WHAT IS LONG?

MATTHIEU

Our discipline, our type of riding, is inspired by the Audax tradition, the sporting randonnées, events created by the Brevets de Randonneurs Mondiaux (founders of Paris-Brest-Paris).

The range of distance is very subjective, but I think we can start to classify it as 'long' when we spend a full day on the road.

Then it becomes natural to extend the days, to ride into the night. It always progresses - from a few days to several weeks and so the adventures grow.

ELISABETH

It is a way of riding that has existed since the beginning of cycling and which combines, in my opinion, an aspect of endurance and travel. The tradition of long-distance riding has never been lost, and has continued in France with events like Paris-Brest-Paris, Les Diagonales, Les Flèches (arrows), etc.

It seems to me that we can start talking about long distance beyond 200kms per day, including riding into the night.

Long distance changes the notion of performance: we do not speak of average speed or moving time, but of a global elapsed time to go from point A to point B. The management of stops is more important than the speed on the bike.

GREGORY

Long distance is the school of humility and patience.

It is something that requires a lot of caution because nothing happens as expected and it requires an ability to get out of your comfort zone, no matter how big or small that might be.

WHY LONG?

M: To fill two aspects of my personality.

On the one hand, I have a contemplative and curious nature, and on the other I admit to having quite a bit of nervous energy and I find trouble channeling myself naturally.

The hypnotic, binary practice of cycling has managed to regulate my energy, to find its rhythm. It allows me to balance this unnecessary energy expenditure with my natural idleness by giving it meaning, becoming the driving force (in the literal sense of the term) of my curiosity.

It allows me to advance, to discover new places, to climb new passes, to enjoy riding a well-tuned machine but also to bring back graphic content of these adventures that will become the main focus of my daily work between rides.

E: I do long distance because it corresponds well to my physiology and my psychology: I am tough and persistent and I do not really suffer from the effort over time. I discovered that I am more comfortable on long outings than on brief and intense efforts.

I like to know where my limits are, and I enjoy real life challenges.

Finally, I keep a wonder in tact for the concept of the distance that can be ridden on a small 10kg pile of scrap using only the force of your legs. I do not have a car, I ride far by bike and it's a form of reaction to certain behaviours of some of my contemporaries. Some people go to get bread by car - one tonne of scrap to lug a 70kg human!

G: Because I'm looking for something, something that everyday can not bring me, a different routine, a fresh look at things.

A shower takes on a whole new dimension when it's the first time in three days, a text message of encouragement from 1000kms away gives you wings even when you think about giving up and going home.

It is these emotions that I seek and that long distance brings me. To lose oneself to better find oneself.

WHAT DOES LONG TAKE?

M: The mental aspect is different for each rider. It is fundamental to find balance in your head and, to a certain extent, a meaning to our wanderings. Or at least to make us believe in something or some purpose.

Of course you need quality equipment adapted for long distance. A bike with a good balance between comfort and performance, a position that doesn't distract or cause pain, a functional luggage solution and clothing designed for the purpose.

If pitfalls and glitches will always be part of the story, having equipment designed and proven for long hours in the saddle is a real benefit.

And take a knife, a knife always serves you well.

E:First you have to want to. There are many other forms of cycling, and long distance does not necessarily suit everyone.

Then you need to train. You must acquire a habit of long hours in the saddle. It is essential to have found the right settings of the position on the bike to avoid injury. It is important to have tested all your equipment to avoid being stranded somewhere.

Finally, you have to have the taste of the effort and a certain desire to surpass yourself, as well as a form of patience. It's important to get along with yourself and know when to stop. It is a discipline that makes you introspective and contemplative, it calms the nerves!

G: Mental strength, lots of mental strength.

So much is in the mind because no matter what the distance, the weather alters the emotions, which take on quite different dimensions and you can pass from laughter to tears in less than five minutes. It requires an ability to cheat with your brain and yourself make believe that everything is fine.

WHAT DOES LONG GIVE?

M: A feeling of being outside of time. In an unreal reality. All temporality evolves, distorts itself, after a few days the animal instinct begins to dominate our behaviour, the senses sharpen, the feelings too.

A satisfaction. The retrospective to have travelled 'all that' without the help of anyone, to have pierced the life of a country like a silent arrow and to have chosen your playground.

And, of course, stories of extraordinary friendships.

E: Well, a hell of an endorphin shot!

And the pleasure of a long trip, which unfolds like a film almost uninterrupted. The satisfaction of having gone far with simple mechanical means. And finally a break in everyday life, because the only concerns on the bike are of aesthetic order in front of the landscape, physical effort and logistics, in the very short term. We are in a sense constrained to immediacy and it feels good.

Footnotes: Photography by Manivelle.cc