Gravel on the Veluwe. It almost sounds like religion. Like Erwin Sikkens, mastermind behind the 300-kilometre-long green divide, organises a social ride then you know it's going to be cool. In spring 2022, at the time of the Strade Bianche, this route master is organising the #stradekomoot in collaboration with Komoot. The ride is an ode to the Strade Bianche and has its own Piazza del Campo a.k.a. the Forest Road climb. For Cycling Destination, Djowin Meijerink went out and, with his report in hand, it's clear. You must have done this Gravel route on the Veluwe once. With or without Erwin Sikkens....
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Text: Djowin Meijerink, photos: Erwin Sikkens // www.erwinsikkens.com
Tasty start at Nelson
The day (and hence this gravel route) starts at Restaurant Cafe Nelson with coffee and meeting other gravel enthusiasts. We are lucky, the weather is with us. It is chilly, but beautifully sunny. After a brief introduction, we get on our bikes and make our way through the city towards the green. After about three kilometres, we approach the first gravel strip called the Warnsborn gravel road. It is a wide gravel path that gives us the Veluwe leads on. At a ´party pace´ we get to know each other. Everyone has a great story to tell. For instance, Erwin talks about his first ultra experience on Gran Canaria and Julien about his trip through the Alps.
Read also: TIPS FOR YOUR FIRST GRAVEL ADVENTURE
Italia!
The group is approaching the Italian road. It is a cobbled road with nice curves that goes down steeply. Others we see climbing with sweat on their foreheads, but we happily get to go down. After a short stretch of tarmac, we arrive at the driveway of Duno country estate. Both sides of the road are overgrown with yew trees and you already feel a bit like you are in Tuscany. At the end of the drive, we approach a crossroads with an old ANWB signpost in the middle. We turn left and continue westwards, parallel to the Lower Rhine.
Planken Wambuis
Via the Renkumse Heide we arrive at the Planken Wambuis nature reserve. A combination of heathland and forest is what makes the area here so beautiful, which is also reflected in the number of recreational cyclists. This stretch I cycle alongside a lady from Belgium. She talks about her bikepacking adventures in Belgium and how crazy people there are about cycling. It is cool and inspiring to hear other people's stories. We cycle past Terlet airfield and the enthusiast knows that you then ride through a very beautiful part of the Veluwe. On a kilometre-long gravel road, there are two dead trees in the middle of the heath on either side of the road. Erwin crowns it as ´the national gravel monument´. For any gravel enthusiast, the Deeler Forest with its gravel monument as a landmark is a must-see. This is what makes gravel on the Veluwe so beautiful.
Loenermark
We cross the eighty road and arrive at the Loenermark. It is a high-altitude area on the eastern flank of the Veluwe moraine. The highest point here is 85 metres above sea level. So climb... Legs are already creaking for some and Arnhem's Piazza del Campo is yet to come. We roll down the hump and the last stretch we ride back to town with the wind in our backs and Erwin tells us what to expect: 'We cycle straight into a valley, then we go down steeply, then we turn right twice and then Arnhem's Piazza del Campo follows'.
Final
The Forest Road... It's a climb that starts fairly gently, but ends with a good 10% of gradient. Would the winner of Strade Bianche bang on nicely here too? At least for us, the acid has completely soaked into our legs. I look down and see that my water bottles are empty too. So time to quietly roll into town and have another drink at Cafe Nelson. The great thing is that everyone always has strong stories after a ride like this. Drinks are had and everyone is excited for the next adventure! Gravel on the Veluwe is highly recommended.
