Cycling in Belgium - recommendations

I'm going cycling in Belgium next May with a friend from Canada and assorted others. The week I'll be there I gather we'll be doing the classic Belgian Spring classics stuff, and I gather the routes for that week are reasonably well sorted.

However, Mr. Canadian Friend is staying for another week's cycling and has asked me for recommendations for cycling in Belgium or adjacent bits of the Netherlands. Since my experience of riding in Belgium is basically limited to doing the Retro Ronde a few times, I'm not much use.

So, recommendations for cycling in Belgium and bits of Netherlands close to Belgium would be very welcome so I can pass them on to him. Thanks all.

LBL from Vielsalm. Amstel Gold around Valkenburg.

Does he want to tour or stay in one place? If one place: does he have a car or does he need to take a train? I live in Ghent and have been cycling in Belgium for 35 years so I do know some nice tours. 😏

Not one to piss on Belgium as I love the place, but I had a little holiday a few years back and rode from Brussels - Gent - Oostende and back over 5 days. Had I been in Belgium at the same time again, I'd spend a day on a train getting down to the south of france / north of italy and ride something else.

He'll have a hire car so he'll be mobile, but I think he's more interested in day rides rather than touring. I doubt he'll have touring kit with him. Any suggestions for day rides welcome though.

He's already done two weeks in the Dolomites and 5 weeks in the Swiss/French/Italian Alps a few years ago. This time, he wants Belgium, not least because of the WWI battlefields and war memorials.

Ardennes are beautiful. I did offroad Arbalete but the road bits were looking great as well. It's hilly over there as well, so not as boring as Flanders for example.

A car and day rides are the best combination here as it gives you the opportunity to do the nice rides (without having to cycle through the shitty parts of Belgium).

I'll have a look at what I can find. Any more info on what he wants? Maximum distance? Altitude gain?

Maximum distance probably 100km a day, but I'm sure he could do more if necessary. He's a grimpeur, so as much climbing as possible! Thanks.

Any tips on places to stay in Belgium to watch the Ronde and then on to Paris Roubaix? Kortrijk looks kinda convenient but that's just from looking at Google maps.
Will probably ferry to hook of Holland and train/ride down.
Any experiences much appreciated.

If you want to do some cycling yourself, Kortrijk is not the best basecamp. I 'd rather stay in Ronse or Geraardsbergen. Lots of small B&B's in the area with all cycling facilities you might need.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29404396

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/32347849

Enjoy

Thanks! Ronse looks ideal and grabbing those routes now 👍

Some more info and tips can be found on https://www.cyclinginflanders.cc/plan-your-stay

You’ve also got Ypres and cycling around the WWI battlefields…

We did that and stayed in ypres
Just round the corner from the cheap burger chips place.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/4whR6gx3sqJBAjhV7?g_st=ic

Bikes go inside . Great breakfast and coffee

Staying in Ypres means you can drink beer at the excellent Café Bazaar.

Le Coffee Ride in Coo has a great collection of rides in the Ardennes : https://www.lecoffeeride.cc/rides/.

Hi, me and my brother are doing a trip 29/4-2/5. No real plans and I guess having a nice time is more important than going far. I have a loose idea of riding Bru-antwerpen -Westmalle cloister day 1 and then maybe some Dutch seaside (between us we have 2/4 of a Dutchman, so would like to score some haring and fries) day 2.

If anyone has any I would be very thankful. We're happy to take the train to avoid backtracking.

Ta!

Click around a bit on https://www.mybrevet.cc/en/randonneursbe/brevet/bp-wave-2
Lots of good 100 km & 200 km rides

Thanks, looks like a good starting point!

Can any of the recent visitors share anything on their trips? A mate and I are looking at a few days riding in Belgium in early August, thinking we might stay in the Oudenaarde area and pick up some of the Flanders routes similar to @elswick mentioned above. Any experiences/suggestions anyone can share?

Can't answer yet, but heading over for a week on 15th, Dunkirk to Brugge, Gent, Antwerp, Brussels and back via Ypres and Roubaix.

Can't wait! Can tell you all about the area after!

I did 3 days with my brother in the first week of May and Flanders had considerate drivers, good cycling infrastructure and soo many canal paths. We mostly stuck to cycle paths and cycle highways (!). Don't have any special recommendations but getting accommodation where you could; safely store your bike was never a problem (we usually shared a locked garage or suchlike with staff).

We did create an Instagram account if you're interested:https://www.instagram.com/m_o_c_i_belgien

Check out https://www.cyclinginflanders.cc/routes and https://www.cyclinginflanders.cc/flandrien-challenge#suggestion