Today is a bit of a ride and stop kind of day. The itinerary is dedicated to visiting various D-Day landing beaches and memorial sites. 

Our first port of call will be the Pegasus Bridge. It is the site where the British forces seized both Bénouville and the nearby Ranville Bridge. This allowed the Allied troops to pass through and continue. Only a short ride down the coast is Sword Beach. The beach was heavily fortified, and it was assaulted by the units of the British 3rd Division. 

These are just the two options we have selected. However, there are many other D-Day sites worth visiting. Therefore if you have a particular interest or can relate to some of those places, please feel free to do your own research. 

This is about a 100-150-mile day trip, so that it might take most of the day.

Today we’ll point our front wheels towards the Valley of the Kings. It is another day with relatively low mileage rewarding us with more time to play. There are two apparent routes we could take. 

The first one would be to head towards Chartres to see the massive cathedral. It is famous amongst pilgrims and art lovers for its dazzling blue stained-glass windows and collection of relics.

The other and the definitely more attractive option would be to visit the magnificent Estate of Versailles. There is so much to see here. So please make sure that you do your research beforehand and prioritise and personalise your list. If it helps, here is a shortlist of the most popular attractions: Hall of Mirrors, The State Apartments, The Royal Chapel, Grand Trianon Estate.

When it comes to the gardens and groves, there are quite a few of them. So if you decide to venture in without a plan and map, it could be a long walk. Wearing your biking gear would be much more than you bargained for. Here is a shortlist of more popular ones; Queen’s Grove, Ballroom Grove, Girandole Grove, Obelisk Grove.

For the next two nights, we’ll be staying in a comfortable hotel in Blois. This wonderful riverside town is one of the most beautiful and visited places in the Loire.

This is our day off, so feel free to organise your own agenda. Or if we prefer, we can follow our suggested itinerary. But please bear in mind that opting to go for a spin might be a more obvious choice. However, it might not necessarily be the best choice. 

The Château of Blois is not only one of the most visited but also prestigious monuments in France. It is located in the town centre only a short walk from the banks of the river Loire. There are about 30 furnished rooms to visit. Many are with beautiful floors and ceilings. On display in the rooms, we can see thousands of historical items, including furniture, art as well as paintings. 

After overdosing on château, we may continue and visit some other tourist attractions. These might include the Fondation du Doute, Maison de la Magie (Museum of Magic) as well Les Jardins de l’Ancien Évêché (the town hall). The town also has a fantastic restaurant and cafe scene. So we can pick our spot, and people watch for a while. 

If we still prefer to go for a ride, then we’ll follow the river towards Tours. We might stop there for a drink and head for Vendôme. From here, we’ll loop it around and return to Blois.  

Our onward journey now continues by a leisurely morning ride following the river Loire. Once again, it is not a huge mileage, so we’ll have plenty of time to stop and explore. If we have, by now, developed a ‘sweet tooth’ for aristocratic opulence, we might decide to visit another… guess what? Château.

Château de Gien is an impressive and imposing building. It is perched on the banks of the river Loire overlooking the town of Gien. There are nearly 10,000 objects as well as works of art exhibited in the collection. We might also use this opportunity to have a second breakfast and a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

Our comfortable town centre hotel in Troyes will be our base in the Champagne region for the next two nights. The whole ride is a motorway free winding through the lush green countryside. So we’ll take our time and enjoy it.  

Today is our free day. Therefore, we can rest and do whatever we wish, or we can go for a ride. Our first suggested ride will take us to L’Avenue de Champagne in Épernay. It is the most famous champagne street in the world. From here, our ride will continue to Château Thierry. It is another historical town where we can spend a few hours strolling around. Here we can also visit the World War I Chateau Thierry American Monument.

The second suggested ride will take us through the Forêt D’orient Nature Park and the magnificent Château de Bligny. The Château stands out by its unique medieval architecture. It also is the only Champagne producer to carry the “Château” domain on its label. From here, our ride continues to Colombey. The Memorial Charles de Gaulle site is situated at the foot of the Cross of Lorraine and tells his life story. The final stop of this excellent day ride will be in Brienne-le-Château. The town became famous as Napoleon’s former residence, who lived and studied here in his youth. 

And finally, a popular ride amongst our clients is to head to Châlons-en-Champagne for a coffee. From here we can wiggle our way to Château la Motte Tilly. We can stop here to have a look around, or we can return to your hotel. 

Any above ride will enable us to explore some of the fantastic biking roads which criss-cross this region.

Following one last delicious French breakfast, we’ll head north. The route will take us along some stunning back roads towards Reims. Here we’ll join the motorway to the Eurotunnel and the rest of the journey home. 

Thank you for RidingWithUs on this great Normandy, Loire, Champagne tour. We hope to see you again soon.