"TheACTION was essential for this cycling tour of France".

LILIAN, HOW DID THE "LA GRANDE SORTIE" ADVENTURE GO?

The first five days were extremely difficult, both emotionally and physically. I wanted to turn around every 5 minutes. I had doubts about the feasibility of the project and had almost forgotten that it was an "obligatory step". After 7 days, my body got used to it. I had a good pace of 220km a day, then came the 150km to Cherbourg and the backlash. I collapsed on the floor in tears, exhausted. I then decided to take a hotel where I rested for 18 hours, my biggest break on the course. It did me a world of good and I was able to set off again the next day. After that, the kilometers flew by and the Alps went by like clockwork, before I finally came full circle in Aix-en-Provence, where I was greeted by a guard of honor at CROSSCALL !

I finally finished this Tour de France in 22 days, riding a total of almost 4000km, for an average of 10/12h a day on my bike. I'm pleasantly surprised not to have had any injuries or mechanical breakdowns, despite the ups and downs.

It's been an incredible adventure, physically, emotionally and in terms of the people I've met along the way.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO GIVE THIS PROJECT A COMMUNITY DIMENSION?

I always try to integrate the community aspect into my projects. The aim is always to inspire my followers to go all out with their projects, to get out of their comfort zone and do things that scare them and make them want to do them, without necessarily committing to huge expeditions.

I loved sharing my experience on my social networks and the La Grande Sortie Facebook event. It was my little moment of decompression during the day, when I was turning heads and not just thighs!

I received a lot of messages of encouragement, which was really stimulating, especially during the difficult times.

A few people came to meet me at the appointments I'd made along the way. Other people who came across me by chance said "I've been following your project, it's incredible to meet you" or "Ah, you're the one who's cycling around France? Then there was Nicolas, who looked for me all day in his car and offered me lunch in his restaurant. I received many messages from people saying they'd seen me and wished me luck. I've even had people throw their CROSSCALL out of the window when they passed me in the car. Every encounter was unique.

HOW DID YOU USE YOUR CROSSCALL SMARTPHONE AND ACCESSORIES THROUGHOUT THE ADVENTURE?

First of all, my smartphone, theACTION, was essential for this tour de France by bike. I was able to geolocate myself and follow the route, which I had prepared in advance, with the Dot Vision application.

I'm very happy with the autonomy of this smartphone. Battery life was top-notch. I never ran out of power and never switched off my phone. Using only GPS geolocation with the Dot Vision app, which updated my position on the track every 20 seconds, I still had 25% battery left in the evening. I lasted a maximum of 3 days in a row without access to electricity, listening to 4 to 6 hours of music a day on Spotify, with the GPS tracking running constantly, using the camera and social networking apps a little. I only used two of the three X-POWER external batteries.

The X-BIKE handlebar mount never moved, despite the few potholes I didn't see, so there's nothing to say about that! Having the phone in my hands, with direct access to the handlebars and the Dot Vision map and track, was extremely practical. I could see where I was going at all times, no questions asked.

The weather wasn't always easy. I've often ridden in scorching temperatures (on a pass in the Pyrenees, it was still 30°C at 2000m!), or in the rain, and the phone didn't even flinch.

WILL THERE BE OTHER PROJECTS?

The Grande Sortie is just the first step in ultra-endurance training, as the ultimate goal of the project is to row across the Atlantic without assistance. The tour of France by bike served as a basis for testing the preparation and execution of such an adventure, in terms of training, managing physical and mental condition, diet, route planning, separation from family and friends, etc. This time, the challenge would last between one and three months, with a total duration of three months. This time around, the challenge will last between one and 3 months, so until then, we'll have to get back in the saddle!