The next Cycling World Championships will take place from 19th to 26th September in Leuven, in the heart of the FlandersIn a certain sense, it's as if the cycling world had decided to represent the most important event of the season in the region that has made cycling a true religion. The bicycle is in the Flemish DNA and it is the perfect way to discover an area where short distances allow you to have everything within pedal distance.
Confirming the close link between Flanders and cycling nine itineraries designed exclusively for cycling have recently been inaugurated and which are included in the project of Icon Cycle Routes, born from the collaboration between Visitflanders, the Flanders Tourist Board, and five provincial tourist boards.
A dedicated site
All the itineraries, designed to offer tourists a variety of landscapes and cultural offerings, will have in common a new and modern signage, efficient and quality management and a focus on accessibility at the departure and arrival points by public transport.
On the portal flandersbybike.be A basic map of the cycling routes is available, as well as a GPX file to download to your smartphone or GPS, as well as a description of each route.
Itineraries for everyone
The nine routes together form a network of 2.506 kilometers of cycle paths, immersed in a landscape as varied as it is rich. Let's start with the shortest ones.
The Meuse Itinerary (63km) already exists as a EuroVelo 19 route and the International Meuse Cycling Route, and thanks to the Iconics Routes project, it has been re-signposted. Here, the Meuse River reigns supreme, offering glimpses of pristine nature interrupted only by small villages like Maaseik and Oud-Rekem.
The Coastal itinerary (93km) winds along the Belgian coast, skirting the main seaside resorts overlooking the North Sea, crossing dunes and woodlands and offering a two-wheeled experience that combines nature, culture and gastronomy.
Finally, among the easiest there is theitinerary of the Great War front (100 km). Here you cycle through territories that were the scene of bloody battles in the First World War, immersed in poppy fields, trenches, and evocative military cemeteries, from Nieuwpoort to Mesen.
The medium loops
The Green Belt Route (126 km) It's perfect for those with a penchant for castles and breathtaking views. Bruegel's paintings come to life here among pastures, vineyards, and hop plantations, interrupted by the bell towers of small churches like Sint-Anna-Pede.
The Scheldt route (181 km) connects some of the main art cities of Flanders and acts as a common thread in this itinerary which passes through Oudenaarde – a city known to most for the Tour of Flanders and for the Centrum Ronde Van Vlaanderen but which is also the home of the painter Adriaan Brouwer – from the castles of Laarne and Antwerp and continues through some fishing villages.
The Kempen Route (203 km) given its length it can be covered over several days so as to have time to fully enjoy the variety of the landscape which alternates between woods and moorland with the rich industrial heritage of the Genk mines and the activities that can be done along the route, such as canoe excursions in the Kempense Meren (Kempen lakes).
Through Flanders
The itinerary of the cities of art (332 km) is one of the longest iconic loops and certainly the most attractive for first-time visitors to Flanders. It sets off to discover Brussels, Leuven, Antwerp, Mechelen, Ghent, Bruges, and Ostend, uniting centuries of Flanders history in a single journey.
With the hills itinerary (459 km) you'll cycle along the walls and roads that have shaped the history of the Tour of Flanders. From the legendary Geraardsbergen to the hills around Kortrijk, to green Limburg. You'll embark on a journey through iconic cycling locations amid rolling hills and orchards.
Finally he: the Flanders itinerary (952 km). This is a very special route that combines the beauty of the previous nine itineraries. It goes from the countryside to the sea, passing through cities of art and small historic villages.
To learn more about the nine itineraries: https://www.vlaanderenmetdefiets.be/en/
To visit Flanders: www.visitflanders.com/it
