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!