Well, there was only 1 BIG left to be collected in Limburg and that BIG is called Oude Huls. The previous 2 times I went to Limburg for cycling I had used a modified Top Ten Trip (TTT) that started and ended in Valkenburg. This implied that I would miss 2 of the hills that are in the top ten. So I figured that I would take along these two this time, to climb a few BIGs from another, tougher, side and to add the one BIG that did not yet had mastered. So though the start point was now Geulle, near Maastricht, as originally specified for the TTT, I did tailor the trip towards my own needs.
I had reserved two weekends to cycle in Limburg together with Marloes as she had even more BIGs to climb in Limburg. I will not bore you with the details as I do that enough as it is ;-) But the first weekend we did not go as Marloes had other things on her wish list. So I finally just took a day off and went to Limburg on my own. You have to set the priorities you know. And for Marloes, cycling is not as high on the list as for me. And I had a goal that I wanted to reach of course. So on the foggy morning of the 6th of October I drove off to Limburg.
When driving to Geulle via the N285 I found myself descending the Slingerberg (Winding mountain). And the road does indeed winds it's way down to Geulle. It must be a nice ascent too (5% on average, 7% max and 1100m long). Anyway, I parked my car on the main square and took my bicycle out of the car. This means I had to assemble it again as I had taken out the front- and rear wheel to be able to put it into the car in the first place. By the time I was ready to leave it was about ten o'clock. From the main square it is just a small stretch to the first hill of the day, the Snijdersberg (7% on average, 13% max and 600m long). So it's a short but steep climb. And every time I wonder why it's so tough to get up to the top. I'm well trained but unfortunately I train on flat country and I guess I use different muscles when climbing hills/mountains. I must have sounded like a steam train when I arrived at the top. Pffff, a short but exhausting climb. From Geulle I drove on to Kasen so I could cross the E25. Then it's on to Meerssen. There I had a hard time figuring out how to get to Rothem/Geulhem. It's good I had a map with me. This is the map I have recommended before if you want to cycle in the south of Limburg (Falk: Op bezoek bij de boswachter). In Geulhem was the 2nd hill of the day called Barakkenberg. Now don't think that this is really the 2nd hill. In fact the road is continuously going up and down. But some hills stick out. That is the case for the Snijdersberg in Geulle and also for the Barakkenberg in Geulhem. Barakkenberg is again not so long, just 650m, but the maximum gradient is 13%. The fog was still hanging between the trees when I went up. And again it didn't go easy. Yeah, yeah I know, these hills can't compete with true mountains like l'Alpe d'Huez, Passo dello Stelvio or Mont Ventoux. But then you are comparing apples with pears as we say.
And now we deviate from the TTT as I had decided to take also the Bemelerberg into the trip. Years ago, when I was still young (14 years or so) I had been cycling with two friends in Limburg too. And then we had descended the Bemelerberg and even overtaken a bus on our way down. I can still vividly remember that when we checked the map when we came to the town that we found out we had to cycle back up again ! An unexpected 'pleasure'. So due to these memories I had planned to take Bemelerberg into the trip too. I had found a small road from Geulhem to Bemelen on the map and that's the road I took. The first part was OK. But then there was no asphalt anymore. I cautiously descended down a track that was better suited for mountain bikers :-( I had to use the brakes continuously and also both feet to keep myself upright. Do you get the picture?? I was really glad when I reached the end of the descent and a little bit further even more where there was asphalt again. Pffff, I made it in one piece and this road I would definitely not choose again !! Though it did take me neatly to where I wanted to go: Bemelen. From Bemelen it's up to the top of the Bemelerberg. Now this hill went OK. Don't think that I got into shape now. This is just due to the fact that the Bemelerberg is on average just 4% with a maximum of 5%. Aha, that explains why this one was rather easy ;-).
