La Fange-La Roche en Ardenne-Baraque de Fraiture-La Fange 89 km

Trip for the road bike in the Ardennes with several challenging climbs. See the profile of the trip as a photo annex with the names of the cols, of which several are described in more detail on sites like www.klimtijd.nl (in Dutch). The Haussire is the most challenging climb of Belgium according to www.klimtijd.nl and the famous COTACOL ranking, but also the Col de Rideux Nord and the Vieille route de Beausaint are impressive. Large parts of the route are less well-known and quiet, except the direct surroundings of La Roche-en-Ardenne and Baraque de Fraiture. You can find something to eat and drink primarily in La Roche-en-Ardenne and Baraque de Fraiture.
At the starting point is room to park several cars along the N30. You directly leave this road and cycle down towards Fays, and then on to the Aisne valley at Roche-à-Frêne. You follow the valley until Aisne, and then start the steep climb of the Col de Rideux Nord via Heyd. You directly descend again to Fanzel. Through a quiet valley you ascend lightly to Érezée, and a bit steeper on to Hazeilles. You descend again to the Aisne valley, and directly start another climb via Amonines to Devantave. Via the hamlet Bois d'Arlogne you descend on a badly paved road towards Marcourt, but before you have descended completely you climb again via Marcouray to Cielle. Here you descend to the Ourthe valley and take a narrow road along a meander of the river past a campsite towards la Roche-en-Ardenne. This is a suitable place for lunch. A small street takes you from the square Place du Bronze with a lot of restaurants steeply up on the old road to Beausaint (Vielle Route de Beausaint). This quiet road climbs through forest and then through pasture to the village of Beausaint. Here you directly take back the N89 road la Roche. You pass the Place du Bronze again, cross the Ourthe, and take the small road at the church which takes you up on the Haussire, the most difficult climb of Belgium, largely through forest. The climb is steep at the start climbing out of town to the graveyard. Here you descend a bit and then climb past the zoo to a second descent before your final climb to the summit where there is a plaque dedicated to Claude Criquielion, and a sign indicating you have just climbed the most difficult col of Belgium. Here you descend to the relatively busy N89 which slowly climbs to Samrée. Here you descend to Dochamps. A quiet undulating road takes you to the foot of the Côte d'Odeigne, a nice climb through quiet countryside past the village and up into the moors below Baraque de Fraiture. When you get to the N89 you follow this busy road to the Baraque de Fraiture, the highest point of the route on the viaduct across the E25. Shortly after you get to the hamlet with the same name with some restaurants on the crossroad. Here you take the N30 to (mostly) descend towards Manhay. Just before the village you take a quieter road where we saw a roe deer cross the road. The road takes you to Vaux-Chavanne for the last climb of the day back to the N30. From here it is not far to the starting point. You get there via the N30 and two parallel stretches on quieter roads.