Iris’ Hometown on Gravel
We asked Iris to explain why riding in her hometown on gravel is so great. “Between Eindhoven and the Belgian border lies the village of Westerhoven. It’s a typical, small, elongated street village in the Kempen, in the province of Brabant. The Village makes up for an ideal base for cycling trips through the Malpie, Strabrechtse Heide, Leenderbos or to the ‘Lommelse Sahara’, just across the border in Belgium.
After my active professional career I discovered the gravel bike. Here in Brabant I can enjoy myself every day on the endless options of unpaved paths. Taking you out for a gravel ride, we will depart from Bergeijk and connect various nature reserves on our route such as the Strabrechtse Heide, Leenderheide and Malpie. All just as Beautiful to ride and I will make sure we hit as little tarmac as possible in between!
We don’t even have to go into civilization for a coffee. We will stop at ‘de Achelse Kluis’ for example. This ‘Trappist’ abbey is actually more known for its home-brewed beer, but trust me you will love this historic setting with a coffee just as much.
Gravelling here in my back yard means a combination of unpaved grid paths, farm roads and singletrack. And would you like even a bit more of a challenge? Then we can also go to the Lommelse Sahara to test your ‘sand skills’.”