By now I'm on the plateau of Margraten. So the road to Sibbe is almost flat. Just before I reached Sibbe I descended from the plateau towards Valkenburg. This is just so I could make my way up again via the Cauberg. This is the first BIG of the day but it doesn't count as I have that one already in the pocket since last year. I have just taken the Cauberg into the trip as it's a very well known climb. The last two editions of the Amstel Gold Race, a professional cycling race, have finished on top of the Cauberg. Even world championship have finished on the top of Cauberg. Well, as you can see I can't leave that one out. Also the Cauberg didn't go easy. This climb is a bit longer, 1450m, and on average just 5% but with a maximum of 12%. Back on top of the plateau of Margraten I descended again via the same road to Valkenburg. I just had made a small loop to have the Cauberg on the menu. Now it's onto to Schin op Geul to take the 2nd BIG of the day. And again this one doesn't count for the same reason as I explained before. By now the fog has vanished almost and the sun is peeking through. Things are looking brighter now until I get to the Keuteberg of course. This climb starts with a small piece of 21%! Then it eases as the gradient goes down to just 16%. Yes, I was definitely glad again to arrive at the top of the Keuteberg in one piece and without getting off my bike :-). After I had taken the Keuteberg I cycled on to Gulpen. The 3rd BIG in a row. But this is the first BIG where I would take an alternative side to reach the summit. And even though another side is taken you can't claim a BIG twice so again no points gained. This time I would take the Gulpenerberg from Gulpen, the North West side to be precise. The first part up to the 90 degrees turn to the left is steep and that continues until the road bends to the right again. This steep part is followed by an easy part. But don't think you're there as the last part the gradient rises to 12%.
I arrived at the top at 12:10 and decided to take a break. But as the sun was shining brightly now I took of my long trousers and switched to a shirt with short sleeves. I did not spend too much time on the top as I still had 6 hills planned and not yet reached the farthest point of the trip. So I descended to Partij (did that side last year) and then cycled via Mechelen and Epe on to Camerig. Here starts the Vijlenerbosweg climb. Yet another BIG with no points to gain. So why take these BIGs into the trip then you might think ? Well, some of them I took to try a different side (Gulpenerberg and Vaalserberg) others I took as they are mandatory for me due to the fact that it is well known or scenic reasons (Cauberg, Vijlenerbosweg and Eyserbosweg) or even due to the name. Name ? Yeah, there is a climb called 'the Dead man', I have to take that climb of course. So the Vijlenerbosweg, we did that climb last year too. What I like so much of this climb is that it's quite long (2700m) has some hairpins in it even and the climb takes you through the Vijlener bos. Bos means forest and while cycling up you can peak through the trees and look down over the country side. Last year the leaves where colored and you could hear the wind through the trees. This year the forest was still mainly green but it is still a nice and beautiful climb. To reach Vijlen I had to descend after I reached the top of the Vijlenerbosweg and then I needed to cycle up to the village again. Well, there you go I don't know if this climb has a name but I could definitely feel my legs when I made my way up to Vijlen. Luckily from Vijlen the road goes down again to Vaalsbroek. I could see the turn to the Pas van Wolfshaag. This is also one of the climbs in the original TTT and I had taken that climb last year. But now I cycled on to Vaals so I could make my way up to the Drie Landen Punt (Three Countries Point). This climb I had already done when coming from Gemmenich but now I would take the tougher side coming from Vaals. Again, like the Vijlenerbosweg a relatively long climb, 3100m but not as steep. Still, the amount of kilometers (75) and hills (8 that stick out and the rest) start to count now. And I arrived at the Drielandenpunt at 13:15. Here I took the rest of my sandwiches and a picture. Allert, a colleague of mine, had taken this climb the day before even and send me a photo taken with his mobile phone at the top of the Vaalserberg. So I made a similar photo with my mobile.
Me and Allert van der Veen
After the break I descended the Vaalserberg on the same side as I had climbed it. And from Vaals I cycled along the N278 in the direction of Nijswiller until I could take the turn towards Simpelveld. Now here is finally the BIG that I'm after at, the Oude Huls. I made my way up via the Grachtstraat and then on to the Hulsbergstraat. On my face a BIG smile as it is my last BIG in Limburg. The climb is 1000m long (8% max) and continues into the town of Huls. The descend I did via the Hulsbergstraat and then a turn to the right to the St. Remigiusstraat. With my last BIG in Limburg in the pocket I cycled on to Eys to take the Eyserbosweg. This is a vicious climb as it starts quite OK and gradually increases up to 16% ! This part almost made me step down. But that is of course out of the question. The speed decreases rapidly while the heartbeat increases rapidly too. I was glad to reach the top. Pffff, why did I take this climb into the program ? Ah well, during the descent to Wijlre I could recover again. But I had planned the Oude Elkenraderweg and that climb starts on the outskirts of Wijlre. This climb was part of the original Top Ten Trip but the last two times I had not performed it. So it was on the menu this time. 1500m of climbing with 5.5% on average. During the climb I saw the other ascent that is shorter and hence steeper (Vrouwenendelweg). But that one will have to wait. I cycled down again wondering where I would end up. I arrived back in Wijlre and recognized the road. I had made a loop. That was quite good as I could almost immediately take the small path (Keizer karelpad) to Stokhem. From Stokhem it's up again via the Deadman (Doodeman) to the summit of the Keuteberg as this is just the other side. But also this side is tough. The maximum gradient is not 21% but 16% is not easy either and the average gradient of 11% is higher than that of the Keuteberg (8%). While busy with this climb I received an SMS. Well, that one will have to wait as I was much to busy with the climb. But on the top I checked and it was an SMS of Patricia. I called her around half past three standing at the top of the Keuteberg looking down on Schin op Geul. I indicated that I estimated to be back at Geulle around 5 o'clock.
