Fort Chabrol is a name that suggests rampart and cannon, though what you meet on the ground is the green valley of the Marne, a few minutes' ride from Épernay. The village of Mardeuil, with about 1,500 people, sits on the river's edge, with a canal and a railway running alongside it, and the pace is calm.
The Marne runs here between low, wooded slopes, with poplars and willows along the banks and a towpath where cyclists and fishermen share the space. On the southern side, the Côte des Blancs rises, a hillside planted almost entirely with Chardonnay, while north of the river the slopes lead up to Hautvillers and the Montagne de Reims. The fields in between grow wheat and beet, and in spring they are a pure bright green.
For the rider, the roads here are gentle. Small, winding lanes follow the valley, with brief climbs among the vines and quick drops into the villages, and the surfaces are generally good. At harvest the tractors can slow you to a crawl, and in winter fog hangs in the valley until noon. Épernay is a couple of kilometres away, with more than 27,000 people, so there is no shortage of fuel stations, and the town centre offers cafés, bakeries and brasseries.
If you have the time, walk along the river and look at the water. In the days of the Roman road, this valley was a thoroughfare, and the bridges and fords have been fought over since the Middle Ages. Armies have marched through here more than once. Today the only invaders are tourists carrying bottles, and they are mostly well mannered. The village is a good place to park the bike and think about what to eat.