After the debates around swimming in the Seine in Paris, the idea of a pool in the Deûle is gaining ground in Lille. This Sunday, a group of swimmers gathered to swim there, for the third time.
“When I see a beautiful path, I want to run… When I see a beautiful pond, I want to swim in it !” This Sunday, June 9, Frédéric Gevart takes a dip in the Deûle, with a handful of other open water swimming enthusiasts.
On the Quartier Libre side, right next to the Citadel of Lille, around fifteen people put on their wetsuits and swimming goggles. They are part of the open water swimming collective. “We have more than 800 members”, specifies Frédéric Gevart, driving force of the group.
“I see that there is a lot of enthusiasm for open water”, he rejoices. On April 13 and May 20, the group had already gathered to bathe in the area. “It’s starting to become regular !”
This Sunday, June 9, in Lille, around fifteen people took a dip in the Deûle.
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© France TV
So, will we end up swimming in the Deûle? If the idea was not retained by the city of Lille in its participatory budget, Frédéric Gevart does not budge: “I am convinced that the project will eventually see the light of day, whether here or through a project in the region..”
I am convinced that the project will eventually see the light of day!
Frédéric Gevartactivist for open water swimming in the Deûle
These swimming activities, if not explicitly prohibited by a sign, are not really authorized either. Organizing them is a way for the swimmer to “show that it is possible and desirable”. The latter has also launched a petition for the creation of an open water swimming pool at the Citadel.
You can swim long distances. At the swimming pool, we do 25 meters…
“For me, it’s especially because it’s very calming,” explains Isabelle. Having come to take a swim, she believes that swimming in this pool is much more pleasant than going to the pool: “In open water, you can be free. That’s the big difference!”
For this forty-year-old, the advantages are numerous. She loves contact with nature and “being in a group, sharing moments”. Here, no chlorine which damages the skin, nor swimmers in front of you who block the water line… “And then, we can swim long distances. At the swimming pool, we do 25 meters…”
The Deûle has the advantage of not limiting swimmers. Perfect for Laure’s training, who is preparing for a triathlon. “At least we don’t feel like a fish going around in circles in its tank!”, says the young woman, in an orange hat and blue jumpsuit.
At least we don’t feel like a fish going around in circles in its tank!
For her, open water swimming is a question “of well-being”. She assures him: “The water is a little cool at first, but after 100 meters it’s good.” In his eyes, there is no need to worry about the cleanliness of the pool: “It’s murky because there’s sand, sediment… It’s natural things!” For Laura, “perfectly transparent water, where there are no plants in it, that means they don’t have the means to grow: it’s worse”.
It remains to be seen whether the Lille town hall will be convinced by these swimmers who want to evolve in a natural environment… And whether their petition will find the necessary response.
With Solène Anson.
