Rik Van Looy, one of the great Belgian cyclists of the 1950s and 1960s, was known as the Emperor of Herentals, which tells you something about the priorities of this town in the Kempen. Herentals lies on the flat heathland of the province of Antwerp, and in the middle of its market square stands the old town hall, built in the fourteenth century as a cloth hall, a lakenhal, when the town grew rich on wool and weaving. Its belfry is part of the UNESCO listing of belfries of Belgium and France, a symbol of civic pride and of the freedoms that merchants bought from their lords.
The building has the look of a sturdy Flemish townhouse with a spire on top, and it has served as a market, a courthouse and a meeting place over the centuries. Around it, the square is lined with cafés and shops, and the old town gates of Herentals, the Zandpoort and Bovenpoort, still stand at the edges of the centre. The Gothic church of Saint Waldetrudis is worth a look too, with a famous carved altarpiece inside.
The Kempen is not a place for mountain passes. The roads are flat and mostly straight, threading through pine forests, heathland and small villages, with canals like the Albert Canal and the Kempisch Canal running through the landscape. It is pleasant, easy riding with scents of pine and heather, but you will share the roads with very large numbers of cyclists, especially on weekends, and the speed limits are enforced. Look out for cycle paths crossing the road, tractors and the odd cobbled section in villages.
With twenty-five thousand inhabitants, Herentals will not leave you hunting for petrol or a sandwich. The market square cafés serve good Belgian beer, and you will find frites stands and bakeries nearby. In late summer the heathland around Kasterlee and the Kempen woods turns purple with flowering heather, a lovely sight from the saddle.
If you want history with your coffee, sit on the square and look up at the belfry, imagining the clatter of looms in medieval Herentals. If you want cycling lore, ask a local about Van Looy, and be ready for a long answer full of affection and pride.