Ronde van Horst (Lb.)

Location: Horst   Route length: The route is 18.5 kilometers long. The route is ridden counterclockwise.   Marking: The route is marked with square wooden posts bearing the international MTB sign in red (a triangle with two circles below).   Start location: Car park at the intersection of Lorbaan / Naaldhoutweg in America.   Surroundings: The Schadijkse Woods, covering an area of about 525 hectares, are located in the municipality of Horst aan de Maas. Staatsbosbeheer manages most of this area. The hilly character of this area can be explained from a natural history perspective. When the Schadijkse Woods used to be extensive heathlands, the farmers cut turfs from the heath to use as fertilizer on their fields. The fields were raised, and the characteristic es grounds with their rounded shape emerged. Examples include Grussenveld and Holtakker. Furthermore, the regular cutting of heathland caused sand drifts, which were only halted by the hedgerows surrounding the fields. Hence the hills. One of these hedgerows can still be seen at the car park on Gusseweg.   Nature of the route: This route is almost entirely made up of winding singletracks, except for a few hundred meters. In between, there are some straight (wider) sections for catching your breath. The entire route can be ridden without any asphalt. The route was developed through the collaboration of Staatsbosbeheer and about 50 mountain bikers. The mountain bikers founded the Mountrainbike Promotie Noord-Limburg foundation.