Beautiful Belgian hike: 100 km from Malmedy to Weiswampach (Lux)

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Belles Balades Belges, we once again followed the very first route published on March 13, 1992, in Moto 80 spanning 3 pages. Meeting at Albert Ier Square in Malmedy, for about a hundred kilometers on the roof of Belgium, through the eastern cantons, whose official designation is now "East Belgium."

Text Philippe Bonamis and Jacques Berghmans - Photos Mathieu Pêcheur

It began with a simple question one evening at the hotel before a planned exploration for the next day: "When was the first BBB, actually?" Even though I appreciate old machines – the motorcycle chosen for this BBB speaks volumes… – I don't particularly like the style of "old fighters." Hence a rather imprecise answer: "Uh, I don't remember exactly, I think it was the early 90s…” That didn't stop the question from buzzing in my mind. When I was back home, I dove into my collection of Moto 80, which was well-organized in the attic, and the verdict came: Spring 1992. "Damn," I thought to myself, "a little more and I would have missed this anniversary…” Twenty-five years is quite a long time, even if that period was marked by more or less long interruptions… However – and I say this without presumption – it didn't stop the BBB from remaining memorable. I have proof of this, as when Arnaud Dellicour took over Moto 80 in 2010, the first thing he discussed with me was the revival of the BBB!

Malmédy, the Walloon

Retracing the course of this first BBB posed hardly a problem: Based on the technical sheet of the route published in 1992, I retraced it in .trb (Tripy) and .gpx (Garmin) formats. But while I was a "pathetic lonely cowboy" in spring 1992, we were three in Malmedy in August, which is much nicer. Nothing beats a nice motorcycle day with 2-3 friends, but no more. I have long adopted the creed of the great Georges (Brassens): "As soon as we are more than four, we are a gang of ... " That said, do what you want: there is no reason for me to impose my somewhat misanthropic views on you, I admit that to you… So, let’s meet in Malmedy. The canton of Malmedy has always been French-speaking, while its counterparts Eupen and St. Vith are German-speaking. This is still true today: In Malmedy, one is addressed in French, while in Eupen and St. Vith, German is spoken first!

To be continued in Moto 80 #804 in November...