A 26-year-old Belgian man cycled roughly 1,000 kilometres from Brussels to Montlauzun, a village in the Lot department of southern France, in early July to attend a family reunion at his grandmother’s home.
Maxence Muyshondt, who works in law, said he had been employed for three years and found himself between jobs when the idea came to him. While relatives were flying or driving to the annual gathering, he decided to make the journey by bike. He trained for one week before setting off.
His parents were worried, particularly about road safety. Muyshondt acknowledged the risk, noting that a distracted truck driver could end everything in an instant. His family even urged his grandmother to talk him out of it. His grandmother, Chantal Carette, said she refused to do so, reasoning that if he did not go through with it then, he never would. Muyshondt took precautions, fitting his bike with a rear radar light that sent alerts to his GPS whenever a vehicle was approaching from behind.
The first two days passed without incident. On the third day, extreme heat changed the nature of the trip entirely. Muyshondt said that riding in the early afternoon, with asphalt retaining the morning heat and the sun bearing down from above, felt like cycling inside an oven. He adapted by starting earlier each day, which meant he was reaching each stop before noon and had time to meet local residents.
Knocking on doors for water
Muyshondt said he met many people along the route. He stayed with locals through a room-rental platform, eating dinner with them in the evenings and sometimes breakfast too. When his water bottle ran dry, he said he simply knocked on doors, and everyone he encountered was friendly and willing to help.
He said the trip reinforced his trust in people, adding that while internet life can make people more guarded, the vast majority of those he met were welcoming. The journey reunited him with family members he rarely sees, including some based in the United States. He said the experience has given him the desire to take further cycling trips, this time with people close to him.
