Perche Loop Ride

September 20, 2022

My plan for today was a nice bike ride through the Perche with the goal of seeing some Percheron horses, those giant draught horses that originated in this region of France. I’d stopped by a Tourist Information booth yesterday afternoon inquiring about cycle routes and where I might be able to visit some Percheron stables. After poking around on the internet, the attendant gave me the phone number of Ecurie d'Albe, a place offering Percheron carriage rides, as well as a link to cycle routes in the Perche. Using both pieces of information, I put together a couple of different options for loop rides that would hopefully include some big horses and a little challenge.

The day was a bit chilly and cloud covered, so I layered up and packed my rain jacket as insurance. The initial destination was Ecurie d’Albe, located just south of Nogent-le-Rotrou. After a short climb out of town, the route took me down though horse pastures – no Percherons, but fields of clover suggested I was in horse country. Ecurie d’Albe was located just beyond Saint-Jean-Pierre-Fixte, a half mile down D9, a two-lane, shoulder-less road with a steady stream of traffic.

Immediately after turning off D9 onto the farm road I came across a multitude of postings indicating this was a private road and any trespassers would be heavily fined. There was no signage welcoming visitors or any indication of carriage rides – though I did spot a Percheron in a distant pasture. I was hesitant to go down the lane, thinking I maybe should have phoned ahead to inquire about a visit. I stood there a while, staring at the rear end of a big black horse, hoping he would turn my way. Eventually he did, and soon a very large white mare with bulging knees and a mega-mane emerged from the woods into a small paddock. I lingered for a few minutes taking photos, but left only partially satisfied in my quest for Percherons.

Three nice looking horses - but not Percherons

Fields of clover suggested I might be in horse country

Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Saint-Jean-Pierre-Fixte

The size and condition of the knees give some indication of the size/weight of these horses - 64-68 inches high (as measured to the top of the shoulder) with a weight ~2000 pounds. I couldn't find any information on the mega-mane shown here

One thing I realized on my way to Ecurie d’Albe was that I did not want to spend much time cycling on D9 – it was too busy and there were many small road options to choose from. I turned off D9 at Souancé-au-Perche and made the short climb up the ridge where I stopped to ponder my route options. Just then, Phillipe and Jean-Michele happened by. Two cyclists from Nogent-le-Rotrou, they were out for a day ride and steered me down the road they’d just come from. It was a great little road along the top of the ridge that offered nice views of the surrounding fields and pastures – where I saw lots of cows, but no Percherons.

I continued to modify my pre-planned route with ad hoc routing, enjoying a wonderful morning weaving, dipping, and cresting the along the contours of the Perche. The sun broke through somewhere between Coudray-au-Perche and Béthonvilliers, and I stopped to listen to the drying cornstalks crackling in the light breeze. There was a brief if barely comprehensible conversation with a toothless man in Béthonvilliers, followed by a quick lunch in the woods, and then I pointed Vivien George toward Miermaigne, where I’d read there was a Percheron heritage museum in the town church. It was unlikely that the museum would have live horses, but I was hoping for a life-size statue that could convey the enormity of the Percheron relative to Vivien George.

Phillipe and Jean-Michele, local cyclists out for a loop ride in the Perche

Phillipe and Jean-Michele did not steer me wrong - a delightful small road along top of the ridge

Lots of cattle grazing in the pasture, but no sign of Percherons

Noontime brought blue skies, sunshine and a light breeze that crackled the corn. I took a number of videos, but the sound of wind was too dominant

The small commune of Béthonvilliers is dominated by the 15th century Église Saint-Martin

I got a little lost leaving Béthonvilliers, so I stopped for lunch and found my way

I took the long way to Miermaigne and it was the decidedly less scenic route, winding through scruff land and alongside the autoroute. As I approached Miermaigne, I was concerned at the lack of signage for a Percheron Heritage Museum, but reasoned that I was on a small road, off the normal tourist trail. The town itself was quite nice, with well-appointed buildings, a little library phone booth, and the church. But I could see from the road that the church door was securely padlocked – and there was no evidence that there was any sort of museum within its walls.

Disappointed, I began making my way back to Nogent-le-Rotrou, choosing to follow one of my pre-planned routes rather than freelance or take the marked bike route. Happily, the feeling of disappointment was quickly pushed aside as I experienced the best miles of the day, rolling through woodlands, croplands and small communes of the Perche. The sun was playing hide and seek, emerging periodically to cast a shimmering light on the surrounding countryside. About seven miles from Nogent-le-Rotrou I joined the Veloscenie bike route for a glorious two mile descent on a road so small I originally thought it was a bike path. It was a far superior route into Nogent-le-Rotrou than the one I’d taken yesterday.

Vivien George and I arrive in Miermaigne

The padlocked door of Église de Miermaigne

Passing through woodlands on the way back to Nogent-le-Rotrou, I wondered "Are deer orange/yellow color blind?"

I had a nice conversation with Henri in the small commune of Beaumont-les-Autels. A former cyclist now suffering from a heart condition, we extolled the virtues of cycling in France. Unlike most folks who asked if I was English, he thought I might be German

A wonderful stretch on the Veloscenie bike route - I thought it was a dedicated bike path until I saw the share the road sign

A triangle of trees shimmering in the late afternoon light

I was happily cruising along the final stretch toward Nogent-le-Rotrou when I spotted a weather-worn sign depicting a Percheron and an arrow pointing toward Trizay-Coutretot-Saint-Serge, a small commune with fewer houses than letters in its name. Though not wanting another disappointment, I knew I would regret not turning down the cross road toward town. Besides, it was less than a kilometer off route. And there they were, two Percheron cut-outs on the lawn of the church. The mare and the colt seemed a bit smaller than life-size and were located on a slope behind a row of planted flowers – not exactly conducive to dragging Vivien George up for a meet and greet. I was trying to angle my camera for a selfie when a Lionel, a local townsman approached to ask if I needed help.

Where can I see Percherons? I asked

Lionel pointed at the two figures.

Not recalling the French word for live animals “The Percherons that walk” I asked

“In the woods” was his reply.

We laughed a bit, spoke about my cycling, and then he took my picture.

In the end, I saw two live Percherons, two cut-outs, met some great folks, and had another very fine day of cycling. I return to Paris in the morning, and I consider my mini-tour to Chartres and the Perche to have been quite a success.

Are there really Percherons to the left? I just had to take a look

They can't walk, but it's the best I got

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Today's ride: 34 miles (55 km)
Total: 2,800 miles (4,506 km)

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Keith AdamsI saw a close relative of the Percheron in Cody, WY.

https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/rejuvenation/0802-a-bit-of-this-and-that/

In my ignorance I have always referred to them as "Belgian Percherons" though I now understand they are separate breeds.
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