French couple and son travel globe on tandem bike
By Emilie Soeur
JAKARTA (JP): The Soulats -- Alain, 38, Sylvie, 40, and Aymeric-Ulysse, 2 -- are anything but a usual family. They seem to suffer from a strange illness we could call: the tandem-bike addiction.
The symptoms of this affliction amount to an irrepressible need to sit on dual saddles and cycle around the world. The first signs appeared 12 years ago, in 1985, when Sylvie, a nurse, and Alain, a fireman, decided to travel through Europe on a tandem bike.
In 1989, the two French people turned their handlebars toward North Africa. Two years later, they explored Ireland, and in 1992, they used their peddle power on the roads of South America.
South America was the land of their best and worst souvenirs. They recall the frightening game of Brazilian truck drivers pretending to crash into them.
Then, Sylvie recalls with nostalgia the warmth and generosity of the poor inhabitants of Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, which is the capital of Tierra del Fuego in Argentina.
Back then, there was only the two of them. Two years ago, the profile of the family changed with the arrival of a third rider named Aymeric-Ulysse.
The newcomer didn't quell the pair's addiction. On the contrary, his parents had wanted to enlarge the family to be able to share with a child what they consider wonderful traveling experiences. Thus, after some adjustments, the tandem bike was ready to welcome the little man.
Today, you might cross paths with some strange equipage: a man and a woman on a tandem bike pulling a trailer, in which you will discover a blond-haired young boy. And you might meet them anywhere because they have started a world tour.
They left Paris, France, on March 5 this year. Australia was their first stop. They arrived in Jakarta last month, after having cycled across Java from Bali.
They said that after leaving Indonesia's capital, they plan to cycle in Singapore, Malaysia and certainly Vietnam. From there, they want to set their wheels on African, American and European ground. But, they said, they have no definite plans or schedules in mind. The choice of their destinations would depend on their interest in a country, their time and money.
When asked to explain their wanderlust, Sylvie and Alain, who were born and spent their life in Angoulemes, southwestern France, denied having left their native country because they were bored.
"Our life in France suited us," they said. They added that their professions on their own were already a daily adventure. But it seems that their taste for discovery, nature and sports was strong enough to throw them on the road with a tandem bike.
The choice of the tandem bike was not random. For them, it is the symbol of family unity. When riding a tandem bike, everybody participates in the effort.
And don't think that traveling with this machine is easier than with two bicycles. They stressed that the efforts required by a tandem team are much more important than for a single bike because the load pulled by each rider is heavier. Climbing hills is definitely no picnic, they asserted.
But above all, the overriding fact is that the tandem bike is representation of the unity and cohesion of the family effort.
Their everyday routine is dependent on the bicycle. They sleep eight to nine hours a day and always start the day with a good breakfast. Then, they cycle until noon, when they stop at a warung (food stall) to have lunch.
They only ride two hours in the afternoon and stop at 3 p.m. so that their son can play while his parents wash clothes or buy food. Before the birth of Aymeric-Ulysse, they used to cycle an average of 100 kilometers a day. Today, they average 70 kilometers.
The arrival of their child also influenced their choice of destinations. The vast and windy steppe-like plains of Patagonia would definitely be too hard for a two-year-old boy.
From a financial point of view, their life doesn't make for a fortune. They left France with a budget of F20,000 (US$3,000). Six months after their departure, they are still living on this money.
When they start to run out of cash, they will try to work, to sell slides or give talks on their adventures.
There are also different companies sponsoring their project. A French radio station, Europe 2, and companies dealing with bicycle parts or photographic and video equipment take care of a major part of their expenses.
They are also working on a book that will tell the story of their trip. It will be their sixth book as they have already published five describing their previous travels.
Their books are not purely log books. They tell their stories, discoveries and feelings in a novelized way.
Alain and Sylvie have planned a maximum three-year tour, so that they stop when Aymeric-Ulysse reaches school age. They don't know whether they will settle in France or somewhere else, but what is definite is that they want their child to have a stable education.
Concerning their child, Sylvie and Alain are sure that this tour is a wonderful experience for him. "Aymeric-Ulysse is very open and easily makes new friends. Besides, when we ride, he doesn't mind staying in the trailer."
And the blond-hair boy seemed to feel quite at ease in the modest losmen (boardinghouse) of Jl. Jaksa, Central Jakarta. After just one day, he had already found a little Indonesian friend to play with.