On Championship Trails part II

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

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

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

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

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