BIKE ACROSS BELGIUM CLASSICO Ability Level: Intermediate / Duration: 9 days / 8 nights PEDAL YOUR PASSION Bike Across Belgium ITINERARY OUTLINE / Page 3 Bikes and beer Trip Essence Daily Itinerary / Page 3-5 Belgium’s own history with cycling is almost as long as the history of / Page 6 cycling itself. Before the turn of the twentieth century, Belgium had Arrival & Departure already established the Royal Belgian Cycling Association. Cycling became Bike Information / Page 6 the national sport not long after. For pedaling aficionados, Belgium is a bicycling mecca to include on your bike vacation bucket list. Terms & Conditions / Page 7 There are more than 1,130 beers brewed in Belgium. In addition to six Reserve Your Space! / Page 7 Trappist ales and other abbey beers, it churns out lagers such as Stella Artois and Jupiler. Tipplers can also choose from an array of wheat beers, brown ales, red beers, golden ales, saison beers based on old farmhouse recipes, and any number of regional brews. Our Belgium bike tour gives you access to more boutique breweries than ANY other European bicycle tour. For travelers who love to bike and beer, this is a dream tour! Ciclismo Classico 1-800-866-7314 | [email protected] | www.ciclismoclassico.com 1 BIKE ACROSS BELGIUM CLASSICO Ability Level: Intermediate / Duration: 9 days / 8 nights PEDAL YOUR PASSION TRIP ESSENCE TRIP DETAILS Ability Level • Visit Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands • Intermediate • Ride through renowned brewing sites, such as Achouffe, Leffe, Summary of Daily Distances Hoegaarden, and discover and taste a legendary brewing tradition • Day 1: 13 miles • Day 2: 48/55 miles • Visit the old historical brewery Het Anker, complete with tasting • Day 3: 41/52 miles • Day 4: 56 miles • Visit Mechelen and climb his monumental gothic St.Rumbold’s Tower • Day 5: 23/46 miles • Day 6: 58/60 miles • Visit the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Leuven with its stunning • Day 7: 50/56 miles gothic city hall, and Bruges, often compared to Venice for its canals • Day 8: 37 miles • Day 9: Tot Ziens! and Florentine touch Optional extra loops available • Pedal some of the muren (walls) featured on the Tour of Flanders, one of the most charming pro-cycling races in the world, and visit its cycling museum in Oudenaarde Have something else in mind? WHAT’S INCLUDED • Itinerary available as a private tour or... • Use of a carbon road bike (see page 6 for details) • Create a custom itinerary with help from our experienced • Service of local, professional guides throughout the program travel consultants! • Ciclismo jersey and water bottle Contact Us 1-800-866-7314 • All accommodations [email protected] • Guided tour of the oldest brewery still active in Mechelen, complete with tasting • Trappist beer and cheese tasting • Guided visits in Leuven and Bruges • Entrance to the Tour of Flanders Museum in Oudenaarde • Entrance to St. Rumbold’s Tower in Mechelen • All breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 6 dinners Ciclismo Classico 1-800-866-7314 | [email protected] | www.ciclismoclassico.com 2 BIKE ACROSS BELGIUM CLASSICO Ability Level: Intermediate / Duration: 9 days / 8 nights PEDAL YOUR PASSION DAY 1 Highlights Welcome! Our meeting will be at 12:45 pm at the hotel restaurant for a CLERVAUX, welcome toast and intro lunch. After lunch we’ll meet again for our first LUXEMBOURG short ride in the Ardenne hills around town. Clervaux, Luxembourg is a nice old village dominated by his monastery and castle. The castle hosts 13 miles Daily Mileage - some permanent exhibitions: “The Family of Man”, a collection of 503 photographs by 273 artists from 68 countries created by Edward Steichen Riding Terrain - Hilly; elevation gain 1,176 ft. for the New York Museum of Modern Art (MoMA); and a museum about the local events involving the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. Hotel - Hotel Le Clervaux • Location: Clervaux Hotel Le Clervaux is a 5-star hotel located in the heart of the Luxembourg • Duration: 1 Night Ardennes. It features individually-decorated suites, an exquisite restaurant, • www.le-clervaux.com spacious spa, indoor pool, and a wide range of cultural events that are sure to create an unforgettable experience for you. Meals - L, D DAY 2 Highlights After breakfast we begin our first ride across the border into Belgium. CLERVAUX TO LA We ride across the Ardennes—where the landscape alternates between ROCHE EN ARDENNE forests and lush farmlands—see several WWII memorials and tiny villages, such as Achouffe, the site of the renowned La Chouffe brewery. La Roche 48/55 miles Daily Mileage - en Ardenne is a nice tiny village with an impressive medieval fortress, war museum, and many shops and bars for a tasty libation. Riding Terrain - Hilly; elevation gain 3,552/4,340 