Welcome to Hicle events
Cycling, walking, outdoor! That is our passion. We share this through events such as Fiets en Wandelbeurs, E-bike Challenge and IBTC, and the website Hicleholidays.com. We like to bring professionals in the field of cycling, walking and tourism into contact with the right target group: the recreational cyclist and walker in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Hicle news
Fiets en Wandelbeurs/E-bike Challenge Netherlands attracts 24,165 visitors
The last edition of these events in Jaarbeurs Utrecht was a great success; 24,165 cycling and walking enthusiasts were scanned at the entrance. The aisles were particularly full on Friday and Saturday and exhibitors had to answer a barrage of questions. The theme country of this edition was Germany, which was put in the spotlight during the event. On the fair floor, 15 German regions presented their cycling and walking possibilities. The theme country also had its own room for giving 16 lectures on cycling and walking in Germany.
Göta canalleden is 'best cycle route' of 2025
On the first day of the Fiets en Wandelbeurs in the Netherlands, the Göta canal was declared the Hicle Cycle Route of the Year 2025. The 220-kilometre long cycling route follows the Göta canal in the south of Sweden, between Sjötorp and Mem. While following the route, you pass several lakes by boat. The jury was surprised by the versatility of the route. The cycle paths are very good and largely free of motorised traffic. The history of the canal is discussed in a number of museums and on the information panels at each lock. In addition to 'watching boats', it is also possible to sail the Göta canal yourself. Historic passenger boats sail parts of the route every day, and you can take your bicycle on board.
IBTC 2025: next generation routes & concepts
More than 80 professionals visited the successful 4th edition of the IBTC, or the International Bike & hike Tourism Conference in Domstad in Utrecht. On the day before the start of the Fiets en Wandelbeurs Netherlands, current topics were discussed in a keynote, a panel session and six breakout sessions. These offered plenty of inspiration to the attendees to develop and promote new route concepts.
Germany is theme country of the Fiets en Wandelbeurs Netherlands
Germany has been chosen as the theme country of the Fiets en Wandelbeurs Netherlands, which will celebrate its 20th edition in Jaarbeurs Utrecht on February 14, 15 and 16. The country will be in the spotlight in the coming weeks in the run-up to the event and will participate in the fair's publicity campaign. During the fair, Germany will have a prominent position on the exhibition floor. It also has its own lecture room, with 16 lecture slots. In this way it can emphatically profile itself as a cycling and walking paradise that is 'just around the corner' for Dutch cyclists and walkers.
Fiets en Wandelbeurs/E-bike Challenge kick off the season in Belgium
The Fiets en Wandelbeurs and E-bike Challenge had two wonderful days in Flanders Expo Ghent. We welcomed a total of 14,786 visitors. Until the end, the aisles remained well filled with a genuinely interested audience. On the large indoor test course of E-bike Challenge, visitors could try out the latest models of e-bikes and speed pedelecs from 16 brands. They had a wide choice: from trendy electric city bikes to electric mountain bikes, and from touring e-bikes with super batteries to speed pedelecs.
Venntrilogie is Hiking Route of the Year 2024
This time the trophy for the 'best hiking route in the Benelux' goes to the Venntrilogie in Eastern Belgium. A new route of 109 km, from the border triangle with the Netherlands and Germany to Bütgenbach. The jury praised the signage in both directions, the information boards at the start and end of each stage and the guide in four languages. She was also charmed by the 'overwhelming nature' along the route, especially during stages 3 to 6.
Successful edition of the Fiets en Wandelbeurs / E-bike Challenge in Utrecht
With 24,112 enthusiastic visitors, the Fiets en Wandelbeurs and E-bike Challenge in Jaarbeurs Utrecht have had a successful edition. The aisles were particularly busy on Friday and Saturday and many exhibitors had to answer a barrage of questions. As a theme country, Poland was extra in the spotlight. For three days, Poland presented the most beautiful routes and areas in that country in a large stand on the exhibition floor and in a lecture room. The E-bike Challenge was all about testing electric bicycles and speed pedelecs. Thousands of test rides were made on the latest models from more than 30 brands on the Shimano E-bike Course and Shimano Speed Pedelec Course in Hall 4 and Hall 2.
Van Gogh Drenthe is Cycle Route of the Year
'Van Gogh Drenthe Cycle Routes' in the Netherlands has been chosen as Hicle Cycle Route of the Year 2024. The jury announced this on the first day of the Fiets en Wandelbeurs in Jaarbeurs Utrecht. The Van Gogh Cycle Routes consist of three loops of a total of 150 kilometers. These can be ridden in combination with each other, but also separately. Vincent van Gogh spent three months in the Dutch province of Drenthe, but this is not really known. The routes introduce you to the beautiful primeval landscape that the artist was inspired by. You cycle through playful fields with old green villages, forests and swampy peat areas, where nature is allowed to take its course again. The jury was pleasantly surprised by the excellent quality of this cycle route in the Netherlands.
Hicle events 2025
The "Fiets en Wandelbeurs" (Hike & Bike Xperience) marks the start of a new hiking and cycling season in The Netherlands and Belgium. More than 850 exhibitors from the tourism, outdoor and cycling industry take part in it. They get to meet approximately 40,000 thrilled recreational hikers and cyclists.
Challenging test-tracks, a great collection of e-bikes, speed pedelecs and e-mountain bikes and full opportunities to present them to the public. This is what E-bike Challenge is about. It's a grand scale e-bike test-event, held in Belgium, the Netherlands and Minneapolis (USA). An event for anyone who is interested in buying an electrical bicycle.
The International Bike and hike Tourism Conference (IBTC) is our conference for cycling and hiking tourism professionals. The program is aimed at the exchange of knowledge, ideas and experiences to further develop this form of sustainable tourism.
The IBTC is a source of information, exchanges and inspiration in the field of active tourism.
