For those who were still not convinced of the beauty of the High North, let us add a little more to it. After all, the slogan is: ‘There is nothing like Groningen’. You can have a full discussion about that. In another big city they say: no words, but actions. We took the plunge and headed to the student city with the Cube gravel bikes. The route we initially chose was only 10% unpaved kilometers. Fortunately, our community is very active and we were able to publish a nice additional route. That’s how we got Grunnings Gravel and more! Where do we start? At Spaak, a beautiful Shimano Service Center in the heart of the city.
Humor and love
There is an advertisement sign on the sidewalk at Oude Boteringstraat 66 in Groningen. ‘Is Martijn there too? Come in and have a look!’ It’s a lovely invitation to actually do that too. It’s also a nice piece of humor. Martijn is Spaak and Spaak is Martijn. At least, if we can believe the stories. This coffee shop, an annex bicycle shop, a race course and a starting point for a beautiful ride is the beating heart of Groningen for cyclists. Right around the corner from the Lopende Diep and the Spilsluizen. This is actually sacred ground for race enthusiasts.
Cipollini in a lion costume
Let’s go back in time a little. The year 2002. Groningen was for a while ‘GIROningen’. In the first days of May, Stad en Ommeland was in chaos. It was whispered that the Pope would come for the start. That was too much of a good thing. After all, the king of the sprints, Mario Cipollini, was there. That was enough. His start in the famous lion suit still remains etched in my memory. Where I stood? Right around the corner at Spaak, along the water. The riders were zooming past. You could already hear if a rider from Rabobank was coming or not a kilometer in advance. Later on, in the Noorderplantsoen, at a bend. That wasn’t a very good idea. They were going so close by us. Fortunately, all my limbs are still attached to my body.
Back to the past and present
How the human brain works. As I ride this water on my bike, I see the masses of people again, including the wild-gesturing team leader who was hanging out of the (!) window of his car. He is encouraging his riders and at the same time navigating the narrow streets. ‘Daiii, Daii, daiii! Just enjoy. I had to look it up later who that prologue winner was again. An unknown Spaniard, Dominguez from the Swiss company Phonak. He never won anything, except for that prologue of the Giro in 2002. Who came in second? Good old Rik Verbrugge. That the day (and the days after) was all about Beautiful Mario is more than logical. And that Spaniard? Never heard of him again.
More than coffee and course
The slogan ‘Spaak, koffie en koers’ covers the point, but it doesn’t quite do the trick either. Because Spaak is more than that. Of course there is time and space for good coffee. In our case, barista Jacco is on hand. Doppio’s come out of the machine smoothly and around us everything is ‘bicycle’. The shop is spacious, with a mezzanine area for clothing, accessories and more. The back part is reserved for the workshop. The sign with Shimano Service Center was already visible on the door. Here you can safely bring your bike for maintenance.
Onward to Appingedam
It’s time to get on the bike. The route? For the road bike, there’s a beautiful route towards Appingedam. The hanging kitchens and the nearby Basilica are the destination for a cup of coffee or a delicious lunch. You drive through the vast Groningen countryside and pass places like Ten Boer and Ten Post. Initially, you can take the beautiful fast bike route, which is great for a leisurely ride, especially with the wind in your back. There’s plenty of space on the bike path along the N-road as well. Cars don’t drive by too close here.
Along the water
After Ten Post, you’re actually riding against the water. The Damsterdiep, which connects Appingedam and Groningen and was important for trade in the past, is your guide on this route. It’s great to roll along the water, even with a wind speed of 6. The roads are nice and wide, we encounter very few other cyclists. Could that have something to do with the temperatures? Or with the strong wind? Real Groningers don’t let themselves be put off by a little wind. Maybe this is also the charm of this part of the Netherlands. Here you find the peace and quiet that you so dearly wish for on a ‘Hoep tour’.
