Monumental

Monumental is a self-supported bikepacking tribute to Belgian cycling culture. Its routes string together the climbs and cobbles of the great spring classics, the Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and, new for its third edition, the cobbled sectors of Paris-Roubaix, linked by as much off-road track as the organisers can find.

From the campsite at Oud-Heverlee, south of Leuven, the riders pass landmarks such as the Lion's Mound at Waterloo and the Sonian Forest. The Flanders loop collects the Ronde's hellingen, the Ardennes loop the long climbs of La Doyenne, and the full route joins both into one figure of eight. A little over half is on tarmac, the rest is cobbles, forest paths, gravel roads and the odd singletrack, so wide tyres are recommended.

It is run by three hobby bikepackers, Dries, Leen and Maxime, who have ridden plenty of these events themselves since 2022 and set out to gather the best of them in one. Past riders describe it as challenging but welcoming to first-timers, and the longest route has no time limit at all.