The Conquest of the Ardennes — a bike adventure to remember

Aaaah Belgium, falsely known as ‘The Flat Country’. Despite its nickname popularised by Jacques Brel's song, Belgium is far from being flat when you cycle through it. With this slightly extreme itinerary, I want to introduce you to Wallonia and its beautiful Ardennes area. This region has a nice, hilly terrain and some tough climbs, made famous by cycle races such as the Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour de France.

The Conquest is an ultra-ordinary cycling adventure, a demanding route, which follows one hill after another over more than 450 kilometres (280 mi) to flirt with 8,000 metres (26, 250 ft) of altitude gain – almost as much as Mount Everest! The route takes you through the heart of the Belgian Ardennes, the Famenne and the Condroz. You will have the opportunity to test yourself on all types of climbs, from hills and small passes in the Liege region to the Mosan walls.

The conquest of the Ardennes is part of a climbing triptych called the "D+ challenge". Three very demanding courses, which share the same values of challenging yourself and humility. The first is ‘The 7 Majors’, an epic climb that brings you to the seven legendary passes of the French-Italian Alps. The second is called ‘L'Omomarto’. Starting in Annecy, this challenge covers little-known roads in the Bornes-Aravis massif. And the third one is not in the Pyrenees, nor in another mountain range, but in Belgium, in the heart of the Ardennes.

Even if this challenge is aimed at those who love extreme challenges, I wanted to make it accessible and enjoyable for all cyclists with minimum training. I have therefore divided it into five stages. The best place to begin is in Namur, the capital of Wallonia, which is easily accessible by train. Each stage ends in a small town where you will find accommodation for the night (hotels, gites, campsites, etc.) and food for the next stage. The Tours follow the official route of the Ardennes Conquest with some additional variations. You’ll find epic climbs, peaceful lanes, magnificent viewpoints, historic castles and plenty more quintessential Ardennes highlights.

You’ll notice that each stage name is a reference to a singular element of the route. Thus stage 1, the ‘mise en Jambes’, starts in the commune of Jambes.

As far as practical information is concerned, you’ll find a lot of useful information to prepare your journey, especially concerning accommodation, on this site: walloniabelgiumtourism.co.uk.

Namur is easily accessible by train or car. The Conquest route starts five minutes from the city centre and the train station. To consult the train timetable or book your ticket, here is the official website of the SNCB: belgiantrain.be/en (in English). Please note that in Belgium, you need to buy a ‘bicycle supplement’ ticket in addition to your train ticket. This is a single price per bicycle, whatever your destination.