bigM riding

bigM rides vary depending on our members and the way we initiate rides. You want an easy spin? Post an easy spin. You want to ride like the devil's chasing you? Take the initiative, post your message, find your think-alikes, and set the time and place!

Most of our rides are medium-paced rides with an average speed of 14-17 km/hour. Estimating in what range you ride might be difficult unless you keep close track of your riding details, but don't worry. Come out for a beginner ride, and we will probably be able to tell you how you'll do on the other rides.

For more detailed information on how we ride, and how bigM works in general, click here.

In the statistics below, which is an extract of all the rides that get posted on our forum, you find various ride definitions:

• Organized rides usually offer several loops of various distances. In general, especially during summer, bigM members tend to go for the 35-50k loop, but many times all distances start out together, to split up further up. If you want to do a shorter loop, join us for that first bit, then continue on your own and, if you have the time, have a drink with us afterwards! We tend to ride together on these rides but don't worry if we get split up as the arrows will guide you to the finish.

• Beginner ride. Our 15-20k beginner rides are excellent for meeting us and seeing some of our faces for the first time.
• Night ride. Requires proper night lights on the bike.
• Evening ride. Rides during winter season where no night bike lights are needed.
• Full moon ride. Started out as a way of riding at night during summer without lights on our bikes. During the winter season proper night lights are a requirement.
• Kids ride. Self-explanatory? On a trial basis, and participation is in general limited to kids, either of their parents and a bigM member showing trails.
• Mixed ride implies a combination of tarmac and off-road riding.
• Trail-exploring. Individual bigM members trying out for them new trails, and/or pre-exploring official bigM rides. Usually slow rides, lots of stops to consult the map and for the occasional photo to be taken.
• Club excursions imply car-pooling to interesting places outside Brussels for the day, usually starting early in the morning and returning around 6pm in the evening, depending on destination.
• Club weekends imply the same as above, but obviously for a whole weekend, or an extended 4-day-stay.
• bigM on tour. Sometimes we go away (maybe abroad), for longer than a weekend ...
• Guided tour. Individual bigM members might have ridden somewhere beautiful and invites the rest of us to come along for a re-visit. Or somebody knows somebody who knows beautiful trails somewhere ...
• Club network. Members of bigM know other mountain bikers who know other mountain bikers, who are part of another mountain bike club, which is organizing a club ride ... and we can go, too!