Siebengebirge

I got a chance to ride somewhere else!
Being near Bonn regularly over the last years ,made look to those distant hills on the east side of the Rhein. The area is known as siebengebirge and loked steep! This time i could get a close look. Warming up along the Rhein and crossing it along the A555 gave some nice morning views already. Cities can also create nice views and the weather was 10 out of 10 today. Coming to the first climb i choosen beforehand using strava's segments it was clear i would see a lot of suburban area's. But the combination with the river and the backcountry halfway was a good one. So Vinxel climb was done, warmed up good and a nice long downhill as desert.
Soon after that, the hardest climb for today came up: Petersberg. The whole 4.3 km have a 6% average, but that only means a longer but easy start of 2.2 km up over the B42 and the last 2.1 km through the forest serpentining with a 8% average. This was something is didn't exprerience before. Climbing on this steepness and for so long made me gasping and a slight feeling of blacking out at the end. But failure is a no-go, so keep pushing to the top. i could keep my cadence to an good average (thanks to my new garmin GSC10 cadence meter)
I was rewarded with a stunning view at the restaurant at the top.

On the background you see the even more famous Drachenfels with an even steeper approach, but feeling the climb just done i decided to skip that one today. I still had some other climb to do and get home. so down it went and it was clear i am not a good climber but therefore i know how to handle the bike going down! 8th on strava with a first try is not bad. You have to know your qualities. ;-)

So, along the Rhein again and up climb 3 for today. The Aegidienberg is not a steep one, therefor a long one. This one was fun to do. Finding rythm and enjoying the forest. Only bad was the amount of traffic. But still a good easier climb.
At the top it was left and down along the north east side of the hill. Getting back on a more decent average and going through some backcountry villages i missed the turn for the detour i wanted to do towards Hennef. Ok, feeling a bit empty i decided to pick up the track ahead, and a suprising little climb to Hoholz made me feel in my legs i had something done already. Again a nice long downhill into the east side of Bonn (Beuel) and straight through the centre towards Bornheim.

It was good i didn't push it with Drachenfels, but maybe the extra wee little climbs near Hennef would have been fun. Anyway, a fresh new area to cycle and some amazing experiences gathered today!

Belgium

Finally the day did come to ride a long ride, and i could try out the slightly longer hills in the Belgian Voerstreek. Starting early it was still chilly so i opted for a longsleeve jacket. This was a good choice in the first 1,5 hours. But lateron i would think about shortsleeves more often.

I approached the border with no hills to speak of. It was a strange feeling going past all those known hills instead of over them. Several villages were preparing for catholic processions everywhere. It was nice to have the street to myself, seeing no riders, almost no cars and some people dressed up traditionally for the drumband or the 'schutterij' going to their days duties. Towards Epen it got slightly steepr and i could tackle my first hill but still on the dutch side. I didn';t know this one and it's a quiet road along a campsite where people were preparing breakfast.

Crossing the border with amazing views on the Camerig and Vijlenerbos, you notice the change of country. Somehow it's different in 'the other side' From Sippenaken it was uphill along chateau Beudael in the warming morning sun. down again and up on a more boring climb towards Aubel. Here the obvious road to Val Dieu and right to the apotheose of climbing for today. Les Waides is a nasty climb, and it didn't went quick but since it was the only real hard one, it was cool doing this.

In le Heydt i had planned to go directly to st. Maatensvoeren but apparently Strava plans roadroute including MTB tracks. So i had to improvise and went downhill to 's Gravenvoeren. Here a roadblock made me go to Mesch, again an improvised track. But it gave me the oppertunity to climb towards Libeek and picked up my aimed line again. Bukel and Eckelrade went by, The very small climb towards Cadier and the down to st. antoniusbank. There a fast pull on the breaks was needed. A paid sunday yearmarket was in progress and after asking around i was directed to the climb along quarry 't Rooth. It did hurt a bit going up but the climb flattens out quick enough.

At the crossroad between IJzeren and Bemelen i was forced to stop, because some 200 milion euro on cars was passing me by. Porches, Maserati's, Ferrari's and some others exotic stuff passed  by with the sound of carmusic in the ears. After 2 minutes or so i could get to Berg, down the Geulhemerberg and catch the last bigger climb towards Haasdal. After that on the flat acros Schimmert i still could keep up the pace and i wanted a 90+k ride so i went on a small detour along Schinnen. Now it was clear 100+ would be to much, because on the last climb home i cramped in the upper legs. So perfect weather, perfect views,  very good average speed, new climbs, and a surprising low average heartrate made for a very nice ride.

