Meudon Forest: All Terrain
Paris, France · May 19, 2023
A loop that links central Paris to a protected forest west of the city by way of the Seine, then turns loose in a spider web of off-road tracks. Meudon has everything from open gravel roads to doubletrack to hardcore singletrack, with nearly 80 percent of the route on dirt. It is the most demanding ride in the guide and the one that will leave you questioning the definition of gravel.
Meudon is the ride for anyone who wants their gravel to bite back. The route leaves central Paris heading west and turns the approach into a highlight in its own right, rolling past Les Invalides and the Eiffel Tower on a fine stretch of cycling infrastructure that mostly hugs the banks of the Seine. You tick off a handful of the city's landmarks before the tires ever touch dirt, so enjoy that smooth opening, because the forest is a different animal.
Once inside the protected woodland the line becomes a spider web. Nearly 80 percent of the loop runs off road, and it draws on everything Meudon holds, from wide open gravel roads to doubletrack to singletrack technical enough to have you wishing for a dropper post. This is the most physical ride in the guide, with the steepest climbing of the four, and the descents and hike-a-bikes reward a confident, experienced rider over a cautious one. For anyone used to West Coast trails it can feel like a transplanted piece of British Columbia, dense, green, and steeper than its modest stats let on.
Tire choice matters here. The original line was set by a strong local rider, so plan on 45 mm tires at a minimum with a solid gravel or hardtail setup underneath you. After heavy rain the forest floor turns to a butter-thick mud that swallows momentum and turns the steeper pitches into a comedy of slipping and walking, so save Meudon for a dry spell in late spring through early autumn if you can. The line that inspired this route hits everything the forest offers, including long, steep hike-a-bikes that turn almost comical when the ground is greasy. This route is one of the picks from Barry Lachapelle's Paris gravel guide.
The forest is dense enough that following a GPS line at its limits gets fiddly, and honestly the better plan is to head in and let yourself get a little lost among the tracks. There is little in the way of services once you are in the trees, so load up on food and water in the city before you cross the Seine, and treat the marked line as a suggestion rather than a rule. Get the conditions right and Meudon will leave you questioning the definition of gravel in the best possible way.
