9 MAY 2026
ROUTES
DISCOVER THE BEAUTIFUL
Marly Gravel!
Together with komoot, we’ve mapped out four epic gravel routes for Marly Grav Fest:
50 km – short morning loop
85 km – long morning loop
100 km – short morning loop + afternoon loop
135 km – long morning loop + afternoon loop
Whether you’re just starting out or have been riding gravel for years, everyone is welcome! Pick your distance and ride at your own pace. Climbing, descending, going full gas, and views to die for. This is South Limburg at its best.
Unique this year: we’re going straight through the Gemeentegrot in Valkenburg. Yes, really! This is the only recreational ride in the world where you cycle through a marl cave.
We’ll drop the final routes soon. Stay tuned.
The only gravel event in the world through a marl cave
We give you a small sneak peek to warm you up. Here are some highlights you will encounter along the way!
A truly unique highlight: you cycle straight through the Gemeentegrot Valkenburg, better known as Marly Cave.
This underground passage is something you have probably never experienced on a gravel bike. Cycling through centuries-old corridors, carved into marl, silent, cool and almost cinematic.
You roll out of the Gemeentegrot and immediately find a true classic in front of your wheels: the Cauberg. Quite possibly the best-known climb in the Netherlands, steeped in cycling history and the perfect opener for Marly Grav Fest.
A quick test of the legs, heart rate up, and off you go. The kind of start any gravel enthusiast can only be happy with.
The 85 km morning loop takes you across the border, towards the Voerstreek region in Belgium. There, you ride through a landscape full of quiet roads, rolling hills, open fields and charming villages, tucked away in green valleys.
This is a gravel area where everything comes together: making good progress, continuing to enjoy the views and being surprised time and again by what lies around the next bend.
Both the 100 km and 135 km routes include a section of the official Gravel World Championships 2025 course. You’ll ride the same paths where Lorena Wiebes and Florian Vermeersch became gravel world champions.
Fast and challenging terrain, but now simply for you to enjoy at your own pace.
Gerendal is an elongated dry valley south of Schin op Geul and is one of the most beloved areas of South Limburg. In the calcareous grasslands, various species of rare wild orchids bloom. Sheep graze there between the hills, paths wind between bird-filled hedges, past roadside crosses and along lush woodland edges.
Shimano is a top brand in the cycling world. At the Shimano Experience Center in Valkenburg, you can see and test the latest materials for yourself. Here, it’s all about the experience!
As the home base of Marly Grav Fest, this is the place where everything comes together: the start, lunch stop, finish, and afterparty.
