Hi from Belgium !

[Nicola10]

Hi and welcome, I was cycling in Belgium last month, it was fun. I went from Amsterdam to Turnhout and then to Brussels, there was quite a few hills on my way into Brussels, here was me thinking Belgium was flat!!!

 

[ScotiaLass]

from me in Scotland.
I ride a Specialized 29er mountain bike and she's named Priscilla

 

[A-lexandre]

Hi and welcome, I was cycling in Belgium last month, it was fun. I went from Amsterdam to Turnhout and then to Brussels, there was quite a few hills on my way into Brussels, here was me thinking Belgium was flat!!!

And it's getting higher as you go east I hope you've enjoyed your trip! The highest point is around 600 meters only, but there is a lot of valleys and that's what makes Belgium a bit exhausting sometimes You climb down a valley only to start escalating the next one.

 

[Donger]

Welcome Alexandre. Congratulations -Your English is already better than some of ours.
I've taken my touring bike on a couple of holidays in the Belgian Ardennes in recent years, and love it in Wallonia. We had one holiday in the hills just outside Malmedy, and another in Mirwart, near St Hubert. I had heard a lot about the Spring Classics like Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and knew the terrain was a bit lumpy, but it still surprised me just how lumpy it is. I took this picture at the top of the Signal de Botrange, after grinding my way up from the bottom. I didn't feel I could exactly brag afterwards about my huge climb in Belgium, but I think a few people would be surprised by the altitude - which, for example, is (I believe) higher than anything in England or Wales, and higher than most cyclable roads in Scotland. I also enjoyed being able to border-hop in and out of Holland, Germany, Luxembourg and France from there. I imagine you must have done a bit of that? Personally, I couldn't resist setting a mark of 3 countries in 1 minute 32 seconds when I was over there (at the borders of Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany, near the Europa Bridge). I regard this as a superheavyweight veterans' record!

 

[A-lexandre]

Hello @Donger ! Well you've seen more of the region than I have! I've been cycling for only a year and a half, and mostly for commuting, so I haven't done a lot of hiking so far. I've been doing a few day trips near my town, where there already is some nice landscapes. But eventually I will go towards Luxemburg and have a big look at this beautiful region :-) And to be honest I didn't feel I had the stamina for this until recently! I think my limit for now is 60km per day, if I go further I get pretty tired, and there's no point of being so.
This summer I'll go to the Netherlands, and I also plan a few days in the Eifel, around Aachen etc. Yesterday I've been to Namur, but it wasn't a nice road to cycle on, and the day before I've been to Genk, which was much more enjoyable, thanks to the Flemish bicycle lanes policy

Anyway it's nice to see that other persons that Belgian and Dutch people are taking interest in this part of the country, because each time I go over there it surely is a delight. I love the smell and the freshness of the air of the forest, and there is nothing like going down a hill for a few kilometers where there's nothing but trees!

I would like to reach the Semois (deep down the Luxemburg province), a nice little river where you can do some kayaking. In fact you can kayak your way to the French border. So I'd like to find a way to send my bike at the limit of the sailing (?) area and reach it with a kayak. There's a lot of camping places along the river and I've been told that it's possible to put a tent and everything on a kayak. So that would be one of my big plans for the next summer or so :-)

 

[Donger]

...... there is nothing like going down a hill for a few kilometers where there's nothing but trees! :-)

Going back up the other side of the valley is a different matter. I appear to climb at exactly the same speed as the horseflies.