Marne Valley: From Paris to Champagne

Route details

A Tour from the Paris suburbs through the Marne Valley to the edge of Champagne. The route combines urban ride outs with rural sections and ends near historic motorsport sites.

The Tour starts at a Petrol station in Charenton-le-Pont on the eastern outskirts of Paris and runs for around 168 kilometers through the Île-de-France and the Hauts-de-France and Grand Est regions to Tinqueux near Reims.

The first section runs through the densely populated Parisian countryside. Here you can expect traffic close to the city, especially in the morning hours. From Annet-sur-Marne, the landscape opens up. From here, the route largely follows the course of the Marne and mainly uses departmental roads and smaller Country roads.

The road surface is good to acceptable on most sections, with typical patches and cracks on less frequented side roads in places. The route is mostly straight with a few long Curves - classic overland riding without any significant climbs or technical challenges.

At Sept-Sorts you reach the actual Marne valley with its characteristic vineyard slopes. The Route passes Essômes-sur-Marne near Château-Thierry - a town with historical significance as the birthplace of the fabulist poet Jean de La Fontaine. The medieval castle offers a sweeping view over the valley. On the Côte 204, an American memorial commemorates the battles of the First World War.

The Champagne region proper begins at Château-Thierry. The landscape is characterized by vineyards and rolling hills. Traffic remains manageable on the secondary roads, but through traffic is to be expected on the main routes.

The destination of Tinqueux lies directly west of Reims. In the immediate vicinity is the former Circuit de Reims-Gueux - a historic Formula 1 circuit that was used from 1926 to 1972 and has been a listed building since 2009. The remaining grandstands and pits are freely accessible.

The Tour is suitable for drivers of all levels of experience. It offers no riding challenges, but a relaxed crossing of different types of landscape - from the outskirts of the city to rural river valleys and the vineyards of Champagne. The route can be ridden as an introduction to further Tours in the region or as a stand-alone day tour.