The best MTB trails around Lede

A tough climb on a very uneven path. Watch your step.

The footbridge over the Ter Erpenbeek (Arpia), which forms the border between the villages of Ressegem and Woubrechtegem here, has been known for centuries under the name Schapenbrugje (Sheep Bridge). Originally, it was a simple plank bridge, known as a 'vondeltje', used to lead the sheep from the Hof te Raeckhout (Ressegem) to pastures on the Aaigemsveld (Woubrechtegem). The large farm on the left bank of the stream disappeared from the landscape at the end of the 18th century, and with it the original function of the bridge. Afterwards, the footbridge continued to function as an important part of the field path between the two villages. From the bridge, children would throw homemade fishing lines or search for sticklebacks in the babbling water. Today, the Schapenbrugje is a well-known spot for hikers and mountain bikers. (Municipality of Herzele)

Iconic to ride here.

I was lucky enough to drive through it after a few days of rain. In autumn, the clay soil is very slippery. But once you've made it through, it's all the more exhilarating 😅. This was definitely the toughest part of the whole route. The wall through Geeraardsbergen was easy by comparison. 🫣😂

"The Wall of Geraardsbergen"—who doesn't know it? It's a true classic in Flemish cycling. This iconic climb was a popular event in the Tour of Flanders for many years. A stretch of about 1100 meters takes you to the summit of the Oudenberg, at an altitude of 110 meters. From here, you have a magnificent view of the region and the famous chapel.

O Wall, you proud stone back, with cobblestones crooked and steep and unyielding, where many a cyclist climbs with toil, and every step belies the will. You wind narrowly through green splendor, a climb that has brought heroes, where sweat and hope embrace, and legs tremble without shame. No mountain so low, no wall so high, as you that arched through the centuries, where Flanders cheers on every side, and wind embraces the cyclist's heart. You are not a road, you are a battle, a victory, painful and liberating, a test of courage, a torture, but also a song, a lifelong one. Whoever climbs you with firm understanding, feels fire and flame in heart and hand, for on your summit, so proud, so clear, proudly waits, year after year. O Wall, you are a living song, that sees through every cycling soul — an ode to the power of man and wheel, you are a wall, but also a soul.

Fun climbs from different directions leading up to this statue

The Wall is a cobblestone road on the Oudenberg, the hill on which Geraardsbergen's town center is situated. In 1940, the Oudenberg was designated a protected landscape, and in 1995, the famous cobblestone road was declared a monument. (Wikipedia)