Champagné has nothing to do with sparkling wine, but it does have a claim to aviation history that most villages would envy. It lies just east of Le Mans in the Sarthe, beside the valley of the Huisne, at the foot of a wooded plateau called Auvours, and in the autumn of 1908 the military ground on that plateau became the stage for one of the great moments of early flight. Wilbur Wright, invited to France to prove that the Wright brothers' machine really worked, moved his demonstrations to the Camp d'Auvours and flew there for weeks, setting records for duration and altitude and carrying passengers in front of astonished crowds. A monument on the plateau remembers it.
Le Mans itself needs no introduction to anyone who rides. Its circuit, south of the city, hosts the 24 Hours car race every June, as well as the 24-hour motorcycle endurance race and the French round of MotoGP. Part of the car circuit uses public roads, including the long Mulsanne straight, the Ligne Droite des Hunaudières, which you can ride on most days of the year at legal speeds, imagining the prototypes thundering past. The old city of Le Mans, the Cité Plantagenêt, has medieval streets, half-timbered houses and Gallo-Roman walls, and the cathedral has a soaring Gothic choir.
The country around Champagné is a mix of woods, fields and pine forest on sandy soil, with the Huisne winding through meadows. The roads are mostly gentle, with long bends through the trees and small villages, and the military camp on the plateau means parts of the woods may be closed to the public. Traffic can be heavy around Le Mans, especially during race weeks, when the whole region fills with fans, so check the calendar before you plan.
The Sarthe is known for rillettes, the slow-cooked shredded pork spread that is the region's pride, best eaten on fresh bread with a glass of Jasnières or Loir valley wine. The Loir valley to the south has troglodyte houses cut into the limestone cliffs, while the Perche lies to the northeast with its rolling hills and manor houses.
For fuel and supplies, Changé, just south, and the eastern suburbs of Le Mans have supermarkets and stations. Champagné itself has a few shops and a bakery. Ride up to the Auvours plateau and look out over the forest, picturing the fragile biplane rising into the air over these trees more than a century ago.