Appingedam
The Eems Delta, the region to which Appingedam belongs, is portrayed in a negative light. Windmills, a shrinking area, unstable soil, poverty. To name just a few terms. Appingedam is the pearl of this region. A beautiful medieval town with a protected townscape, making it ideal for a stopover on our longer route today. You could already read about our findings from Restaurant de Basiliek in the center. Just around the corner you’ll find the typical hanging kitchens. This unique sight showcases ingenuity. Due to space constraints, the residents built kitchens above the Damsterdiep.
Zeerijp and Loppersum
The route starts from here, first towards Holwierde and then towards Krewerd and Arwerd, winding through the countryside. Should we take the turn to the right towards Leermens? Again, it’s ‘what’s in a name’. We’re now heading towards Eenum and Zeerijp, where in a bygone era at Cafe Nastrovja the beer bottles stood on the edge of the billiards table. Now only the sign and the old cigarette machine still remind us of that.
Back to Sta(rt)(d)
From Loppersum, we follow a beautiful winding path along the water. It’s a great place for taking photos. Then we drive in a straight line through the open fields towards Thesinge. Remember this name well, because here you might find the most beautiful gravel track in this part of Groningen. See our route further down in this article. From Thesinge we see the city, the characteristic building of the Gasunie and ‘d’Olle Grieze’ already in sight. Before you really enter the urban jungle, there’s still a nice stretch of nature along Kardinge. It’s well-maintained, but it could have been done better. Once back at Spaak, the coffee with homemade cake and/or the lunch will be very tasty!
Off (Road) we go
Now for our adventure. How are we going to find the most off-road kilometers here, among the vast fields and meadows? We see many farmer's paths but they end up in the ditch or end up between the sugar beets and potatoes. That's nice, but that's not what we're looking for. A tip from Harmen Piekema leads us further. Where we wanted to go straight on, you actually have to turn right there! The beautiful gravel paths of the Groningen countryside lie southwest of the city. However, we first drive over the beautiful stretch near Thesinge, which almost seems designed to be paved with gravel. A wide, smooth stretch that you can easily attack.
Seekers of happiness
The off-road route leads off to the right towards the Lake Schildmeer, a gem worth driving along. In good weather and with the sun setting in the background, it’s pure enjoyment, with you stumbling over the bumps on sunny Sundays. But isn’t that the case at every busy tourist attraction? For the real happiness seekers, you’ll find the four-leaf clover monument on the southern side of the lake. Be careful though, because you’ll drive past the Duurswold golf course; before you know it, the balls will be flying past your ears. If you want to stop for a nice cup of coffee, the beach pavilion Schildmeer is located in the yacht harbor at Boei 12; it’s only open with good weather though. We were therefore a bit less lucky. For a good lunch, stop at Cape Steendam.
Back to Spaak
Before we head back into the city, we take in the view from ’t Roegwold. A beautiful setting, with a world-class view. That you can also spot beautiful birds in the region is no longer a secret. We couldn’t reproduce the photo by Wilco van der Laan. Very beautiful!
The church of Harkstede is the final highlight on this route. In Harkstede is also the water sports course, where I, Sander, have done some infamous rowing exercises. The fact that a windmill park is located next to the course does not bode well. Through Engelbert, the city is once again in sight.
Ultegra and GRX series routes
The routes of the above tours and all other routes from the Shimano Ultegra and GRX series can be found on our komoot account. Enjoy!
0 responses
Both routes were cycled on October 24 from Zeerijp. The road trip goes through there. For the gravel route, I had to cycle 13 km to Schildwolde. That start and finish also had a few nice unpaved sections. The road trip is beautiful and the gravel route still requires some extra effort, especially the sections through grassland and the nature reserve. They are quite good at closing off roads here in Groningen, but less so at properly placing detour signs. As a result, the gravel route became 15 km longer. Anyway, thanks, I enjoyed both routes.
Yes, that's nice! Thanks for the feedback!