Pierre Cabon, co-founder of Wheeled World media - The adventure for all!

Dare to live and never give up in the face of difficulties. This is the leitmotiv of Pierre Cabon, who miraculously survived the Bataclan attacks. Now a paraplegic, Pierre finds travel a way of reinventing himself. With his wife, Myriam, they launched Wheeled World, an advice website for disabled travelers. Parachute jumping, crossing the Atacama desert, New Zealand on a tandem... Adventure can and should be accessible to all!

Hello Pierre! Could you please introduce yourself?

I'm Pierre, I'm 32 years old and I've been creating content on travel and disability for nearly 5 years!

In this newsletter, we have our little habits. We always start with this question: what are your earliest memories of traveling by bike?

In my earliest memories, my father took me to the Parc André Citroën to teach me how to ride a bike. And we went back again and again, until my little wheels disappeared from the back. After that, I don't really remember much about that time when I was able-bodied. The other image that comes to mind is my first cycling trip, in 2020, with my wife Myriam. When we planned our round-the-world trip in 2019, we set ourselves the goal of crossing New Zealand from North to South on a tandem bike! It turned out to be an incredible adventure with this rather unusual bike: Myriam pedals at the back, managing the gears and brakes, while I'm at the front in a semi-recumbent position with a maindalier to accompany the effort!

"We decided to do a round-the-world trip to show that it was also possible to travel in a wheelchair".

Why did you choose to travel by bike?

It's the best way to discover a country. It's a thousand times more intense and powerful than in a van or car, because you really take your time. You become one with nature and the country, even if it takes you 5 hours to do a stage you could have done in 1 hour by car. I didn't want to be lugged around on a bike. I wanted to take part, and there was no way I was going to let Myriam do all the work. It also allowed me to regain my autonomy, even if it's the person behind me who has the handlebars!

With your medium, Wheeled World, you're an ambassador for adventure for all: why did you choose to champion this subject, when you could have taken a thousand other paths after the Bataclan?

Myriam and I met just 5 months before the Bataclan. After the event, we quickly discovered a shared passion for traveling, discovering people and the great outdoors. In 2016, we wanted to go far away, but we couldn't find much information to suit our particular circumstances. We took our first trip to Canada, during which we planned to visit cities like Montreal, Toronto and Jacques Cartier National Park. It was crazy, but a real hassle! Then I went on a trip with the association Comme Les Autres, whose mission is to offer social support to people who have become motorically handicapped, through sport and thrills. I discovered that sporting activities and thrills were possible, despite my disability. During my honeymoon in the US in May 2018, I rediscovered the pleasure of a trip in the great outdoors: over there, everything is indicated for people with disabilities, and you know right away what you can access with your equipment, not least because the infrastructure has been designed for it from the outset. This trip made us want to do a world tour....

How did you organize this round-the-world trip?

At first, when I was in the wheelchair, we crossed a lot of countries off our list. But in the end, we kept all our dreams and decided to go everywhere. We were positively surprised, especially in South America like Peru and Bolivia, where people with reduced mobility are seen differently. Admittedly, there are fewer means and fewer facilities, but there's more mutual aid and a greater desire to make things possible for you. Sometimes we'd find ourselves in really tough places and the guides would say to us: "I don't care, we're going to get you down and back up again, we're going to take you whatever it takes so you can see this viewpoint". It galvanized us. We kayaked the glaciers of Patagonia, surfed the dunes, climbed to Machu Picchu. The Covid stopped us in our tracks, but we managed to complete a project that was very close to our hearts: climbing Kilimanjaro! We prepared physically for 5 months. Thanks to a team of 20 people (there are normally 6 of us), we finally stopped at 5,566 m, just 150 m from the first summit, but the experience and the distance covered will remain forever engraved in our memories!

What's Wheeled World?

At the end of 2020, our round-the-world trip was interrupted because of covid. We were in New Zealand at the time. We started to rethink the project, as we had 6 months left before having to return to our respective jobs. We left for Corsica and got great feedback from our community. There are so many initiatives and associations trying to make their sport accessible to everyone. What's lacking is information on these subjects. So we decided to create our own media, to share all our tips with disabled people who want to travel, and give them the courage to set off on an adventure. So we gave up our respective jobs and created Wheeled World. Today, for the past 2 years, we've been working with towns and regions to publicize everything that exists in France and around the world, to enable all disabled people to go paragliding in the Alps or catamaran sailing in Brittany. We want to make people want to go out and do sports and activities, but also show tourism professionals that activities can be developed with common sense so that as many people as possible can enjoy them.

"We want to show tourism professionals that activities can be organized with common sense

".

What does adventure mean to you?

