Rondje Château d'Airvault en Le Thouet

The ride

Roll out of Parthenay and let the ride unfold along the Thouet, with the old castle marking the way early on. Three more castles follow in turn — Saint-Loup sur Thouet, Airvault and Maurivet — each one a landmark to tick off as the kilometres pass. All 77.4 km run on paved surface, with 490 m of climbing spread across the loop. Then it's back to where you started, Parthenay again.