Cycling fans will now be able to enjoy a 425-km mountain bike circuit along the Coast, extending from the border with France to the Dutch border.
Many mountain bike routes have been opened or renovated in the past few years in Belgium’s coastal area, Belga News Agency reports. Now, the West Flanders’ tourism office, Westtoer, the Flemish regional sports administration, and coastal communes have come together and linked them into a vast, continuous network. The route is accessible to all, from amateur cyclists to competitive sportsmen and sportswomen.
A huge 107-km-long route linking De Panne, Koksijde, Nieuwpport and Middelkerke has also been launched. It is mainly geared towards proficient mountain bikers since it includes steep drops and technical stretches.
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The coast is densely populated and has many protected natural areas. This made it a challenge to plan routes that were not interrupted by existing infrastructure. But thanks to the collaboration between Westtoer, Sport Vlaanderen and the communes, a total of 178 km of off-road tracks were added to existing itineraries.
Flanders now has over 7,000 km of mountain bike tracks.