roads. The forests which were now surrounding us where green and lush. There were little streams running over and besides the trail and the silence of the forest was only disturbed by the babbling of those little brooks, the chirping of some insect and the grinding of our tyres on the fine-grained tarmac. Very beautiful but the gravel roads were a bit boring. Upon reaching the hut at "Croix Claudé" (1031m) we came upon more interesting tracks, with some rocks popping up between the gravel. We reached the "Roche des Bioquets" (1091m) and things went downhill from there. A very interesting loop followed, taking us along the ski slopes and through some very nice downhill bits. An uphill, wet and singletracky which started beneath the skilift "La Chaume Francis", had us digging deep into our muscular reserves. Steep and slippery, technically challenging - nice. This was definately a good part of the trail. The rest of the number 2 had some fast downhills and another steep climb waiting for us. We could feel the amount of heightmeters digging in. Upon reaching the D486 again, we interconnected back to the La Bresse trail Nr 1. This time the trail went offroad, climbing towards 1056 meters, slowly but surely. A bit in the forest was very wet and strewn with fallen trees. Quite a bit of climbing to do, both on and off our bikes. MB was taking the shortcut back down to the chalet but I set onwards on the 3K that was left of trail Nr 1. And a great 3K it was, with a very technical downhill near the end. Rocky and slippery – I went a couple of meters on foot- and not something one would expect on a beginner loop. The signage was good, although sometimes the arrows were positioned a bit awkward and a good map (9.80 Euro for IGN map 3619OT Bussang La Bresse ) , is always a good thing to have with you. Or the plastic route cards which can be gotten for free from the Tourist Centre at La Bresse. These offer a good idea of the routes but cannot replace a good map in case of emergency or when you are really lost.
Ride Stats: 37.1 K and 770 heightmeters in 3h01
Hill Factor: 20.8

Day 2 Fresse-sur-Moselle route Nr 5 + Nr 4

Bright and sunny morning again so we set out by car towards Fresse-sur-Moselle, to try out the black route Nr 5 (Très difficile). This is one of only 2 black routes in the Vosges so our expectations were high. The route started with a long climb taking us towards the Croix de Fresse. This is a crossroads where we could interconnect to the blue route Nr.3 which lead towards the Red Nr 4. MB wanted to do the Nr3, which is slightly shorter and supposedly less difficult than the Nr4, which I would ride. By now we were already sure that the difficulty level of the routes had nothing to do with their technical content, but were solely a measure of the amount of heightmeters in them as compared to the lenght of the route (the Hill Factor). Which suited me fine "an sich" , but I would have prefered more technical challenges in the downhills on the Red routes , and especially on the Black route. Needless to say, with 400 heightmeters in about 7k, the black route is a tough cookie. The Red Nr4 had some nice climbing in it, leading up to about 1100 metres at the top of the ski loops at "Haut du Rouge Gazon" . A very interesting climb leading up to it, singletrack with some roots and very steep. The Fresse number 4 connects here with one of the Ventron routes , and the two overlap for a few kilometers. Then the 4 goes towards de col de La Rochelotte where it joins the Blue number 3. I saw that MB had already passed here so I made haste to not have her wait too long at the Croix de Fresse, where we were to rendez-vous. It had rained lightly from time to time – rain that didn't bother me because it kept away the heat and I was driving under cover of the trees most of the time. When I reached the Croix de Fresse we continued along the Number 5 route, which from now on was mainly downhill, on broad gravel roads intersected by – much too- short smaller and more technical trails. When we arrived at Fresse-sur-Moselle we had to climb one more time along a steep grasscovered road with some wet rocks to keep things interesting. We were a bit disappointed about the low technical level of these routes, especially the black route which we expected to be more of a treat. It proved only to be a treat for the uphill lovers, a few more technical sections notwithstanding.
Ride Stats: 39K and 995 heightmeters in 3h29mins
Hill Factor: 25.5

