Author: Terry Campell

On Sunday, August 11^th, with the weather forecast showing a high temperature of 30 degrees, Ian Birkett and I met at 6am for the drive to Maasmechelen, Belgium to participate in the first ever Heathland Gravel event.   Given that we had both just returned to Germany from vacation trips, that did not include any training, we were both going to be happy surviving the day’s heat, meeting some new people, and riding through the beautiful Limburg landscape.  Basically, neither of us was in a position to fully race.

Heathland Gravel is organized by Flanders Classics as a European qualifier event for the legendary Unbound gravel race in Kansas, USA.  Riders had a selection of three distances to choose from: 160km, 110km and 70km.  Only the 160km distance would qualify a rider for the Unbound gravel event and while Ian was not interested in participating in the US event, he did choose the longer route.  I on the other hand selected the 110km loop.

We arrived in Maasmechelen, a former coal mining operation that has been converted into a national park and swanky shopping mall, 30 minutes before the start of the event. Around 815 am we said our goodbyes and Ian was off.  The 160km riders were instructed to start early so they could finish before the heat became too high. 

The course was laid out in a big loop with 9 timed sections for the 160km and 6 timed sections for the 110km.  Participating in events with timed sections, as opposed to being timed for the entire loop, is rather common in gravel events I have participated in.  This means that a racer can go full-gas while they are in a timed section and back off the pedals a bit while riding to the next timed section.  The benefit is that this can help minimize negative interactions between event racers and others. 

The terrain of the course was mostly flat with one steep hill at the start and then a number of rolling hills along the way.  The highlight of the day for me included two descents, one in deep sand and one over slippery grass that required the rider slalom between trees.  Since my gravel bike is equipped with 42 mm tires and I have a background in cyclocross these descents were more fun than terrifying.   

One challenge for me during the day was the inconsistent course markings and poor performance of my bike computer.  This meant that there were several times when I rode off course and I had to turn around and come back.  All in all, the course was a great mix of forest trail riding (both double and single track), riding through open, sunny fields, gliding along the canal Zuid Willemsvaart, and catching glimpses of lakes and ponds off the left and right.

In the end, Ian and I both survived what the announcer started calling Heatland, as opposed to Heathland, and all of our other expectations were met.  As we drove back to Bonn, we agreed that we be back for another round next year but maybe we would plan our holidays for after the race. 

Gravel events/racing really give a rider the full mix of a cycling experience.  One moment you are descending deep sand trying to stay on your bike, the next minute you are in a drafting line trying to hold a wheel, the next minute you are riding through a muddy forest navigating from left to right around huge puddles, and the next minute you have to find the power to glide over rock infested farm roads that were built when wagons were more common.  All the while you are enjoying the benefits of being surrounded by natural landscapes and removed from car traffic.  This type of riding does require a mix of disciplines but the rider is always anticipating the next challenge

A few notable names, former pro Niki Terpstra and Fleur Moors were there to win their categories.