March 3, 2024

Successful 2024-edition of the Fiets en Wandelbeurs and E-bike Challenge in Ghent

14,786 cycling and walking enthusiasts visited the Fiets en Wandelbeurs and E-bike Challenge at Flanders Expo in Ghent last weekend. Both events provided plenty of inspiration for the new cycling and walking season or the purchase of an electric bicycle.

Cycling and walking remain as popular in Flanders, as was evident from the 2024 edition of both events. The aisles were pleasantly busy on both Saturday and Sunday throughout the fair.

Lectures and workshops

No fewer than 81 lectures and workshops were on the program over two days; from stories about cycling and walking tours in our own country to routes in Catalonia, treks in Africa and America, bikepacking adventures, pilgrimages and more. The two workshop squares on the exhibition floor were almost continuously well occupied. The lecture rooms attracted a large audience, particularly the lectures by Jonathan Van Nieulande (cycling from Alaska to Patagonia), Tom Langmans (hiking in the UK and Ireland) and Kristien Hansebout (cycling in Wallonia). The presentations of the route platforms RouteYou and komoot were also popular.

E-bike Challenge

Part of Hall 1 was reserved for the E-bike Challenge, the e-bike test event in Belgium with a large indoor test course, including a special track for fast speed pedelecs. Visitors made thousands of test drives on the latest models from 16 brands. They had plenty of choice. The range varied from trendy e-city bikes to e-folding bikes and from e-cargo bikes and e-fat bikes to e-bikes with super batteries and speed pedelecs.

Venntrilogie Hiking route of the Year

Traditionally, at the Fiets en Wandelbeurs the jury announced the winner of the award for the Hiking Route of the Year. This time the trophy went to the Venntrilogie in Eastern Belgium, a new 109 km route that connects some of the most beautiful landscapes in that region. From the border triangle with Germany and the Netherlands to Bütgenbach. The jury praised the variation in landscape types and called the nature, especially in stages 3 to 6, overwhelming.

For information about the Venntrilogie: www.ostbelgien.eu.