Swift local ride

On the weekend i try to get some time for a ride with some bigger distance. This weekend this was not possible. So in the 1,5 hour that is given me, i tried to push it on speed instead on volume or ditance. Directly outside the door it's possible to keep that 10m height per km ratio. So Krekelberg, Zandberg, Keldenaar, Stammenhof, Sweikhuizen, Hegge, Schurenberg, Zandbergsweg in short distance from each other is a challenge. It is not the most amazing in hight and diffculty/steepness, but pushing the speed makes everything challenging. Crossing the blue route of Limburgs mooiste of this year a few times, i thought that i would see a lot of riders. But this is not the truth, it was late enough in the day to have a quiet ride.
I liked it that 'Limburg mooiste' knows that they don't have to use the deep south for good and beautiful riding, also around Puth and Schinveld it's worth a tour!

As often when i didn't ride a hill for some longer time, i was making the climbs bigger and steeper in my mind. So most hills actually went very well, the new bike feels i am going easier, and only Stammenhof was a bit much. Seeing that i PR'd on 18 out of 24 sgements i had a succes in speeding the climbs.
The nice Sweikhuizerberg was a good challenge and i could shout to myself and collect some energy out of the upcoming thrill at the start, keep a  good average pace and felt i did a good climb. Keeping the speed also inbetween the climbs was what put the average speed on a surprising good level for me. But considering that this is an avarage speed many cyclers can keep up four 3 times this distance, i still feel like a really small fish in the cyclingpond.

After Hegge it was the question with the deadline i had, if it was possible to get 40km in the bucket but still arrive home on time. So i opted for some local small hills in Hoensbroek: Schurenberg and Zandbergsweg. Trying those with some max speed was a thrill, and good for training i guess.

So even without a big ride i had fun and a good endorfine feeling at the end. But still i hope to ride 100k this year a few times. Getting to Bornheim via the Eifel and maybe 2 days of MH2D could be 2 of my goals this year. We see what happens.

Kempen bij 30°

Although the weather is not the most perfect kind, still to get a ride in for this week was a must! So no big hills and to high speed but some lengthy ride over more or less flat countryside. With 70+km one can get some distance from home, so I opted for the belgian side with the well known naturepark "de Kempen". Getting there was not easy, but first a little climb on the way: Hobbelrade. Again this year a personal best. After Beek and Elsloo I made the mistake to get on the wrong side of the canal, and I couldn't get on the cycleway along the A76 to get into Belgium. A little nice detour via Stein and I could get over the border. Speed was still good, legs also and the weather was very nice with a little breeze. Following the canal towards Maasmechelen I got that specific feeling again, that you get coming in Belgian Limburg. I can't exactly describe what it is, but you know you crossed the border somehow.

Through maasmechelen was kinda fun, with all kind of people on the terrasses. Then after a suburb I got left into the Kempen area. Big forests and a confusing route that I had planned. Planning in Strava can mix up MTB tracks with roads. So i had to trust my gutfeeling and the little garmin map on my steer and follow some cycleways. It worked out well and i could get to that straight crossing over the E314 towards Zutendaal. There I was on a dangerous road and i was glad i found a cycleway again very soon after that. The view that was served to me was amazing there!

All the way to the Dutch side with the industry and in between a big chunk of nature! This is a place to explore maybe in the future with the family. It's not far away but still something completely different. During the ride there I could imagine the deer and wild hogs running around and getting lost here was something actually possible. It feels huge and wild.

From there it was due south through more forests but also some nice suburbs with houses that looked more like castles most of the time. Still keeping a good pace I got in more familiar terrain at Smeermaas and Lanaken. Along the channel it was through a not so known approach I found myself at the noorderbrug. Through Meerssen and the lange Raarberg I was home with a ride of another kind. More than I could have hoped for on this evening

Heuvelland

In the weekend there can be time to make some longer rides. This day the weather was perfect again to go for some hills. Last time i did to much and rode in crsmps after some climbs, but it seems it helped me being prepared for this run better.
I started easy, not aiming for a good average (25 kmh or more that would be) and passed Weustenrade on one of my main tracks toward the bigger hills along Kasteel Hoensbroek. After 10 km it was warming up to come to Klimmen via the Kerkveldweg and Randsdaal via the Schalenbosweg. The first steeper climb is the Koulenberg up to Walem. After a longer downhill tagging after a Prius that just was not riding fast, i saw that the track was leading me towards the Keutenberg. The famous climb is not long but very steep for a short part, i wasn't up to it last year. After the climb attempt in 2013 i couldn't recover at all from it for the rest of the ride. This year i am feeling good, even passing someone on the way up. The 25 cog is helping keeping more rythm here. Another positive thing i get from riding the aquila with the campagnolo rig.

View from Walem towards Wijlre and Vijlen

I need to cross some gravel to get to a downhill (that would be a good climb one day) back to Valkenburg i did the equal famous Cauberg as next hill. A filled Valkenburg city and some cyclers on the hill in front and behind me makes me feel like being part of a large sporting community. This climb also feels well and i tackle the down of the brakkeberg to gain height again on the geulemerberg. So soon after the Cauberg i guess i can't be that fast up here. Then down again with good views towards Maastricht i cross the cityborder to the north.

