East of Paris the land flattens into the Brie plateau's margin, and the towns here run together in a belt of low houses, retail parks and market gardens. Mitry-Mory is the nearest place of any size, with about 18,500 people, and Claye-Souilly and Villeparisis lie a little further along. It is not scenic in a postcard sense, yet it has a quiet logic: this is where Paris has always fed itself, and farmland still survives between the suburbs.
The key to the landscape is water. The Canal de l'Ourcq runs through Claye-Souilly, dug at Napoleon's order in the early nineteenth century to bring fresh water into the capital, and its towpath is now a popular bike route. A little further the Marne winds toward Meaux, home of the famous Brie cheese. The Seine Loops ride that ends here wanders through river bends and wooded hills further west, so this place is a return, a slightly melancholy closing of the circle.
Riding in from the north-east you are rarely far from aircraft. The flight paths into Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle run overhead, and on a clear day the jets seem to descend directly toward your visor. The roads are mostly flat and fast, with long straights between roundabouts and the occasional unexpected tight bend where a road follows an old field boundary. Surfaces are generally fine, though the heavy lorries serving the logistics depots take their toll on the verges, and rush hour on the main routes into the city is something to avoid.
Fuel is straightforward, and a supermarket at the edge of town will sell you a sandwich and a bottle of water for the last stretch. If you have time, the Parc de Vaujours and the old fort on the ridge give you a glimpse of the green belt that surrounds the capital. It is not the part of France that shows up in glossy brochures, but it is real, and it is a fine place to finish: unfussy, unhurried, and a short hop from your own front door.