What Timothée loves most about being outdoors, is that it feels like a mini-vacation every time. Being a photographer and director who is passionate about cycling, he often brings his bike on work assignments and explores the area in his free time. When home in Bordeaux, he enjoys going on rides with his partner or a cycling group that he started.
Timothée is one of our most active French community members. Read on to find out more about why he loves cycling and what spending time outdoors means to him.
“I love leaving home, even if it’s for a weekend. The time really slows down when you do that. Leaving on Saturday morning and returning on Sunday evening by bike always generates a fascinating feeling of a long break. I still feel like I spent a week outdoors. It’s pretty awesome.”
To him, riding on a bike makes him feel alive and free like nothing else does.
“The motivation is to spend time outdoors and see how beautiful it is outside the cities – how precious nature and silence are. Traveling by bike is the ultimate sense of freedom.”
And Timothée is lucky he and his partner share the same hobby. They ride as a couple, but he also enjoys group rides so he can share the spirit of cycling.
“I am so lucky to share this passion with my other half. It makes the rides more beautiful. Also, I have been organizing introductory cycling tours since the beginning of the school year and it is a pleasure to ride in a group. There’s good humor, a little music and the sharing of this passion for adventure cycling.”
On his rides, Timothée loves exploring areas he hasn’t been to before. Sometimes he just checks the map for interesting Highlights and plans his route to those places.
“I love spending time on komoot in the evening, planning walks, looking at unexplored corners and finding new routes to explore. We’re a small group of friends who ride and use komoot so we take turns to share our itineraries for the weekend rides.”
Speaking of sharing routes, he would recommend the Roger Lapébie trail to anyone exploring Bordeaux, locals and visitors alike.
“I think that living in Bordeaux, the best Highlight would be the Roger Lapébie trail. When you want to ride a little to quickly get away from the city, this is the best way. You are sure to meet other cyclists, backpackers, and travelers.”
When speaking about his favorite tour on komoot, Timothée’s eyes start sparkling.
“The tour of the Gironde estuary is probably my favorite trip to this day. The idea is always to leave your home region and that’s where a multi-day bike trip makes sense. This one was especially nice because we spent 24/7 outside, brought all our food and prepared it on our camping stove. We had everything we needed to survive with us on the bikes – an amazing feeling.”
Timothée and his girlfriend have been on great bikepacking trips throughout the years. The biggest and most memorable one was their journey to Quebec, Canada.
“All my bike rides are unforgettable but when my girlfriend and I were in Canada we decided to leave our accommodation plans to serendipity, staying with kind strangers from Warmshowers or camping (wild or campsites). The encounters we had on Quebec roads were incredible in terms of sincerity, sharing, and originality. It is the most complete cycling adventure I have experienced so far because there is, of course, the sporting dimension, the journey and the discovery of culture.
We were hosted by a couple – nearly 80 years old each, who welcomed us by cycling back to their home with us. As soon as we arrived they served us a drink and took us on board to play tennis with them, and all this in the heart of Quebec. I will never forget that.”
With his heart beating for road and gravel, Timothée has a great tip for beginners when route planning.
“One thing I recommend to beginners on komoot is that to find the best route, I choose the last one that appears when I zoom in. Roads appear as users zoom in. The last ones that appear are often the quietest, prettiest and the ones with the least cars.
Also, when you discover a corner, don’t hesitate to plan your itinerary using the Highlights. This is the best way to discover things that are often worth a visit, even if it means traveling a few more kilometers.”
And, of course, being a true adventurer, Timothée always has his next rides and trips planned.
“I will continue to organize initiations. I call them micro-trips. Then I go to Belgium for a month to work next February. I will take my bike on board to discover Belgium with pedals during my free time. Also, as I’m about to become a father, we’re thinking about taking our offspring on a trip with us.”
Follow Timothée on komoot, Instagram and his website to read more about the stories behind his bike rides.
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