Health. From Beaune to Saint-Malo by bike: two friends' challenge against breast cancer

They pedal for those who fight. From Tuesday, June 3 to Friday, June 6, Nicolas Brindjonc will temporarily leave the stoves of his crêperie Mister Breizh to don a cycling outfit. Accompanied by his partner Philippe Prudhomme and coached by the experienced Gilbert Jaccon, aged 87, the Breton will set off from Beaune to Saint-Malo, his hometown. This sporting challenge has above all a charitable purpose, since for each kilometer traveled, ten euros will be donated to the association Le Repère d'Idézen . Its aim is in particular to break the loneliness of women affected by breast cancer, during and after the illness, through well-being workshops and various activities.

Nicolas Brindjonc has a passion for sports, and running in particular. "I like to challenge myself to stay in shape and keep moving. I promised myself I would run a marathon before I turned 50, and I've now completed seven," says the manager of the Mr Breizh establishment on rue du Faubourg-Madeleine . Cycling has recently entered his life. After years without pedaling, the Beaunois native got back on two wheels in November 2023, following a discussion with Gilbert Jaccon, a regular customer of the crêperie and a cycling enthusiast. The elder has written several books on the subject and has accumulated more than 100,000 kilometers by bicycle during his lifetime.

Gilbert Jaccon is also the coach of Nicolas and his friend Philippe Prudhomme, a gendarmerie reservist, who is accompanying him on this adventure, which began a few months ago. Nicolas Brindjonc recounts its genesis: "The idea came naturally. I was in bed and my wife and I were talking about the documentary by the young YouTuber (Inoxtag, editor's note), in which he climbs Everest. I wondered what my own Everest would be? Then I had this project of going from Beaune to Saint-Malo, by bike."

The main objective of this challenge is above all humanitarian, because the two friends will cover the 700 kilometers in four days for the benefit of the Repère d'Idézen . An obvious choice for the owner of the Beaune crêperie Mister Breizh since Isabelle Dausse, president of the association and herself affected by breast cancer a few years ago, was his former neighbor, and is now a friend.

This challenge is divided into four stages. Each has been named: “la complète,” “l’andouille,” “la paysanne bretonne,” and “la malouine,” a reference to the restaurant and Nicolas’s Breton roots. “We’ll be covering 180 kilometers per day, or about eight hours of cycling daily. It’ll be a great effort. We’ll start in Beaune and stop in Magny-Cours. The second stage will then take us to Saint-Aignan. The next day, we’ll head to Sablé-sur-Sarthe, before completing this journey in Saint-Malo on Friday,” he explains.

The two friends will complete the entire route without any assistance, traveling as light as possible, accompanied by the bare minimum: a survival and repair kit, as well as a large battery for their phone. Logistically, the cycling duo will spend their nights in lodges and guesthouses. "The only requirement is that the owners are able to make pasta and get up early," Nicolas Brindjonc emphasizes with a smile.

The goal is to reach the €7,000 mark, knowing that 70 kilometers traveled will fund a weekly adapted physical activity workshop for ten patients. All funds will be donated to the Repère d'Idézen: "Through this challenge, we want to tell these women that they are not alone. We are cycling for them, to give them energy and a little hope," says the manager of the Mister Breizh crêperie.

Those who wish can follow this journey live via social media, on Instagram and Facebook . An online Leetchi fundraiser has also been opened. Donations are open until the end of June.