Before you start your journey on the 75 km long Big Bang route, here’s a cosmic fact of importance: none other than a professor from the University of Leuven was the founder of the Big Bang theory. Georges Lemaître, a scientist, astronomer, and priest, developed in the 1930s the then highly controversial theory that the universe was created by a primordial explosion, the Big Bang. As a tribute to the largely forgotten Georges Lemaître, professors from the University of Leuven and that of Louvain-la-Neuve mapped out a bike ride: from the bust of Lemaître in the courtyard of the Premontstreit College to the monument honoring Lemaître in Louvain-la-Neuve (and back). But the bike route goes much further than a path between the two universities to which Lemaître was connected. At eight locations along the route, you will find QR codes that teach you more about what that Big Bang was and about the evolution of the universe. And so you cycle through beautiful Brabant landscapes, past small villages and historical sites, learning even more about the universe!

The ponds of the Zoete Waters

One of the highlights is the Bertem plateau with beautiful views over fields, while airplanes prepare to land at Brussels Airport or head off to a far-off destination. The route also passes by the ponds of the Zoete Waters and the Our Lady of Steenbergen chapel, where a QR code provides further explanation. Then it goes straight through the Meerdaalwoud to come out in Walloon Brabant. You cycle successively through small and quiet villages like Pécrot, Archennes, and Dion-le-Val. After passing through the campus of Louvain-la-Neuve, the Big Bang route returns to Leuven via other junctions. Those who do not wish to cycle that far can easily shorten the route at two places: in Meerdaalwoud (at junction 79) and in Grez-Doiceau (at junction 49).

Junctions: 10 (Leuven) - 74 - 75 - 13 - 2 - 1 - 79 - 80 - 40 - 41 - 42 - 43 - 44 - 45 - 50 - 49 - 56 - 57 - 75 - 76 - 89 - 95 - 67 (Louvain-La-Neuve) - 95 - 89 - 76 - 75 - 57 - 56 - 49 - 50 - 45 - 44 - 43 - 42 - 41 - 40 - 80 - 79 - 78 - 82 - 76 - 70 - 75 - 74 - 10 (Leuven)