Some notes on Aywaille itself, the same commune that Sougné-Remouchamps belongs to.
Entries Tagged as 'Mountainbiking in Belgium'
Trails in Aywaille, province of Liège (Belgium)
December 4th, 2011 · No Comments · Mountainbiking in Belgium
Tags:Comblain-au-Pont·Ernonheid·Ferrières·Sougné-Remouchamps·Sprimont·Stoumont
Trails in Anhée, province of Namur (Belgium)
November 27th, 2011 · No Comments · Mountainbiking in Belgium
Finally, all my notes on Anhée have been eternally memorized. I rode in this place already in July 2010, spontaneously and without any particular planning.
Anhée, the village of very confusing mountain bike signage.
I hear many people return for the trails, although the best bits do not seem to be covered by the official trails. I saw enough to put Anhée on my list of where to go for trail exploring. For next time, I am now more prepared.
Here is my blog report for July 2010. Oh, and my favourite map shop in Brussels has switched over to Institut géographique national.
Tags:Annevoie-Rouillon·Bioul·Denée·Haut-le-Wastia·Hun·Maredret·Salet·Sosoye·Warnant
Trails in Sougné-Remouchamps, province of Liège (Belgium)
November 21st, 2011 · No Comments · Mountainbiking in Belgium
I did a short mountain bike loop in village of Sougné-Remouchamps in May this year.
Most of the loop is on wide dirt track, with only one or two singletrack sections. The second singletrack section was nice and technical. The climbing is steep and long, in particular the beginning is on solid rock with loose stones, very tricky!
Half way through there is a steep dip with loose stones, and then immediately re-conquering of the lost height meters on gravel road.
Signage was excellent.
Here are more pictures from trail number 34.
Photos, Burg-Reuland red trail (province of Liège, Belgium)
October 4th, 2011 · No Comments · Mountainbiking in Belgium
A couple of picasaweb pictures on Burg-Reuland.
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Trails in Burg-Reuland, province of Liège (Belgium)
September 24th, 2011 · 2 Comments · Mountainbiking in Belgium
I do not think I have ever driven 2 hours to ride my bike for a tiny 30 kilometers. And then, of course, 2 hours driving to get back home.
After a massive week with lots of things happening, big things for the future, Friday evening I was left exhausted, terrified, exhilarated, and full of anticipation. All at the same time. I felt I needed to get out of town, I felt I wanted to drive my car, and I felt I wanted to go somewhere that enticed me. Failing to find decent-priced last-minute overnight accommodation in the East Cantons, I decided for a day trip. Did I regret it, and find it difficult to leave the area once I was there? Oh, yes. So many trails nearby! For sure, an extended weekend, or more, in the East Cantons will be on my wish list for next summer!
Red trail of village of Burg-Reuland (in commune of Burg-Reuland) enticed me mainly because of its 23.4 of a hill factor (750 hm/32 km). However, when finishing, *my* gps only showed 30.51 kilometres and 587 height metres, and thus a disappointing hill factor of 19.2.
Despite this, I had a very enjoyable day. Trail was reasonably dry: Only a couple of muddy patches at the bottom of the valleys. The valleys were dream-like with scenic views. The sun reached into the them while the late-September wind didn’t, and it felt like summer again.
This trail touches the border of Luxemburg, and in the east it loops into Germany.
There were a couple of long, steepish climbs, but, in between, the riding was quite mellow; nothing too technical, mostly wide trails and a couple of lengthy flattish sections. There was very little tarmac riding; two sections on busy winding, narrow roads made me, however, feel quite uncomfortable.
Signage was very good, although in a couple of spots very deteriorated, broken off, or hiding in vegetation.
Trails in Ondenval, province of Liège, Belgium
September 19th, 2011 · No Comments · Mountainbiking in Belgium
More backlog! I believe I could spend a year indoors, just living off my trail stories!
Driving on the highway to Ondenval last August it was POURING down. In the end I stopped for a long break at a rest stop three quarters of the distance there: What was the point of getting to Ondenval early with the weather like that? I had two Mars bars and a cappuccino (all part of my new GI diet ha ha).
I was amazingly lucky. By the time I arrived in Ondenval the drizzle was hardly noticeable, and diminishing by the minute. I decided to go for it. The trail was drier than I expected; maybe the lenghty downpour on the highway had never reached this area, after all?
First thing I noticed was that the gps file that I had downloaded (either from mtbroutes or the eastbelgium site, I cannot remember which) was not tip top. The further I rode, I grew convinced that it has probably been drawn in a software programme only. It is still very much of use: Signage out there felt scarce, hiding in overgrown vegetation or completely missing.
There was lots and lots of climbing, in places very steep. Some steep descending as well. Rooty, bumpy and/or singletrack sections. I loved it! The section by the highway, in the southwest, is to the most part very wide and boring. Wide forest track does dominate on this loop, but in combination with the finer, more technical off-road sections, it was tiring enough for me to welcome the breather the odd tarmac section offered.
My luck continued. During all of my biking this day I had no precipitation. As I returned to my car, the first couple of rain drops fell. I heard thunder in the distance.
I would love to re-visit this area!
I have uploaded a couple of pictures to my picasaweb account.
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Trails in Voeren, part 2, province of Limburg (Belgium)
September 3rd, 2011 · 1 Comment · Mountainbiking in Belgium
So many photos to process! Looking at them, let me rephrase my blog post of 29th August 2011. It might have sounded less technical than it is. With all those loose rocks and roots althrough the ride, it can be pretty rough! With the photos I recalled it: My calves came out cramped rigid from the descents!
