You leave at the station of the Kolenspoor in (V) As, direction 40, and cycle past the 31 m high observation tower, a replica of the first drilling tower with which coal was found here in 1901. In the forest you cycle along the narrow gauge railway of the mini train. Back in civilization, follow the Driebankenstraat to the right. Cross the Stationsstraat and cycle past café Rozenhof through the Schuttenbergstraat to junction 40. Continue cycling straight ahead, towards 39. Via the Ziepstraat you reach the André Dumontstraat and follow it to the right until you can turn left into Vlasroot. Immediately afterwards you take the Kantonale Baan on the right. At the fork at Schutterij Sint-Sebastiaan As, keep left and cycle via the Meeuwerweg to junction 39. Continue cycling straight ahead, towards 70. Bend with the wide bike path to the right and then to the left. Further on you enter an industrial zone and cycle along a separate cycle path to the Weg naar Zwartberg, at junction 70. Just turn right, direction 33, and then left the Industrieweg Noord and then right into the Nijverheidslaan. Turn left and cycle straight on the bike path next to the wide forest road at the end. Turn left at the edge of the forest and after a few bends you cycle away from the industrial zone. You cycle over the Ophovenerheide and just past the sign Wijshagen you pass a fen with a picnic area. Continue through the Ophovenerbos, along the edge of the forest and through the forest to junction 33. Continue cycling straight ahead, towards 34. Crisscross through the forest to junction 34 with information column. Turn right, direction 35, on a narrow asphalt road between fields and meadows. At the intersection with Venhoven turn right and at a picnic area turn left, again on a cycle path next to a field road. Cross the N730 and continue cycling straight ahead. Along the Self-picking of the Blueberry Plantation 1 and then into the forest. You will pass the chapel of Our Lady. of rest and ignores on the left the road to Gruitrode. At junction 35 continue straight ahead, direction 36. Leave the road to Neerglabbeek on the left and cross the N771 via a sasje for cyclists. Undulating until you turn left at an intersection with the bike path. Cross a dangerous crossing and climb out of the forest with a short nod. Back in the forest and then you can descend spectacularly through an open landscape and past farm Den Hauw back to civilization. From Itterbeek to Zuid-Willemsvaart At the first intersection continue straight into the Caubergstraat and past the Brouwershuis and brewery Sint-Jozef to the Itterplein with the Clijstersfontein 2. Here turn left into the Opstraat, past a small square until junction 36. Then turn right, direction 11, over the Itterbeek and past a school to the Itterkiezel. Cross and follow the Pastoor Neyenslaan, direction 11, past the old rectory and continue on a path for cyclists and walkers along the Itterbeek. On a T at the bridge turn left, until junction 11. Cycle straight across the bridge over the Zuid-Willemsvaart and you are already at junction 12. Follow the canal to the right, direction 14. Turn left at café De Kieper, until you reach the centre of Tongerlo. Next to the church, turn right onto Solterweg and then left onto Schansstraat. Via the Groenstraat you cycle out of Tongerlo again. On the corner with the Heilige Ritakapel from 1979, take the Diekerstraat on the left and cycle along a grove and meadows to the busy Breeërsteenweg. Cross and cycle through the Belestraat to the intersection with the Mariakapelletje. Follow Broekstraat on the left until you reach junction 14. Continue straight ahead, direction 15, on a road for agricultural vehicles, walkers, cyclists and horse riders. You cross Broekziep and follow the edge of the forest until you can cross the wide stream on the right via a bridge. At the first intersection, with junction 15, turn right, direction 16. At the fork turn left into the Shopping Street, between fields and meadows until junction 16. Continue straight ahead, direction 17, past Zorgvlietmolen 3 to Weertersteenweg. Cross and continue cycling past the church of Molenbeersel. You will pass parish hall Sint-Isidorius, a school and the Keijersmolen 4. Cross a crossroads, don't worry about side roads and cycle past the Schreyven chapel from 1845. At the fork, keep right. Follow Grootbeersel, ignore the Looverstraat on the right and you will reach junction 17. Turn right onto Uffelseweg, direction 18. The death wire At the fork on the left, direction Death Wire 5 . Via a gravel road you reach border post 146 with the ruins of smugglers' café Kempkes and a historical reconstruction of the 'death wire' from WWI (see the ceiling of a covered picnic area). Right around the site and further on at a field cross turn left into the Bekerstraat. At border post 144 you cross the Aabeek and cycle past the Bekerhofje with park animals. At the crossroads after border post 143 turn left and follow the Keyersstraat. You cycle past border marker 142 and turn right at the intersection with the Manestraat on the left, past dairy farm Timmermans and het Diepven. Just past border marker 140 you will arrive at junction 18. Turn left, direction 19. Cross the Itterbeek and take the Dolenweg on the left at the crossroads. After a farm with an information board about leek cultivation, you will arrive at junction 19. Turn right, direction 28, through a residential area. Turn left at tearoom 't Stampertje, as far as café De Schürzenjäger on the Breeërweg. Cross and continue cycling through the open countryside. Ignore side roads and continue cycling until you can follow Raam on the right at an intersection. Then take the Jettenweg on the left, until you reach the Weertersteenweg. On the other side continue through a street for local traffic, after some loose buildings back into the open landscape. You pass café-restaurant Geerensheide, ignore the road to Hengstenhouderij 't Winkenshof and cycle past the maaseik nameplate. Further between fields and meadows, ignore all side roads, up to junction 28. Turn left, direction 27. On the T turn left into the Vlakerweg, always follow, past Oudenhof Castle and Nieuwenhof Castle until junction 27. Continue straight ahead, direction 45. At the fork, keep right and cycle past the maaseik cemetery. Back in civilization, follow the Kriekelsheuvelstraat to the right on the T. At the first intersection turn left into the Kromme Kamp and at the end you follow Verloren Kost to the busy N773. Cross the Wurfeldermolen and follow the Wurfelderweg to the first intersection. Turn left, past the entrance of Wurfeld Castle, now hotel-restaurant. At the end of the Kapelweg you will see the white buildings of the Wurfeldermolen on the right. Follow the Wurfeldermolenweg to the left until you reach the old railway bed. Straight ahead and left it goes to the center of Maaseik. You follow the railway bed to the right, past a field, then through a tunnel of greenery and further between meadows and fields. At junction 45, continue straight ahead on the railway bed, towards 43. Between 't Poorthuis and the Rotem nameplate you cross the N757 and then to junction 43. Turn left for a moment and then with a 10% nod back onto the railway bed, towards 44. You reach that junction just before the Zuid-Willemsvaart. Cycle across the old railway bridge, towards 42, and you will arrive at a viewing platform with a spotter and information boards about rotem's disappeared zinc factory 6. You are now on the Vossenberg and descend through a landscape of forests and land dunes to the busy N771. Cross carefully and continue cycling to junction 42. Always straight ahead, direction 41, more than 5 km further through a tube of greenery over the straight old railway bed of the As-Maaseik line. At the end, the station of As awaits.