Klinkers Karren is the Paris-Roubaix of Southwest Drenthe: ‘Really don’t just suffer’

The first edition of the cycling event was in 2019, with start and finish in Meppel, with about 40 participants from all over the country. A year later there were 25. More was not possible, because of the corona measures at the time. The cycling tour returns on April 23, with start and finish in Havelte. And the corona measures are a thing of the past, so Vogd is aiming for a nice turnout. “Between 50 and 100 participants would be nice.”

The name of the event betrays the approach: vowels. Vogd has mapped out two routes. One of 70 and one of 120 kilometers. Both routes start in Havelte and both routes have an intermediate point halfway through, in the forest of Echten. That is where the center of gravity of the route lies: a 2.5 kilometer strip full of boulders. Known because the Ronde van Drenthe also crosses it.

In addition to the forest of Echten, the tour also takes you through the municipalities of De Wolden, Meppel, Westerveld and the municipality of Staphorst. There is a street called the Vlakweg. “And it’s anything but flat, I can tell you,” laughs Vogd about the bad condition of the vowels in the road.

The vowels sometimes seem to be loose, weeds rise from between the large holes in the road, the vowels are skewed and the points stick out dangerously above them several times. The street is also convex: the middle of the road is clearly a few centimeters higher than the sides.

The roads are really not as bad as there. “In some places the vowels are so tight, there it could have been an asphalt road. It’s really not just suffering,” says Vogd.

Clinker roads are disappearing from the street scene anyway. Roads are getting better and better. “But in this area they are still proud of the cobblestone roads and there are still quite a few. Especially at Staphorst.” Well-known example: the main road through Staphorst and Rouveen is a long cobblestone road of 9 kilometers.

“The course is the same as last year. Then there were only 25 participants, so that is possible again. The route is different from the first edition,” says Vogd, who also says that he simply discovered the cobblestone roads through somewhere randomly turn left or right, on roads where you would normally drive straight ahead. “I then write down those roads, or I see them on Komoot (a route planner, ed.).” Incidentally, the route also goes over a few dirt roads, but 98 percent of the route is paved.

The route can be cycled on both a racing bike and a gravel bike. “On the gravel bike you are less bothered by the irregularities. Then you can just enjoy the tour.” Vogd has already done both. “It also works fine with the racing bike. I myself have 25 centimeter tires on the racing bike. That is a bit more hard work, but also very cool to do. I have 45 centimeter tires on my gravel bike. That is a bit exaggerated for this. Ideal is around 30 centimeters.”

So the Paris-Roubaix of Southwest Drenthe. “That heroic race is of course absolutely beautiful when it rains, like last year. But I really wish our participants a nice sun. Klinkers Karren is also especially enjoyable. With beer and burgers at the end.”

And put tires on. Oh well, you don’t have to do that so often over these kinds of roads. “If you drive over cobblestones, you don’t get a flat tire very often. It is wise to let some air pressure run out of the tires on a racing bike. That also offers even more comfort.” Disadvantage: it makes cycling a bit heavier. “But if you just drive over the cobblestones, you don’t run flat so quickly.”