Biking Events (since 1999 organizing also the LCMT mountainbike tour  in the Belgian Ardennes) is launching a new cycling event: the 1st Flanders Fields Gravel Tour. Also a three-day tour, but now from the home base where Biking Box Cycling Experience Centre is located: YPRES! With this we are fully committed to the many cycling and historical assets that Flanders Fields offer.

Recently we have been working hard behind the scenes to make this unique gravel three-day event possible in 2023. In close collaboration with the Royal Ypres Cycling Club, which itself will be responsible for the international UCI junior race "Route des Géants" on August 27, we will soon also officially present this new top weekend in terms of cycling experience in Ypres and the Westhoek.

The proven success ingredients of the LCMT are incorporated into the Flanders Fields Gravel Tour. An excellently arranged all-in package, coupled with the option to book accommodation immediately.

A maximum of 550 participants (by analogy with the nearly 55,000 names on the Menin Gate Memorial) can obtain a participation certificate as soon as registrations are opened.

On the final day it will also be possible for 'locals' to register for that one day only (always subject to registration in advance, so no longer the day itself). And there is the option to sign up as a 'gravel' cyclist for 'Coureur & Entrepreneur', a previously successfully proven bicycle concept for cycling entrepreneurs who get to know each other better in a cycling atmosphere. “Coureur & Entrepreneur” was already a direct hit in 2022, then only with a guided tour on the road. Now that the off-road option of the Gravel Tour also becomes possible at the same time, a maximum of 30 Coureur & Entrepreneur tickets for the Gravel portion will be made available.

You can ride the Flanders Fields Gravel Tour with a gravel bike, mountain bike or cyclocross bike.

The three-day Gravel Tour is also included in the cycling calendar of Cycling Flanders (those who have a license as a cycling tourist or cyclist do not have to pay any additional insurance).

Pending the official press presentation, as well as the new specific website, we as an organization will now first strive for all necessary permissions, in particular for the course section that we would love to run partly on northern French roads. To be continued.

Dear rider, with this LINK you can find the ROADBOOK of LCMT 2022!

Anyone who has booked a stay in La Fraineuse (ADEPS center, Avenue Amédée Hesse in Spa) will find an overview of all allocated rooms or chalets under this LINK. Practical information (such as key pick-up) is also explained there.

In this news item we also provide a lot of practical information about the start of the first LCMT in 3 years, for the first time in Stavelot.

* collection of starter packs in the STAVELOT sports hall: for CYCLO, TRIATHLON and COMBI only on Thursday morning (1st stage start) between 7:45 am and 9:45 am - for MTB and CROSS-DUATHLON it is also possible to pick up on Thursday afternoon between 4 and 6 pm in the same Stavelot sports hall to pick up your package. The pick-up time there is also planned on the morning of the first stage, so Friday 27 May from 07:45.

* parking in and around Stavelot is very accessible. Most parking zones are free. Here's a brief overview:

- near the sports hall and at the football stadium of RCS Stavelot (in front of the football stadium, however NOT on Thursday morning because there is also a tourist bike ride there)

- along the Route de Challes

- at the abbey (drive up to the back)

- Stavelot market square (but bumpy cobblestones there)

- near the shopping center (e.g. at Okay...)

- Spa Racing: corner of Rue St.-Laurent and Route de Malmédy

If you don't mind a little warm-up: 5 km from the start in Malmédy, there are also a lot of car parks, including at the local football stadium of RFC Malmundaria.

 

* GPS files will be delivered to all participants via DIRECT E-MAIL and this at the latest 3 days before the start. Why not sooner? To accommodate late course changes if they still need to be implemented.

* Interested in sports massage after the ride(s): reserve your place already on this phone number: +32 485 94 50 45 Massages will take place both at the arrival area (football stadium RCS Stavelot) and in the ADEPS center of La Fraineuse, but this last only in the evenings. The COMPEX electrostimulation devices will also be available to recover the tired muscles as quickly as possible.

* finish of each chrono stage: under the finish arc, only the start mat will only be passed after a run-up phase, this to avoid 'traffic jams' and drumming.

* roadbook with all further practical information will be emailed to every participant in the weekend before the start. However, most information about the course and starting times can already be found on this website.

* yes, there's filming again! Our video team will try to portray the event nicely with daily videos and impressions.

* from now on no more cancellations possible, unless you introduce a replacement yourself (on May 18, 1 week before the start), so no more free transfers. Thank you for understanding.

We want to express our gratitude to all participants, to all crew members and to all our sponsors for being all essential members of this tropical LCMT-experience!

We can announce already that although we do not think it still can be 'hotter' after this year's edition, the 2018 LCMT (10 - 13 May) will be great again. 

