TRUE GRIT #2

I grew up in a little village in Dordogne which was strewn with fields of tall grass, undergrowth and rivers. I don’t remember the brand of my bike at the time, but it was yellow, and it was my entire world.

Now I live in the Var, where I often find myself looping the sun-heated tarmac roads and gravel paths that cover the region like highways for the two-wheeled.

The moment I’m on my bike, no matter which one, it’s a feeling of freedom that comes over me. I escape with just the basics: a bottle, a survival kit, something to snack on, and then we’re off on the wild roads.

I love the taste of recklessness, dust, and the unknown at the bottom of the slope.You can have everything you need on a gravel bike.

Not far from my house I can take advantage of the Massif de Maures, a labyrinth of pathways that I continue to explore to this day. On each excursion I discover, with pleasure, new routes. The ground is dry, and there’s no lack of rocks and stones.

Who doesn’t remember their first time without stabilisers? That feeling of joy that struck them? You can re-create that carefree feeling on a bike, no matter your age. It’s also wonderful encounters and future bivouac projects.

Even my scars are little trophies.

I take my camera, to capture as many memories as possible and so I can take moments to stop.

A Swiss army knife for all eventualities, like meeting bread and cheese from the local stores along the way.

My cap.

TO BE PIONNIER