Adventure means getting out of the house when you have a disability. I remember the first time I went shopping in my wheelchair, it was complicated, but I took my courage in both hands. Adventure is about simple things that aren't so obvious in a wheelchair: going for a walk in the forest of Fontainebleau, putting your feet in the water on an accessible beach. It's important because it gets you out of your daily routine, boosts your morale and takes your mind off your disability. You say to yourself: I've managed to do this on my own. And then, for someone in a wheelchair, sport is indispensable, because it allows you to increase your autonomy and strengthen your muscles. Me, for example, since I've been doing more sport, my transfers are easier and my mobility is better.

Where does French tourism stand in terms of accessibility?

Things have been moving since the 2005 law, but we're still a long way behind Spain and the Anglo-Saxon countries, for example. Many local authorities are working hard to get things moving. Today, the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region is one of the most adapted: you can ski or use an all-terrain wheelchair. But I've also discovered that it's possible to explore Martinique and Reunion! These islands, which nothing suggests are accessible, offer a huge range of adapted activities! Sometimes we're a little impatient, but we're keeping our fingers crossed: with the 2024 Olympics, things could move forward more quickly!

"I have no limits, no brakes

".

You do a lot of activities: surfing, skiing, mountaineering: you have no limits?

During several hikes, I had the opportunity to be in a crazy all-terrain wheelchair, with 4 suspension wheels. With this chair, you can use the same trails as mountain bikes, climb mountains, go downhill and hike with friends. In fact, I do more sport today than I did before I was in the wheelchair! I can do the same as everyone else, I have no limits, no brakes. I'm just guided by pleasure and kif, I test everything. For example, when we parachuted in Australia, Myriam and I were on the same plane, she was sitting on a bench with her teacher, while I was just a few centimetres above the void. The only question I asked myself was: would my shoes hold?

Myriam and you form this handi-handicapped couple: she pedals, you pedal. Can you explain to me how you do it, and how you find your balance?

The bike weighs 50 kilos, so it's not exactly light! It's an electric bike, with normal-sized rear wheels and a smaller front wheel. I'm in a semi-recumbent position, with my feet in front, held in place by two calf braces, and my handbag in front. The advantage is that there's not just one main chain, but one for the maindalier and another for Myriam. So even if I stop, Myriam can carry on. The big problem is balance, because I'm at the front, but I'm heavier! So when we stop, we need to have something to rest on, usually a barrier. But once we get going, it's perfect, and we quickly reach 20/25 km/h!

"You don't have to go far to get a great view".

Has the Covid changed your vision of travel?

Yes, we think more about distances and try to travel by train. But it's not easy. We wanted to go to Austria on the night train, which was recently completely refurbished, but... it's not accessible. That said, it allowed us to rediscover France, including places I'd never set foot in as an able-bodied traveler: Occitanie, the coast between Collioure and Aigues-Mortes, Brittany, the Landes. France is full of incredible activities and people. You don't have to go far to see it all and get a change of scenery. There's no need to go looking for heavenly beaches - we've got Corsica! No need to go to the Seychelles, we've got the Crozon peninsula!

What's your favorite trip in France?Auvergne Rhône-Alpes scores a lot of points! We went to the Vanoise National Park in February, and to La Plagne, a ski resort that's 100% wheelchair accessible, from the ski area to the mountain restaurants. There are even accessible toilets in the middle of the slopes!

"Good information must be accessible to all".

For many people, adventure is the preserve of the adventurous and the athletic. What would you say to all those who don't dare?

The first thing you have to fight - and that's what Wheeled World is all about - is the fear of daring. Whatever your handicap, when you set off on an adventure, you first have to make sure that everything possible is taken care of, especially your accommodation: hotel rooms with shower chairs, beds at the right height, etc. It's this information that you'll need to know when you set off. It's this information that we want to pass on, so that others can set off on their own adventure. For example, when I go kayaking, I look for models made of paddles to avoid leaning. Having this information relieves you of the mental burden and makes it easier for you to accept minor difficulties during your activities. To give you an example, it took me 3 months to book 3 months of accommodation around the world. Each time, I asked for photos, checked that everything was suitable... And once we were there, we were able to make the most of every day!

What would you like your trip to look like in 50 years' time?

I'd like everyone to be able to travel in the same way, whether they're able-bodied or disabled. Travel is a moment of pleasure that everyone should have. Travelling should no longer be an obstacle course.

Music for curves: Lake Michigan by Rogue Wave (Walter Mitty soundtrack)

Music for descents: Immortals by Fall Out Boys

Music for climbing: Highway to Hell by AC/DC

A book for adventure: "Le continent blanc", by Matthieu Tordeur