Classic Road Cycling Holidays - Follow the tracks of the pros! - Belgium - Cobbled Classics

Belgium - Cobbled Classics - Classic Road Cycling

The Spring Classics are amongst the most prestigious one-day road races in the international pro cycling calendar and the northern classics of Belgium are possibly the most legendary of all bike races.

This reputation is as much down to the unlikely terrain and unusual roads on which the races are staged as anything else. The Flandrian classics such as the Tour of Flanders are famed for their cobbled muurs (short steep climbs), while the Ardennes classics like Liege-Bastogne-Liege are feared for their constant steep and narrow climbs.

This new and exciting Belgian tour takes in many of these famous bergs and muurs. Starting from Brussels we head into West Flanders. This is the heartland of European bike racing and is as much a “Mecca” to fans of road cycling as Alpe D’huez or the Tourmalet with every road junction splattered with painted arrows and words of encouragement to the countless racers who regularly brave the roads here.

We spend a couple of days tackling the cobbled icons such as the Koppenberg, Ouede Kwaermont and Muur de Grammont before heading south to the picturesque and hilly Ardennes, where, amongst others we ride the testing slopes of La Redoute and the Muur de Huy amongst others.

But there’s no need to be overly concerned, it’s not all about hard work and burning calf muscles. This is Belgium afterall and there are thousands of beers to sample, as well as buckets of moule frites, topped with mayonnaise!