Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren and Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 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.

   Read the complete Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   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 Stadhuis met Toren.

2. 2. Stadhuis met Toren

   Sint-Truiden's Grote Markt is one of the largest market squares in Belgium, and at its centre stands the town hall with its belfry, a tower that has watched over the town since the Middle Ages and been rebuilt and remodelled several times. The belfry, with its carillon, is part of the UNESCO listing of the Belfries of Belgium and France, inscribed in 1999 to honour these civic towers that symbolised the freedom and wealth of the medieval towns. Climb it if you can, and you will see the whole of the Haspengouw region spread out around you, a gently rolling landscape of orchards and fields.

   Read the complete Stadhuis met Toren write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Stadhuis met Toren comes up about 19 km into the recorded legs. Next is Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto.

3. 3. Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto

   Tongeren likes to remind you that it is the oldest town in Belgium, and it has a strong claim. The Romans founded a settlement here, Atuatuca Tungrorum, on the road between Cologne and Bavay, and the remains of its walls can still be seen around the town. Before that, the area was home to the Eburones, a Celtic tribe whose chieftain Ambiorix famously ambushed and destroyed a Roman legion in 54 BC. His statue, a heroic nineteenth-century figure with a winged helmet and a magnificent moustache, stands in the main square, the Grote Markt.

   Read the complete Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 41 km into the recorded legs you reach Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto. Next is back through Stadhuis met Toren.

4. 4. back through Stadhuis met Toren

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Stadhuis met Toren write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Stadhuis met Toren, late in the day. Next is Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren.

5. 5. Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   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.