Road races
Ride on two of Wallonia’s most famous road racing tracks
Mettet, Gedinne and the Semois Valley
From Charleroi to Arlon, distance 247km, time 4.5hrs
BOTH METTET AND Gedinne offer the Walloon equivalent of Irish road racing thanks to closed public roads and high-speed motorcycle racing. Start by negotiating the outer limits of Charleroi and pick up the N573 to Mettet… Track layouts have evolved, retired and been created in the near-hundred years since racing first began here. The longest-serving layout looks like a bow tie when seen from above, with the Estroy roundabout forming the knot. Orient yourself using the Total fuel station: it sits between the outward and returning westward roads – the N98 and N932. Riding the route it is easy to imagine the incredible speeds racers would have been hitting during races. In fact, in order to slow affairs down a tad, a chicane was introduced on the N932 in 1977. Stop off for a coffee at the nearby bar – look for the Hall Sportif sign just opposite the Jules Tacheny car park. Refuelled, head south on the fast N977 to Rosee, before burrowing down to meet the Meuse river on the N915. Follow the river to the east, keeping an eye out for the stately gardens of Freyr sur Meuse that cascade towards the river. Enter Dinant, a town subjected to heavy bombing in the First World War. It was also the home of Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone who lived in a street that now bears his name. Cross the bridge below the fortress and return south on the other side of the river. There’s a great slab of rock that splits the road in two here – it’s the Rocher Bayard, said to have been split from the cliff face by a giant horse on its flight from Emperor Charlemagne. Turn east just after the rock towards the terrific bends of Houyet on the N94. Cut southwards from Houyet, crossing both the N911 and N40 in search of the Gedinne circuit. Like Mettet, Gedinne’s racing takes place on public roads – this time in a triangle between Gribelle, Patignies and Gedinne. Come race time the sleepy Walloon countryside erupts with the sound of classic motorcycle engines bothering the redline. Hay bales are all that line the roads to stop sliding bikes from crashing into the surrounding fields. The events here are spectacular. Pass through Gedinne, out towards Houdremont and on to Vresse-sur-semois, making sure to take on the switchbacks of the N914 just south of Petit-fays. Road surfaces in and around the Semois valley are sometimes questionable, so proceed with care along the N819 and N865 to Florenville. Further south still lies the Trappist abbey of Orval, home of the Orval brewery, guest house and cheese factory. Wriggle along the French border on the N88, head into the sunset on the lazy N870, and arrive at Arlon in time for a delicious 19 euro evening meal of rabbit fillet in champagne sauce at La Table de Marie on Rue des Remparts.
‘The countryside erupts with the sound of classic motorcycle engines’