A24 01 Lauwe - Aumale

The first ride is also the longest ride of the journey: 175 km with 1228 Hm (elevation meters). We ride all day in a southwestern direction. The first 60 km are flat, after which it becomes hilly.

We travel through the Leie valley to Menen (BE) and Wervik-Sud (FR). We cycle briefly along the Leie, where we reach the lowest point of the day after about one kilometer: Lp 8 m. After 15 km, in Quesnoy-sur-Deûle, we cross the Deûle, a tributary of the Leie. We cycle almost all day through the region Les Hauts-de-France (Nord, Pas-de-Calais, and Picardy). This region is known for its many coal mines and other heavy industry.

Past Fleurbaix, in the Pas-de-Calais department, we pass through this dreary mining area between Lens and Béthune. After 60 km, we leave ‘la Pleine de Flandre’ and climb over a ridge where fierce fighting occurred during the First World War. This is the longest and steepest climb of the day, but we just don't quite reach the highest point of the day. Here we also leave the Leie and Scheldt basins. It is now often up and down, and via Servins, Aubigny-en-Artois, and Avesnes-le-Compte, we ride to Doulens (107 km), where we cross the Authie. Cyclists refer to the well of Doulens: down and back up...

We are now in Picardy with the capital being Amiens. After 136 km, in Picquigny, we cross the Somme. This is also a region where much fighting occurred during the First World War. After that, it is again regular and gradual climbing to the highest point of the day in Gauville: Hp 211 m after 171 km.

Only at the end of the ride, after 172 km, do we leave the Les Hauts-de-France region and enter the Normandy region. After a descent of a few kilometers, we reach Aumale, our well-deserved resting place. Aumale lies in the valley of the Bresle and is a place in the French department Seine-Maritime in the Normandy region. The municipality has about 2600 inhabitants who are called Aumalois and is located southwest of Amiens.