Gulperberg
| Gulperberg | ||
| height | 156 m | |
| province | Limburg | |
| Starting place | Partij | |
| Height difference | 59 m | |
| length | 0.6 km | |
| Average slope | 9.8% | |
| Maximum gradient | 17% | |
The Gulperberg is a Dutch climb that owes its fame to cycling. The ascent leads from the small village of Partij to the Gulpen high plateau.
A total of three climbs lead to the Gulpen high plateau. In addition to the Gulperberg from the Partij direction, the Gulperbergweg and the Koning van Spanje lead up there from the Gulpen direction .
General
The Gulperberg is the ascent with the greatest average gradient in the Netherlands. Other sources claim that the Keutenberg deserves this title. These different claims arose because the end point of the Keutenberg is indicated differently. The Gulperberg is very popular with visitors during cycle races, as the straight road means that the riders can be seen for a long time. This is compounded by the slow speed riders reach due to the steepness.
Amstel Gold Race
In the Amstel Gold Race , the Gulperberg is skied twice. The first passage is in the middle of the race, for the second time the field 28 km from the finish, which is located on the Cauberg , meets the Gulperberg. It is the 26th of 31 climbs to be mastered. From the Gulperberg, the drivers take the descent via the Gulperbergweg to Gulpen. As a result, the last, flatter 100 meters of the ascent are not used.
When visibility is good, the spectators from Gulperberg can see the field disappear at Wittem in the next ascent, the Kruisberg . The Gulperberg is in the pre-finals of the Amstel Gold Race. Since further, difficult climbs follow immediately afterwards, the decisive factor rarely happens on this ascent.
Hel van het Mergelland
In the Hel van het Mergelland , the Gulperberg is around 50 km from the destination. In this race it marks the most difficult climb. This is why there are occasional race-critical situations here, even though the climb is around 50 kilometers from the finish. As with the Amstel Gold Race, the riders on the Hel van het Mergelland turn off onto the Gulperbergweg around 100 m before the actual end of the climb. From there, however, they climb back over the Koning van Spanje to the Gulpen high plateau. This is attractive for the spectators, as they can experience both mountain passages by car or bicycle.
In the Hel van het Mergelland the Gulperberg is indicated as the Gulpenerberg .
useful information
- A huge statue of the Virgin Mary was erected at the top of the Gulperberg in 1935
- the road on which the Gulperberg ends is called Panoramaweg, from there you can look down on Gulpen and the Gulp Valley
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 48 ′ 42.8 " N , 5 ° 54 ′ 10.4" E