Cycling and Creativity: Pierre Léopold

Ride & Create: Pierre Léopold

Upon entering the prestigious Curie Institute in Paris, you get an immediate sense of purpose. Researchers from all over the world are here to carry out scientific endeavours that could shape the future of humanity. One of those researchers is Pierre Leopold. A humble-natured professor, Pierre is a specialist in Drosophila, the fruit fly that is used to understand genetics. Outside the laboratory, cycling is for Pierre essential, and he explains to us that riding and research form a complementary whole.

How do you use your creativity?

I am a biology researcher. It is an activity where creativity is expressed on many levels. Knowledge and expertise are not enough to succeed, you must add a significant dose of personal initiative or inspiration, which may seem contradictory with the rational aspects of science.

How did you become a researcher?

I wanted to be a doctor, but my studies slowly took me away from standard medicine. The idea of doing research came to me when I read the book Chance and Necessity, an essay on the philosophy of science, written by Noble Prize winner Jacques Monod. I must admit I did not fully understand it at the time, but it convinced me of the universal dimension of this profession, and how everything is connected. Things are sometimes due to chance (and also necessity, to come back to Monod). Coming out of university, I was offered to join a very good biology laboratory at the University of Nice where I only thought I would stay a few months, and where I ended up spending a large part of my career.

What are the best conditions to create?

In research, there are two ways to fuel creativity and bring out new ideas. On the one hand, you must rub shoulders with others, exchange freely with your colleagues, be able to grasp new trends and leads. This is not always easy between researchers because the competition can be fierce. And on the other hand, you must know how to digest all that, isolate yourself and think alone to find your own way, and believe it!

What are the greatest successes and satisfactions in your work?

I love collaborating with young researchers and students, that is probably the most rewarding work.
The best moments always come in the laboratory, when a new result arises and surprises, and gives us the intense feeling of a discovery that changes our vision of things. We then know that we are the first to discover and understand this new reality, sublime enough to erase months, even years of frustration.

How long have you been cycling?

Thanks to living in Nice, I have always spent time in the mountains, the road bike arrived later, to keep in shape for other alpine projects. I remember that I resisted throwing myself into it for fear that it would become an all-consuming passion. The day I started, I realised that it would be difficult to stop.

Do you ride regularly?

In my southern life, I made between one and two outings a week. In Paris things are more complicated, but I’ve turned to the home trainer to given me flexibility to absorb the vagaries of my schedule and the weather.

Where is your favourite place to ride?

Coming from the middle of the mountains, having practiced cycling for a long time in the hinterland of Nice and with a light build, the program is uphill! The landscapes of the mountain passes are grandiose, the efforts sustained, and there is this exhilarating impression of rising above everything.

What are the most beautiful outings you have done?

I haven't done many of the great classic routes in the Alps. I mostly rode around Nice, an exceptional playground for cycling. I really like the small road that starts from the Col de l'Orme and joins the lower Cabanette on the climb to the Col de Turini. This road is magnificent with views over the Lucéram valley, as far as the sea. It is rare to come across a car or even a bicycle there.

Do you think there is a connection between cycling and creativity?

A connection has been established for several years between physical activity and intellectual activity. A recent scientific publication demonstrated in mice the role of selenium proteins inducing a response to physical effort, stimulating the appearance of new neurons. Mice that turn regularly in their wheel thus slow down an inevitable cognitive decline* – it’s quite incredible.

I have personally felt the effects of physical activity on thinking and creativity. This occurred to me the first few times while running on mountain paths. The body takes its rhythm and settles into the effort. We then have the feeling that the mind is freed and explores at accelerated speed questions that seemed unanswered from our office chair... By bike it works too, but you need to ignore the hectic road traffic.

These introspections are the most pleasant moments on the bike. Despite the presence of the tarmac, you can successfully immerse yourself in the surrounding nature and experience your effort in a very positive way. It is often at this moment that a deep mental relaxation allows our spirit to soar. In a much more pragmatic way, the home trainer also makes it possible to combine effort and mental disconnection. We then get a little closer to the laboratory mouse which turns in its wheel and gets drunk on selenium...

Do you remember ideas or solutions that came to you whilst on a bike?

There are a lot of those moments when you feel as you ride that the fog is clearing around a particular situation. It's not necessarily the idea of the century, but it can be a new way of thinking. We have the feeling of a ‘eureka’ moment. The difficulty is often to keep the memory of at the end of the journey, and you’re tired and hungry!

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