Day 3 : Gerardmer Routes Nr 9 + Nr 10

Got underway very early this morning and by 9 we were ready to tackle some of the Gerardmer routes. I would try the Red Nr9 first, followed by the Red Nr10. MB would start on the Red Nr10. Starting from the parking lot near "le Grand Etang" the routes follow the same trail for a while, going upwards on tarmac, and then plunging into the forest on what would prove to be the first of some very hairy downhills. Very steep and with wet rocks , roots and boulders it proved to be quite a handful - yummie. The Nr9 then breaks away from the other routes and after dropping down towards the "Creusegoutte" river starts to make its way towards the "Croix Claudé" . But getting there was not going to be easy. The uphill proved to be a singletrail, wet at times with the water that seems to spring from under every stone here. And stones could be found aplenty on todays routes. I really enjoyed this uphill. At 1031 metres you reach the "Croix Claudé". From there onwards the broad gravel roads give you some time to recuperate before undergoing the final downhill. This really is a killer, very steep, wet and rocky , I had to get off of my bike several times, due to lack of braking power, guts and skills.
Next I went on the route Nr10. The same start as the Nr9 but this route really is a very difficult one. The uphills are very steep, wet, rooty and rocky, and even on my smallest gear I could not make all of them . And when you were on top of the hill , instead of giving you a break, the trails went down, singletracky steep and again with enough rocks and roots to give you plenty to do. Some of the rocks had me walking again. The nastiest bits had a warning sign before them. The trail keeps on going like this for a while, really making it one of the best I’ve ridden here so far. I climbed up the "Tour Merelle" to enjoy the beautiful view over the Gerardmer Lac, which lay 250 metres deeper along the slope. After the Merelle things slowed down a bit into the "Foret de l’Urson". But yet another steep climb was waiting, bringing me back towards the starting point. A great ride this was, the weather was fine as well so really very enjoyable. I was glad I saw the car and MB who was waiting for me to finish my loop.
Today was a very fine biking day indeed and if you only have a limited time in the Vosges and want to sample some great trails , you might consider take either or both of these 2 Red Gerardmer routes, you won't be disappointed!
Ride Stats: 35K and 870 heightmeters in 2h54mins
Hill Factor: 24.8

