On this stage, you ride to Bagnoles de l'Orne along the most family-friendly of alternative routes, going via Pré-en-Pail-Saint-Samson and the Mont des Avaloirs, the highest point in the Armorican Massif and the wider Grand Ouest region (basically, northwest France). From Damigny up to Pré-en-Pail-Saint-Samson, you cycle along a former railway line turned easy, safe greenway, taking you through airy, unspoilt areas, such as the Sarthon Valley and the Réserve Naturelle Régionale du Mont des Avaloirs.

Continue your cycling journey on the greenway leading to Bagnoles-de-l'Orne Normandie. This stretch serves as a link between the French counties of Orne and Mayenne, meandering through landscapes marked by rivers, forests and hedge-divided fields typical of the Parc Naturel Régional Normandie-Maine. Safe and well signposted, this stage presents no particular physical challenges. Before reaching Bagnoles-de-l’Orne, stop at the Chapelle de Notre-Dame de Lignou, with its supposedly miracle-working statue and its pilgrims’ tales and legends. Do make a detour to see the 16th- and 18th-century grounds of the Château de Couterne.

Leaving the natural thermal spa town of Bagnoles-de-l’Orne, cycle off through the heart of the state-run Andaines Forest. Then you ride past apple orchards and hedge-divided fields. All this variety offers a typical view of Normandy in concentrated form.