Authentic cycling cafes
You’ll find one in every village, a cosy cycling café with a church tower keeping watch. They’re impossible to miss with racing bikes carefully propped under the café’s windows and the conversations that invariably circle the same subject, the race. Clad in your form-fitting kit and accompanied by the click of cycling shoes across the stone floors, you’re sure to feel instantly at home.
’t Klein Verzet – Terlanen
Behind the smile of the friendly café owner, Dirk, lurks the heart of a gentle anarchist. The walls of his establishment are littered with pictures of resistance heroes and mementoes of protests all over the world. That said, the name, ’t Klein Verzet, is also a hat tip (in Dutch) to the lowest bicycle gear.
De Kroon - Neerijse
Brewery, beer lab, museum, and eatery – you’ll find them all at De Kroon. The father-son duo, Freddy and Filip Delvaux are both professors who specialised in beer. If they’re the ones running the brew kettle, you know it can’t be bad!
Brouwerij De Coureur – Kessel-Lo
If you’d like to enjoy beer fresh from the vat, the taproom of Brewer Bart and his wife, Ine, is the place to be. Four afternoons a week, you can savour fresh beer, introduced by the brewer himself. The beers, just like the brewery, have been named after cycling lingo: Colleke (Small Slope), Granny Gear, Kuitenbijter (Calf Biter), Souplesse (Fluid Cadence), Bordeneur (Human Scoreboard), etc.
Café Boerenhof - Meensel (Tielt-Winge)
Walls hung with photographs, cycling jerseys, and souvenirs bring heroic cycling feats to life. Eddy Merckx even has his own wall there, where Giro winner Ivan Basso draws pints for his fans and Dylan Teuns’ fan base meets up. Anyone travelling the Eddy Merckx Cycling Route should expect the warmest of welcomes when they drop by.
Eetcafé Velo - Baal
The Eetcafé Velo terrace offers magnificent views of the Balenberg and the cyclo-cross riders giving it their all on the cyclo-cross course. It’s the perfect spot to refuel after an intense workout. Get ready for a diverse, healthy mix of dishes on the menu. Replenishing burnt calories never tasted so good! Cyclists will feel instantly at home here.
In den Congo - Vossem
In den Congo is a legendary pub – an icon in the shadow of Vossem’s church tower for over a century. For years, the price of a pint hasn’t gone over a euro. In den Congo also happens to be one of Remco Evenepoel’s fan-base cafés.
Staminee Bij Jokke - Eizer
At the authentic village pub, Bij Jokke, itt’s all about racing. This is the place to be for every die-hard cyclist.
Poledor – Moorsel
Poledor is a bike workshop and cycling café in one, uniquely situated in the former cowshed of a historic square farm.
In de Rustberg – Schepdaal
The name gives it away, but for those who don’t speak Dutch – this is the spot to unwind. Remco Evenepoel’s fan-base café is the spot to catch your breath after a bike ride. Pick a place to relax on the terrace, kick back, and enjoy the typical Pajot panorama. And who knows, you might even spot Remco whizzing by on one of his training rides.
