“I’ve been dreaming about it for 80 years!†Annik, 83, describes his first pedal strokes with precision. The first foot posted high, then the second trying to throw it, once, twice three and finally, the departure: “It was fantastic!”. His dream came true thanks to the Vannes association Vélomotive and its cycle school.
Like Virginie, 51, marked by a cycling accident at the age of 12, one of them learned and the other relearned how to pedal. Gently and under the caring eye of Roland Fauvin, cycling school referent, and Françoise Issanjou, his energetic right-hand man.
“Adults are afraid”
Here, it happens on Sunday mornings, in stages. Learners are entitled to a little theory, around notions of the highway code, M12 signs (which allow cyclists to go through a green light, under certain conditions), a little deciphering of the elements of the bicycle and a lot of practice. “We offer highly individualized support,” they specify. We are here to give confidence, without rushing.”
I felt freedom walking around the neighborhood the first time.
Annik started by testing the balance bike technique, feet on the ground, on a fairly low bike. “It’s a tactic,” describes Françoise. “She wasn’t afraid.” As a child, she wanted. “But in the post-war period, there weren’t many bicycles. And then I had big glass glasses and I was told that if I fell, it could puncture my eye.” So the project was postponed. Her son tried to teach her but “it never worked.” Virginie’s relatives also tried, but “unlike They say, balance is forgotten and adults are afraid, unlike children. But I didn’t know that we could still learn to ride a bike.
She got back into the saddle very gradually over a year ago. She has since left the area around the premises, the perimeter of her first pedal strokes, to go further out. “It’s a real reward to have permission to leave. I felt free going around the neighborhood the first time.” She says she is still afraid of falling, especially on descents.
Feverish in the turns
Annik, for her part, didn’t wait to explore the city, after a short month of learning. “I realized the dangers of cycling: car doors opening on cycle lanes, cars cutting across paths, I’ve had it all!”
These two new cyclists now each have their own objective. Annik wants to enjoy family walks with her grandchildren along the Vilaine. A straight route that would suit her well, because she still feels nervous in the tightest turns. She also strengthens her thighs a little to pedal better. Virginie wants to be able to go see her parents, in the city center, from the north of Vannes where she lives, “without having to park or depend on bus timetables”. This is one of the objectives of Vélomotive: to facilitate access to cycling in order to change practices.
Practical
Adhésion à la vélo-école : 30 €, comprenant dix séances. L’association prête des vélos. Vélomotive : 9 rue Montaigne. Renseignements : https://velomotive.fr/