Surf to picasaweb for my photos.
Web page summary on Voeren: The bloso link is, by the way, a good link also for other trails in the region of Flanders (only)
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Trails in Voeren, province of Limburg (Belgium)
August 29th, 2011 · No Comments · Mountainbiking in Belgium
I had a great day out on the trails of Voeren today!
I first came across these trails when exploring ghost trail number 12 of Aubel.
Trail signage is very good. I would have welcomed one or two more on the longer stretches, but there were no signs missing in the (oh so crucial) turns. In fact, there were TWO signs per turn; one indicating the turn, the second one further into the turn, confirming it. Beautiful!
These two loops (blue and black) are not very technical (please see my second opinion of 3rd September), nor hilly. There are a couple of long uphills, made technical more by the amount of loose stones than by their steepness, and then there is a screaming downhill with roots and loose rocks and small steps (yehaw!) just before arriving into village of Sint-Martens-Voeren; but they are fully walkable for any rider of less than average strength or technical skills.
In the east around village of Teuven there is a long stretch of tarmac. (Luckily it was not spent going downhill: Minna stayed calm!) In the east there is a lot of deteriorated but fairly uneventful gravel road. The landscape is, however, beautiful for all of this loop, in between pear, apple and corn fields, and there seemed to be quite many cafeterias to pick from along the route.
There were several nice singletrack sections, made extra bumpy by grass, loose rocks and roots.
More pictures and details will follow!
Tags:'s Gravenvoeren·Aubel·Fouron-le-Comte·Fouron-Saint-Pierre·Fourons·Fourons-Saint-Martin·Sint-Martens-Voeren·Sint-Pieters-Voeren·Teuven·Voeren
Freedom ride
August 8th, 2011 · No Comments · Minna riding, Mountainbiking in Belgium, Mountainbiking in Denmark, Mountainbiking in Sweden
After weeks of continuous rain, when a few sunny days arrived, I was stuck at work.
When this past weekend came up with some reasonable weather forecasted, I left work Friday afternoon not walking, but running to get home faster than ever! And, when I, at last, got up on my bike yesterday morning, it was with a feeling of having reconquered my life. Freedom, at last!
I was actually supposed to be in Åre, Sweden, at this time of the year. Driving up, I was supposed to have explored trails in Denmark. And here I am still, in Brussels, with my favourite local Hoebelbike event yesterday morning probably having washed away.
As I was brooding and contemplating my clearly unfair destiny this past week, my inbox received the very last-minute winter and spring programme of Canary Bike. Aargh, some things here would have been interesting, but it is simply with too short notice! Hmmm … their annual event Open MTB Marathon is set for 12 March 2012 ..
Still at the computer, a couple of hours later, a friend of mine sends me a link for Åre. Reading my mind, is she? Only to rub it in, they have opened a new trail: The forest of the moon.
But .. yesterday’s ride was pretty awesome! I even took in a couple of the more technical bits of the green trail of Oud-Heverlee. That cheered me up! In total, 60 kilometres of riding to my heart’s content!
Tags:Åre Bike Park·Canary Bike·Denmark·Hoebelbike·Open MTB Marathon·Oud-Heverlee·Sweden
Trails in Lille-Beerse, province of Antwerp (Belgium)
July 17th, 2011 · No Comments · Mountainbiking in Belgium
Reviews on www.mtbroutes.be were indicating that these trails are among the best ones in the area, and similar to my favourite Herentals trails.
Naturally, with that grading, I had to go and see for myself!
Green trail is dominated by wide dirt trail with loose sand. There was one short cobble section, and some car-traffic tarmac riding when crossing the highway (twice). Another tarmac section, low-traffic in paralel with the busy highway, was too long for my liking: I went into autopilot mode and I almost missed a 45-degree turn to the left. I most definitely could not blame the signage: It was excellent on the green trail.
The first real singletrack bit came somewhere at the end, and then, suddenly, a short technical Herentals-like bit. I was shocked out of autopilot mode. Why the sudden change of trail quality?
Around the corner I was met by signs for the red trail.
What a difference! There were quite many long boring sections on the red trail. Nevertheless, I came off the loop panting: I blazed the boring sections away as fast as I could, and on the remaining winding and bumpy singletrack sections I tried to keep ahead of or up with other trail users.
Indeed, on the red trail there are similarities with the Herentals trails. The difference is though, that in Lille-Beerse it is like you have wide dirt road and you pop into the forest for some nice bits. In Herentals it is the opposite: Over there, it is ONE long NICE bit, with the occasional wide dirt road. Over there, you get lost in its maze of winding singletrack .. (dreaming away ..)
Signage on red trail was less excellent than on the green one, but still sufficient. Signs tended to be inside the bends so that I had to lower my speed. Me dislike.
Last section before the split over to the blue was pretty awesome! It struck me, though, that they seem to have cut down several trees. To make the trail easier? How sad!
Blue trail contributed an abomination of a long tarmac section along a busy road. Back in the forest, I was sad to pass several interesting-looking paths. For me, blue loop had only one interesting section, and that was at the end: Just next to the tarmac roundabout that I had arrived on by car. Not very technical, but winding and bumpy, and quite enjoyable.
Signage on blue trail was sufficient, although ambiguous in a couple of places.
Lille-Beerse, thank you, but no thank you. I will come back here only if I have time to trail explore away your boring bits.
If I just want to ride, and ride your best bits, then I go to nearby Herentals instead. Over there, I have your best bits many times over, one after the other, in a maze of trails.
Coming up next: Trails in Luxemburg!