La Conquête des Ardennes Offroad
Permanent brevet · Offroad · 400 km · 8,000 m+
The “twin sister” of the Road Conquest.
A crazy 400 km route with nearly 8,000 m of climbing across the Ardennes, to ride on a gravel bike or a mountain bike.
Designed to take you deep into the Ardennes, the Conquest of the Ardennes Offroad Edition is an extremely demanding route. Bikepacking or with support, you write the script of your ultra adventure.
It is meant for all the brave challengers who embody the Resist & Ride spirit. Don’t be surprised to find yourself stuck in the jungle, carrying your bike in a few places, or battling through a festival of roots.
Be warned: the Offroad Conquest is for experienced riders. And for riders who don’t scare easily.
The route · Condroz, Ardenne, East Cantons
Three zones. One loop.
At first sight, the Offroad version is harder than the Road one. Its climbing ratio is similar to the Road Conquest, but on tracks, single tracks and gravel roads. And climbing plus offroad always means a few surprises.
Rest assured: there is something for everyone. It is made up of roughly 1/3 mountain-bike trails, 1/3 gravel tracks and 1/3 transition and recovery sections. But since you will spend more time on the tough sections, expect to spend 80% of your time wrestling with your bike.
The story · zone by zone
From the Citadel to the Citadel.
The suggested start is the Citadel of Namur. A true gateway to the Ardennes, a start from the Walloon capital lets you find your bearings gently.
Gently, but not for long. The route leaves the Citadel along the Route des Forts, runs above the Meuse on the GR 126 trails, passes through Annevoie and right by Maredsous Abbey. First photo point.
Dinant is crossed on the Charles de Gaulle bridge, then the Lesse takes over: Anseremme, Furfooz, Walzin Castle clinging to its cliff, the Aiguilles de Chaleux. Further on, the Route de la Reine, the outskirts of Han-sur-Lesse and the RAVeL 150B lead to the Fourneau Saint-Michel. Saint-Hubert is close: the gateway to the deep Ardenne.
This is the wildest zone. From the Saint-Hubert plateau, the route plunges into the forest, reaches Ortho, Mousny and Engreux, then Houffalize, tucked at the bottom of its valley.
Then east. Gouvy, the village of Ourthe, the first German-speaking villages: Espeler, Grüfflingen, Sankt Vith. The Vennbahn runs across the high plateaus of the East Cantons, where the loop reaches its highest point, 606 m, just before Lake Bütgenbach.
From the heights of the East, the route drops towards Robertville and the Warche valley, circles Malmedy and reaches Stavelot. The Thier de Coo, then Le Coffee Ride: one coffee before the long road west.
More than 100 km still to go. Barvaux, Durbuy, then the Condroz, its stone farms and its tracks that only lead to the next hill. The last kilometres cross Jambes and the Meuse. If you make it to the end, you will have earned the climb up the Route des Canons, a real gift.
How it works · permanent brevet
Your Conquest, your script.
You choose where and when you start. The anticlockwise direction is mandatory.
Register
Registration is on njuko. You receive the .gpx file of the full loop.
Choose your start
Place and date are up to you; the anticlockwise direction is mandatory. Suggested start at the Citadel of Namur.
Ride
Bikepacking or with support, on tracks and roads open to everyone: follow the highway code and respect other users.
Get it validated
Send your Strava activity to homologation@resistandride.cc, with a selfie at each of the seven photo points. Your name joins the hall of fame.
Registration includes
- The .gpx file
- A finisher souvenir
- A diploma
- Your name in the hall of fame
MTB or gravel?
If you feel like an expert bike handler, with excellent fitness, and you don’t mind being shaken about, give your gravel bike a go.
If you prefer comfort and want to feel at ease on the trickier MTB sections, go for a mountain bike.
Either way, make sure your gearing is up to it: a minimum ratio of 0.75 (for example a 34 chainring with a 45 cassette). For more comfort, a ratio of 0.65 is recommended, to get over the 15–20% sections more easily. Whatever your setup, there are 3 or 4 hike-a-bike sections.
The seven photo points
Riding at night?
On a route like this, we do not recommend riding at night. The first grade, “Maestro – Sub 30h”, allows seasoned riders to complete the loop in two 200 km stages, with one night’s rest.
If you decide to ride at night, be aware that it is entirely your own responsibility. The route includes sections at the bottom of valleys, deep in the “jungle”, with no possibility of rescue and sometimes no mobile coverage.
Hall of fame
They conquered the trails.
Every validated loop puts its rider in the hall of fame, with total time, riding time and the grade earned: Maestro, Panache or Touring.
Under 30 h
The ultimate grade, “Maestro”, lives up to its name: completing the Conquest of the Ardennes Offroad in under 30 hours is a masterpiece. It is the most coveted grade among expert bike handlers with outstanding fitness. Only a handful will close the loop in so little time.
Two days
For those without the legs or the nerve to tempt fate, “Panache” is the grade of daring. Of panache, of risk-taking, of those who aren’t afraid to break away, even if it means losing everything… Riding the CDA Offroad in 2 days, with a good night’s sleep, is already a feat.
At your own pace
The Offroad Conquest can also be lived more humanly. In three, four or even more stages. Making the most of the landscapes, marvelling at nature, discovering Wallonia’s heritage, without worrying about the time going by. This grade is for lovers of bikepacking and solo travel.
- Laurent Ego15.04.2023 · total 41h 24m · riding 30h 29mPanache
- Michael Schelfhout05.05.2023 · total 37h 30m · riding 24h 44mPanache
- Laurens Dingenen07.06.2023 · total 35h 02m · riding 23h 58mPanache
- Damien Remen15.07.2023 · total 31h 38m · riding 24h 33mPanache
- Jean-François Oudkerk15.07.2023 · total 31h 25m · riding 25h 03mPanache
- Arnaud Thomas18.07.2023 · total 30h 56m · riding 25h 25mPanache
- Bernard Godon21.07.2023 · total 33h 20m · riding 28h 16mPanache
- Maikel Hogevorst21.07.2023 · total 29h 59m · riding 19h 42mMaestro
- Thierry Michel21.07.2023 · total 33h 20m · riding 28h 16mPanache
- Frédéric Verscheure27.07.2023 · total 81h 01m · riding 32h 59mTouring
- Céline Seys22.08.2023 · total 59h 52m · riding 32h 49mTouring
- Florian Van de Calseyde22.09.2022 · total 29h 12m · riding 24h 32mMaestro
In pictures · The Offroad Conquest
Roots, rocks and big horizons.
Resist & Ride brevets
Four loops. All year round.
Ready to get lost deep in the Ardennes?
400 km, 8,000 m+, three zones and a few hike-a-bike sections. The day you set off is yours to choose.