E-MTB in the Hills

Sometimes people laugh at me for it, but I just let it slide. I recently bought an electric bike. Not a stereotypical pensioner's e-bike, but a stylish Cube One44 HPC SLX 800, model year 2027. My colleague Femke doesn’t laugh, because she knows from experience that you still have to put in plenty of effort on an e-bike. Mine is a mountain bike, with wide tyres and suspension both front and rear.

Thijs and I were sold on the idea after renting an e-mountain bike for a day during a holiday in Austria. Despite being relatively untrained, we managed to climb to an altitude of 1,500 metres. The scenery along the way was breathtaking and has stayed with me ever since.

In Austria, an e-MTB is pretty much the norm. But does the same apply to the rolling hills of South Limburg? We live in the southern part of Maastricht and can easily cross the border into the Voer region. Last Saturday, we headed to Aubel. Along the way, a fox suddenly appeared right in front of us. We had never seen one in the wild before. Thijs immediately recognised it as a fox. Apparently, his eyesight is better than mine.

The road to Aubel climbs steadily uphill. You then descend into the town and climb out again on the other side. Aubel lies in a valley surrounded by a higher plateau. Following the navigation system (yes, an e-bike comes with navigation that you can read on a nice screen), we left the town via a route that was unfamiliar to me. At the last moment, I spotted a sign for La Bel. We crossed a narrow stream via a small bridge, and I found myself wondering about the connection between the name Aubel and the stream called La Bel.

There does indeed appear to be a connection, although opinions differ. The most widely accepted explanation traces the name back to the Latin word Albula, meaning “small white river”. The “white” refers to the limestone that is abundant throughout the region. We Dutch speakers tend to pronounce Aubel with the stress on the first syllable. The local inhabitants, however, place the stress on the last syllable, as they speak French. With that pronunciation, the association with La Bel becomes even more apparent.

Until the twentieth century, a Limburgish dialect was spoken in Aubel. It is remarkable that we can cross the border from Maastricht, travel through the Voer region, and arrive in Aubel. In the Voer region, all signs appear in both French and Dutch. In Aubel, everything is exclusively in French. The idea that people once came to blows over language differences remains bizarre. Even stranger is the fact that people in such a border region are not educated in both languages. At Jeanpierre, the fantastic pastry shop in the centre of Aubel, we had to point at everything in the display case because we simply could not communicate verbally.

Thijs has just started the pre-university track of secondary school and is now learning both French and German. I encourage him to master both languages. There is no need to worry about his English, as the iPad and PlayStation have already taken care of that. His first sentences in French and German are promising, and he seems to have a natural talent for languages.

We bought the bike in Aachen, and even during delivery he made an effort to speak German with the salesperson. To his credit, the salesperson did the same in reverse, making an effort to use Dutch words. He told us that he often cycles in the Netherlands because of our excellent cycling infrastructure.

It reminded me of my father, who loved visiting German-speaking regions and would strike up conversations with everyone in what could best be described as unpolished German. When we started learning German at school ourselves, we laughed at him. At times, we were even embarrassed. Looking back, that was completely unfair. It is admirable to have the confidence to communicate in another language and to make mistakes along the way. More importantly, he learned from those mistakes.

Last night I was in Amsterdam, where, as in Maastricht, I had to speak English with the restaurant staff. That is certainly an option, but I am not enthusiastic about a future in which we all communicate exclusively in English. And certainly not in American English!

South Limburg is an ideal example of a Euregio, yet we still have not succeeded in teaching our children French and German from primary school onward. The same applies to the Belgian and German border regions. We have all the ingredients to be a fantastic Euregio for visitors: stunning natural landscapes, fruit orchards, vineyards, outstanding cuisine, and the historic cities of Aachen and Maastricht. So let’s get to work, primary education.