Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren and Maison & Atelier Horta
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
240 km
Riding-time estimate
3 h 58
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From Tienen it runs 240 km to Tienen; allow about 3 h 58 of riding. It goes by way of Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi, Maison & Atelier Horta and back through Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren
Tienen means sugar to most Belgians. The town in the east of Flemish Brabant has been the home of Belgium's largest sugar refinery since the nineteenth century, and the smell of sugar beet being processed hangs over the town in autumn during the campaign, when trucks loaded with beets roll in from the surrounding fields. The Sint-Germanuskerk, the church of Saint Germanus, with its massive tower serving as the town's belfry, stands near the huge Grote Markt, one of the largest market squares in Belgium, and it is part of the UNESCO listing of the belfries of Belgium and France. The tower, a mix of Romanesque and Gothic, has a carillon whose bells ring out over the town.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren is where the day begins. Next is Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi.
2. Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi
Charleroi has a reputation, unfairly earned or not, as one of the grittiest cities in Belgium, and its belfry is a fine reason to look again. Rising from the town hall on the Place Charles II, the belfry was built in the 1930s in an elegant Art Deco style, replacing an older tower, and it is one of the belfries of Belgium and France listed by UNESCO. Its slender shape, topped with a dome and carillon, is a symbol of the city's pride and resilience, and inside, the town hall has a sumptuous Art Deco interior.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi comes up about 62 km into the recorded legs. Next is Maison & Atelier Horta.
3. Maison & Atelier Horta
From the street, the house at Rue Américaine in Saint-Gilles is pleasant but unassuming, a narrow town house of stone and iron among many others. Inside, it becomes something else entirely: a flowing space of curving wrought iron, stained glass, mosaic floors and woodwork that seems to grow like plant tendrils, all bathed in light from a glass roof over the stairwell. Victor Horta, one of the founders of Art Nouveau, built it as his home and studio between 1898 and 1901, and it is now a museum dedicated to his work. In 2000, it was listed by UNESCO together with three other Horta town houses in Brussels, including the Hôtel Tassel, often cited as the first true Art Nouveau building.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren to Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi
Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren → Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi is 62 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi to Maison & Atelier Horta
Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi → Maison & Atelier Horta is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Maison & Atelier Horta to back through Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi
Maison & Atelier Horta → back through Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi is 58 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi to Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren
back through Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi → Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren is 62 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.