By the typical windmill i turn east again with the long climb of the Bronckweg. I don't go fast but up it goes, and at least faster than last time. Via Berg and a small down and up over Keunestraat i ride a quiet street otwards Margraten along klein Welsden. Past and over the long down i reach Gulpen. Now some real climbing again on the Gulperberg from the westside. After a nice picture down on the eastside towards Partij.

View from Gulperberg towards Wijlre and Eys

Here i choose not to tackle the Eyserbosweg, but instead i go for the Kruisberg in Wahlwiller. I can reach the top but it doesn't feel easy anymore. Down in Eys i need to get over the hill to get to Heerlen so i choose the long Eyserweg. It doesn't go fast anymore for a longer time now, but i feel good to do all those climbs without any training.

Downhill towards Heerlen is easy and i try to figure out how to get home to reach 70+ km. then a phonecall from home that we don't have a can of tuna for the homemade pizza, so in my nice cycling outfit in a loaded supermarket is somehow awkward and funny at the same time.
At the last part i get tagged by s schoolboy on a citybike who makes my sprint but he overtakes me with 30+km/h. Not bad but i can talk myself out of it because of cramps in the upper leg. Easy going untill home. what a ride! some nice indexed hills and an ok average. And the lovely Heuvelland to enjoy for hours! Hopefully more of this in 2014.

Stoempen door Selfkant

Getting on the bike during the week is not always easy. This evening i only got started around 7:30, which means tere is daylight for appr. 1:45. So from the start i tried to push the pedals. It should be a flat course and the weather was somewhere around perfect. No wind, thunderstorms to the north but far enough away. Late enough to feel alone in the world on some parts of the route.

The new bike is still some getting used to, but the directness feels good. Up to speed i pass Brunssum and get across the border. Some part is new to me and i need to dig in some gravel to get to my amied road again. The east -west part across Selfkant is through typical villages for these parts. Keeping the heartrate on 160 something is high, but i feel good and keep pushing it (for my experience off course) Turning around the streets in and between the scene, i reach Gangelt with it's small old centre through citytowers. At Wildpark Gangelt i cross the border back to the Netherlands again and i need to do some minor climbs to get home. Here i guess i make my good average by not being a weeny, but trying to push on the speed as much i can, feeling what the pulse allows me. Even at Merkelbeek on the last 5 km, i try to get off the saddle to keep on speed. With a good average and some pr's on strava i can say i made the best of my 1:45.

Finally on the (new) bike again

After a hard time with a big renovation project at home, i finally find a small space in time to use the new bike i have waiting at home. After my dad finally was able to let go of the cycling era in his mind, and transfer the bike he had left in the attic to me, i needed to wait till sunday to finally try it.

With a birthday party in Aachen just below the 'drielandenpunt' it gave me a perfect oppertunity to do some hardcore hills going home. No big volume riding in mind, it would be some 50-odd km to get home. Being in Aachen meant i could start of with the climb to the highest point in NL from the German side, a climbing variant i dind't do until  now. Finding the start of the climb was a bit of a challenge but the climb itself is nice and quiet and quite different from the other 2 variants. I chased a motorbike going downhill on the belgian side and after coming through Gemmenich in the valley it was up again towards NL. But not over the normal climb, but the alternative one behind the houses: chemin du Duc. It was not so hard and challenging as i had imagined it in my mind, but the tarmac was bad. Not a lot of cyclers want to steer over it, but still it's a good alternatvie, Carfree and good views. At the top it was downhill again to tackle climb three with only 12 km underway. The Eschberg was ok, some rythm in the moves and up it went. Down the Camerig and big climb 4 already there: the Eperheide. All went well and i searched for the nice ride towards Gulpen via Landsrade. There i went down the Gulperberg on the westside to skip the Kruisberg and Eyserbosweg as i initially wanted to ride. But with no training last month and no hill riding at all this year it was a wise choice.

The Rensberg towards Elkenrade was allready riding in cramps. But up it went in nice evening sunshine. Down and up the well known Fromberg. You can get good speed to get up the first steeper part but at the top it took some kilometers to get rid of the cramps in the quadriceps. from here it was down towards Ransdaal via the Karstraat and traight on along the golfsite of Voerendaal to home. Not an amazing avarage all in all, but an amazing set of views. The surroundings are astonishing! and after such a long time it was very good to be in the 'Heuvelland' again.

As for the new bike. It's a different ride! shorter framesize and much lighter it's set with campagnolo veloce. The breaking power is much better so more speed downhill for sure! :-p
The shifting is a bit different and something to get used to. But it's more accurate than what i am used to. Steering and handling feels quite natural and direct, almost nervous sometimes, and maybe the combination of less weight for the bike and less weight for myself, made for some nice set of PR's in strava!