Aalst's Schepenhuis, the old aldermen's house on the Grote Markt, is reckoned to be the oldest surviving town hall in the Low Countries, its oldest parts going back to the thirteenth century, and its belfry, added later, carries the bells that once regulated the town's life. Together they are part of the UNESCO listing of the Belfries of Belgium and France. In front of them stands a statue of Dirk Martens, who set up one of the first printing presses in the Southern Netherlands here in the 1470s and later printed works by Erasmus and Thomas More.
Aalst is a busy, working town on the Dender, with a strong local identity. It is best known for its carnival, three days of parades, satire and excess before Lent, when the whole town dresses up and takes to the streets. The carnival was inscribed on UNESCO's list of intangible heritage, then removed in 2019 after a controversy over floats judged antisemitic, a decision that the town debated fiercely. Whatever your view, the carnival remains the heartbeat of the town, and the locals talk about it all year round.
The riding around Aalst is flat to gently rolling, with busy roads around the town and quieter lanes through the countryside, past farms, fields and villages. South of Aalst, the Flemish Ardennes begin, a region of short, steep hills with cobbled climbs made famous by the Tour of Flanders cycling race, such as the Muur van Geraardsbergen, crowned by a chapel. On a motorcycle, they are fun but slippery when wet, and you will share them with plenty of cyclists. The weather is changeable, with frequent rain and wind.
Aalst, with seventy-seven thousand inhabitants, has everything: fuel, supermarkets, cafés and restaurants. The Grote Markt is lined with terraces where you can sit with a beer and watch the town go by. The locals proudly call themselves Ajuinen, the onions, after an old trade in the vegetable, and you will see onions on everything from shop signs to carnival costumes. For lunch, order a plate of stoofvlees, beef stewed in beer, with fries. The local breweries produce excellent beers, but save them for the end of the ride.