Cycling past cycling cafés

The Flemish Ardennes at their most beautiful? Then be sure to check out the Bidon cycling route. A fun, challenging cycle ride past heritage sites, tasty beers, incredible scenery and cosy cycling cafés.

Fancy hopping on your bike and crossing Belgium’s racing region? Join us and put the Bidon cycling route in your diary!

Discover the most beautiful bicycle paths in the Flemish Ardennes

A sporty bike ride for the whole family along beautiful bicycle paths and inviting cycling cafés? Have a look at this Bidon cycling route. This 42 km cycling route starts in Geraardsbergen.

Some 25 cycling junctions and many impressions later, you are back at the door of Mattentaart Atelier in Geraardsbergen. Perfect, because you’ve undoubtedly become very hungry from that trip on two wheels. And the friends and relatives who stayed home would probably also like a mattentaart or two. Oh, and don’t forget to give your colleagues this unique treat as well!

Iconic cycling spots and achievements

You haven’t even left Geraardsbergen, and you’re already treated to one of the iconic images of the Tour of Flanders: the Kapelmuur or Wall of Geraardsbergen. What a spot!

The sight of it makes any cycling fan’s heart beat a little faster. The climb might too. Expect more leg killers along the way, such as the Valkenberg or the Berendries. There’s no better way to imagine yourself Tom Boonen or Eddy Merckx.

Great cycling cafés and gourmet spots

An occasional stop is a must. That way, you enjoy your bike ride a little longer, and you get to taste some tasty treats along the way. Slam on the brakes at Het Bruggenhuis in Overboelare, for example. The setting is unsurpassed. It’s an old bargee’s café on the towpath along the Dender River.

Visit ‘t Fameus Verleden

Equally unsurpassed and unique is ‘t Fameus Verleden in Everbeek. In this splendid little pub, villagers and passers-by have been coming to drink beer since 1902. Formerly a café–paint shop, today it’s an attractive and tasty stop along the Bidon cycling route. A snack? A drink?  What a spot!

As only mama can

Want to sit down at mother’s table? You can, at Moeder Agnes in Brakel. This eatery on a family farm welcomes you for a snack and a sumptuous dinner. You can relax on the patio here and enjoy modern and original dishes full of aroma and colour.

The Dender River, heritage and a brewery

The Bidon route also takes you along the beautifully meandering Dender River. Cycling in nature and along the waterfront is interspersed with heritage sites such as churches and chapels and interesting villages and towns.

A nice mix that - for beer lovers - also includes a tour of a brewery. At Brouwerij De Graal in Brakel, you get a look behind the scenes followed by a tasty beer (provided you make a reservation in advance)!

Come and experience the Flemish Ardennes for yourself

Want to explore the Flemish Ardennes by bike? The Bidon cycling route is feasible for the whole family because there are many cycling junctions. You ride from junction to junction, occasionally interspersed with challenges or climbs, but primarily on beautiful paths and past delicious stops. It’s wonderfully sporty!