Day 4: St-Maurice-sur-Moselle Routes Nr 15 + Nr 13

Rise and shine very early in order to get underway by 8am. Taking the car down towards St-Maurice-s-Moselle, we are again going our seperate ways today. MB was going for the Black Route Nr14, which would yield her 22.8K and 430 heightmeters, followed by one of the shorter loops, in this case Blue route Nr16, which was 7k and just short of 100 heightmeters.
Me, I wanted heightmeters so I set out on the route Nr15 with its 22K and 615 heightmeters. The beginning of loops nrs 12 through 15 is the same, a couple of K's easy on tarmac and then into a field ,where you needed an eagle eye to spot the signage. I left my eagle eye at home so I missed it and set off on an immensely steep uphill, walking most of it, only to discover that I should have taken out the map earlier - darn !. Oh well , 100 heightmeters more or less won’t matter, right? After that little mishap I paid more attention and in case of doubt consulted my map BEFORE choosing a direction. A quite unnecessary and unclimbable bit followed, over soapy green wet rocks where you had to be careful even on foot, let alone biking it. After that, a little path with another steep climb in it brought me onto tarmac. Here the ascent towards "la Chaume au Rouge Gazon" really started, quickly becoming a gravel road , but steep enough to make me walk at least once. The 26/34 combination and my legs, that did not seem to be awake yet, made this a long climb, steady but steep. About 500 metres from the top, I turned on a tarmac road, which allowed me to recuperate some. At the top, around 1100 metres, I had 13K and 670 heightmeters already. Wowza! The official starting point of the Red Nr 15 is here, but after a few hundred meters, the signage was gone, nothing to be seen. So I got out the big map, compared it to the little trail map, and sorted out my direction quite quickly. All downhill now, at one point going straight through a meadow where a broke sign had me puzzled as to which way to go. I finally figured it out and the descent went on, over a nice little trail this time. After that the trail became wider, took on gravel road proportions and I was zooming down with my hands on the brakes to control the speed. Some of the stones are rather big and I wasn’t looking for any snakebites. A bit further and some 300 heightmeters lower the trail was joined by Nr13 so I could practice this section bit for later. It went up again, dropping down and passing through a river, and then steeply up again. That really hurt after the long downhill section. Before long I could see St-Maurice-s-Moselle on my left and after a few switchbacks and some lovely bits of trails I was on tarmac again. I passed the car and left a little note with my time of passage and my intention to do the Nr13. That way my companion would know I was allright and how long it would approximately take me to be back again.
The Red Nr13 shares the first 6K or so with the Nr15. After that, it turns 150 degrees to the left for a long ascent, on a doubletrack which would gradually gain me some 300 heightmeters. The track was steep in the beginning, but my legs felt better by now and I could manage it all on the 26/34 without having to walk. At the 900 meter mark I stopped to have my second Power Bar of the day, and when I left I noticed a small deer climbing up the steep bank on my right. Amazing how strong and agile they are. Near the "Fontaine des 3 Mages" I turned to the left and the downhill began. Some 2K of fast doubletrack and just before a tarmac road the arrow pointed to the right, up a steep slope. Grinding time. The slope was badly damaged by forestry works so I had to walk. But gradually it became less steep and I could ride again. A nice little track which led me high above the tarmac road and further down to the D80. This road I had to follow a few hundred meters before having to turn right again, and commence the last climb of the day, which would first bring me nicely up towards connecting with the Nr15. Upwards again before plunging into St-Maurice-s-Moselle. When I arrived I found my note had been added to by MB. She arrived about 10 mins later. Good Timing! In all, the two routes I did are great if you love climbing, there are some technical passages for sure, but the focus is on climbing, steep and long. I saw a lot of danger signs on the downhills, but they were all ride-able, I’m pleased to say. At a few places on the Nr15, the signage was missing, signage was impeccable on the Nr13.
Ride Stats: 46K and 1330 heightmeters in 3h56mins
Hill Factor: 28.9

Day 5 : Xoulcés routes Cornimont 6 + Ventron 7

Today I started from the gite, riding my bike to the start of the Red Cornimont route at Xoulcés, a pittoresque little village a few kilometres from Cornimont itself. MB was taking her car to explore some of the routes of "La Bresse East" and Xonrupt. When I arrived at Xoulcés I already had 14k and 100 heightmeters. I started out on the Red number 6 (which is marked as a Blue route in the folders but is really a Red route). This route is 22K long and offers 520 heightmeters. Some nice trails through kneehigh grass led me towards the start of a big climb, which would take me in two stages and 10K some 450 metres higher. First the trail was small, but then it switched to gravel and I had to dig deep in my muscular reserves to stay on the middle ring all the way. At the top , a fast gravel road brought me down towards the start of the Blue Nr 7, a 15.5 K long route (which is erronously marked as a Red route in the folders)
This proved to be a very simple route, a long uphill on gravel roads, then some 5-600 metres of great singletrail and after that it shared the same 5K-long downhill as the number 6. When I completed the Blue 7, I continued on the remainder of the Red 6 which had still some very nice passages waiting for me. I passed alongside a big "Jesus on the cross figure" which looked out over Cornimont . Some technical downhill bits, rocks and stones, wet or dry, and near the end a really steep climb ondulating on a singletrail which was covered with rocks and crossed by little streams.
Very nice and certainly one of the better routes I’ve done this week. Pity the number 7 was a disappointment. After 37.3K and 1040 heightmeters I was back at the start in Xoulcés. This yields a Hill Factor of 27.8 !
But I still had to bike 14K back to the gite, and had another big climb waiting for me , from the centre of La Bresse at 636 metres up to our gite at 890 metres.
Ride Stats: 65K and 1495 heightmeters in 4h18mins
Hill Factor: 23

