The best traffic-free bike rides around Bersée

Mons and Pevele accelerate 170 km 30 lanes

Really a strip where you can't cheat... First part goes down a bit so you can pick up some speed to get through. Cobblestones are in really bad condition and with the stacking of the strips this is really one that can break your neck...

@paulnijhof it's a bit of a shame that you copy my texts and photos from my blog.

This section is nog easy. The cobbles just seam to hate you. You will hate them too. Good luck and please be careful here.

A nice section of Voie Verte, a hint of small roads, a good bit of forest (Marchiennes) and a return via the old Scarpe towpath to complete the loop. Itinerary accessible to all. However, some sections may become muddy in the event of rain.

A three kilometer long legendary cobblestone section. There is only one solution to survive the strip: drive hard over the bump and slow down only on the two corners!

Mons en Pévèle 3000 meters - five stars Since 1955, this name has made many a cyclist sweat. The section has been modified several times, but the difficulty of the current section still fits the legendary name. Mons en Pévèle is a village on a hill over a hundred meters high in the Pays de Pévèle. My knowledge of Dutch history isn't very good, but I believe Pevelenberg belonged to the Southern Netherlands in the Middle Ages. I certainly don't want to argue about it, because that happened far too often in this region. The Battle of Pevelenberg (1304) is particularly well-known, and historians still disagree about who actually won. Since then, this region has seen almost every war fought. Fortunately, these days, battles are only fought on bicycles. In the first years the race visited Mons and Pévèle, it was accessed via the climb of Le Caouin. A tough, steeply rising cobblestone section. However, the milkman in Mons and Pévèle was tired of constantly arriving with butter instead of milk. So Le Caouin was paved. The race diverted to the other side of the mountain and climbed the village via the Pas Roland. But even this route to the summit could not escape the asphalt paver. Fortunately, in the Pévèle region, there are many, many kilometers of cobblestones between the fields. Just below the hill, there is now a Z-shaped cobblestone section that is one of the toughest in the race. The cobblestones are poor to very poor, and much of it is a nasty, false flat. This, combined with the almost constant wind, makes it a very tough section. The section has been part of the course since 1978 and has only been left empty once since then. Only the first section has been used a few times, and in 2008 the very poor sections were restored. The Mons and Pévèle section usually causes a fair number of riders to fall overboard. By then, the race has passed the 200 mark, and the men aiming for victory will be giving it a good beating. For the less fortunate, this stage of the race is usually a lesson in humility. Immediately after the section comes a false flat. A trifle for a trained professional, but at this stage of the race, everything counts. This is where the clash of arms begins, but it's still fifty kilometers to Roubaix, with another 15 kilometers of mostly very poor cobblestones along the way. If it's rained, this is a section where the devil holds court. The last 1500 meters, in particular, are a nearly impossible task—despite the restoration. The potholes along the side of the road are filled with puddles, and you can't tell how deep they are. Only the brave dare to come off the back of the road to overtake others. If you're further than 20th in a rain edition, this is the moment you lose the race. During the race, this stretch attracts a large crowd.

Super well rolling and very winding sector. Ideal for having fun, but watch out for families on a walk 😉!