Introduction
If you think the Netherlands is just cities like Amsterdam and flat polders filled with tulips, think again. In the East of the Netherlands there are huge areas of sandy woodlands. If 
you cycle north of Wageningen for just ten minutes you are in the woods, and you can then cycle, off-road, for hours, with large areas of forest, heathland and inland dunes. You are in the Veluwe, an area popular with Dutch tourists, but little-known outside the Netherlands. For part of the area there are few restrictions on where you can go. You do not have to stick to waymarked tracks (although they do exist if you prefer that). There are restrictions south of Wolfheze (where there are vulnerable areas with rare plants and animals) and the Utrechtse Heuvelrug (the moraine area west of Veenedaal and North of Rhenen), where mountain bikers are restricted to the official routes apparently because of the high recreative pressure on the area. The military zone of the Ginkelse Heide has restricted access and in parts of the Renkumse Beekdal mountain biking is not allowed. Look out for the signs!
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Last Gear Eerbeek 25 jaar jubileum
It is always a great feeling, when you are heading towards the start of a mountain bike tour and as you get closer you see more and more people heading the same way, both on their mountain bikes and in cars with bikes hanging off the back. It gives you the feeling that this is not just a regular ride in the woods, but that you are part of something larger.
The Eerbeek cycling club ('Last Gear') were celebrating their silver jubilee (25 years), so it was indeed a special occasion. The start was well-organised with bike stands for whilst you were signing in and plenty of people staffing the desks so that it went quickly and smoothly. There was even a DJ with music and commentary, reminding us that parts of the route were into areas where you were never normally allowed to go.
It was incredibly good weather. When I set off it was even a little chilly at 9°, but by the end it was 21° and even a little too warm. There was a brilliant blue sky the whole time, with bright sunshine. There had been enough rain that the ground was mostly firm, but only a couple of small patches of mud (I didn't even need to clean my bike when I got back) and several longer patches of really loose sand, which was sometimes quite challenging.
The route was nearly all in woodland and heathland and it was gorgeous. The heather had mostly gone over, but there were still a few bushes flowering. The woodland was mixed, mostly deciduous and showing the first signs of autumn. There was lots of singletrack, often quite technical with sharp turns and short steep climbs (a couple that were even so steep and unexpected that I had to get off) and also a fair amount of wider stretches, where the faster people could get past. We were promised 320 height-meters, over 60 km but my bike computer claimed that it was nearly 500 hm and I must say that it felt more like that. Last week I was on holiday in the Eifel, where the hills are steeper and go on for kilometres, so this didn't feel too bad.
All in all, a great, well-organised tour, I was very fortunate it was organised during my holiday in Eerbeek.
