Aachen border triangle, © StädteRegion Aachen
  • Distance: 91.1 km
  • Duration: 4:0 h
  • Difficulty: medium

Rennradtour: Schmugglerpfade rund um's Dreiländereck

Vaals

Experience the border triangle around Aachen in a very special way on this challenging tour! On old smugglers' paths, you will cross the borders between Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands a total of 6 times and the borders of the provinces of South Limburg, Wallonia and Flanders a few more times.

The start and finish of this loop is the three-country point on the Vaalserberg, from where, after a quick descent from the Vaalserberg in Vaals, you pass the old customs and cross the "Green Border", which leads to the Senserbachweg. From here we head towards Seffent, where the first difficulty of the day awaits us, the Rohrbergweg, a paved, up to 17% steep but short climb in the lower section, which at the top offers a wonderful panorama of the Aachen basin. Continuing towards Orsbach, we cross the border to Lemiers again on a small smugglers' path along the Senserbach. From here, we head into "Heuvelland", which, in addition to picturesque villages, river valleys and lush green landscapes, also offers challenging climbs for racing cyclists.

A few meters in altitude have to be gained around the "Vijlenerbos" before the route continues up and down the well-maintained side roads, first towards Eys and then back down into the Geul valley. You can now take a breather in the Geul valley before heading uphill again in Epen and a little later into the Gulp valley to Teuven, which is already administratively part of the Flemish part of Belgium. In keeping with the nature of the route, you now head back into the Netherlands to Slenaken, where shortly after entering the town you take a sharp left up to the Schilberg, which is up to 18% steep. At the top, the route continues on narrow country lanes to the small border village of Ulvend, where a beautiful descent takes you back down to Flanders and the typical Belgian village of Sint-Martens Voeren. Along the "Voerstreek" we now head towards Wallonia, which we reach on the "Cote de Hagelstein" - the tour next takes us to the typical Walloon town of Aubel. On Sundays, the large and popular weekly market can be a hindrance here, but it is definitely worth pushing your bike through the town and enjoying the flair.

On the way back towards Teuven, you take a small, inconspicuous dirt track called "Berg La Clouse", which begins with a gentle incline, but the last 200m require the minimum gear ratio and maximum effort. In the direction of Teuven, the route continues along the border between Flanders and Wallonia, and a number of graffiti along the route as well as place and street names in different languages bear witness to the territorial conflict.

Once you reach the top of the "Onderste Bosch", you have a wonderful view of the marl and Heuvelland as far as the Eifel and set off on the last few kilometers towards your destination. Passing the beautiful "Chateau Beusdael", the route now undulates via Sippenaeken to Gemmenich, where the final ascent to the Dreiländerpunkt is tackled and you reach the end of the route after almost 90 km, well over 1000 m in altitude and countless impressions.

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More information about this route

Distance: 91.1 km

Duration: 4:0 h

Difficulty: medium

Ascent: 1,416 m

Descent: 1,423 m

Aachen Tourist Service

Friedrich-Wilhelm-Platz 13b
52062 Aachen
Phone: 0241 1802950

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