First of all, it’s an atmosphere. With its bunk beds, its red bicycle hanging vertically and the bottle of brandy that sits on its bar, near the fireplace, the Guifettes refuge has everything of the welcoming place it claims to be. An atmosphere, therefore, and a character. That of Théo Vion, 26 years old and originally from Échiré, where he returned to settle after his studies. With his handlebar mustache and round glasses like bicycle wheels, he ticks all the boxes “capital sympathy of cyclists” which is so dear to his heart.
“I would like people to feel at home there for an evening”
Among the ideas bouncing around under his Irish hat, one day the idea of creating a refuge for cyclists in Niort came to him. While studying for a master's degree in Cultural and Artistic Project Management in Lyon, he devoted his thesis to the Vélo Francette, this cycle route which connects Ouistreham to La Rochelle, via Deux-Sèvres. “On this occasion, traces the two-wheel enthusiast, I experienced thatThere was a lack of bike workshops and low-budget accommodation in the department. »
Aged 26, Théo Vion imagined the Guifettes refuge after devoting his dissertation to the Vélo Francette, the cycle route which passes through the Deux-Sèvres department.
© (Photo NR, Camille Montagnon)
A few months later, in 2023, he launched Théo Vélo, a roaming bicycle repair service. Imagine a tow truck that looks like a cargo bike, crisscrossing Deux-Sèvres to get cyclists forced to dismount back into the saddle. “When I am called to intervene 40 or 70 km away, like in Thouars or Parthenay, I always arrange to sleep with locals, in my hammock or my tent”explains the man who also works as a postman in Niort, by bike, of course.
The same one which, in May 2025, will officially open the Guifettes refuge, designed as “a birdhouse” for walkers, and not for migratory birds of the Marais Poitevin, as its name suggests. When passing through Échiré, hikers and cyclists will be able to find a bed, cooking facilities, a hot shower and a small grocery store. All at free prices. “I would like people to feel at home there for an evening”summarizes Deux-Sévrien, as if the guitar, books and CDs piled up in the library did not speak for him.
We have blocked the display of this content to respect your cookie choices. By clicking on “Accept”, you accept the deposit of cookies. You can change your choices at any time by going to this page.
Accept
Bike outing for premises
And as with Théo Vion, the ideas come in groups, he also dreams of the refuge in “rallying point” for the residents of Échiré and surrounding areas. Locals would come to share a meal, a game of chess, a concert, a writing workshop… or a bike ride, the first being scheduled for Sunday January 19, 2025, at 1 p.m., departing from the refuge. On the program: 45 km of cycling and chatting with, as a result, a “aperitif-snack” – why choose? – by the fire.
When he is not cycling on the roads of the department on the back of his cyan blue Bianchi, Théo Vion lives with Claudine, his grandmother, a few meters from the refuge. In contact with this“well of knowledge of local life”the young man quickly became the mascot of the block. So much so that the day after our interview, we learn, “all the grannies in Place des Pompes are waiting for my mustache in the newspaper”. They should not be disappointed.
