Last November, I rode the Véloscénie from Paris to Mont St. Michel (and onto Saint Malo).
Some notes for anyone curious about the route:
Day 1: I rode from Paris to Chartres via Versailles (around 60 miles?). It was a bit too tight trying to see the palace with the early sunset in the winter. I wasn't able to see the Cathedral in Chartres in the light.
Of note: The route on the chemin vert south of Paris is so slow. There are all these speed bumps and lots of stops. I'd either take streets or if you're feeling sporty, go through Parc Saint Cloud over the two big hills.
Day 2: Chartres-Alençon (93 miles). This was a great day. The first half was on D roads and winding hills. After Nogent, it was on the chemin vert. The gravel was fine for most of it with my road bike. I really liked Alençon and would have liked to stay longer. The only stress was beating the sunset.
Day 3: Alençon-Saint Hilaire (70? miles). Much of it was again on the chemin vert. No stress. My favorite parts was the countryside coming into Domfront.
Day 4: Saint Hilaire-Mont St. Michel-Saint Malo (50? miles). The approach to Mont Saint Michel was stunning. I had planned to catch the train from the nearby town, but the next train wasn't until evening with 2 changes. So, I booked it to Saint Malo to catch a TGV (which luckily had bike places – check first!). I'm glad I did, as the architecture/feel changed a ton crossing from Normandie to Bretagne.
– I traveled lightly with just a pair of jeans for the evenings, two boxers, two merino wool shirts, my jacket, and bike repair tools/tubes. It was my first time using the merino wool setup up and it worked really well. I wasn't too stinky until the last day, and even then, it wasn't that bad.
– I stayed in rooms in Airbnbs. This was a first for me (I usually get my own place). And it was one of the highlights of my trip. The hosts were great, though I'm not sure that they spoke English.
– I don't mind riding my road bike on gravel, but there were a few sections with larger gravel or packed dirt that were kind of difficult. It was even enough to find alternate routes for those sections, though.
– The route overall was great and very safe. The French countryside is beautiful. It was pretty well marked. There were interesting towns pretty much every day. I highly recommend it.
by GoBigOrGoHome_4