Reusel - Bladel   

This one-day race between Reusel and Bladel is dedicated to a historical feud between the two municipalities. This feud is about “De Acht Zaligheden” (Dutch for “The Eight Beatitudes”) – it’s a collective name for eight villages in the Dutch Kempen, an allusion to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount which refers to the toponym “-sel”. The eight villages are Duizel (used to be: Duisel), Eersel, Hulsel, Knegsel, Neters...

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This one-day race between Reusel and Bladel is dedicated to a historical feud between the two municipalities. This feud is about “De Acht Zaligheden” (Dutch for “The Eight Beatitudes”) – it’s a collective name for eight villages in the Dutch Kempen, an allusion to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount which refers to the toponym “-sel”. The eight villages are Duizel (used to be: Duisel), Eersel, Hulsel, Knegsel, Netersel, Reusel, Steensel and Wintelre (in Brabantian language: Wèntersel). The inhabitants of Bladel claim for years that not Wintelre, but Bladel is the Eighth Beatitude. This claim resulted in the following event: early in the 21st century some inhabitants of Bladel placed a ninth stone at the Monument of the Eight Beatitudes in Reusel, which only reinforced the discussion that is still going on nowadays between Reusel and Bladel.

The departure of this one-day race is at the Stone Monument of the Beatitudes in an area known as the Peelse Heide south of the village of Reusel. The riders take the chance to enjoy the sight of the Karel I Cigar Factory just outside of the village centre which is immovable heritage. On easy flat roads the riders pass through Reusel, the 1st village of the Eight Beatitudes, they move on to the 2nd & 3rd village Hulsel and Netersel. The 4th village on the road is Wintelre, the village that’s considered by Bladel as “the odd one out” because of its name and its location (10km northeast of Netersel). The riders leave Wintelre to ride south on easy roads to cross the A67 motorway 3 times as they pass through the 5th, 6th and 7th village – Knegsel, Steensel and Duizel. The 8th and last village is Eersel, it is known for its attractive market and it holds the Regional Museum of the Eight Beatitudes.

As the riders end this historical journey through the Eight Beatitudes they go on to Center Parcs De Kempervennen. It is one of the main sponsors of this race and it is a beautiful Holiday-park just south of Valkenswaard located between two lakes. The riders enter the last 20km of the race as they pass through the village of Bergeijk. They go across the A67 motorway for the 4th (!) and last time in this race. The riders pass by Landal Het Vennenbos, another Holiday park that is surrounded by woodland and marshes as they ride on to the village of Bladel. As the riders catch sight of the Flamme Rouge and the Sint-Petrus’-Bandenkerk of Bladel they must prepare for very difficult roads throught the village centre of Bladel, the route becomes more technical because of some sharp turns and the narrow roads. The last turn is at about 300m, from then on it is a straight line to the finish at Sint-Petrus’-Bandenkerk, where the winner will proudly pose with the Ninth Stone of Bladel…