Liévin is a town that knows grief. On 27 December 1974, a firedamp explosion at the Saint-Amé pit killed forty-two miners, one of the last great mining disasters in France, and it is still remembered every year. The town sits on the southern edge of the coal basin, next to Lens, and its landscape is still marked by the industry: Terril 80, a spoil heap from one of the pits, and the Cité des Garennes, a settlement of miners' houses, are part of the Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin World Heritage site.
Terrils like this one were once bare black heaps, smoking and sliding. Today many are covered with trees and grass, and some have become nature reserves with rare plants and insects that thrive in the warm, dry soils. Climbing one gives you a view over the whole area: the brick towns, the pit heads, the fields and, on the ridge to the west, the memorials of the First World War.
That ridge is Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, the site of one of the largest French military cemeteries, with a basilica and a lantern tower, and since 2014 the Ring of Remembrance, a striking elliptical memorial that lists the names of almost six hundred thousand soldiers of all nationalities who died in the region, alphabetically and without distinction of rank or country. A short ride south, the Canadian National Vimy Memorial stands on the crest of Vimy Ridge, its twin white pylons visible for miles.
The riding here is a mix of town and country. The roads through Liévin, Lens and the surrounding towns are busy and full of roundabouts, but heading west into the hills of Artois, the roads become quieter and more scenic, with gentle curves and views over the plains. The roads up to Lorette and Vimy are short climbs with good surfaces. Weather is changeable, with rain and wind common throughout the year.
Liévin, about a kilometre away, has fuel, shops and restaurants. Lens, next door, is home to the Louvre-Lens museum and the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, the stadium of the beloved local football club, RC Lens, whose supporters are among the most passionate in France. The atmosphere on match days is electric, even if you never set foot inside the ground.