La Volupté
Jean Bobet is a Breton, a literary scholar and to a certain degree a romantic. He sometimes struggled to love his chosen profession, however the simple pleasure of riding a bike never left him. Maybe that was because it was the cement that held his relationship with his brother together, but for sure on those days when everything clicked he realised there wasn't much more in the world that he loved more.
He called it 'La Volupté' - "the voluptuous pleasure you get from cycling" - and he found it once on the Côte d'Azur. Re-reading his book that so eloquently expresses what we search for on two wheels, we decided to visit the place where La Volupté came to Jean and put pictures to his words.
'Its magic lies in its unexpectedness, its value in its rarity....It is more than a sensation because one's emotions are involved as well as one's actions...'
'The voluptuous pleasure that cycling can give you is delicate, intimate and ephemeral. It arrives, it takes hold of you, sweeps you up and then leaves you again. It is for you alone. It is a combination of speed and ease, force and grace. It is pure happiness.'
'That day - a clear, crisp February day - I was riding alone on the Côte d'Azur. Coming out of Lavandou, towards the Massif des Maures, the road leads uphill. The grdient was just right: not slowing me down too much, keeping me tuned into the hill and the chain tension in harmony with the correct gear'
'Either I was part of the bike, or the bike was an extension of my body, but either way the bike and I were at one. I wound up the slope to the rhythm of my breathing and perspiration: softly and smoothly. I was making headway, advancing, progressing more than I had done before.'
'The gradient was just right to keep me tuned into the long plateau. Then I unwound just as I took the bends: effortlessly and fluidly. The chestnut trees flickered past on either side, on the way to the Col de Babaou and then the ancient village of Collobrières, places that set you dreaming. I had everything: the image, the sound and the imagination....'
'That was it, the enchanment had been broken, but 30 minutes of volupté is not to be sneezed at. The proof was that when I got back and Louison asked me how it had gone, I replied quite naturally: 'I was flying today' '
'Tomorrow, We Ride' is one of the seminal books on life as a cyclist, both as a racer and a soul rider. If you haven't already, it is a must read and is available to purchase here.
The text is reproduced with the permission of Mousehold Press and copyright is owned by Jean Bobet.
Photography: Antton Miettinen