Down it goes and going down the Keuteberg is almost as bad as going up ;-) From Schin op Geul I tried to follow the Top Ten Trip (TTT) to Schoonbron, Ransdaal, Klimmen and Hulsberg. That part went pretty well except for the parts that go up of course. In Hulsberg I passed a campsite where we have been camping years ago, before we got married even so it must have been at least 20 years or more. And the campsite still exists. Even the big tree near the main building that I remembered was still there. From Hulsberg I deviated from the TTT as I could not find the direction to Aalbeek. Instead I cycled to Groot Haasdaal and then to Meerssen. Do you recall that I had troubles finding my way in Meerssen in the morning ? Well, it was the same in the afternoon. I needed to go via Humcoven/Schietecoven and directions were poor. With some aid and the map I had I found the road that carried me across the A2. It runs parallel to end of the runway of the airport of Beek. From here I knew how to get back to Geulle and I did arrive there around 5 o'clock.
I had cycled 126.8 km in roughly 6 hours if I subtract the 2 short breaks and
the time I spend looking on the map and asking for directions. So that's roughly
20km/h. Not too bad. The major hills I mastered were: Snijdersberg,
Barakkenberg, Bemelerberg, Cauberg, Keuteberg(N), Gulpenerberg (WN),
Vijlenerbosweg, Drielandpunt(NW), Oude Huls(S), Eyserbosweg, Oude Elkeraderweg
and the Doodeman/Keuteberg(S). I was tired but happy with the trip and the
beautiful day. I left Geulle via the Slingerberg and headed back to
Oisterwijk where I arrived at a quarter to seven. 
After I had fetched the last BIG in Limburg, there are only 3 BIGs left for me in the Netherlands. The word BIG in Dutch means piglet. And I felt like the BIG bad Wolf that is trying to eat the (last) three piglets. The plan was to combine the attempt to catch these three BIGs with a trip to the Veluwe. We would leave on Saturday. Me and Marloes would cycle from Oisterwijk to Rheden and on our way take along the three BIGs while Patricia and Erwin would take the car and drive to our bed and breakfast address in Arnhem first and then would come to Rheden to pick us up. The whole trip, from Oisterwijk to Rheden would be 140km or so. For me that is OK, I had done 126.8km in Limburg and have a 100km trip that I cycle in the weekends if I have the time. But I estimated that this would be a too much for Marloes. So I changed the plan and asked Patricia to drop us off in Heumen. This would reduce the trip with 50km or so. Still quite long but I wanted to cycle the Zevenheuvelen- weg (Sevenhillsroad) also and from Heumen it was easy for Patricia to drive on via the motorway to Arnhem.
So on the 15th of October we arrived in Heumen around noon. Then we first cycled to Groesbeek. And then we took the Zevenheuvelenweg to Berg en Dal (Hill and Valley). It's amazing that only 60km from where we live that the country is so hilly. The seven hills were a nice warming up. And Marloes immediately complained that it didn't come easy. Well that makes two of us. But the weather was very nice, warm and sunny, and the road is beautifully situated between fields and forest.. So we should not forget to enjoy this trip also. From Berg en Dal we cycled to Beek. Here we should catch the first BIG, the Oude Holleweg. In Beek I recognized the Hotel/Restaurant 'Oude Spijcker' as we had dined there with my brother in law as part of his birthday. We even had walked the first part of the climb also at the time. But this time we were on the bike. So first up via the Nieuwe Holleweg and then onto the Oude Holleweg. This is quite a climb, I had not expected such a steep mountain in this part of the Netherlands. The maximum gradient is 13% while the average is 7.5%. Not too bad for a climb outside Limburg ! And like the Big Bad Wolf who blew the house of straw of the first piglet to pieces, I blew just as hard while going up. Pffffff, my heartbeat jumped to 180 beats a minute even. At the top we turned 180 degrees to descend the Oude Holleweg again so we could make a picture. I had a cheap camera with me that can be thrown away after the pictures have been developed. So actually we did the Oude Holleweg twice. At the top we turned left as Nijmegen lies to the left of Beek. But I forgot that the Oude Holleweg runs to the south. So in fact we should have turned to the right. When we saw the first signs I realized that and we turned. We had a break near the top of the Oude Holleweg to have lunch. I called Patricia to inform her that we caught our first BIG and that we now would move on the next one. She indicated that they were almost at our Bed and Breakfast address.
