One of the most beautiful downhill mountainbike areas just around the corner.
Are you looking for a fun weekend with a group of friends and is downhill mountainbiking your thing? Then the Ardennes is pre-eminently a great environment to completely immerse yourself. The Ardennes has a lot of beautiful trails that are specially designed for downhill mountainbiking. Meanwhile, you can enjoy the beautiful surroundings that this part of Belgium has to offer. This makes your weekend or midweek away with the boys only more beautiful. Also, the area offers you many beautiful accommodations where you can spend the evenings together while enjoying the many different beers where Belgium is known from. The Ardennes is for many reasons an ideal place to stay for a group of friends who are looking for a challenge in their passion. In this blog you will find the most beautiful spots in the Ardennes for downhill mountainbiking.
Chaud Fontaine
The area around bikepark Chaudfontaine is really ideal for anyone who wants to try out his skills. Chaudfontaine is located just below Liege, a beautiful city where you can have a good time in the evening. But before you go into the pub there are some very nice descents waiting for you. The best place to park your car is at the parking lot: Esplanade 17 4050 Chaudfontaine.
There are rocky trails that can prepare you perfectly for a trip in the Alps. North of the above address you can go up via a paved road. Once at the top you have many choices, including a very fun and for many also very challenging downhill track. All tracks specifically for downhill mountainbiking are located south of the hill, so back towards the parking lot. See here one of the beautiful tracks you will have to deal with:
At the end of the trip you will return to the car and drive towards Liege. Here you have a lot of cozy bars where you can have a bite to eat and drink together. ‘Volga’ and ‘Taverne Saint Paul’ are excellent examples of this. After the cozy evening and the necessary drinks there are very nice Bed & Breakfasts to find. In there you can fully rest for the next day with a fresh view on the bike to get out. Some recommendations are The Street Lodge and B&B N°5. But for those who are really looking for the best Bed & Breakfast in Liege, we recommend Villa Thibault. The villa is a beautiful 19th century building with free parking. All nice pubs are within walking distance so no one has to be BOB. Villa Thibault can be booked via:
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All in all, Chaud Fontaine combined with Liege is the ideal starter for a down hill mountain bike men’s weekend.
Malmedy
The next day Malmedy could be a wonderful next step for the weekend. Malmedy is half an hour away from Chaudfontaine and is also a beautiful spot for downhill mountainbiking in the Ardennes. In Malmedy you have the Bike Park Ferme Libert Malmedy which is located in the heart of the High Fens. The bike park is just a few minutes from the center of Malmedy, in the garden of the famous Ferme Libert. The ski slope of Ferme Libert has been known throughout Belgium for more than 50 years. The Malmedy bike park consists of three impressive down hill trails. There is a total difference in altitude of 110 meters. The tracks are about 600 and 800 meters long. One of the longest down hill tracks in the Ardennes.
The big advantage of this bikepark is that it is equipped with all standard facilities. There is an ideal parking lot, there are toilets, there is a bike rental and bike wash and most important of all: There is a an old ski lift to drag you op. This elevator will take some time to get used to it, because it is a real old elevator which is not very comfortable. The chance of having a good laugh here is even bigger because of this.
Also the sleeping quarters are more than fine. Again there is a near Bed & Breakfast in the area called Le Bernister. Are you more hungry for a nice hotel after such a tiring day? Then the My Hotel Malmedy is also an excellent choice to spend your night. This hotel has very comfortable beds and also a beautiful swimming pool in which you can rest your muscles perfectly.
Vielsalm
Within half an hour from Malmedy you have another beautiful area for downhill mountainbiking, named Vielsalm. Here you will find a bike park with 3 totally different tracks that are specially made for downhill mountainbiking. The trail is very accessible and the level of difficulty is clearly indicated. The three tracks all have the same starting point, namely the top of the T60. You can easily get there by car and you can park at Baraque de Fraiture 6. On this link you see a nice example of one of the long down hill tracks that can be found in Vielsalm:
Once down at the descent there are several ski elevators that take you effortlessly back up to the top. For only €10 you get a card that allows you to go up 15 times. So you can descend each track up to five times for a tenner. If you do not have a mountain bike then it is also possible to rent one there. Wearing an integral helmet is mandatory. Both plumbing and a good cafeteria are available so you can have a good lunch in the afternoon. To spend the evening, the area offers you many fun and special opportunities. Take a look at the unusual places the neighborhood has to offer:
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La Roche
The last area we want to highlight is La Roche. Again less than half an hour driving from the previous area there is a new down hill track. If you read other blogs about La Roche, you will come across different stories about this down hill area. It is important that you take the right routes. Route 1 to 4 are very challenging and technical routes that are definitely worth a day trip. Route 5 and 6 are fun to do, but are not super technical. Apart from these routes I wouldn’t try other routes because they are more suitable for nature lovers. The nature is a big advantage of the tracks in La Roche. You are in a beautiful nature that makes downhill mountainbiking even more fun.
After 4 days of down hill mountain biking in four different areas of the Ardennes, it is time to go home again. Those four areas with have highlighted are all different and unique in their own way. This gives every day and every track a different experience. In addition, the areas are close together so you do not have to spend hours in the car. This all together makes these four areas in the east of Belgium an ideal trip for the true lover of downhill mountainbiking. Beside the beautiful tracks, you als visit some beautiful cities, with nice pubs and nice places to sleep. In our eyes, all this together makes a long and sporty weekend away with the men to never forget.
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