Frank Jordens, the 'father' of the original route, called his route at the time '' Mad bends through the Condroz '. And he was right… Not only because of the many bends, that may speak for itself, but also because of the high road quality that really makes 'fooling around the corners' possible ...
In our opinion, the quality of 'Mad bends through the Condroz' was high enough not only to invite us to ride them, but also to further develop them, with Frank's permission, into an Expert route in our library. . Thank you Frank!

The route starts at the large, inviting car park of the Carrefour in Kuringen. Easily accessible, large, safe and equipped with all necessary amenities for picnic shopping or even for breakfast / lunch / dinner, depending on the time of day.

The route takes you fairly quickly to the Walloon part of the country (rp6) where there is a different speed limit. From here you are allowed to drive 90 km / h outside the city limits, compared to only 70 km / h on the other side of the (language) border. Interesting point that you should pay attention to!

After all, 90 km / h is a pleasant speed to enjoy this route. It may be a little less interesting for the regular tourist visitor, but for the technical motorcyclist the route is more than challenging enough. That is why it might be best not to take softies on this trip. Some pins are a bit on the sharp and steep side, while the fast pieces can also be interpreted as such. The average speed may still exceed the level of the beginner. And a forewarned man ....

The route is certainly varied and that will become clear to you as soon as you leave the first resting point of the route, café 'Le Tambour' (rp 12) behind you. Le Tambour can be reached just after the magnificent approach to the Castle of Jehay (rp 11), an enchantingly beautiful, unique (!) And rare 16th century castle from the Meuse Renaissance. In 2020, in full restoration, but both the inside and the outside are more than worth a visit, especially for lovers of eclectic art and history. For example, the castle even has a 19th-century refrigerator in which the ice that was 'harvested' in winter was stored.

At route point 14 you will pass the Maas river for the first time and then the party really starts. Nice sharp turns are interspersed with wonderfully long stretches at a very varied pace. Steering skills and load changing technology can be refined here extensively and that during a few wonderfully long kilometers.

Until route point 27 you can enjoy undisturbed the region, the excellent road surface, the nice squeezing bends and slopes. But a break at route point 27 is highly recommended, especially if you have a picnic in the top case. The municipality of Comblain-La-Tour has created an excellent picnic spot here on the banks of the Ourthe. Moreover, with ample parking space. However, if you or your travel companions need to make use of any toilet facilities, we recommend that you continue the tour and digest the curves further up to Poulseur (rp 33, 22 km) or Esneux (rp 34, 26 km).

Poulseur (rp 33) has a very pleasant market square with ample parking space. If you wish, a visit can be made to the only 'lock' on the Ourthe, which was built in the 19th century, when there was still limited shipping on the Ourthe. Today, the value of the lock can be called more biological and a short trip to it is also nice.
A nice alternative to a sanitary break is Esneux, which is only 4 km away. Perhaps a little busier, but here too you can enjoy what the name of the café promises you on the banks of the Ourthe in café Belle-Vue: a magnificent view of the castle of Fy, a fairytale-like castle in private property that you can watch mysteriously and in full Disney atmosphere from the hill.

From Esneux you can take a seat on your steel steed and continue to enjoy the wonderful curves that this technical playground lets wash under your tires.

Here and there on the route towards route point 44, where you cross the Maas for the second time, small 'white' things will attract your attention. You may not even notice it, but it becomes more and more clear along the way. Especially if you cross the Maas at route point 44. A glance to the left will undoubtedly lead you to a completely 'white' factory, which is fiercely protruding from its surroundings. However, white is the color of this region because of the many limestone quarries present. After all, large mountains of 'chalk' are waiting here to be processed into the famous 'gyproc' building components that may also be in stock in your home. So now you also know where they come from ...

Once you have passed the Maas back, a few very nice and quickly consecutive pins will lead you back to the 'long' lanes on which you will return to Flanders at route point 50. Pay attention to the new maximum speed outside the center: 70 km / h is now the limit again.

Pleasant roads will take you via the last petrol station on the route at route point 54 to the Market Square of Diepenbeek, where there are pleasant establishments in addition to an extensive parking zone. Here you can enjoy this wonderfully technical tour.

The route has its length, but every kilometer is worth it. Excellent road surfaces and some superior long roads and sneaky corners have undoubtedly contributed to the refinement of your steering technique and load changing skills. Just because this route can be driven 'at pace' and you still have some driving experience, we do not really recommend this route to beginners. However, to the more advanced rider who cannot visit the Eifel or Luxembourg every weekend and still wants to enjoy fun cornering. Moreover, the route is close enough to Flanders to make it a quick trip. The route also remains far enough away from the 'beaten' paths and the tourist attractions, so that the crowds are really not too bad.

This deserves the route a five star rating, not so much because of the tourist attractions, but because of its technicality. We would therefore like to repeat our thanks to colleague Frank Jordens for the initial impetus to this tasty route to digest.