“My body was not my limit”: he crosses Europe by bike for 4,000 kilometers despite Crohn’s disease

Vincent Nadon

35 years old – Montreal

Audio research and development scientist

· Transcontinental Race

For what ?

“After crossing Canada in 2018 to discover my country, the next step was to cross Europe in the Transcontinental Race which had already piqued my curiosity.”

Four thousand kilometers by bike is the distance traveled by Vincent Nadon last summer from the Belgian countryside, near Brussels, to Thessaloniki, in eastern Greece, on the edge of the Aegean Sea. An adventure beyond the limits of the extraordinary which allowed him to discover the hidden corners of the Old Continent for two weeks.

If some do it with a backpack while staying in youth hostels before becoming an adult, the 35-year-old Quebecer decided to do it with his gleaming Quebec carbon bike prepared by the manufacturer Panorama Cycles, from Granby. A company that makes bikes for those who prefer gravel, snow and trails rather than endless perfect asphalt roads.

This is exactly the spirit of the Transcontinental Race. Every year, the organizers choose a new route. In complete autonomy and unable to obtain help from third parties, participants are free to choose their route, but must pass through mandatory checkpoints. Equipped with navigation tools, they can travel on gravel, dirt or asphalt roads.

Despite the many crazy cycling events across Europe, the Transcontinental remains the longest independent long-distance competition on the continent.

Shocks

During the 2023 edition last July, after passing through France, Switzerland and Italy, Nadon crossed the hinterland of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Albania. A real gift for exploring countries he didn’t know.

“I observed surprising socio-economic shocks,” he says of his journey from Western to Eastern Europe. “I witnessed all the poverty. In Bosnia and Albania, we see that the value of money is completely different.”

“When you have just passed through Switzerland, which represents perfection, it is striking,” says the man who observed it over hundreds of kilometers punctuated by small towns. I saw the degradation of capitalism towards communism.”

A training”

At the turn of 2015, Nadon went into exile in Belgium to do his doctorate. This is where his life changed. First, he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease there. This serious inflammatory bowel disease forced him to change his lifestyle habits.

To better manage his stress and regulate the symptoms of the disease, he decided to cycle. Because when he arrived in Belgium, he was not used to the discipline.

“I started riding and doing longer distances. I discovered the full range of cycling. When I left, I often drove more than 250 km on my outings,” relates the man who is now a scientist in audio research and development.

The cycle touring type races had really piqued his curiosity. Friends therefore challenged him to the Transcontinental. Nadon, however, modified it.

“Before setting off to discover the countries of Europe, I had to discover mine,” he says, laughing. So in 2018, I decided to cross Canada. This was the first step. Afterwards, I could do the Transcontinental.”

Logical, because more than 4000 km separate Montreal from Vancouver by bike. A “training” challenge worthy of what awaited him on the other side of the Atlantic. He therefore benefited from the knowledge of a trainer, Jacob Dupont.

Change of course at 180

In his quest, his illness was a real motivation, because it forced him to stay in shape and carry out his projects before it prevented him from doing so.

The cyclist therefore set big goals for the Transcontinental, believing he would be able to complete the journey in 10 to 12 days. However, this competition requires precise logistical preparation.

Navigation glitches from the first day, however, slowed him down considerably since the configuration of the state-of-the-art software he had selected to guide him played nasty tricks on him by making him ride on more difficult trails.

“Quite quickly, I realized that I was more in this race for the nomadic trip of seeing beautiful landscapes during the adventure, rather than fighting against a timer. I moved from performance mode to contemplative mode. However, I wanted to finish on time.

“My body was not my limit,” concludes the man who crossed the official distance of 3,822 km to the finish line in 13 days and 14 hours. It is rather the imponderables, such as organization and management, that we must know how to master well.”