Hooray! After cycling almost 75 miles (Mark’s longest bike ride ever, and Shauna’s 2nd longest) we finally arrived at La Ferté-Gaucher, our first destination outside of Paris. La Ferté-Gaucher is a small commune in the countryside of the Ile-de-France region of France – the same region (like our states) as Paris – and much of the surrounding area is farmland. We cycled past countless sprawling wheat fields and cornfields stretching as far as the eye could see, a really beautiful sight. However the real excitement today began earlier, on our way out of Paris.
Paris to La Ferté-Gaucher
DAY #02 of 35 France 74 miles total
This morning we departed Paris and officially began our journey across seven countries. Of course what ride out of Paris would be complete without a short cycle around the Arc de Triomphe? After a quick photo to mark the beginning of our epic journey it was time to put the pedal to the metal and get riding.
Escape From Paris
We began by meandering our way from the center of the city to its suburbs first on mostly-empty Sunday morning streets – we cycled right past Moulin Rouge and Gare du Nord, but aren’t yet adept enough at snapping photos while moving on our bikes to prove it – and then on predominantly purpose built bike paths. The ride was not a fast one, as there was a fair bit of stopping and starting, but even at a slow pace we had to keep a close eye on the Garmin to watch out for all the turns. Exiting the city was no easy feat, but much more pleasant being a Sunday than it would have been on any other day of the week. Ride and Seek really has the details of these trips perfected! For a group of 20+ to be able to ride bikes out of one of Europe’s largest cities is testament to the progress that Paris has made in accommodating cyclists.
On May 9th, 1812, Napoleon and his Grand Army made a similar departure from Paris. They too were also bound for Russia however unlike them, our journey will have a much happier ending 🙂
Once we reached the Paris outskirts the city slowly began to fade into the background as the countryside became more and more prominent. Away from the metropolis and all of the traffic, twists and turns that comes with it, we were able to pick up the pace a little bit during the last half of the day.
This ride is definitely not a race, and between stopping and starting for traffic lights, pedestrians, dogs, coffee break, lunch and beaucoup de photos, it took a total of 7 hours for us to cycle the 74 miles from the busy streets of Paris to the wide open farmlands of La Ferté-Gaucher.
Today’s Route
Tomorrow we will continue east and the wheat fields surrounding us will be replaced with an even more beautiful sight: vineyards! That’s right, we are headed through the heart of Champagne country on the next leg of our journey. Cheers! 🍷
Looks like a blast. I wish I was there with you guys. Go for it!
Us too… fantastic experience!
My favorite think about a cycling trip is how many guilt free calories can be consumed! Looks amazing!
A pain au chocolate every morning so far… a bit sorry to be leaving France for that reason alone! I’m sure we’ll find some good German treats this next week, but not so sure about Poland?! 😜😘
I am with you vicariously. Keep sending the striking picture stories via your photos. It allows me to participate without breaking a sweat. You guys are my heros!
I don’t know how you are sharing such wonderful posts after your long days! But, thank you! Really enjoying every minute with you!