To get to the next BIG we cycled to Nijmegen where we took the bridge to cross the river Waal. Then on to Lent, just on the other side, and via Elst to Driel. Near to Driel we could take a small ferry that would take us across the river Neder-Rijn. But unfortunately this ferry was not in use. We could see the strip where the ferry would come to take people on board. But no ferry. Luckily there was a man that indicated we should turn back towards Driel, then follow the river to Heteren where we could take the bridge. And so we did. This were some additional kilometers of course that we had not taken into account. So that was a bummer. When we had crossed the river we cycled on to Doorwerth where the 2nd BIG is located. In case we could have taken the ferry then we could have followed the river and then we could have cycled directly to the start of the 2nd BIG. But now we arrived from the other side and we had to find the right road. We crossed a road, more like a path really. And this path was paved. It struck me that our chairman had indicated that the 2nd BIG was cobbled. And then I noticed the sign: Italiaanse weg (Italian road). That's it ! This is the 2nd BIG. We turned to the right and followed the path. It was flat and run through a forest with a lot of Beech trees. Very nice actually. Then the road ascended and we followed it down to the foot. This BIG has a few hairpins even. It's not steep at all, 5.4% on average and 7% max. I did not even use the smallest cog at the front even and at the rear I did not have to use the larger ones either. I could accelerate even while making my way up. The fact that it is paved could increase the difficulty. But it did not do that really. I have not yet done a cobbled climb but then it will for sure be more difficult. Anyway, this BIG is beautifully situated in this Beech forest and the fact that it is paved with small stones, 5x20cm (Waal format we call that) adds to the charm this climb has.
Again we cycled this climb twice to be able to take pictures. As the small camera was full after Marloes made a picture of me, I also made pictures with my mobile phone. One of them is made just to show the paved road.
At the top we again had a break to eat something and to take some fruit. I again called Patricia to inform her of the delay and that we had just fetched our 2nd BIG. Also this piglet had been eaten by the BIG Bad Wolf ! I estimated that we would have to cycle for another 1 1/2 hour to get to the Posbank, our 3rd and last BIG. So the Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) was set to half past five.
From Doorwerth we cycled to Oosterbeek. Marloes indicated that she was very stubborn. Stubborn ? Yeah, if she was less stubborn she would have asked me to call Patricia long time ago to pick us up. It is indeed quite a trip for Marloes. She's not used to cycling these kind of distances and we have three small BIGs to take as well. So I didn't call Patricia to pick us up and we cycled on to Arnhem. There we had to ask for directions. And the man that pointed out how we should cycle towards Velp asked where we were going. To the Posbank, there we will join the family. Posbank ? That means you have to cycle uphill ! Yeah, we know that. And after this man wished us good luck we moved on. His directions were very good and we had no problems reaching Velp. And from there the directions to Rheden were neatly on the signs. When I noticed that the Posbank was even on the signs I called Patricia that we were almost there. We took the turn to the Posbank and then the road is still rather flat but the last part it's indeed uphill again. Not too bad though and again I did not have to use the smallest cog on the front side. So it was not so hard to reach the top for me. So even the third piglet (BIG) could not withstand the BIG Bad Wolf !
When we reached the top I didn't see Erwin nor Patricia ??? How come, why weren't they on the top ? I would have like them to take a picture of us when we conquered our last BIG. That's why I had called them in the first place so they knew we would be almost there. I had another good look and as I could not locate them we decided to cycle down to the parking place at the foot of the Posbank. Yep, there they were. It seems Erwin did not feel like walking around. So they had only visited the Visitors center of Natuurmonumementen (Nature's monuments society). I suggested to go to the summit as there the sun could still be enjoyed while sitting on a terrace to drink something. So we gave Erwin and Patricia a head start so they could make a picture when we arrived at the top the 2nd time. Marloes was not too happy to go up again but somehow she mustered enough strength to make it to the top again. We arrived at the Posbank at 17:30 and had cycled 91.1km in total. We left at 12:30 in Heumen and I estimate that we had about 1 hour that was spend on two breaks, looking at the map and asking directions. So on average we had cycled 22.78 km/h.
