In the Eifel you can cycle beautifully, and yet many choose to go to the Ardennes. Strange really, because in terms of distance it doesn't make much of a difference and the Eifel offers some major advantages over the Ardennes. The road surface is much (read 200x) better, it's generally quieter, fueling is fairly easy and the views are breathtaking as the region has fewer forests.
The Eifel (with one f, unlike the Eiffel Tower) is a rather large area, which can be divided into several regions. The most interesting cycling region for the Dutch is the North Eifel, also known as Rureifel. In fact, this region is less than a 2-hour drive from Utrecht. The Rursee reservoir forms the heart of this area. Famous places include Simmerath, Monschau and Heimbach. Cycling around the Rursee is excellent. The shortest round counts about 50 KM with 1000 m+. You then ride up 4 'gradual climbs' of always 5-6 KM at an average 6%, always with beautiful descents. On weekends it can be crowded with motorcycles.
Of course you can also make the Rursee loop bigger, and thus take in other climbs nearby. The Eifel has no "big names" like the Redoute and the Rosier but for example the Hammer Mauer, Widdauer Maurer and the Grünentalerstrasse are certainly not inferior. Those going for a long day trip I recommend riding the Rurseeroute once. A solid challenge of 160 KM with over 3000 m+.
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Near the Rursee you will also find the former SS camp Vogelsang. This is worth a visit anyway, but what not many people know is that you can just cycle through it. Via a suspension bridge you reach the other side of the water, and then you can go left or right via a gravel road. If you ride this route in the reverse order keep in mind you have a very tough calf bite. The climb bit to Camp Vogelsang is max 15%.
The Northern Eifel is also excellent for a few days vacation with family. In villages like Einruhr, Rurberg and Woffelsbach you will find plenty of "Ferienwohnungen" and guesthouses that are excellent for this. You can of course hike beautifully, but there is more to do for the whole family. For example, there is an outdoor swimming pool in Einruhr. Monschau is fun to visit once. Near Aachen is a small but fine zoo that is also "Dutch" priced. If the weather is not so good there is an indoor pool in Simmerath. Of course you can get a doormat-sized schnitzel on every street corner for next to nothing. If you want something local then get a game dish.
.South of the Rureifel is the Vulkaneifel. This too is a beautiful cycling area. The big advantage of this area is that it is quieter than the Rureifel. You will encounter far fewer motorcycles there. The most famous climb here is the Schwarzer Mann, which is almost 700 meters high. It is quite possible to ride from the Rureifel to the Vulkaneifel and back again (GPS). On the way back, you will be presented with a series of steep walls, so be warned.
A little further east you'll find the Hocheifel. If you want to bike here you will have to settle for a slightly longer car ride. Count on 2.5 hours from Utrecht. The absolute eye-catcher of this region is of course the Höhe Acht, the highest point of the Eifel (747m), located right next to the Nürburgring circuit. This climb is quite crowded, but you absolutely want to have done it. The last part is very very steep and consists of a footpath, which you can also climb by bike. This back-and-forth from the main road is obviously not to be missed. For example, a nice route is this one.
The Eifel is part of the same plateau and weather system as the Ardennes. That means it can rain heavily here. The best months to go are of course the summer months, but in principle you can cycle well here from as early as March. A good local weather report can be found at Eifelwetter.de.
There are not many sportives in this region. That probably has to do with permits. In the past, the Grenslandklassieker still tapped the Rursee, but that is now a thing of the past. In our database we find
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