ft. Hotel Les Tilleuls stands in a beautiful country setting with a fine view Hotel - Hotel Les Tilleuls overlooking the valley of the river Ourthe. Built in 1926, Les Tilleuls is the • Location: La Roche en perfect place for relaxing in the full benefits of nature. Ardenne • Duration: 1 Night • http://www.les-tilleuls.be/en Meals - B, D DAY 3 Highlights Today we ride further into the Belgian countryside. The mountains become LA ROCHE EN more round and the creeks become smaller. The roads are quiet as we pass ARDENNE TO DINANT through many historical WWII sites. The village of Celles is considered one of the most charming villages. Our destination for the day is Dinant, a town 41/52 miles Daily Mileage - between the river Meuse and cliffs, features a magnificent overhanging citadel and is the home to the Leffe Abbey and birthplace of Adolphe Sax, Riding Terrain - Hilly; elevation gain 2,623/3,232 ft. inventor of the saxophone. La Merveilleuse is an old convent on the left side of the Meuse river which Hotel - La Merveilleuse • Location: Dinant has been transformed into a hotel. It offers a unique view of the Meuse • Duration: 1 Night river and over the city of Dinant with its impressive citadel and Bayard rock. • www.lamerveilleuse.be/en Breakfast and restaurant room is in the old cloister, and the old church hosts now the Leffe beer museum. Meals - B, D Ciclismo Classico 1-800-866-7314 | [email protected] | www.ciclismoclassico.com 3 BIKE ACROSS BELGIUM CLASSICO Ability Level: Intermediate / Duration: 9 days / 8 nights PEDAL YOUR PASSION DAY 4 Highlights Today you will notice the road signs change from French to Dutch as we DINANT TO LEUVEN cross into Flanders, the Flemish region of Belgium. You’ll also notice that the Daily Mileage - 56 miles landscape becomes flatter. More than half of today’s ride is on a bike path built on an ancient railway, or along Meuse river. Riding Terrain - Mostly flat, many bike paths; elevation gain 1,843 ft. Along the way we will pass Namur, with its Citadel and historic town center. Hoegaarden is a small village that has always been an important brewing center Hotel - Martin’s Klooster Hotel famous for its “wit” beer, where we will stop for tasting and lunch. After lunch • Location: Leuven we will end our ride to the center of Leuven, a prominent historical and cultural • Duration: 1 Night Flemish center with a visit to its amazing gothic city hall. Lunch is on your own at • www.martinshotels.com/en/hotel/ the Hoegaarden brewery and dinner is also on your own in Leuven. A “DOYO” klooster-hotel map will be available. Meals - B The 4-star Martin’s Klooster is a charming hotel in town built on site of an ancient monastery and with plenty of outdoor cafes, perfect for a relaxing evening after another long ride. DAY 5 Highlights This is a mostly flat ride on bike paths along canals and riversides, a relaxing LEUVEN TO MECHELEN ride after more challenging days. We’ll ride along the Dijle river to the charming Mechelen, a gem of a city that blends Flemish character and unique architecture Daily Mileage - 23/46 miles represented by his stunning bell tower, which we will visit and climb inside, and enjoy its spectacular view from the top. An optional extra loop adds 23 more Riding Terrain - Flat on bike paths; miles to the Flemish town of Lier, which is known for its astronomical clock tower. elevation gain 417/1,000 ft. Tonight we will walk along the city canal to the ancient brewery Het Anker for a guided visit, a beer tasting, and dinner inside the brewery. Hotel - Martin’s Patershof Hotel • Location: Mechelen th • Duration: 1 Night Martin’s Patershof is a 4-star hotel built inside a 19 -century gothic church. • www.martinshotels.com/en/hotel/ Blending fantasy and creativity, this hotel is set right in the town center, making martins-patershof it a really unique place to stay. Meals - B, D DAY 6 Highlights Today’s ride once again makes use of beautiful bike paths. The short extra loop MECHELEN TO starts from the Flemish market square in Geraardsbergen to the most iconic OUDENAARDE “muur” (wall) made important by the road cycling race Tour of Flanders: the Kapelmuur. Our destination town of Oudenaarde has a traditional Flemish main Daily Mileage - 58/60 miles square with several monumental buildings and cycling museums about Tour of Riding Terrain - Mostly flat on bike Flanders, which we will visit. paths in the morning, more hilly in the afternoon, optional short extra Tonight is Belgian Speciality ‘mussels and fries night’ for dinner, in town. loop with steep cobbled ramps; elevation gain 1,650/1,860 ft. The 4-star Hotel Leopold is a modern hotel set by the River Scheldt. The stylish rooms have a relaxed, contemporary feel and feature the best comforts in order Hotel - Hotel Leopold to make your staying in Oudenaarde unique.