Posbank picures to be added.
Now we took the time to enjoy the sun and the beautiful view from the top
over the heather (unfortunately the blossom had already turned brown) and forest
that was around us. Then we took something to drink. A well deserved
drink indeed to conclude a beautiful day. We had been very fortunate with the
weather. Sunny with almost no clouds and warm. The only drawback was a man that
was smoking and of course the smoke came in our direction. We moved to another
table as we did not enjoy the smoke :-( Another couple that took our table moved
too after some time. And even other people at another table moved. It's amazing
how much air one person can pollute for others. Near the place we had our drink
there was a bronze statue of a woman on a bike. From the back the woman looked
like our Queen. And we found out that indeed it was our Queen when we took a
closer look. We had to be on a picture with the Queen after we had been cycling
all afternoon. Normally our Queen always wears a special hat. But the statue did
not have a hat. I decided to lend the Queen my helmet. In that way she would
wear a hat and be safe on the bike to ;-).
A woman passing said that this was not a neat thing to do. Well, that's not how
I feel about it. So here are the pictures:
Pictures with the Queen to be added.
Finally we put the bikes on the spaceship and drove via the Beekhuizenseweg to Velp and then on to Arnhem to our bed and breakfast. There we could enjoy a shower and we took a Pizza from Al Capone for dinner. Not very special but it tasted good after such a day. The children enjoyed watching a Disney video (Lilo and Stitch) and we enjoyed a glass of whine while making plans for the next day.
On the 16th we first enjoyed a good breakfast. That's the advantage of a bead and breakfast you know. And then we went out to visited the national park Hoge Veluwe. We drove to the entrance at Schaarsbergen where we parked our car. You have to pay to get in. But the good thing is you can take a so-called white bicycle that can be used throughout the park. So we cycled in the direction of the Kröller-Müller museum. First through the forest with beautiful lanes of old and high Beeches. Then through endless fields of heather. I had never been on the Veluwe before and was amazed to see that we still had so much unspoiled nature in our crowded country. Somewhere halfway we stopped and parked the bikes near a tree and went further on foot. Again it was a nice and sunny day and we have really enjoyed the walk through the forest and heather parts. We had a picnic too and enjoyed our sandwiches and the rest. We hardly noticed any people while we where walking. When we got back on track with 'our' bikes we noticed a lit more people of course. The white bikes are very popular. We had not bought tickets for the Kröller-Müller museum so we cycled on to the Koperen Pot (Copper Pot). There we had a rest and a drink. When we got back to the bikes they were not there anymore. Not to worry as you can just pick another white bike. Adjust the height of saddle and steer and there you go. Unfortunately Erwin had not such a good bike as before so we decided to switch this bike for another one at the Kröller-Müller museum. He had no problems to get rid of his bike but could not find another one. What to do ? We found a bike with a flat tire and tried if we could fill up the tire to see if it could be used. Well it did not go flat immediately so we decided to give it a try as there were plenty of other people waiting for a bike. After 3km the tire was flat but we were lucky as there was a small structure near the bicycle path with a pump. Yes !! So we could again make some three kilometers before the tire was flat again. Then we asked people passing by on their own bike if we could use their pump for a minute. No problem so again we could do 3km and then the last 100m Erwin walked to the exit of the park. He reported the problem and then we left.
For dinner we went out this time. We had found an address of a Thai restaurant in Arnhem so we decided to go there as we all like Thai food a lot. To get there we had to walk for 20 minutes or so and cross the bridge over the Neder-Rijn. The dinner was excellent. Erwin and myself had very spicy Tom Yam soup, very good. And the main dishes were also a treat. We finally topped it off with ice and fruit. Excellent !
On the 17th we visited Burgers zoo. This was suggested by the children but we did not really fancy this option. But, as I had had my day of cycling and Patricia had had her day of cycling and walking in the national park Hoge Veluwe, this suggestion we would not ignore. We're on a holiday together you know ! Marloes likes penguins after she's seen Madagascar. Smile and wave boys. She is very good in recalling phrases that the penguins in Madagascar also use. We visited Burgers Bush, a jungle imitation. Burgers Ocean where you slowly walk downwards deeper into the see. First the fish swims beside you but at then end the fish, including sharks and rays, swim all around you. Of course we vested Burgers desert. And we had a safari so we saw lions, monkeys, etc. We spend the whole day in the zoo and left around half past four. Finally heading back home after a lovely long weekend.