edition 2018: 75 km Strade Bianche Peel and Hei

The route starts in Asten-Heusden and goes towards the hamlet of Behelp and the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal. After passing through Sluis 12, the first unpaved strip follows along the canal. A little south of Sluis 13 you leave the canal and go via the partly unpaved Zuidhoeveweg towards Ospel.

Then you cycle along the Noordervaart canal, with long unpaved sections (partly interrupted by paved roads). You leave the canal via unpaved roads through nature reserve De Groote Moost. After some paved roads around Heibloem you go via an unpaved road through nature reserve Asbroekerheide.

Then follow paved roads again to cross the outskirts of Heythuysen. In the Leudal nature reserve, the roads become unpaved again, with a long dirt road from west to east through the Leudal. During periods of long drought, parts of this dirt road are more difficult for the road bike because it is precisely here that the dirt road can turn into mullet sand.

Via paved roads you cycle to Neer, where the break place is at Boothuis de Troost. After this break point it is immediately climbing to get on the steep bank along the river Maas, from where you have beautiful views over the Maas. Via a partly unpaved cycle path over the drainage canal through the Mussenberg you go towards Meijel. Now longer strips of unpaved roads follow, through the Bovensbos and Keuperheide nature reserve, along the Brookberg nature reserve, through the Waterbloem nature reserve, along the Drainage Canal and along the Deurne Canal (the strips of forest along the Deurne canal form a nature corridor in the landscape).

You eventually arrive in Neerkant, where there are some gravel roads. Finally, you go back to Heusden via paved roads.

The proportion of unpaved roads is 40% of the total distance. Almost all unpaved roads are easy to cycle with road bike equipped with at least 25 mm wide anti-puncture tires. After a rainy period, or after intensive use of roads by agricultural vehicles, some roads on the route may be less suitable for the road bike. This applies in particular to part of the unpaved road along the Noordervaart, a small part of the unpaved road through the Leudal nature reserve, and the cycle path through the Mussenberg (that is the last part of the cycle path along the Afwateringskanaal before it flows into the Meuse). After a long drought period, you may have to deal with sections of mullet sand at the crossing of the Leudal.