Belgium rides

ddraver

So apparently there are some races in Belgium in the spring...?

During my short break from Algeria (which I may have mentioned once or twice...) I was going to go home but since my parents have become MAMILs in the strictest possible way - Sky Jerseys and everything - they have suggested we go for a weeks cycling in Europe. Well, who am I to refuse such an offer!

Now I well know the races in Belgium and I ve suggested that we go and have a look at some of them. They have a Camper Van so that's how we ll get around. Plan is to spend the first half of the week in Belgium as training for a sportive theyre doing and then go down to Burgundy to ride some flat stuff and sample a few of the local beverages.

Does anyone have or know of a good place to find some routes we could follow, taking in some of the more famous climbs of Flanders and the Ardennes (I'd quite like to have a day MTBing at Houfillaze). Some of you went recently, did you find anywhere good?

Thanks boys (and RR and AtC)

(I know there is a specific place for these but they only attract tourers and such...)

inkyfingers

The Tour of Flanders Museum in Oudenaarde (which is well worth a visit in itself), has a number of mapped routes which go out from it and cover many of the famous climbs in the Flemish Ardennes.

greasedscotsman

Arenberg is less than an hour from Oudenaarde. Carrefour de L'Arbre a bit less...

pottssteve

You'd have to be a real hardcore cycling fan to take a holiday around Western Flanders and where many of the famous races are run. It's not the prettiest neck of the woods, though some of the towns are quite nice - Ypres, for example. You do get to ride the famous climbs, but much of it would be (probably) windy rides on nondescript, gently rolling plains.
Ardennes is a different story - much more attractive, more varied terrain. A week spent in the triangle between Liege, Aachen and the French border could be very pleasant. You could also take in Huy.

Steve

Cycloslalomeur

I'd have to second Pottssteve on the Ardennes. The whole Vlaamse Ardennen (Flemish Ardennes) business is a joke. It's just Flemings being jealous of the Walloons for having nothing approaching the stunning beauty of rural Ardennes: an endless continuation of postcard towns, valleys and hills if you follow the route(s) of LBL.

Flanders has some pavé climbs but the rest is boring.

Le Commentateur

What Flanders lacks in landscape it makes up for with architectural delights:

http://instagram.com/uglybelgianhouses#

rick_chasey

You will soon see why Belgium is inferior to Holland and why they're so crazy about cycling... it's the only thing that's good......

















I may be exaggerating for effect

FJS

Don't believe it - The Vlaamse Ardennen (roughly between Oudenaarde, Geraardsbergen and Ronse), where all the Ronde van Vlaanderen climbs are, is quite nice. I've spent some pleasant days at a campsite near Etikhove. Oudenaarde is a lovely old market town, and Gent is a great historical city, and a university city too, with all the bars and liveliness that comes with it.

The Ardennes (LBL and Fleche territory) are nice too, especially the area around Trois-Ponts/Stoumont, with most of the LBL climbs, and even the Amstel and Fleche ones, within riding distance.

inkyfingers

In simple terms...

Ardennes: Lovely country, less lovely towns (with the odd exception), average beer.
Flanders: Fairly barren scenery (but charming in it's own way), stunning towns, stunning beer.

Both are well worth a visit, though I have never really cycled much round the Ardennes (too hilly for Rouleur like me).

ddraver

I was thinking one ride to take in the more famous bergs (so only 1 day in that area), then south for the Ardennes (Quite like Limburg personally so maybe a day there), then to Burgundy....

It would be particularly useful for me because i know i can get a Dutch train to Antwerp (and so not have to worry about the bike too much) and then I'm sure I can get to Ghent with minimal pain after that. When we re all together we ll have the van (I'm very jealous of the van!) so no problems...

On_What

The finest females I have encountered were in Liege, this may or may not help.

Richmond Racer

I cant contribute anything useful to this - I'm too busy laughing at the thought of ddraver having to ride around Belgium for a week with his mum and dad decked out in Sky kit

durhamwasp

We stayed close to Oudenaarde in our camper van a couple years back in a small village called Munkzwalm. The cycling was fantastic, we did the routes out of the Ronde museum, which are superbly signposted - you cant really go wrong!

Thought the scenery was just fine, and roads absolutely perfect for cycling! The Belgian houses you go past and just quality! You can easily have a good 4 or 5 days cycling in just that area alone.

Think theres some photos on our website.

Cycloslalomeur

I'm not so sure about the beer in the Ardennes being average. Rochefort and La Chouffe spring to mind.

If you want to do some proper perving, make a stop in Leuven. Enormous hordes of fit students, on bikes of course.