“I have so far traveled 19,000 kilometres, in almost 30 countries”: crossing Africa by bike, the crazy challenge of an Aveyronnais

With her hair blowing in the wind in the middle of the countryside and the Aveyron mountains, or in her bakery-pastry laboratory in Nant, Vivien always had one idea in mind: crossing the cradle of humanity. While he was “ready to leave in 2020” he says, the thirty-year-old was kept at home by the Covid pandemic. But on June 11, 2023, there was no question of him giving up, he got on his bike and headed to the south of the world to complete his quest.

An initiatory journey

“I have so far traveled 19,000 kilometers, in nearly 30 countries since France,” says Vivien. He left France and crossed Europe via Italy and the Balkans before reaching the first country of his journey: Turkey. On his way, Vivien admits to having had “some very nice surprises.” Among the destinations that left a lasting impression on him was Saudi Arabia, which he was forced to cross to avoid war-torn Sudan. “It’s a country with a desert and sumptuous landscapes, where the people are extraordinarily kind,” says the globetrotter, whose locals sometimes offered hospitality during his journey. He also remembers his time in Uganda, Malawi, and Botswana, where he was able to be a traveling companion with the local wildlife. He acknowledges having been lucky enough to “share part of the road with giraffes and elephants.” But what particularly struck the baker was “the biased image that Europeans have of the reality of this continent,” he says. “It’s no more dangerous than anywhere else. People are always very welcoming. Everything has changed enormously, and Africa is worth visiting,” admits Vivien.

For him, this is not his first trip. After working 8 years in Paris, he spent 2 in London and then New York, still in pastry making, before embarking on the discovery of South America. For 14 months, he traveled with only a backpack and local means of transport. “It’s crazy to realize that there are so many similarities between South America and Africa,” he says, with people who “pace their lives with music and colors.”

“France and Aveyron remain engraved in my heart”

At only 35 years old, Vivien already has a lot of professional experience. As soon as he finished his CAP/BEP in Château-Chinon, he quickly headed to the capital to work in Michelin-starred restaurants. He also remembers “having served President Chirac”. In London, he also cooked in gourmet restaurants, including that of Alain Ducasse. And when we ask Vivien what he missed the most during his travels, his answer is unequivocal: “bread, cheese, wine and my family of course”. Thus, despite his many travels, the trained pastry chef maintains a strong attachment to his native land.

Born in the Nivernaise countryside where he grew up, he is closely linked to Aveyron, a territory which conquered him immediately. “I knew Cantal but not Aveyron at all before coming to work in Nant,” he admits. “But I discovered a territory very attached to its countryside, and to its history. Especially in the South with the medieval remains, notably of La Couvertoirade, which left an impression on me,” he describes. Aveyron therefore has a special place in Vivien’s heart: moved, he explains that this department reminded him of “part of his childhood in the plains of Nièvre”.

If the professional pastry chef is also attached to Aveyron, it is also because it is there that he obtained his baker’s diploma, which today allows him to consider his future differently. “When I return from Africa, I will tour France to meet up with my friends and go to Nant to revisit the bakery,” he says. “But after that, I want to work in three bakeries with different methods, to refine my training, and open my own establishment,” announces the globetrotter, who could perhaps see himself settling in Aveyron. However, before embarking on his future projects, Vivien wants above all to enjoy the end of his career, which he considers to be “the experience of his life.”

Currently in southern Namibia, he is expected to reach South Africa next month, where his parents will spend three weeks with him. Then, he will complete his journey in Africa in Morocco during the month of August, to reach Europe by boat via the Mediterranean. One thing is certain for the cyclist, this trip is “the discovery of an authenticity and a way of life”, from which he emerges grown.