Day 6 : La Bresse East Nr14 + Cornimont routes 2 + 4

A heavy series of thunderstorms last night made me decide to stay close to La Bresse. So I started out from the gite again down to the tourist centre and the start of the "La Bresse East" route Nr14. This took me on a long winding ascent up to the "Lac de Sèchemer" and further towards the "Lac des Corbeaux" . This big mountain lake is 27 metres deep and holds some 240000 cubic metres of water. I hade to ride around it, which was a little more than a 1000 metres. After this lake, the gravel road took me towards the "Col de Brabant" , where the Cornimont Routes 1 through 4 start. I took number 2 first, and was not dissapointed. Descending at first along tarmac and gravel roads, the road then changed into a nice little rocky descent, slippery and wet, but always just rideable. A turn to the left and upwards it went, steep on loose gravel, rocks and grass. I just made it on my 26/34. I saw the tower with the "Notre Dame de la Paix" on it, and looking towards the other side of the Xoulcés valley, I saw the Jesus figure where I stood yesterday. Another steep climb and then a nice passage through the forest and I was back at the Col de Brabant. I decided to do the Blue Nr 4 as well, which follows the track of the Ski de Fond towards the Col de la Vierge. Nothing spectacular, a long uphill on gravel roads towards the Col, and then a fast downhill towards the Col de Brabant again. There I finished what was left of the La Bresse East Nr14. Which was in fact nothing else than a fast downhill on tarmac towards La Bresse. A bit disappointing to say the least. I remember the nice Cornimont Nr2, only 8K but well worth the ride. The 3 trails yielded me 39.5K and 925 heightmeters. Thats a 23.4 Hill Factor. I was left with only 4K to go and some 240 heightmeters, back from the La Bresse centre towards our gite.
Ride Stats: 48K and 1155 heightmeters in 3h22mins
Hill Factor: 24

Totals: 270.47 and 6615 heightmeters in 21h08mins
Total Hill Factor: 24.5

Bottom Line

So, did I enjoy myself? Yes, I most certainly did. The region is beautiful, with hills ranging from 500 to 1200 metres , green and lush . The area breathes an air of calm and cleanliness. There is water everywhere, rivers, brooks, gullets, trickles.. most of France's "eaux" come from this area. The marked trails are great for those who like to climb and the effort the region has made is certainly to be commended . The more technically challenged may want to consider hiring a guide though because, even though some of the trails I did include some very fine sections , nasty downhills and certainly very difficult and steep uphills, most trails seem to focus on providing at least one long climb on gravel roads, followed by a descent on the same type of road.
There are exceptions, but the difficulty of the trails seems to be determined NOT by their technicality but by the amount of climbing they include. So this basically leaves you to try all routes in order to find those you like, or you might strike lucky like I did a couple of times. Another point of note is - even though the signage is generally good - some signs are at awkward places or angles, so you need AT LEAST the little plastified trail maps you can get for free at the Tourist Centres of La Bresse and, to be completely safe, you might want to get a copy of the 1/25000 IGN maps of the area. The people you encounter are very friendly and clearly used to seeing tourists most of the year. We went in June and the best time of the day to bike was early in the morning. Temps were high around noon and chances of thunderstorms increased past 1-2pm. Thunderstorms can be violent here, but the trails are not that much affected by the rainfall. Except that the rocks and roots get wetter at some areas, the water is channeled effectively away from the trails, or absorbed by the fine gravel , with only the exceptional muddy area or puddle remaining.
You might wanna try the following links for more information on the area and the activities:
http://www.hautes-vosges.net/
http://www.ffc.fr/a_VTT/a_SitesVTT/

