non-fixie 

After two wet and muddy versions of Eroica Limburg, this year we were promised sunny and warm weather. And that's what we got. Blue sky, blazing sun and 85 degrees in the shade. Good thing I'd packed my black wool G.S. Cinzano jersey.

As before, the Eroica festival terrain was located in the heart of Valkenburg, a bit of a tourist trap, but the perfect location for a venue like this. The area was open to the public, which made for a very friendly atmosphere. On arrival on Friday evening here was a bike and parts jumble, of course:







Bicycles to look at:





The one in the middle here is a Staiger, BTW, a brand which some of you might recognize from a thread not long ago:



And as one of the main sponsors was a big brewery, we were kept adequately hydrated while admiring each other's bikes.


.
We picked up our numbers and stamp card, and they were thoughtfully packed in a very useful plastic bag:

non-fixie 

The ride was on Saturday, and started with some fairly easy and rustic country roads:



Quickly followed by a first stop in a lovely castle garden, where we were welcomed with music ...



... and were served some kind of Apfelstrudel and a glass of prosecco. Very nice!



Bikes to look at, of course. Like this lovely Rickert:



After the stop, things got a bit more serious:





Good to see that there were a lot of female riders as well:

non-fixie 

I had brought along my newly acquired Visser Vainqueur for the occasion, which I'd hastily built up on the morning of our departure to Limburg. Which annoyed mrs non-fixie to no end, so I'm doubly happy to report that it didn't miss a beat.



This picture was taken in Germany, BTW, as our route circumvented the tripoint between Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, which also happens to be the highest Dutch piece of turf:



And onward we sped ..



... to the lunch stop in a church where we got very tasty stinky cheese with sour apple syrup ...



... looked at bikes again, especially this pretty Morel ...




... and rode into Belgium:

non-fixie 

The last stop is traditionally at the Brand brewery, where this time I was smart enough to not drink any of the beer ....



... because right after that is the Dead Man's Road, the longest and nastiest climb of the day. The picture doesn't do it justice. At all. 1,000 meters with an average incline of 11% and the worst bits at over 15%.



After that we were happy to get back to the festival terrain in Valkenburg and finally get a beer ...



... and check out some more bikes, of course, like this German pair:




All in all we had a very tiring and wonderful day. We did the shortest route, which was advertised as 60k, but according to Strava it was nearer 75k and over 3,000 feet of climbing. I thought it was more challenging than the 75k in Gaiole, FWIW.

Anyway, we'll be back next year.

I'll leave you with a parting shot of Valkenburg on Saturday night:

northbend 

Ok now, THAT looks like a whole lot of FUN!

I love your posts N-F, it makes me want to join you on those rides.

AdventureManCO 

Thank you for such a detailed post! It looked like a blast.

I'm starting to wish we had something very similar here in Colorado, as regular road races don't really interest me, but an old bicycle race would be a lot of fun. I dig rustiness and old grease. The bikes are interesting, too

noglider 

Very nice!

jcb3

Thanks for the photos!

John E

Thank you for posting! Some great bikes there.

juvela

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Yet another marvelous event report from our non-fixie!

The gentleman in the light grey tennis hat seen at the jumble looks familiar.

Methinks we have seen him afore in other event reports...

What be the orange machine without transfers?

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ryansu

Chapeau, thanks for sharing those pics, lovely and doesn't make me want to eat and drink my way across the continent at all....

Salamandrine 

Way cool man.

I guess it's no surprise that limburger cheese is served in Limburg.

At first I thought that climb was 1000 meters vertical gain @ 11%. That would be a pretty brutal climb for a ride like this, especially after a lunch or stinky cheese and beer, but you probably meant 1000m long, right?

Wildwood 

Yes, good confirmation request. 1,000 meters vertical near to flat Dutchlandia??? I have no local knowledge but ......

NF your reports are great. Love to see the food differences with USA. And the bikes that are seldom seen in N. America.

And yes, now you've got me hooked to finding a Staiger. Did the Germans chrome frames much? (I need a vintage CHROME bike).

noglider 

I didn't even know your country had a 327-meter high place, so I'm glad to learn.

Mogens

I can see why so many Germans felt at home here in Wisconsin, the landscape is very similar. If it weren't for some of the signage and architecture, this could have been the Dairy State, particularly around Monroe, home of the US's sole Limburger cheese plant. Wonderful photos. I'd love to do a ride like this some day.

thinktubes 

Aubergine 

non-fixie 

Thanks for all the kind replies, guys. Those are what makes posting here so rewarding.
@juvela: I know you have sharp eyes and an excellent memory, but recognizing strangers in my holiday snaps seems like a waste of brain space to me. WRT the orange bike: alas, no. I must have been distracted by the unexpected Staiger. Sorry, I'll pay better attention next time.
@Salamandrine: you're right. That particular road is 1,000 meters long. Found its profile on klimtijd.nl:


@Wildwood: chroming frames seems to have been a short-lived fad in continental Europe, and only with high end builders. The ones I've seen were mostly from the 50's to early 60's era. Better chances in Britain, where Carlton and Falcon, among others, seem to have produced a fair amount of chromed frames. And yes, everyone should have one. The comments you get on the road are absolutely worth it.
@noglider: it's actually 327.5. In a flat country like ours, every inch counts!

non-fixie 

'Course not. We really had to make do on the Friday night in a small town like Valkenburg:

juvela

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@non-fixie -

can see you are very definitely slipping in this report. the cycling and direct cycling related images outnumber those concerned with alimentazione e quaffmenturazione by a wide margin!

btw - who butles for D, F & F whilst you & mrs. non-fixie are afield?

yet another wonderful wreportaggio!

ps - i know someone in need of a pedal dust cap.

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Lascauxcaveman 

That Valkenburg street party scene looks like a nice spring evening on an older side road in New Orleans. Only with fewer people falling down and vomiting on your shoes.

non-fixie 

Why, they go on vacation as well. They usually stay at this excellent hotel.

Yeah, that would be me. I'm pretty sure I started out with a full complement. Oh, well.

non-fixie 

We returned to our hotel bed pretty early that night, for obvious reasons, but the increasing noise from the street below suggested the difference between Valkenburg and new Orleans is actually smaller than one might think.

davester

Ah yes, making do looks to be quite a difficult endeavor!

Another fantastic non-fixie travelogue! Looks like you're hitting all of the Eroica events. When will you be showing up here in sunny California? We have pretty good food and wine here too.