“We didn’t expect it to be so cold”: from Paris to Gelsenkirchen, 600 km by bike for a good cause and Stade Brestois [Vidéo]

Something promised… something due! Because “behind the words, we had to put the actions”, the Brestois Jean Simon took his friend Huan with him for a 600 km bicycle journey between Paris and Gelsenkirchen, in Germany. At the end of the adventure, a Champions League match between Stade Brestois 29 and Shakhtar Donetsk. This slightly crazy challenge started from an idea launched on social networks at the end of last season. Objective: to make a European trip by bike if the people of Brest qualify for the European Cup. So when the draw decided the opponents of the Finistère club, the two friends decided for Germany.

“Snow, ice… and lots of fog”

Coached by professional cyclist Valentin Madouas, to whom Jean Simon is close, the two football fans were also used to these somewhat long distances. “We had already done Paris-Brest by bike in 2021 to arrive in Brest before the big start of the Tour de France. And we also traveled to Reims by bike two years ago for a Brest match. But it’s been a long time since we’ve done long distances like that and winter is a great first,” smiles the Brest expatriate who has lived in Paris since 2012. Leaving the capital last Friday, the two men aged 33 and 40 sequenced their journey into several stages, covering around a hundred kilometers a day: “To Compiègne on the first day, then Maubeuge on the Belgian border, Huy and Hückelhoven in Germany,” explains Jean Simon.

But if they had taken the height difference into account, the two friends were confronted with a formidable adversary: ​​the cold. “We had snow, ice and a lot of fog. On Monday, we saw the sun for the first time: it lasted two minutes! We consume a lot more energy, it's significantly harder. Since our departure, we have not had positive temperatures once. We didn't expect it to be so cold and it affects our bodies. We take more breaks than planned to warm up and eat well.”

“Luckily the match is at 6:45 p.m.!” »

“It’s true that we suck a little, but we’re doing it for a good cause!” It helps us in times when things are a little difficult,” recalls Jean Simon. A member of the Ultras Brestois, the latter has in fact decided to push even further the support for the association “A dream, a smile” for which the group of supporters had chosen to donate the profits from its end-of-year raffle. “We have decided to leave the prize pool open until our challenge and tomorrow night's match.”

A meeting that Jean and Huan intend to take advantage of despite the very present fatigue. “The joke we have between us is fortunately the match is at 6:45 p.m. because by 9 p.m. we might be in bed,” laughs the first. Which doesn't even rule out doing it again! “Come on, if we pass the next round, we can ask ourselves the question!” »

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