The fourth edition of the World Gravel Championship was held in beautiful South Limburg. The route consists of a loop of just over 50 kilometres through the municipalities of Beek, Beekdaelen, Voerendaal, Meerssen and Valkenburg, which the riders do several times. We went in advance to take a look at the training course, designed by Bram Tankink. What kind of climbs are in it? What are the roads like? Nothing like riding a part of the route in advance, so that during the race we can remember where it is really tough and where the exciting trails are. With a nice chalet at Huttopia Camping Valkenburg-Maastricht as a basecamp, we really enjoyed a nice weekend of Limburg Adventure!
Text: Maks Groeneveld | Photography: Jeffrey Wiese and Maks Groeneveld
Departure from Valkenburg-Maastricht Campsite
Camping Valkenburg-Maastricht actually has everything you could want as a cyclist. The park has chalets, glamping tents, gypsy caravans and spacious camping spots. And perhaps most important for cyclists: fresh rolls in the morning (that's the best preparation for a good gravel ride, right?) and a Topeak bike station with all the tools you could possibly need. Ideal for cyclists who, like us, sometimes forget something, such as a pump, for example... Oops. Fortunately, thanks to the bike station, we were still able to set off with hard tires. Not too hard, of course, because on Limburg gravel it's better to ride with a little less pressure in your tires.
Because we are riding from Valkenburg, we will not start at the official departure point in Beek. We will start halfway along the route, slightly south of Schimmert. We will turn onto the Pepelwijenweg and immediately our gravel hearts start beating faster; what a cool stretch! Wide with very fine gravel, making you want to accelerate right away. How fast they will ride here during the World Championships. We save our energy for now—after all, we are far from being pros—and mainly enjoy the rolling Limburg landscape. Farmers are busy working the land everywhere and the fields are still full of color.
Gravelparadise South-Limburg: across the farm fields and the hollow roads
We drive on gravel almost constantly. Usually on wide strips, right through beautiful rolling farmland. Regularly also on narrow paths with more loose stones, surrounded by trees and bushes. These are the so-called 'hollow roads'.The characteristic Limburg paths with steep sides on both sides. They are almost never flat; usually it is a short, steep climb or a nice descent. The sunken roads will undoubtedly be exciting during the World Championships, because these tough climbs can certainly make the difference. However, they are narrow and only the middle of the path is reasonably free of large boulders. Overtaking will not be without risk. Perhaps the toughest and most important sunken road on the course is the Bronsdalweg. This climb of approximately one kilometer is located on the approach to Maastricht and has an average gradient of 8%.
Halfway our route we're hitting Beek, where the official start will take place near the sports fields. From here, the first six kilometers are paved, allowing the peloton to spread out and ensuring maximum safety. Of course, we came mainly to test the gravel roads, so we decided to follow the route that the riders will take from the second lap onwards.
Busy on the course
The area around Maastricht Airport is mainly asphalt. “It looks more like...” Jeffrey begins. “Texel!” we both say at the same time. In any case, the landscape doesn't really look like Limburg. However, it is a road where we can expect some action. On the gravelclimb to the Raar our legs are slowly giving way. Perhaps we started a little too fast on this course, where we have one good rider after another breathing down our necks. It's clear that the pressure is mounting. We haven't encountered any oncoming traffic, but we have had about fifteen riders overtaking us at high speed. Not good for our ego, but very nice to see. Let's just capture it all beautifully.
Fulfilled, we arrive back at our chalet. How wonderful it is to leave from a chalet, rather than a hotel. Coming back from a good drive now feels like coming home. We make some more food in the kitchenette, enjoy a hot shower, and load up the car again. We have already seen that this World Cup course makes for spectacle. Would you like to relive this World Cup? Then book at Huttopia Valkenburg-Maastricht campsite.
More about Valkenburg? Gravel in South Limburg: Same Limburg, different world
