Biking and MTB with a Group

Biking is the activity where a group falls apart the fastest. Not because the route is too hard, but because the gap between the strongest and the weakest rider shows up right away on a hill. The Ardennes has four kinds of bike routes side by side, and which one you pick determines whether you arrive together.

Four types, four groups

In the Ardennes you can do mountain biking, road cycling, enduro, or trail riding. Those four call for different gear and a different level. A group that wants to do all four in one day will come away disappointed. Pick one and save the rest for next time. When you book, we ask which of the four you mean, because that determines which house you'll want.

Mountain biking takes the most preparation

A mountain bike route through the Anlier Forest covers 9,000 hectares with no village in between. You won't come across a store, and cell coverage drops out. For a group, that means bringing water, one spare tube for every three riders, and agreeing on where you'll wait. Agree to regroup at every fork, not at the finish.

Road cycling works better along the rivers

If you're on a road bike, you're better off riding along the Meuse or the Ourthe than over the plateau. The pavement is flatter there and the elevation gain stays limited. From Namur you can ride twenty-five miles on flat road along the water. A group with mixed levels stays together there, while the same group on the hills will be strung out within fifteen minutes.

• Anlier Forest, mountain biking, routes from 20 to 60 kilometers
• Along the Meuse from Namur, road cycling, 40 kilometers flat
• Oesling Plateau, gravel and enduro, 14 kilometers
• High Fens, trail riding on boardwalks, 4 to 12 kilometers

Enduro and trail are for a smaller group

Enduro and trail running call for a level that not everyone in a group of twenty has. We recommend saving those two for a lead group of four to eight people, while the rest ride a regular route. That way everyone gets what they came for, and you still eat together in the evening.

What to ask the house

A biking group needs three things from the house. A lockable space for the bikes, because fifteen bikes in the yard is asking for trouble. A place to rinse off, so mud doesn't end up inside the house. And a drying room, because cycling clothes that stay wet smell after two days. Ask Ingrid whether the house you have your eye on has all three.

Which months work

From April to October you can ride without any trouble. In May and September the roads are dry and the temperature is pleasant. In July and August it gets hot on the short climbs, so you're better off setting out before nine. In winter you can still ride, but the forest trails are covered in so many leaves and so much mud that mountain biking becomes more work than fun.

How to keep the group together

The simplest rule works best. Whoever rides in front waits at every turn until the last rider is in sight. That sounds obvious, and it still goes wrong on the first day, because after a descent the lead group assumes the rest will be along any second. Also agree on a meeting point halfway, with a time attached. Anyone who isn't there by half past one gets a call.

Rentals and repairs

If you bring your own bike, all you need to know is where the nearest bike shop is. If you want to rent, the same goes as with kayaks. Fifteen bikes aren't just sitting there ready, and booking a week ahead is the minimum. When you book, let us know which sizes you need, and Ingrid will pass that on to the rental company.

What it costs

You rent a mountain bike on the spot by the day, and a road bike costs a bit more. With fifteen bikes there's usually room to negotiate a half-day rate. Also factor in the cost of a van if you're bringing the bikes yourselves, because a standard hitch rack only fits four.

Tell us which of the four you ride and how many people you are, and Ingrid will send you the houses with a lockable bike storage room. She checks with the rental company about which sizes are in stock.