All riders will receive a digital inquiry in which you can give your opinion on several services. As a matter of fact, if less is more, we are convinced that our next step will be a bit less work for current people who run this event during the whole year and put their shoulders under the whole package during the 4 days. So we will start up the searching for a few extra high quality assistants who can take over some of the responsabilties. You can help us to keep up this already high standards by spreading the news. As for the competition riders we apologize not being able to publish the final results on day 3. Some technical problems with the time registrations urged us to wait another night before launching this online. We also will consider this aspect as a priority for our competition tour. It's an aspect that needs to be outsourced completely, so we only co-operate with a time registration company that does take this in a 100% engagement.

Check your data and verify your payment. How much still to pay? Or has it been confirmed already by our administration? This is how you manage:

• Button 'to subscribe' or go straight to www.lcmt.bike
• Use your e-mailaddress (the one you used to subscribe) + password
• Lost your password? Ask a new one -->will be sent automatically to your mailbox
• You have access again to verify what you wanted. And you can see also if your payment has been verified by us (status!)
• If it seems something is not as you thought to have asked for, contact us! Also if something must be changed. Only our 'admin' has the facility to modify anything on your participation.
• What can be done by you? If you are main-booker, it's only you that has the power to add another cyclist under your name.

A hard choice to make since we have 3 days of mountainbiking and 3 days of road cycling in this LCMT-event.
3 more options are now to be considered: the 'combination tour', whicht is on day 1 & 3 = use your road bicycle; on day 2 & 4 = go on your mountainbike!
Or you may ride the 4 days triathlon "King of the Ardennes": running, swimming and 3 days road cycling + final day on the mountainbike!
Now to complete our story we added the cross-duathlon: 3 days mountainbike, but also 2 times a day a trail run is waiting for you! Make a choice and achieve your personal goals!



Wat wordt het straks voor jou? 

1. MOUNTAINBIKE: 3-daagse 31/5 - 2/6 keuzes uit COMPETITIE XL-afstand, COMPETITIE 'large-afstand' en RECREATIEF (XL, Large of Medium-afstand)
2. CYCLO: weg-3-daagse 30/5 - 1/6 keuze uit CHRONO (goud - zilver - brons) XL-afstand of Large-afstand en RECREATIEF (XL, Large of Medium-afstand)
3. COMBI-TOUR: vierdaagse 30/5 - 2/6 enkel COMPETITIEF XL-afstand (dag 1 en 3 op de koersfiets, dag 2 en 4 op de mountainbike, laatste dag wel slechts de 'large'-mtb)
4. TRIATHLON: vierdaagse 30/5 - 2/6 enkel  COMPETITIEF maar 2 afstandkeuzes zijnde XL-triathlon en 'Large'-triathlon (bij dit laatste fiets je 3 dagen 'Large'-cyclo). 3 dagen op de koersfiets, laatste dag 'Large'-MTB, aangevuld met loop- en zwemproeven (details onder triathlon-pagina).
5. CROSS-DUATHLON: 3-daagse 31/5 - 2/6 enkel COMPETITIEF, dagelijks eerst 6 km lopen, dan de 'Large-MTB-etappe' en finaal nog eens 6 km lopen.

If you want the best price, subscribe NOW! 
With or without our hotel formula? This is entirely up to you! Go to our REGISTER page. First things first = to subscribe for our cycling & mountainbike tour, make a choice whether you want to mountainbike, cycle on road bike. Or perhaps you prefer the 'combi'-formula, the challenge of triathlon or cross-duathlon.
Also to be mentionned under mountainbike or road tour: with or without timings.

For your lodgings, several options available, but most participants will first check facilities in Vayamundo Hotel in Houffalize. This hotel will keep all rooms 'exclusively' for LCMT-riders untill 30 November only.

Of course, it's also possible to arrange your own lodgings elsewhere. Anyway, one can subscribe only till the LCMT is fully booked (600 tickets). By subscribing before New Yearsday, you are allowed only to pay a 100 EUR downpayment. The rest can be done before end of February. Cancelling is still possible, read our special terms on that particular subject in 'regulations' (under INFO).

What kind of a cyclist am I?
If you can say YES to one of the following describings, the LCMT is certainly typecasted for you!

• Competitive cyclist and having a good basic condition & well trained? --> choose XL-rides with or without time registration
• Recreative biker but pretty well trained and you are kicking on climbings (and downhills)? --> choose the XL or why not someday a Large-track >
• You kick on competition but on shorter distances? --> from now on also the 'large'-distance in our mountainbike tour will result in a seperate ranking. Same story for our triathlon!

• Recreative biker with busy job and sometimes a lack of training time? --> use the LCMT tour to get in your best shape again! --> go for  ‘medium’-distances or perhaps the 'large'-stages!