cycling in Belgium

[bladesman73]

A mate and I plan to take a few days cycling around Belgium this summer. I would be interested to hear from others who have cycled in Belgium,esp tips of the best routes to take. We will both be on road bikes so off road is a no no. Thanks for any feedback in advance

 

[robgul]

Go to Ypres - stay 2 or 3 nights - ride round the marked WW1 cycle route - very moving, and great scenery - the beer is good too!

Road

 

[Trickedem]

We got told off quite badly for not being on a cycle path. I am not sure if it is law, but there is definitely an expectation that you shouldn't be on the road if there is a path available. We cycled from Dunkerque to Brussels over two days and stayed in Gerardsbergen. The first day we spent some time visiting war cemeteries, and on the second we went to Waterloo. It's a great country to cycle in and as others have said, the beer is fab.

 

[Bodhbh]

North for flatness, cycle paths and Flemish. South for hills, road cycling and French.

 

[StuAff]

http://www.kuleuven.be/transportation/pdf/guideforcycling.pdf is a useful to signs and regulations, found it last year.

The law about cycle paths is quite clear: if it's there, you MUST use it.

Awesome country to cycle in. Watch out for tramlines....

 

[bladesman73]

Thanks all for the replies. The cycle path issue was one i was curious about.im assuming they are proper road bike worthy paths over there unlike over here in uk. The ww1 path sounds interesting. We were planning to pitch a tent as centrally as poss and then go north, south, east and west on seperate days.

 

[Broadside]

We are heading over to Roubaix next Thu and then spending the weekend cycling in Belgium, I didn't know about the cycle path rule. Interesting.

 

[StuartG]

If you do make Ypres - 6pm at the Menin Gate is an experience you will not forget.
A visit to the Westmalle Brewery is another.

 

[Pjays666]

Did a 3 day mini tour with local ctc last year travelling into bruge. Cycle lanes are fantastic (probably better than our roads) they use a numbering system and nolls which is quite easy to navigate with a map. Try to get a map in advance or head to nearest tourist information on arrival. You will enjoy it but can feel a bit disorientating at first due to it being so flat.

 

[smith4188]

Cycle lanes are fantastic (probably better than our roads)...

I think it depends where you are. A lot of the cycle lanes I used were simply white lines painted on to old, broken pavements. And you're still supposed to use them. The south, bordering Luxembourg, was pretty. More information about Belgium at UniCycle50.

 

[Sittingduck]

As above - they go batsh*t if you don't use a designated cycle path. One guy pulled right in front of us and screeched to a stop because we were riding on the road and not the cycle path - this was quite close to Brussels. We were about to fly into kick-off mode but it turned out he was a local copper!

Road surfaces in some of the more main routes are not great. In summary - nice beer but not that great for cycling, which surprised me a bit.

 

[mmmmartin]

if there is a blue cycle path sign, it is mandatory to use it and you could be fined if you are on the road. having said that, the cycle paths are nothing like the uk, they tend often to be more of a reserved road system specially for cyclists.

 

[TonyMartin]

hi there i am considering a week long cycling journey through Belgium later this year and am wondering how you got on with your journey last year? thanks in advance!

 

[Hill Wimp]

hi there i am considering a week long cycling journey through Belgium later this year and am wondering how you got on with your journey last year? thanks in advance!

Where in Belgium do you want to go?

Personally I would consider Bruges and Ghent. The cycle between the two along the canals is great and both are great cities to investigate.

 

[mmmmartin]

[QUOTE 3696864, member: 259"]Nobody in Belgium gives a shite about compulsory cycle paths [/QUOTE]At 4am on a Sunday two of us were riding a 600k audax through Ostend and were on the road. A police car pulled up alongside and told us we should be on the mandatory cycle path. It was the only car we saw for a couple of hours. When we do the annual FNRttC ride overnight from Brussels to Ostend we're careful to use the mandatory cycle path when it exists. We have not been stopped or fined, but we have seen police cars out and about.