Some of the Loire's most exciting attractions are in tributaries one valley over. To get there you have to climb the land dividing them. The roads are usually excellent and worth the effort expended. The spring can be wet and sometimes chilly, but the summer hordes have not yet arrived. June, July and especially August bring more people a great deal of them on cycling vacations than many can stomach.
Lines are long and solitude at a premium.
By mid-October, the tourist roar has quieted. For your first two days, the cycling is tough. Steep spires of stone hard rock plugs that have endured the weathering too powerful for their soft outer shells stand like sentinel landmarks, sometimes capped by Medieval, man-made cloister aeries. Rivers have cut gorges and winding valleys through the pumice of the land. Yes, there are long level stretches, but there are just as many tough dips and climbs as your scenic road winds with the bends of the youthful Loire, skirts its first set of dramatic gorges, cools in the shadow of some fine ch teaux, and then detours slightly east for a night in St-Etienne.