A Dijonnaise on the Tour de France 2022, but not on a bike. La Grande Boucle sets off on Friday July 1 from Copenhagen, Denmark and the chef Charlotte Riffard, 34, will be in the Tour publicity caravan, in one of the four gendarmerie cars. Gendarme since 2011, in Dijon for 5 years, she is assigned to the departmental road safety squadron. Cradled by childhood memories, and summers spent along the roads waiting to see the peloton pass, she expects to live “an experience that will be crazy” !
12 elected only!
This Côte-d’Orienne gendarme is one of the 12 lucky ones elected for this year, among dozens of candidates from the gendarmerie selected from all over France. A long journey between the candidacy, in the fall of 2021, and the good news, in April 2022.
What will be its missions?
Several missions await him this summer. First, a prevention role, in the start village and then during the race. “We are launching gadgets, key rings. On the cars, there are light strips with scrolling messages”, she explains. A speaker also broadcasts prevention messages, “like being careful on the roads, where safety instructions for the public”. Speaker, a role occupied by a gendarme from Côte-d’Or on the Tour de France in 2020, always present in Dijon and with whom Charlotte Riffard was able to exchange.
In addition to prevention, there is also an “advertising” side. “We are here to answer questions about everything related to recruitment, what it can bring, etc.”says the policeman.
– Visactu