Taking off at landing strip airbase Soesterberg | World2Cycle.com

This is a to and fro ride from Wageningen with the ultimate goal to ride the landing strip at Airbase Soesterberg. This ride will go through the nature park Utrechtse Heuvelrug and you will tackle some of its famous climbs.

Important note. During the breeding season it is not possible to ride on the landing strip. This is the period between March 15 and August 15.

You will start to climb the Grebbeberg via Wageningen. In the Giro d’Italia of 2010 this climb was classified as unofficial climb in the first stage. It is a climb of 700 meters with a maximum gradient of 7%. Due to its strategic location with a view of the Lower Rhine and the Betuwe, the Grebbeberg is historically very important. During World War II, a German army force of about 23,000 men wanted to break through the Grebbe Line. This led to fierce fighting and therefore you have a Military Field of Honor to commemorate the victims of the “Battle of the Grebbeberg”.

The Amerongse Berg is climbed from the south side. Perhaps this is the most hilly climb in the Netherlands being climbed. From this side, the climb is 2.2 kilometers with an average gradient of 2.4%. The steepest part of this climb is 4.2%.

The Grebbeberg and the Amerongse Berg are both part of the Jan Janssen Classic cycling tour. This event starts every year in Wageningen and is organized on the third Sunday of the month of June. This cycling event is named after Jan Janssen who is the first Dutch cyclist ever to take the yellow jersey from the Tour de France back home. This happened by winning with a narrow difference in the final time trial.

The Valleikanaal is canal of 40 kilometer long and about 5 kilometers is part of this route heading to the landing strip at the Airbase Soesterberg.

The landing strip at the Airbase Soesterberg is the turning point of this route. The most Epic part is that cyclists can ride on the landing strip. We chose to ride with the three of us in time trial formation giving it a final punch at the end. We had no departure from a starting block. So it was clicking the shoes into the pedals, build up speed until the legs started to sour and then hope that you could hook on when you did your turn. We were able to push the maximum speed over a 54 km / h.

On the way back you have the Zeisterweg. This is a rolling climb with a continuous increase of around 1%. Hitting into village Amerongen you will then ride along the Amerongen castle towards the ferry to cross the Rhine.

Once you have crossed the Rhine then you have about 20 kilometers ahead to ride over the dike before crossing again the Rhine with the ferry at Lexkesveer.

A final climb is then waiting to close this ride. The ‘Wageningense Muur’ is loved and feared. With a height difference of 30 meters this climb is about going all out. It will be a struggle of overcoming or being defeated by acidification in the legs.

What will be your next ride.....??? 

We try to answer this question. If after reading this ride you are still on the rearch for more ideas for cycling routes, then go to http://world2cycle.com/routes