The “first real cycling village in the Netherlands” sounds like a bold claim. In Eerde, in the municipality of Meierijstad, they are trying to make this very concrete: a former landfill with new cycling and MTB paths, a cycling café at the foot of it, accommodation on site, and routes that literally start from the doorstep. The Vlagheideberg will open to cyclists on 9 July. The ZLM Tour will finish there in September.

The climb – short, steep, view

The Flagheathhill the old landfill, the Vlagheide in Eerde, has been converted into a recreational hill. The figures: 400 metres Language, 6.51 TP3T on average, 27 metres of elevation. The figures seem modest; the profile is irregular, almost ticking on some stretches 20% The road. Unpaved too.

At the top you are rewarded with a view you wouldn't expect to find in Brabant. On a clear day, you can see the Provincial Government building in Den Bosch, the church towers of Sint-Oedenrode and the industrial estates of Veghel. Compare it to other converted waste heaps like Rose garden or The Kragge, but the difference here lies in what is at the base.

At the foot – sleeping and starting in the same place

At the foot lies Village Departure. The concept of Founder Geertje Gloudemans, born on the Vlagheide, revolves around five pillars: cycling café, team building, bike hire and clinics, meetings and overnight stays. Or in their own words: “Meet. Ride. Eat. Sleep. Repeat!”

This means that:

• The course, the estaminet at Village Départ, for coffee with homemade apple pie, lunch, specialty beer or just to watch the cycling on the terrace overlooking the water
• Accommodation on the grounds: cottages in the greenery by the water, plus the Duck keeper's cottage on the island in the pond
• Showers, bike rental, and meeting rooms in the main building
• Sociale ritten, clinics en arrangementen op maat for clubs, groups of friends or company outings

She herself says it like this: “With Village Départ, we want to offer a place where people can share their passion! For cycling, for the outdoors, for being active in nature and certainly also for Brabant bonhomie!”

The idea is that you, as a gravel or MTB group, can settle in here for a weekend and don't need to go anywhere else. Sleep at the climbing spot, head straight out on the route in the morning, shower afterwards, and join us for a meal at De Koers. This way, it becomes a basecamp that lives up to its name.

Around Eerde – gravel, MTB and a final climb

The routes depart from Village Départ These cater to multiple disciplines. For gravel bikers, it heads towards De Kampina and De Maashorst, via quiet Brabant country roads and polders. MTB riders dive into the Eerdse and Vresselse woods, with stops at Joe Mann and Aquabest. Road cyclists can use quiet village roads through the cores of Meierijstad.

The Vlagheideberg reappears in most routes as the final climb. The order works: first your ride, then the dessert, then coffee.

Village Départ offers, among other things, a 31 km family route (a combination of paved roads and gravel), a 42 km gravel route through the polders, and an 86 km gravel ride towards De Maashorst. Enough variety for a long weekend.

We'll definitely be testing these routes!

3.6 million for a hill

The municipality Meierijstad invests 3.6 million euros in the renovated Vlagheide, which approximately 42 hectares Cobbled. Phase 1, the construction of which began in December 2025, includes:

• A 3 km paved cycle path, four metres wide and suitable for cycling races
• A Mountain bike route of approximately 8 km winding around the flanks of the mountain
• Extra Walking trails of approximately 5 km
• A Car park for 30 cars

The mountain bike route winds around the mountain instead of going up and down once, which will result in significantly more metres of elevation gain than the current situation. Phase 2, with further recreational and nature development around the mountain, will follow later.

ZLM Tour as a stamp

Shortly after opening, the Vlagheide mountain is already getting its first race. On Saturday 5 September 2026 start and finish the fourth stage of the ZLM Tour at Schijndel. The longest stage of this edition passes through all thirteen core areas of Meierijstad, with the Vlagheideberg as the finishing climb. WorldTour teams such as Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Lidl-Trek, and Team Picnic PostNL are at the start.

John van den Akker says about the course: “Schijndel–Schijndel, with the little climb on the Vlagheide, can easily cause surprises. Looking forward to September.”

The ZLM Tour is moving to September this year for the first time, in the run-up to the European and World Cycling Championships. This makes the Vlagheideberg immediately part of a serious racing weekend.

When can you go there?

De Vlagheideberg opens on 9 July 2026 for cyclists, walkers and mountain bikers. Village Départ is already operational with De Koers, accommodation and routes. Anyone returning at the end of the summer can see the pros finish on the same climb on September 5th.

Do you know of any more places in the Netherlands where climbing, coffee and accommodation are so close together? We'd love to hear about it!