Until September 30, children with disabilities and various celebrities are cycling together, from Grenoble to Nice, to deliver a message of inclusion and sharing to as many people as possible.
Near the Paul-Mistral park speed ring in Grenoble, around sixty cyclists are patiently waiting for the start. Saturday September 16, under a gray sky that was not really reassuring, no one wanted to miss the opportunity to pedal a few times in the company of Carole Montillet.
The former Olympic ski champion responded favorably to the invitation from the DynamiGo association to launch the first stage of their disabled raid. The objective: to reach Nice in 15 days and overcome the symbolic barrier of 1,000 kilometers of route by crisscrossing Isère, Drôme, Vaucluse, Var and the Alpes-Maritimes. A personality from the world of sport, music or cooking will be present on each day to “give strength” to this collective adventure.
Children as drivers of change in outlook on difference
Alongside the ex-skier, installed at the front of a somewhat unusual tandem, Camille familiarizes herself with medaling (pedaling with the hands) during a quick training session. The 20-year-old girl, suffering from Down syndrome, is one of the two “stars” of the day with Léna, 13, paraplegic following an inflammation of the spinal cord two years ago and who accompanies the procession with its adapted armchair.
“They were a real source of inspiration for this raid”, explains Sandrine Ligones, one of the two founders of the association. From her handbike, the 48-year-old woman, paraplegic after a climbing accident at the age of 33, details the genesis of the project born more than a year ago. “The challenge through this experience is to allow able-bodied people, by observing these young people to surpass themselves over sometimes long stages, to change their outlook not only on disability but on difference. We are all part of the same society, We all have our particularities. The time has come to accept them as they are.”
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After leaving the city center of the capital of the Alps, cyclists take a prepared path of around twenty kilometers along the Isère. During the journey, the relationship is forged between Carole Montillet, Léna and Camille – both ski fans. “Going downhill, I feel like I’m flying!”comments the latter, raising her hands to the sky from her cockpit. “Me, if I was flying downhill, it was a pretty bad sign!”the champion retorts with a smile.
The arrival of the peloton at La Buisse, the final destination of this first stage, is duly greeted by a welcoming committee of around fifty people. There will be at least as many, less than 24 hours later, to kick off the start of the second stage to Bourg-lès-Valence, the longest of the raid.
For parents too, speech on disability is free
On Sunday, it is Mathéo who takes position at the front of the tandem, guided, this time, by Bastien then Louana, participants in the adventure tele-hook “Koh Lanta”. The seven-year-old boy, diagnosed deaf, abandons his rainbow cycling world champion jersey to put on one in the association’s colors. “He has his devices on his ears and he also reads lips, but there are sounds that he does not understand and cannot repeat”warns his mother.
For one day, the CP student in the Ulis class (Localized Unit for Educational Inclusion) at Grand-Lemps will experience a unique moment of sharing. “We warned the teacher that he might be a little knocked out tomorrow”, specifies Fred, Mathéo’s father. For him too, this stage as a companion is foundational. It allows her to talk more easily about her son’s disability. “We learn sign language together, it’s not easy but we want to do the best we can”he explains with emotion.
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“We want to participate, on our small scale, in building a more open and joyful model of society”
Ingrid Maubert, from the DynamiGo associationat franceinfo: sport
Barely on the V63, in the Isère valley, the young boy’s stomach is already asking for its dose of sugar. The opportunity to take a break and talk with Ingrid Maubert, the second founder of DynamiGo. After 17 years working in digital technology and management, she decided, two years ago, to retrain as a teacher in adapted physical activities.
“I took part in a raid with people with disabilities and it turned my life upside down.”she mentions. “After that, I wanted to get involved. I became a tandem ski pilot to bring people to discover skiing, then I resumed my studies and reoriented myself. Our ambition is to allow people to sign up for projects like this, to live these experiences. This is what will change the way we look at difference. We will also be able to intervene in several schools on the road during these 15 days.”
After five and a half hours of effort, it was finally time to set foot on land. At only 7 years old, Mathéo has just completed 100 kilometers by bike. With a proud look, still full of energy in front of the Bourg-lès-Valence hotel, he passes the baton to Chloé, who succeeds him for the 3rd stage.
Monday September 18, the impatience of the 19-year-old girl, who will team up with the Lyon chef Grégory Cuilleron on the tandem, does not take long to be seen. She intends to show all her determination to reach Poët-Célard (Drôme), despite the showers which will follow one another throughout the 72 kilometers of the course.
Carrier of Williams syndrome, a genetic disease, Chloé puts things into perspective: “It’s sometimes painful, that’s for sure, but there’s always more difficult. I’ve never been deprived of anything”. At his side, his mother Gaëlle, president of the “Williams France” Federation in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, says more about the progress of the research. “We see that promising projects are emerging. A researcher is working on a drug capable of reproducing myelin (the insulating sheath that surrounds the extensions of our neurons). For the families we support, this gives hope. Previously, we were talking about one in 25,000 births affected by this syndrome. Today, it’s one in 10,000. We’re increasing knowledge and diagnoses are happening earlier.”
Inspiring encounters, complicated weather conditions… The true meaning of adventure
At the height of the storm, a message from chef Cuilleron, three-star chef Georges Blanc – with whom the cyclist for a day has already taken a course – will give a little momentum to the procession. At the same time, Hélène, the chief logistician of this first part of the raid, shuttles the luggage aboard her van and provides assistance if necessary. She guides the rest of the peloton to Corinne Deperrois’ goat farm, in La Répara-Auriples (Drôme), for the lunch break. Without a left forearm from birth, like Grégory Cuilleron, the producer of Picodon modestly tells her story, her life with a prosthesis in her left leg (which she has worn since a car accident), the “project’ that constitutes his farm… An inspiring courage that the organizers of the raid wanted to highlight.
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A chain break, a slight fall and several dozen kilometers later, the troop finished this 3rd stage. The soaked clothes say a lot about the hostility of the weather conditions, while everyone takes shelter in a forest located between Bourdeaux and Dieulefit. “We wanted adventure, we got it!”, jokes Sandrine Ligones. All that remains is to stay the course until September 30 and the arrival at the Jardin Albert 1er de Belgique, in Nice.
Until then, there will still be many adventures, notably with two climbs of Mont-Ventoux, scheduled for September 22 and 23. “We are aware that we are only at the beginning”specifies Ingrid Maubert. “But there are also lots of great encounters awaiting us until then, with children of course but also personalities like Ophélie David, Jean-François Tordo, Camille Lacourt, Tifany Huot-Marchand… The excitement is also in the unexpected.”