They've written about their solidarity cycling adventure
Around the world, exploring a particular region, crossing the Americas, the Vélodyssée... There are as many cycling adventures to be had as there are children with heart attacks to be saved. The trick is to find the one that suits you, the one that makes you dream. One thing's for sure: pedaling to save children will give you strength in your calves and make your story even more beautiful!
Since 2016, nearly 50 bike trips have been completed for the benefit of Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque. Thanks to the online collections of these big-hearted cyclists, more than €228,000 in donations have been made to the Association, enabling us to fund surgery for 19 heart children around the world! Discover 3 of these beautiful stories.
Guillaume, nicknamed the "Cyclopote", and his tour of Europe
On July 9, 2023, Guillaume embarked on a long solo cycling expedition to raise €24,000, the sum needed to operate on two children with heart disease.
Over the course of 13 months, he crossed some 30 countries all over Europe. On his social networks, he relays his adventures, his joys, his encounters, the landscapes he crosses, and collects donations. Last March, we were delighted to share photos of Effel, an 8-year-old boy from Côte d'Ivoire, with Guillaume, who was in Latvia at the time. He is the first child whose heart has been repaired thanks to his fundraising page.
Guillaume's wonderful adventure is coming to an end soon, and his fund-raising efforts continue to climb, so that we hope to soon reach the goal of saving a second child!
"A heart is useful for many things in life, and not just for pedaling. It's used to live, it's used to love, it's used to have courage... We've only got one, so we might as well use it so that others can enjoy it too! Guillaume
"Les 3 Breizhettes", the Loire Valley for all the family
Mathilde and Marie, two sisters, and their mother Sylviane, wanted to take on a challenge that was both sporting and supportive. They pedaled along the Loire River from Nevers to Saint-Brevin-les-Pins, with the aim of raising €3,000 to help finance a child's heart surgery. On their way, they took advantage of their visit to our Touraine branch to meet Nouriatou, a 3-year-old girl from Burkina Faso who recently underwent heart surgery, giving them the strength they needed to continue. After 700km and 12 days of bivouac adventure, their fundraising target has been reached!
Jean-Paul, from Route 66 to the consulting room
"In February 2018, during a cycling outing, I suffered a violent heart attack. This event increased tenfold my furious desire to enjoy life, but also to make my contribution to help children with heart disease. Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque was the obvious choice! Three years later, I realized my dream of riding my bike around the world.
Jean-Paul set off from Chicago on April 15, 2022, and rode for just over a month along the legendary Route 66 to Santa Monica. Despite the difficulties he encountered, he went all the way and covered 3,581 km in order to finance heart surgery for a child around the world.
A few months later, at our offices in Paris, he had the great pleasure of meeting the adorable 4-year-old Inoussa from Burkina Faso, who had undergone heart surgery thanks to his online fund-raising campaign.
You too have the power to transform your cycling adventure into an adventure of solidarity!
> Contact Sophie Klinguer, in charge of "Coureurs du Coeur": coureursducoeur@mecenat-cardiaque.org
To find out more about Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque click here and to launch your fundraising page click here.
