Ride

Groot hart in de heide

Eindhoven gravel 90 Route

Date

09.03.2025

Type

gravel

Distance

90km

Elevation

50m

Start

08:00 am — 10:00 am

Riders

Collector

Eindhoven’s light for Gaza

Eindhoven residents show their hearts during this first Heart for Gaza event, with bike rides in and around the city, followed by a gathering at the exhibition ‘If I Must Die, You Must Live’ in Art Space AUTO VITESSE by Henk Visch & Irene Veenstra.

An organisation by Henk Visch and Irene Veenstra, Jos van der Sommen, Faten Abushab, Rutger and Madelon from Cyklist, Walter van Hulst from Get Running, and Anton de Haan, Maurits de Preter, Alex De Broe from Koersklub Rood-Wit (B).

Donate

€2,541 raised

Info ride

Type: gravel
Distance: 90km
Date: 09.03.2025
Start: 08:00 am — 10:00 am
Start location: Cyklist (Gasfabriek 3, Eindhoven, NL)
End location: Art Space “Auto Vitesse” Huis Henk Visch (Voorterweg 128 , Eindhoven, NL)

On March 9th, we depart from Café Cyklist in Eindhoven for a unique gravel ride with a deeper purpose. We begin the day with a warm welcome from Rutger and Madelon, who will treat us to free coffee or tea. At the start and finish location, you’ll find stands selling T-shirts, caps, and pins from the Gaza Sunbirds—with all proceeds going to support this inspiring Palestinian paracycling club.

Our 90 km gravel route forms the heart of this ride, taking you on a stunning mix of forest trails, heathlands, and hidden gravel sections. You can find the full route description at the bottom of the page.

The ride ends at a special location: the home of sculptor Henk Visch and Irene Veenstra, where we will be warmly welcomed. Hospitality is the central theme of this event, inspired by Palestinian culture, where community and generosity are deeply valued.

After the ride, you can enjoy a delicious Syrian meal, prepared under the guidance of Faten Abushab, accompanied by coffee, tea, and drinks. There will also be the powerful exhibition ‘If I Must Die, You Must Live’ at Artspace AUTO VITESSE, curated by Henk Visch, featuring poetry, posters, and artworks by Mosab Abu Toha, Refaat Alareer, Sliman Mansour, Yoshitomo Nara, and Henk Visch.

This is a chance to connect in a relaxed atmosphere with Belgian, Dutch, and Palestinian cyclists and supporters, including Mohammed Abu Asfour from the Gaza Sunbirds.

Join us and let your heart race—during and after the ride! ❤️🚴

Included

At the start: Coffee and tea offered by Café Cyklist.
Ater the ride: Syrian meal with coffee or tea, offered by Huis Henk Visch and prepared under the direction of Faten Abushab.
Visit exhibition ‘If I Must Die, You Must Live’, an exhibition curated by Henk Visch with poetry, posters, and artworks by Mosab Abu Toha, Refaat Alareer, Sliman Mansour, Yoshitomo Nara, Henk Visch.

NOT Included

All rides are self-sufficient, please bring your own food and drinks for the journey. No supplies along the way.
No technical support.
Drinks: the proceeds will go to Gaza Sunbirds

Route

Eindhoven gravel 90

Starting at Café Cyclist in the heart of Eindhoven, this 90 kilometer gravel ride takes you through a beautiful mosaic of forests, heathlands, dirt roads and hidden country lanes. This is a route that not only puts your fitness to the test, but also stimulates your senses with the peace and beauty of Brabant's nature.

Starting in Eindhoven, we head northwest to the forests of Wintelre and Knegsel. The route then heads south to the first real heathland area of the day (Malpie). Then we cross the border to ride briefly through the Belgian forests of Achel.

We are now at the southern tip of the heart and turn the horse northeast back towards the Netherlands.

Just before crossing the border, we wave briefly to the fathers of the Acheltse Kluis.

Then we make a joyful entry into one of Holland's most beautiful gravel areas. The Leenderheide and the Stabrechtse Heide will undoubtedly make your gravel heart beat faster.

A gravel final in Eindhoven would not be a gravel final if we did not include one of the Netherlands' most challenging off-road climbs. To the roof of Brabant! Just grit your teeth and then you can enjoy the panoramic view of the Eindhoven skyline and the knowledge that it's easy to bubble down from there.

Download GPX ⇲

Corresponding event

‘If I Must Die, You Must Live’ Huis Henk Visch

After-ride event with food & drinks at the finissage of the exhibition If I Must Die, You Must Live.

Palestinians are known for their hospitality and sense of community. This is reflected in our event, where artist Henk Visch and Irene Veenstra warmly welcome us. Their hospitality symbolizes Palestinian values of warmth and connection, emphasizing the importance of solidarity.

After the ride, we are warmly welcomed at Huis Henk Visch, where you can visit the exhibition If I Must Die, You Must Live, featuring poetry, posters, and artworks by Mosab Abu Toha, Refaat Alareer, Sliman Mansour, Yoshitomo Nara, and Henk Visch.

The exhibition offers a glimpse into the lives of Palestinians, whose existence is being destroyed as they suffer under Israel’s brutal, genocidal apartheid policies.

The title of the exhibition comes from the first two lines of the last poem published on Instagram by poet Refaat Alareer.

Koersklub Rood-Wit

Café ROOD-WIT in Oud-Berchem, once known for its billiard history, no longer features the game. Today, it’s a cozy gathering spot where the café cycling team “ROOD-WIT” and locals enjoy drinks and community, while its nostalgic charm endures.

Organiser

Huis Henk Visch

The Stichting HuisHenkVisch – an active cultural platform for the visual arts since 2016 – expresses its disapproval and deep abhorrence of the devastating war being waged in plain sight of the world in Palestine and Lebanon.
www.huishenkvisch.eu

Henk Visch (Eindhoven, 1950) is a renowned Dutch sculptor, graphic artist, and draftsman. He studied at the Royal Academy of Art and Design in ’s-Hertogenbosch and worked in various locations including New York and France. Visch gained recognition for his sculptures and exhibitions at venues like De Fabriek and The Livingroom. He taught at several prestigious institutions, including the Rijksakademie and the Jan van Eyck Academy. Visch represented the Netherlands at the 1988 Venice Biennale and received numerous awards, including the Jeanne Oosting Prize (2018) and the Wilhelminaring (2023).
www.henkvisch.nl

Organiser

Cyklist

The Eindhoven Cycling Café is the meeting place for everyone. Enjoy a craft beer on our terrace and listen to great cycling stories. The supply is in the good hands of Rutger and Madelon, along with the rest of the friendly Cyklist team. There’s plenty to see in our café, from a large collection of cycling jerseys, the Bert Oosterbosch museum, to all the cycling races, classics, and cyclocross events shown on the big screen.
www.cyklist.nl