Compulsive

2007-05-29T20:05:00.000+01:00

One of my sisters once called me a compulsive biker. We were having an argument at the time and she meant it as a derogative remark, a sneer, mainly because according to her I tended to shy away from my responsabilities and hide in my biking. At the time I tought she could not have phrased it better. Except for the responsability bit she is ab-so-lu-te-ly right.
Sometimes I am praying for rain, because that is the only sure-fire way to keep me off of my bikes. Or at least to keep me from riding outside, because I have a bike set up on the rollers in my garage, of course. It seems the only days I don't bike is when I'm ill (rarely) or when the snow is too high (never) or when it rains hard (yep, this is Belgium, it does from time to time) Today I swear I was trying my best to stay at home, grab my Covenant book and drop myself in a comfy chair to read a few chapters. I really need to take a day off from biking to allow my body to fully recuperate . I almost succeeded in my plan . Upon returning from work I found some stuff to do around the house, made some appointments , watched the Giro stage where Stefano Garzelli grabbed a hard-fought and well-deserved victory but around 7pm I found myself with idle hands and caught a glimpse of sunshine. Yep, so I got on my bike and did a quick ride before darkness started to set in.
I have little sympathy for those people who always find excuses NOT to go biking. In my mind, if you really want to, you will always find a way. I know I do. Being out on a bike helps me to order my thoughts, helps me think about stuff and usually when I get home after a good ride I have figured out a way to deal with most issues that have been bothering me throughout the day. I had a lot to think about today and being out there, feeling the chilly wind on my cheeks whilst pedalling at a recovery rate 106bpm average, really helped me to straighten my mind and iron out all the wrinkles the day had put on me.
Now tomorrow I need to do a lot of stuff and I am most certain I will not find the time to go out. I need to get up early , go to the doctor to have my blood sampled, need to take the car in for an emergency checkup and I also need to work and have an appointment at the dentist in the early evening . Hmm, I will probably skip the dentist which will buy me an hour. Hope it rains.

Beautiful

2007-05-27T22:13:00.000+01:00

I just had to post this pic. I got it from the Litespeed Blog. No mention of a photographer but if anyone knows, please be my guest. I love the crispness of the shot, and the way biker and bike seem to form one whole , she really blends with the bike, grace, grit and strength are obvious .

Biker is Portugal Pro Vanessa Fernandez and the event is the Worlds Duathlon Championships in Gyor, Hungary. Bike is a titanium Litespeed Ghisallo.
Check out Vanessa's Website

Pannekoek - NOT

2007-05-27T18:51:00.000+01:00

UCI Cross Country World Cup #2 , Offenburg, Germany

Definately NOT pannekoek was the 2nd leg of the UCI Mountainbike Cross Country World Cup at Offenburg. The girls had a dry race save for the last 2 laps . Russian Irina Kalentieva grabbed the win with a sizeable gap between her and Canadian Marie Helene Premont. Multiple World Champion Gunn Rita Dahle-Flesjaa was third.

The Chinese delegation , which surprised us all at Houffalize earlier this year, could not pull that off again, but still Blue Jersey World Cup leader Ren Chengyuan got a solid 7th place. Marga Fullana got in another good ride finishing a strong 4th. Full story and some pictures at Canadian Cyclist. The full result can be found HERE

Here is the moment of glory for little Irina Kalentieva, when she wins after the race was rendered very tough and super-technical due to torrential rains.

Pic Copyright Rob Jones

And this is the podium in Offenburg with, from Left to Right : Marga Fullana, Marie-Helene Premont, winner Irina Kalentieva, Gunn Rita Dahle Flesjaa and 5th place Sabine Spitz.

Pic Copyright Rob Jones

To end, here is a video interview with one of the sports greatest : Canadian Alison Sydor. Video was shot in Offenburg before the race.

Check it out

2007-05-25T21:10:00.001+01:00

Well, I had to create a Blogger profile to be able to react to the messages on other Blogger logs .

I never had much incline to do anonymous stuff or post anonymous reactions. I already had the Google account, just needed to create a Blogger identity.

Might be I actually write some stories on this BLOG but for now my main BLOG is HERE

You want to know what I look like?

Sure, take out your sunglasses and click the picture.

Bye for now